Chiloquin is the first: Trust for Public Land’s first rural schoolyard project
After 50 years of bringing urban communities closer to parks through their Schoolyards Projects, Trust for Public Land and community partners broke ground on the first rural project in Chiloquin, Oregon in October 2021.
Chiloquin has a rich history and heritage. It’s the ancestral home and current administrative headquarters of the Klamath Tribes, and was once an important logging town. Chiloquin is surrounded by natural and cultural beauty, but the collapse of the logging industry and termination of the Tribes in 1954 left the community struggling to stay afloat economically.
Local community organizations have come together to create a concept design for a Green Schoolyard at Chiloquin Elementary School that will be accessible after school hours as a community park.
Together, students and residents identified five priorities: to promote play, education, health, Klamath culture, and the environment. The new design for the eight-acre site incorporates elements like walking paths, an outdoor classroom, interpretive signs featuring the Klamath language, and a new playground with swings, spinners, a climbing structure, and a covered basketball court.
Construction is underway and the schoolyard will be ready to welcome residents in late 2022.