Riddle Elementary is nestled within the Cow Creek Valley, surrounded by the Klamath-Siskiyou Mountains–a magical and unique landscape framed by forests, mountains, and rivers; a landscape to be celebrated! The proposed design incorporates plantings to mitigate stormwater flooding and provide hands-on learning, new trees and shade structures to expand the limited existing shade canopy for respite on hot days and provide cover for outdoor classrooms when it rains, as well as gathering spaces for community picnics, events, and play.

As part of the Oregon Rural Community Schoolyards program efforts, ABLE is working to address equitable access to green space, community health issues amplified by a lack of safe space for play and exercise, and climate resiliency through achievable means such as planting and materials. Like ABLE’s ongoing work at Madras Elementary in Madras and Alameda Elementary in Ontario, the design for the Riddle Community Schoolyard seeks to provide public green space and amenities to support the everyday lives of the communities it serves.