The City of Phoenix Planning Commission is considering a new Parks & Trails Map that formalizes local park and trail connections, including the Bear Creek Greenway and a proposed “Pirate Pride” trail through Blue Heron Park and the wetlands area. The stated purpose is to clearly define official trails, integrate informal social trails into a managed system, plan maintenance, signage, and future improvements, and protect sensitive wetland and riparian habitat while supporting environmental education. A key driver is to strengthen the City’s eligibility and competitiveness for state and federal trail and recreation funding such as Oregon Parks and Recreation Department’s Recreational Trails Program (RTP), including future projects for surfacing, signage, lighting, safety, accessibility, bridges, and environmental education features. The Planning Commission is being asked to recommend adoption to City Council, which will hold a future public hearing; once adopted, the map will underpin multiple grant applications and phased capital improvements along Bear Creek and within the Phoenix wetlands. Vendors that can help with trail planning, grant writing, design, interpretive signage, habitat-sensitive construction, and maintenance planning have a pre-RFP opening to engage with staff as they prepare funding strategies tied to the new map.

Map explicitly includes Bear Creek Greenway, Blue Heron Park, Phoenix wetlands, and neighborhood con...