Tourism-related Businesses, Organizations, Front Line Staff, and Leaders from the Southern Oregon Coast Region are invited to attend an Opening Network Reception and a one-day conference full of information, networking, and collaboration.

This is a unique opportunity for fourteen communities to come together to strengthen the Southern Oregon Coast.

TSOC’s goal for the upcoming Network Conference is to inform a diverse group of Southern Oregon Coast tourism partners about what is happening on the South Coast and throughout Oregon, as well as provide resources to our businesses and organizations.

Annie Williams, a RARE (Resource Assistance for Rural Environments) AmeriCorps Member placed with TSOC, used her skills as a gifted landscape artist to help create a "pocket park" along Gold Beach's main street.

Annie worked closely with the Gold Beach Mainstreet organization to create a planting plan and a landscape proposal. The organization wanted to remove the existing plants, improve the soil, replant more welcoming and colorful flora, spruce up the concrete, and add new benches to match those already installed along Highway 101.

Annie met with the Mainstreet design committee several times to ensure they were getting a design they felt comfortable and confident in installing in the community. The resulting design focused on native species, hardy to the local climate and possessing great pollinator value. She sourced most of the plants from Stillwater Natives in Bandon.

The Gold Beach Mainstreet organized a community volunteer planting event on Earth Day 2022. Volunteers were able to amend the soil and get all the plants in the ground, including two new ornamental cherries, in one session. The team was able to use Annie's planting plan as a guide for placing the right plants in the right spots. Everyone enjoyed getting their hands dirty and making a positive impact on their community.

Since the planting event, Mainstreet has installed irrigation, painted the planters, and installed the new benches. The pocket park is located at the corner of Highway 101 and Moore Street in Gold Beach. If you're in the neighborhood, stop by and check it out. The plants are doing great and the community loves it!

In June 2022, Travel Oregon adopted a new 10-Year Strategic Vision. To bring this vision to life, Travel Oregon and the state’s seven Regional Destination Management Organizations (RDMOs) will develop strategic plans that respond to the emerging needs of the tourism industry.