Background

The Highway 199 corridor has some of the most unusual natural resources in the state of Oregon. Members of the local community have recognized that these resources offer a unique marketing opportunity and have been working to develop a tourism story to help support one of the state’s lowest economic communities. An important component of this tourism development is a road designated by the Forest Service as the TJ Howell Botanical Drive, a road that offers the premiere opportunity for seeing the most botanically diverse regions in the nation. A large portion of this drive was impacted by the 2002 Biscuit Fire leaving in its wake an even more compelling travel story for the TJ Howell Botanical Drive. In November 2003, the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Biscuit Fire salvage project was published and distributed for public comment. Tourism proponents quickly realized that the plan did not acknowledge the TJ Howell Botanical Drive and had scheduled to convert this unique botanical area into a tree farm. Tourism advocates reviewed the plan and discussed options but could not envision how the plan would give the community a marketing advantage for tourism. Several letters were written to the Forest Service to raise their awareness of the issue and the economic advantage that would result by dedicating the resources along this drive to tourism rather than commit it to become a production forest.

This issue has an element of urgency for two reasons. If the harvest proceeds as planned, the damage will be permanent and Oregon will lose a resource of national significance. This loss will take place on the Highway 199 corridor, the highway with the largest collection of nationally significant resources of any road through the coastal range of Oregon, Washington and California.

Highway 199 - Biscuit Fire -Tourism Issue Page 1

Vista of the Wild and Scenic Illinois River from the TJ Howell Botanical Drive.

The TJ Howell Botanical Drive is an eighteen mile road that starts at Highway 199 and climbs into the mountains to where it ends at the boundary of the Kalmiopsis wilderness. It follows the Wild and Scenic Illinois River corridor for the first three miles where salmon can be seen migrating in the fall.

The first seven miles of the road goes through one of the largest serpentine rock outcrops in the nation. Despite the fact that this area gets the same amount of precipitation as the deep forest found later in the drive, the vegetation has more the appearance of east Oregon desert plant communities. This odd assemblage of plants is a reflection of the way plants interact with minerals found in the serpentine rock.

Perhaps one of the most dramatic things seen along the drive is the distinct boundaries between plant communities growing on serpentine rock (open, barren area) and the more heavily forested slopes above-left growing on rock from an ancient volcanic island chain. Geologic controls on plant communities is one of the reasons for the diversity of plants in this region.

Grayback Mountain, the _Oregon

Several bogs in this region support large communities of the carnivorous plant, the Darlingtonia. A wheelchair accessible trail at the beginning of the road takes visitors to one of the largest Darlingtonia communities in the area. This photo was taken in the winter and most of the plants are dormant. A new colony of plants will sprout from the base of the dormant tops.

Near the end of the drive, the road enters some of the most burned areas seen along the tour route. Tourism proponents see these stands of dead trees as a unique tourism opportunity because there is no where else in the coastal range where this type of habitat can be found. Over time, this will likely attract specialty recreation such as birding, one of the fastest growing sector in recreation. No one in Oregon, California or Washington will have this resource.

Red Buttes

wilderness ^Siskiyou

A portion of the vista overlooking Illinois Valley and the Highway 199 corridor.

Highway 199 - Biscuit Fire -Tourism Issue Page 3

The Biscuit Fire Recovery Project is taking place along the Highway 199 corridor of southwest Oregon, a tourism resource of extraordinary significance and opportunity. There is no other road in the coastal range of California, Oregon or Washington that comes close to matching it for clean rivers, clean air, and nationally significant geologic and botanical stories.

Highway 199 is only 80 miles long yet contains a significant list of things to see including a National Park, a National Monument, a National Recreation Area, two State Parks, two County Parks, two scenic river corridors, two byways, three wilderness areas, and three designated botanical areas. You drive through the largest serpentine rock outcrop in the nation, the cleanest watershed in the lower 48 states, the most complete ocean crust geology in the nation, the most botanically diverse regions in the nation, the only place in the nation to see the interior of a rift volcano, and through the watershed of what may be the most inaccessible river corridor in the nation. It has the largest cave in Oregon and is the only coastal drive that goes through an old growth redwood forest. There is much more.

It would be difficult to think of another road in the coastal range of California, Oregon or Washington that comes close to matching Highway 199 for its nationally significant stories. This is why tourism needs to be a significant consideration in the Biscuit Fire Recovery Plan. The current two volume edition of the plan barely mentions tourism.

The Economic Potential Highway 199

Highway 199 is a popular travel route between Redwood National Park and Crater Lake National Park as well as a corridor for visitors who travel from the cultural center of Ashland to visit the coast and Oregon Caves National Monument. Most visitors traveling this route come from the metropolitan communities of Portland and San Francisco (Rolloff, 1995). Visitors commonly travel from the metropolitan areas along the coast to Redwood National Park and then follow Highway 199 inland to Crater Lake before returning home along routes that take them through the Cascade Mountains.

Highway 199 has an annual traffic load of about one million vehicles. In 1992, the state estimated that 289,000 vehicles, about one third of the vehicles traveling on Highway 199, represent tourist traffic (Wetter, 1994). An estimate of tourist spending in Illinois Valley can be obtained from surveys conducted at Oregon Caves National Monument and from data taken in adjacent California counties. Surveys conducted at Oregon Caves National Monument indicate the average daily spending per group is $90 (Stynes, 2001). Average expenditures per party in northern California Counties was considerably higher and may reflect more out-of-the-area spending rather than local spending such as what occurs at Oregon Caves. Average spending in adjacent California counties are as follows: Del Norte=$131.00, Humboldt=$153.75, Modoc=$94.92, Shasta=$130.00, Siskiyou-Trinity=$125.00. (Sheffield). It would not be unreasonable to conclude the average visitor spending on Highway 199 is about $100/day.

From this information it can be estimated that about $29.8 million dollars in tourism dollars pass through the Highway 199 corridor annually. This is the traffic flow without a promotion plan in place.

Tourism constitutes a sustainable, multimillion dollar industry for the communities of Illinois Valley. It is important that land management agencies work with the community to assure that scenic values, educational experiences and opportunities to see nature are both preserved and accessible. These are key elements that will contribute to the strength and future viability of southwest Oregon economy.

Location of Highway 199

Highway 199 and the Oregon Loop

Highway 199 is a critical link in a much larger tourism opportunity that could bring more tourism to coastal and Cascade communities. The loop starts at Portland, follows the Oregon coast on Highway 101, cuts inland on Highway 199 to Crater Lake and then returns to Portland via Bend or Roseburg. The route would be about 800 miles in length and would make an ideal action packed week-long vacation road trip. Along this route visitors will see:

A representation of every type of volcanism in the world (hot spot, island arc, rift, subduction). Highway 199 is the only place in the nation where rift and island arc volcanoes are found. It is the only coastal mountain travel corridor in Oregon where you drive through the core of an ancient subduction volcano.

Tsunamis signs are seen all along the Oregon coast but the only city in the lower 48 states to be hit by a tsunami is Crescent City, the west end of Highway 199. The driving force that creates tsunamis is tectonics. It is possible to see the geology of tectonics along the Highway 199 corridor including the interior of an ancient rift volcano and the only place in the world where serpentinization has been demonstrated to play a key role in earth movement. Visitors can literally see the beginning and end of tectonics on this road.

You drive from the tallest trees in the world, through a temperate rain forest, past the most botanically diverse region in the nation, climb to alpine plant communities on the rim of Crater Lake and continue to the high desert of east Oregon.

You drive through the cleanest watershed in the nation, and continue through two scenic river corridors to the cleanest lake in the world.

Key elements that pull this story together are found along the Highway 199 corridor. A critical element of this drive is the TJ Howell Botanical Drive, the premiere drive to see the most botanically diverse region in the nation. This will be a major player in bringing millions of dollars to Oregon every year through tourism and creating jobs in some of the most economic depressed parts of Oregon.

Highway 199 Visitors Today and Tomorrow

An important part of tourism development is to know who your current visitors are as well as who your future visitors will be and what they are interested in seeing. Tourism stories that make no sense today may become the key tourism attractions of tomorrow.

A survey conducted in 1995 at Oregon Caves provided the following information about visitors traveling in southwestern Oregon (Rolloff, 1995);

Visitor Education: 42% of visitors have a college education and half of these had a graduate degree.

Visitor Income: The average annual income for visitors to Oregon Caves was $50,000.

Reasons for Travel: The top reasons for travel were viewing scenery, doing something with the family, and to learn more about nature.

The 1994 Tourism Assessment for Illinois Valley cited a Siskiyou National Forest District-Four Recreation Survey that indicated the primary reasons for tourism activity included visitor interest in viewing scenery, auto travel and hiking/walking (Wetter, 1994). Similar interest is also seen in Oregon state travel profiles which states, “people come to Oregon to Indulge their interest in outdoor recreation, nature experiences and historic sites”. They also noted many Oregon travelers are engaged in a family oriented trip (Longwood, 1997).

A recent survey conducted by the National Geographic Society in conjunction with the Travel Industry Association of America indicates that a large sector of the travel and tourism industry will be influenced by a growing public interested in the human and natural attributes that make one place distinct from another (Stueve, 2002). The survey grouped these individuals into a travel class they label as Geotourism. This group represents about 55 million Americans, which is greater than one third of the total 154 million Americans who travel annually. The survey indicated Geotourists share a general agreement that their travel

Bigelow Lakes basin overlooing the Highway 199 corridor.

experience is better when the destination preserves its natural, historic, and cultural sites. Over half (53%) of Geotourist agree that their travel experience is better when they have learned as much as possible about their destination’s customs, geography and culture. The majority of these travelers are Baby Boomers (43%) and Senior Matures over 65 years (27%) comprising together 70% of the Geotravel sector, approximately 38 million Americans. About 45% of Geotourists have a college education.

The age of travelers is an important consideration and the large number of retired now entering the travel market gives reinforcement to the need for accessible, low impact recreation. There are 50 million disabled in the United States and 60-70% of these individuals are “Senior Matures” who are 65 years or older. Senior Matures comprise 16% of all domestic trips in America. “Junior Matures”, age 55-64, comprise 15% of domestic trips and 45% are “Baby Boomers” whose first members reached age 55 in 2001 (Rhoades, 2001). There is a large sector of the traveling population who are entering the age where disabilities will become an issue and accessibility to recreation resources will become increasingly important. The senior market is approaching explosive proportions and, in order to capture this market in southwest Oregon, it will be important for land management agencies such the USFS to support local communities by planning and preparing to serve the needs of mature travelers.

An insight to what types of activities might appeal to seniors can be found in a survey conducted by the Outdoor Recreation Coalition of America (Marwick, 1997), which identified activities such as walking and observing nature as being important senior activities. They also noted that walking was the top activity in the United States with bicycling, hiking and bird watching close behind. Hiking footwear ranked as the highest growth area among outdoor recreation retailers. An interesting component of the survey noted there is an increasing interest in American society to reunite families and participate in activities that allow for group participation. As this trend becomes established, the growing senior market will also have the potential to bring younger sectors of society into the travel market as part of the national trend to reunite families and do family oriented activities. Low impact trails and accessible nature experiences suitable for family interaction and education will be important in attracting these visitors to Oregon.

Projections for Geotourism and travel by seniors and their families comprise a large segment of the traveling population. Surveys indicate these individuals are interested in nature and want to have opportunities for healthful exercise such as walking and hiking. The unique, natural resources of the Highway 199 corridor have a tremendous potential for attracting the Geotourism travel sector. Surveys of visitors in the Illinois Valley disclose indications that current traveler coming tothis area have a high interest in viewing scenery, hiking/walking, family oriented activities and educational experiences so this trend may already be underway. If resources can be made accessible and appealing to the interest and needs of this sector of traveling Americans, southwest Oregon could establish a significant, nature based tourism economy.

Family oriented activities and educational opportunities are becoming increasingly important foundations of the nature-based tourism sector

Oregon Caves park staff deliver a variety of public programs geared for all ages.

Background Information

Tourism proponents in southwest Oregon.

Roger Brandt - Author of this report A total of fourteen years dedicated to the study and understanding of the Siskiyou-Cascade region of southwest Oregon and northern California. Three years working at Redwood National Park developing and delivering public programs to include old growth redwood forest walks, stream ecology in the Smith River (including rafting tours on the river), estuary ecology, and tide pool programs. Specialized in the geology of the Smith River National Recreation Area and conducted geology seminars along Highway 199 which has resulted in an intimate knowledge of the Highway 199 story on. Worked seven years at Oregon Caves National Monument coordinating cave tour operations, environmental education programs, and publications. Worked three years at Crater Lake National Park doing programs on volcanology, lake ecology, fire ecology, subalpine plant communities and history. Member of a fire crew on three project fires. Worked a season at Lassen National Park near the town or Red Bluff, California where he lived for several years working in local schools.

Key individuals in the Highway 199 corridor who have been involved in discussion and input on the tourism issues of the Biscuit Fire Recovery Project.

Kevin Harvey-Morose A long time local community tourism advocate whose most recent project has

Cave Junction, Oregon: All members of the tourism proponent team live near Cave Junction located at the heart of the Highway 199 corridor.

List of Forest Service Contacts for the Biscuit Fire Recovery Project

Linda Goodman Regional Forester US Forest Service PO Box 3623, 333 SW First Avenue Portland OR 97208-3623 503-808-2200; Fax: 503-808-2210

Scott Conroy Forest Supervisor Siskiyou-Rogue National Forest 333 West 8th St. Medford OR 97501 Voice - (541) 858-2200 - FAX - (541) 858-2220

Tom Link Biscuit Fire Recovery Team Leader 200 NE Greenfield Rd/ PO Box 440, Grants Pass OR 97528 Voice - 541-471-6801FAX - (541) 471-6514 tlink@fs.fed.us

Pam Bode, District Ranger (Tourism Liaison in Cave Junction) 26568 Redwood Hwy, Cave Junction OR 97523 Voice -(541) 592-4000 FAX - (541) 592-4010

pbode@fs.fed.us

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