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Jacksonville wins national attention Town's open space efforts lauded in government Earth Day report BY MELISSA MARTIN JACKSONVILLE -- This historic landmark town's efforts to create six miles of hiking trails in 300 forested acres near downtown has caught the eye of the White House. Jacksonville was one of a dozen communities praised in an Earth Day report released Thursday by Vice President Al Gore. "There are only about 12 success stories listed in this report; Jacksonville should be proud to be included," said Kymberly Escobar, spokesperson for the Council on Environmental Quality. "A Town Rallies to Save Its Open Space" is the title of the section in the report that features the Jacksonville Woodlands Association's work in securing 16 parcels that the public can use for hiking, bicycling and picnicking. The report also includes a photo of Jacksonville. Several weeks ago, a White House aide called and interviewed Jacksonville resident Phil Gahr, a board member of the Association. "I thought it was fantastic that it would show up on a White House Web site," Gahr said. "I was really surprised we got listed and also pleased we were under the category of preserving natural treasures. I think it's a real acknowledgment of Jacksonville and its historic status, from a national point of view. It's also a real recognition for the communitywide effort." The article sites a $40,000 federal grant that helped purchase 80 acres behind the Britt Gardens at a cost of $140,000. "That grant gave us the confidence to go ahead with the fund raising and it came at a time when we were getting concerns about raising that much money," Gahr said. "It was significant." The report includes Gahr's comments and mentions fund-raising efforts by fifth-graders in Woodlands President Larry Smith's classroom at Jacksonville Elementary School. It also refers to Jacksonville resident Verne Beebe donating eight acres to the trail system and the City of Medford selling 10 acres at a 1908 price tag of $1,200. "Even the fifth-graders in this town of 2,000 are pitching in," David Spielfogel, of the Council on Environmental Quality, writes in the report. "They surveyed residents and found that 90 percent favor increased land preservation. They talked a local woman into donating land for a new park-and-trail system. They even convinced a neighboring town to donate 10 acres." Jacksonville's listing in the report is right below a photo and description of a farm conservation project in Licking County, Ohio. The projects are examples of how the Clinton Administration would spend $1.4 billion proposed in the federal budget for land grants, Escobar said. This is the second time in recent months the Jacksonville trails have received national attention. The Rich Gulch Diggings portion of the trail system was named to the National Register of Historic Places last month. Hikers can still see evidence of turn-of-the-century mining activities that occurred there. To read the Earth Day report, go to www.whitehouse.gov/CEQ Click on Earth Day 2000. Click on "Preserving America's Natural Treasures" and scroll to the end of the chapter. Today's Edition : News | Sports | Business | Weather | Tempo | Classifieds Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA