Katie McFall
Email: katie@oregonwinecountry.orgOrganization: Willamette Valley Visitors Association
Community: Willamette Valley Region
Meet Katie McFall (she/her/hers):
Katie is a native Oregonian who received her Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture, specializing in Wine and Viticulture, from Cal Poly – San Luis Obispo. Katie’s professional background is focused in the wine industry, but through the RARE program has transitioned to work more in economic development, specifically tourism. In her second year, she continued to work on the Willamette River Trail, agritourism development, and cycling expansion in the Willamette Valley. Katie is driven by the goal to provide Oregonians the means to adapt and prosper along with changes in their local economies.
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:
Katie served a second year as the Development Coordinator with the Willamette Valley Visitors Association. She worked on the Willamette River Trail project. The project consists of unifying the entire river, from Eugene to the Willamette Locks. This stretch of river is approximately 187 miles in length. This project focused on unifying the river’s users, businesses, private land-owners, and affiliated government agencies along its banks to create a cohesive plan to promote sustainable growth and development along the river.