Outdoor enthusiasts in Oregon will soon have another venue for their passion. Today (Monday) kicks off a project to link Sweet Home to the Willamette National Forest through a public access trail system.
About 36 private and public entities are coming together to launch the South Santiam River Corridor Project. They will commit to creating 12 miles of trails paralleling Highway 20. Sweet Home City Manager Craig Martin says the forest project will create jobs:
Martin: "There will certainly be an opportunity for some enhanced tourism, some eco tourism. There will be more recreation opportunities."
Governor Kitzhaber's office designated the plan for economic development 18 months ago. The groups hope the corridor will be open to the public in one to two years.
