The Willamette River Greenway Program, established by the 1967 Oregon legislature, is a cooperative state and local government effort to maintain and enhance the scenic, recreational, historic, natural and agricultural qualities of the Willamette River

Willamette River

The Willamette River is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States...

 and its adjacent lands

Willamette Valley

The Willamette Valley is the most populated region in the state of Oregon of the United States. Located in the state's northwest, the region is surrounded by tall mountain ranges to the east, west and south and the valley's floor is broad, flat and fertile because of Ice Age conditions...

. A number of trails exist along the greenway, but significant gaps still exist.

Oregon State Treasurer

Oregon State Treasurer

The Oregon State Treasurer is a constitutional officer within the executive branch of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon, elected by statewide vote to serve a four year term. As chief financial officer for the state, the office holder heads the Oregon State Treasury, and with the Governor...

 Robert Straub first proposed public ownership of lands along the Willamette in 1966, during his run for Governor of Oregon

Governor of Oregon

The Governor of Oregon is the top executive of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon. The title of governor was also applied to the office of Oregon's chief executive during the provisional and U.S. territorial governments....

. U.S. Senator Maurine Neuberger sought federal funds to support the program. Straub was defeated in that race by Tom McCall

Tom McCall

Thomas Lawson McCall was an American politician and journalist in the state of Oregon. A Republican, he was the 30th Governor of Oregon from 1967 to 1975. A native of Massachusetts, he grew up there and in Central Oregon before attending the University of Oregon...

, who supported the proposal.

The 1973 Oregon legislature passed the Willamette River Greenway Act, which established ties to a comprehensive state land use law (Oregon Senate Bill 100) passed that same year.

In 1975, the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development

Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development

The Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development is the chief land use planning and regulatory agency of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon. The DLCD administers the statewide land use planning program...

 included the Willamette River Greenway as one of nineteen standards for statewide planning, requiring that public access, native vegetation, and scenic views be considered when planning new developments.

See also

• Land use in Oregon
  Land use in Oregon
  Land use in Oregon are the evolving laws affecting land ownership and its restrictions in the U.S. state of Oregon.- Timeline :* 1822: Henry Schenck Tanner's map of the U.S...
  
  
• Tom McCall Waterfront Park
  Tom McCall Waterfront Park
  Governor Tom McCall Waterfront Park is a park located on the west bank of the Willamette River in downtown Portland, Oregon. It is , comprising 16 tax lots owned by the City of Portland....
  
  : portion of the greenway in downtown Portland
• Vera Katz Eastbank Esplanade: more greenway near downtown Portland
• 40 Mile Loop
  40 Mile Loop
  The 40-Mile Loop is a partially completed greenway trail around and through Portland in the U.S. State of Oregon. It was proposed in 1903 by the Olmsted Brothers architecture firm as part of the development of Forest Park....
  
  : Willamette Greenway is one portion of extensive pathways throughout Portland
• Oregon Beach Bill
  Oregon Beach Bill
  The Oregon Beach Bill was a piece of landmark legislation in the U.S. state of Oregon, passed by the 1967 session of the Oregon Legislature...
  
  : public access to ocean beaches was presumed early in Oregon's history, but asserted by law in 1966