News & Press Archives - Oregon Travel Information Council

Honoring the Triple Nickles in Pendleton

Posted on: August 14th, 2019 by Jessica Carbone in News & Press |

You are invited to celebrate a new Oregon Historical Marker: the “Triple Nickles”

The Triple Nickles, also known as the 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion—were a segregated all-Black elite division—who in 1945 jumped into Oregon history. They were deployed from Pendleton Field and Chico California. The battalion’s secret mission was to parachute near forest fires caused by Japanese Balloon bombs, and then disarm and destroy any remaining explosive devices.
The men of the …

Now Hiring: Fill-In Rest Area Technicians – $18.00 per hour

Posted on: June 10th, 2019 by Nancy DeSouza in News & Press |

TIC is Hiring Rest Area Technicians at locations statewide: Near Madras/Maupin (Cow Canyon), Redmond ( Peter Skene Ogden), Eugene (Oak Grove & Cabin Creek) and Seaside (Sunset).
Rest Area Technicians are temporary/on-call employees who are not scheduled to work regular hours, but are available to perform fill-in work as needed; rest areas are staffed every day of the year, and temporary employees are frequently scheduled to work weekends and holidays. While technicians …

The Electric Highway- vehicle charging locations

Posted on: May 2nd, 2019 by Annie Von Domitz in News & Press |

Planning a trip with your electric vehicle? Curious about where to find charging stations?
Plugshare has an interactive map of locations all over the world.
To find out what the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) is doing to support electric vehicle infrastructure here.

The 2019 Heritage Brochure is now available!

Posted on: April 25th, 2019 by Jessica Carbone in News & Press |

The 2019 edition of the Historical Marker and Heritage Trees is fresh off the presses! We have given the cover a bit of a face lift and have updated it with all of the most current information.
If you would like a copy we would love to send you one, just email jessicac@oregontic.com with your name and address.

GeerCrest Orchard Dedicated as Oregon Heritage Trees

Posted on: October 12th, 2018 by Annie Von Domitz in News & Press |

On Friday, October 19, 2018, the Oregon Heritage Tree Program dedicated the GeerCrest Orchard as new Oregon Heritage Trees in Salem.
The year 1837 saw the beginnings of mass immigration to the Willamette Valley from the Eastern United States. The Willamette Valley, described to Americans in the East as an “Eden of the West,” had been shaped by millennia of active land management by a diverse native population including the Kalapuyan, …

Yang Madrone Dedicated as an Oregon Heritage Tree

Posted on: June 27th, 2018 by Annie Von Domitz in News & Press |

News Release from The Travel Information Council
On Friday, July 13, 2018, the Oregon Heritage Tree Program dedicated the Yang Madrone as a new heritage tree in Corvallis, Oregon.
The large Pacific Madrone tree overlooking the Yang house was planted by Hoya Yang to complement the house his wife, Edith Yang, designed. In 1954, Edith became the first female minority architect licensed in Oregon. She designed many buildings in the area …

Grove of the States dedicated as Oregon Heritage Trees on their 50th Anniversary

Posted on: September 8th, 2017 by Annie Von Domitz in News & Press |

On August 28 2017, the Oregon Heritage Tree Program celebrated the induction of Oregon’s Grove of the States, a historic arboretum containing trees for each US state and the District of Columbia.
Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum, ODOT director Matt Garrett and members of the Oregon Travel Information Council joined the Oregon Heritage Tree Committee to commemorate the day and induct the Grove as Heritage Trees. The local Boy Scout Troop …

Oregon Heritage Tree Advocate Paul Reis Honored

Posted on: April 5th, 2017 by Madeline MacGregor in News & Press |

The Oregon Heritage Tree Program awarded 2017 Maynard C. Drawson Memorial Award to educator and arborist Paul Ries. Ries will receive a plaque recognizing his contributions to preserving Oregon’s notable trees.
Ries was a founding member of the Oregon Heritage Tree Program and personal friend to Maynard Drawson. Drawson is considered to be the founding father of the program; the award was created in 2015 as a way to honor his …

New trees planted at Grove of the States

Posted on: February 14th, 2017 by Madeline MacGregor in News & Press | 2 Comments

Last year, a motivated group of volunteers showed up to push wheelbarrows, swing shovels, and plant 20 replacement trees at the Grove of the States (located at French Prairie Rest Area southbound). Among the many volunteers were two members of the Oregon Travel Information Council (Chair Gwenn Baldwin and Mike Marsh) and OTE Executive Director Nancy DeSouza.
[Make sure to visit the image gallery at the bottom of this page, it …

Grove of the States Restoration Project

Posted on: February 1st, 2017 by Madeline MacGregor in News & Press |

What is this project about?

Oregon’s Grove of the States is located at the French Prairie Rest Area (southbound I-5 at Milepost 281), near Wilsonville. The Grove is believed to be the oldest arboretum of state trees in the US and was originally a collection of trees from 53 US states and territories. The concept for the Grove was conceived and implemented by former Oregon Attorney General Robert Thornton in the mid-1960s as a way …