EUGENE — It’s amazing what can happen when a group of community-oriented, like-minded, creative-thinking folks gets the ball rolling on an important local project.
Thanks to those efforts, the wheels are rolling at Mt. Pisgah Arboretum in Buford Park.
“We started hosting David’s Chair last fall,” said Ilana Jakubowski, the Arboretum’s executive director. “It’s been a slow rollout with the winter season. I’m excited about springtime with good weather coming.”
David’s Chair is a motorized, all-terrain chair designed to travel over trails, beaches, and snow. It is named for David Hartrick, of Eagle Point, Ore., who died in 2018, a year and a half after being diagnosed with ALS, who wanted to make sure that other mobility-limited people could enjoy the great outdoors. There are now eight sites in Oregon that have David’s Chairs.
The process at Mt. Pisgah started with an Oregon Community and Recreation Fund grant, which paved the way for substantial improvements throughout the seven miles of trails. The river-banked trail now has two freshly graveled access loops.
“During that process, we started working with more accessibility-focused groups and community partners,” Jakubowski said.
“And out of that we hosted a Bird ability workshop – a workshop on making birding, or bird-watching – more accessible to more members.
“And during that workshop, there were a lot of different accessibility focus groups who came together, and during that workshop came this idea that, ‘Wow, we should be in contact more often, because this is like an amazing group of people.
“And out of that workshop, the Southern Willamette accessibility group started, which is just an email group to share different resources.
“And from that Southern Willamette accessibility group workshop, one of our longtime members, John Helmer, and a group of wheelchair users called the Web State Wheelers, really started leading the efforts here to bring David’s Chair to the Arboretum.”
Community support
The first chair arrived, thanks in large part to the collaborative funding of Lane County Parks, McKenzie River Trust, and Travel Lane County. The Arboretum also contributes funding and collects community donations.
“We were originally hosting one chair but we did a big fundraising effort and we raised $20,000 so we now have a second chair if anybody wants to go,” Jakubowski said.
You don’t have to be permanently disabled to ride in David’s Chair; quite the contrary – anyone who doesn’t feel up to walking can reserve one, but it must be done at least five days in advance. Rides are available at Mt. Pisgah on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays from 1-3 p.m.
“We gave some regular users, including the Wednesday Wheelers,” Jakubowski said. “Also, it’s sweet to see families that will walk alongside one family member who needs assistance.
“So many people take for granted being able to soak up the beauty and decompress or just be in awe of the wonders of the natural world. Just to have that available to so many more people, to be able to come out here whenever the spirit moves them, is wonderful.”
Trail maps recommend which trails to follow, as there’s a section at the very top of Mt. Pisgah that still needs some finishing touches to allow David’s Chair to reach the top.
That issue will be resolved soon – maybe with another workshop.
