The Oregon Recreational Trails Advisory Council (ORTAC) would like to announce the Doug Newman Memorial Award winners for 2015 and 2016. ORTAC announces two winners instead of one in order to transition to issuing awards for the current year rather than the previous year. The 2015 winner is Ron Robinson from Lane County. Robinson has spent the last 11 years leading and organizing volunteer trail maintenance and construction nearly twice a week in the Willamette National Forest. In addition, he leads family-friendly events at Mt. Pisgah Arboretum and helps with trail maintenance at the Drift Creek Wilderness in the Siuslaw National Forest. The 2016 winner is Gary Chapman from Benton County. Chapman has been the force behind the development of the 60-mile Corvallis to Sea Trail, and he founded the 501(c)3 non-profit organization that helps support the development, maintenance and advocacy for the trail. Chapman has spent the last 14 years researching routes, working with the Siuslaw National Forest and securing access agreements from private property and public property owners for the trail. The Doug Newman Memorial Award is a tribute to Doug Newman, recognizing an Oregonian whose efforts have inspired, benefited and contributed to the trails and trail users of Oregon. Doug was an avid outdoorsman, author and outdoor writer for the Eugene Register-Guard. Doug transferred his passion for the outdoors through his writing and work with the University of Oregon Outdoors Program. Plagued with polio since early childhood, Newman died a tragic death in 1992. The Oregon Recreational Trails Advisory Council (ORTAC) was established by the Legislature in 1971 to advise the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department and to promote non-motorized trail recreation and development in Oregon. The Council is made up of seven volunteer members appointed by the Oregon Park and Recreation Commission to represent the five Oregon congressional districts. The Council meets four times annually in different locations across the state. For more information about the Doug Newman Award winners or about ORTAC, contact Rocky Houston, State Trails Coordinator, at 503-986-0750 or rocky.houston@oregon.go
