Blue River Riverwalk
Bringing back the riverside path in Blue River that neighbors built together, so residents and visitors have a place to walk by the water again.
The project in one minute
Rebuilding. The Holiday Farm Fire badly damaged the Riverwalk in 2020; the site needs cleanup before it can be rebuilt.
Along the Blue River on the west side of Blue River, Oregon, between Hwy 126 and Blue River Drive, on land owned by the U.S. Forest Service.
Blue River residents, families and students, and travelers who stop in town for a walk by the river.
Fiscal sponsor and organizer: MCP held the funds for the original Riverwalk and is organizing the cleanup and rebuild.
$15,000 to $40,000 for cleanup, a rebuilt path and replanting.
Built by the first Ford Institute Leadership Program class in Blue River, supported by The Ford Family Foundation, on U.S. Forest Service land. The rebuild will be planned with the Forest Service.
A small place that meant a lot
In 2008 the first Ford Institute Leadership Program class in Blue River, 36 neighbors strong, chose a riverside walking path as its community project. Volunteers raised $15,000 to $20,000, did much of the work themselves, and opened the Riverwalk in 2010. In September 2020 the Holiday Farm Fire burned 173,393 acres and destroyed most of Blue River, and the Riverwalk was badly damaged. As the town rebuilds, small public places like this one matter: they give people a reason to walk downtown, stop, and stay.
We helped build it the first time
- We were there. MCP served as fiscal sponsor for the original Riverwalk, holding the funds the volunteers raised.
- We’re local and neutral. We work with the U.S. Forest Service, which owns the land, and with local volunteers so the rebuild is safe and done right.
- We connect it to downtown. The Riverwalk fits our larger work to help Blue River come back as a real town.
- We share what works. A community-built trail, rebuilt after a fire, is a model other small towns can follow.
The plan grows with funding
Each phase stands on its own. Volunteers can start on phase 0 now; funding is what turns cleanup into a finished path.
Assess and clean up
First steps: walk the site with the U.S. Forest Service, map the damage, remove burned debris and hazards with volunteer work days, and confirm what can be saved.
Rebuild the path
- Professional removal of hazard trees
- A rebuilt, durable path surface
- Native plants to restore the riverbank
- Simple benches and a trailhead sign
Make it better than before
- A more accessible route where the ground allows
- Interpretive signs on the river, the fire and recovery
- A link to downtown Blue River’s sidewalks
- A small fund for long-term upkeep
Why this matters beyond one trail
A reason to stop
A riverside walk invites travelers to pull off Hwy 126 and spend time in town.
Healthy, connected neighbors
A safe place to walk brings people outside and together.
A sign of recovery
Rebuilding a beloved place shows Blue River is coming back.
A model for small towns
Volunteers built it once; rebuilding it shows what a small community can do twice.
Ways to help this project
MCP is a volunteer-run 501(c)(3). Gifts to this project pay for the work described above, and we report what changed.
Give any amount
Pays for debris removal, tools, gravel and native plants.
Sponsor a work day
Local businesses can sponsor a volunteer cleanup day, with credit on our site and in River Updates.
Fund the rebuild
Foundations and agencies can fund hazard-tree removal and the rebuilt path.
Results we’ll report
Volunteers want to see progress. So we’ll count what happens and report it here and in River Updates.
- Volunteer work days held and hours given
- Debris removed and hazards cleared
- Feet of path rebuilt
- Native plants planted
- The day the Riverwalk reopens
So far: the original Riverwalk opened in 2010, built by Blue River’s first Ford Institute Leadership class with MCP as fiscal sponsor. Cleanup comes next.
Before you give
Yes. McKenzie Community Partnership (McKenzie Community Development Corporation) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, tax ID 93-1186618. Gifts are deductible to the extent allowed by law.
Yes. Choose “Blue River Riverwalk” as the fund when you give, and we’ll put your gift toward this project.
The land belongs to the U.S. Forest Service, but the Riverwalk was a community project from the start, built and paid for by neighbors. We’ll plan the rebuild with the Forest Service and bring the volunteers and local funding, as the community did the first time.
Volunteers can still help clear debris and keep the site safe, working with the Forest Service. Funding pays for hazard-tree removal, materials and the rebuilt path.
No. The Riverwalk is a free public path, and gifts go to cleanup, materials and plants.
Yes: sponsor a work day, donate equipment, gravel or plants, or bring a crew. Contact us.