met Congressman Peter DeFazio today.
We have an exciting contingent of Oregonians here in DC. It’s sort of like a bike advocacy all-star team.
There are 20 of us, give or take, ranging from the Mayor of Wilsonville (Charlotte Lehan) to an interested citizen from Corvallis (Brad Upton). It’s great to have everyone here, but I’m particularly jazzed to have folks here representing the tourism perspective.
Here are their names and affiliations:
- Scott West, Travel Oregon / Oregon Tourism Commission
- Carole Astley, Travel Oregon / Oregon Tourism Commission
- Sue Gorham, Convention and Visitors Association of Lane County (Eugene)
- Veronica Rinard, Portland Oregon Visitors Association
- Dennis Oliphant, Central Oregon Visitors Association / Sun Country Raft Tours (Bend)
at dinner last night.
It’s huge for cycling in Oregon to have these folks at the table. They help further the important dialogue about how bicycles are a major boon to economic development and how important it is to have high quality, connected facilities.
Lately in Portland I’ve run into Scott West and Veronica Rinard at several bike-related meetings. They are immersing themselves in our world so they can begin to more effectively talk about cycling, become aware of the issues, and offer their expertise to help move cycling forward in Oregon.
Next month I’ll see them all again when I venture down to Sisters (just north of Bend) for the annual Oregon Bicycle Tourism Summit.
Tourism will play an increasingly important role in the bike advocacy mix, and I’m glad Oregon is already ahead of the game.
For those of us who couldn’t make it out to DC this week (and may not be able to make it down to Sisters next month), we can still hear about Bike Tourism in Oregon:
Tomorrow PDOT’s monthly Bicycle Brown Bag series will feature Iris Riggs, Bicycle Recreation Coordinator for Oregon Parks and Recreation and Jeff Smith from PDOT Transportation Options. They’ll discuss making Oregon the premier destination for a bike holiday. Plus – tips on planning your bike vacation.
Thursday, Mar 15, Noon – 1:00 at the Portland Building, 1120 SW 5th Ave, 2d floor.
Read about the series here: http://www.portlandonline.com/transportation/index.cfm?&a=144945&c=34816