Jessy Fabrizio-Stover

Email: jessy@willamettevalley.org
Title: Wildfire Recovery and Outdoor Recreation Coordinator
Organization: Willamette Valley Visitors Association
Community: Willamette Valley
Population: 1,076,744
Counties Served: Yamhill, SW Clackamas, Marion, Polk, Linn, Benton and East Lane County

Meet Jessy Fabrizio-Stover (she/her/hers):

Jessy was born and raised in Hong Kong before attending University in Upstate NY at the University of Rochester. She graduated in 2020 with a B.S. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and a minor in Chemistry. After graduating she completed her first AmeriCorps year with Rochester AmeriCorps at an Upward Bound program in the local public school. Jessy loves traveling and being outside. She is excited to immerse herself in the Oregon culture of loving the outdoors, community, and sustainability.

Community and Organization:

The Willamette Valley Visitors Association is located in the central part of the Willamette Valley, about half a mile from the capitol in Salem. The Willamette Valley is most well-known as a high-quality wine grape producing region. However, the region boasts far more than world renowned wine. Thanks to the Missoula Floods 14,000 years ago, the region’s alluvial soils, coupled with an overall mild climate, allow for the growth of a vast array of crops. Among these are filberts (hazelnuts), hops, a wide variety of berries, grass seed, nursery stock and Christmas trees. The Willamette River runs the entirety of the Willamette Valley, historically providing a means of commerce. Today, the Willamette Valley Visitors Association focuses on the promotion of recreational opportunities that foster the invaluable relationship Oregonians have with the soil beneath their feet and the water that doesn’t just fall from the sky.

Project:

Jessy Fabrizio-Stover is joining the Willamette Valley Visitors association as their Wildfire Recovery and Outdoor Recreation Coordinator. She is focused on outdoor recreation tourism destination development in the fire impacted regions of Santiam Canyon and the McKenzie River Region. Hopefully her work will help start the process of bringing nearly 500 miles of historical trails in the Santiam Canyon region back online. Additionally, Jessy’s scope of work will include identifying and highlighting recreational opportunities in the Mid-Willamette Valley. This work will also include bringing in accessibility evaluations for outdoor recreation assets to help all people understand their ability to use a trail. Additionally projects she will be working on include adding capacity to the RDEI working group for her region, identifying and promoting gravel and mountain bike routes, and aiding in the distribution of funds for the Oregon Trail Fund program. Altogether with the goal of building a stronger, more diverse outdoor recreation network in the region.