| STORIES ->
Success Stories
The West Eugene Wetlands
 |
| Wet prairie and ash wetlands in
the Balboa unit near W. 11th and Danebo. |
In 1987, city administrators in Eugene, Oregon faced what
appeared to be an insurmountable dilemma. Carefully-laid plans
for future economic expansion in West Eugene had run up against
the federal Clean Water Act, which protects the nation’s
rapidly-vanishing wetlands. The city was caught by surprise:
the area had not seemed an obvious wetland; although gooey
with mud in the winter, the land dried rock-hard in the summer.
But the west Eugene wetlands do indeed exhibit all the classically
defined wetland traits, some of which are not readily apparent
to the casual observer.
And the area includes a majority of the remaining one-half
of one percent of the Willamette Valley “wet prairie”
habitat. Business or landowners in the area who chose to build
or expand on their property in the early 1990s faced time-consuming
and expensive permitting processes, with no guarantee of obtaining
a fill permit to develop their wetlands. And although the
City of Eugene had already invested twenty million dollars
to develop infrastructure in the area, including power lines
and a sewer system, the city had to comply with the federal
Clean Water Act. Eugene was caught between its economic needs
and environmental concerns.
But the City Council made a crucial decision: they would
find a way to turn potential adversity into opportunity. In
the video "It Can Be Done: Solving Wetlands Problems"
(prepared by the City of Eugene and the Lane Council of Governments),
Eugene City Councilman Shawn Boles explains that one of the
first steps was to gain “a new perspective that says
what is good for the environment is good for the business
environment.”
 |
| A great blue heron stands in the
center of the shallow water of Danebo Pond. |
The City Council also recognized that it was imperative to
involve all segments of the community who were affected or
interested in the wetlands area. Accordingly, a diverse team
that came to be known as the "Wetheads"—engineers,
planners, environmental and ecological consultants, financial
advisors—led by land-use planner, Steve Gordon, involved
the public in every step of the process of creating a solution
that the entire community could accept. Everyone’s input,
from industries and private landowners to concerned citizens
and environmentalists was encouraged and valued in making
decisions concerning the west Eugene wetlands. With the support
of numerous agencies ranging from the local and regional to
the state and federal level, this diverse group developed
a blueprint they all agreed on: the West Eugene Wetlands Plan.
In “It Can Be Done,” Steve Gordon describes the
process: “The citizen involvement plan that we went
through and the workshops were electrifying. There were moments
when you almost had goose bumps, when you saw that we had
gotten past the anger and people wanted to solve the problem.
An absolutely fantastic process, because it involved people
all the way through it. One of the keys to making it work
was the multiple objective approach—finding something
that the bicyclists could endorse, the development community
could endorse, the environmental community could endorse.
. . . We made it happen. It was magical when it happened.”
 |
| The Willamette Valley wet prairie
is typically saturated, but has very little standing water
during the winter, spring, and early summer. Its wetland
character is owing to a perched water table that cannot
inflitrate into poorly draining clay soils. |
The Plan determined the direction that the community has
followed for more than ten years. It strikes a balance between
economic development and environmental protection by allowing
some of the less significant wetlands to be developed in exchange
for protection of higher-quality wetlands and acquisition
of additional land that connects vital areas of wetland habitat,
creates wildlife-travel corridors, and improves water quality.
The collaboration of scientists, community members, businesses,
government agencies, and non-profit organizations has resulted
in securing more than 2,500 continuous acres of urban wetlands.
Nature trails, bike paths, and interpretive signs have been
constructed, and additional ones are planned. Funds are being
raised for the construction of a new Environmental Education
Center. The West Eugene Wetlands Plan itself has received
awards, and has become a model for other communities faced
with similar challenges.
Meanwhile, in west Eugene, the endangered Fender's blue butterfly
has a home, and the rare western pond turtle can be found.
The wetlands contain five other rare native species, including
the Willamette Valley daisy, Kincaid's lupine, and the shaggy
horkelia.
Margaret Mead once said, “Never doubt that a small
group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.
Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” In
west Eugene, a group of citizens and forward-thinking leaders
has proven her correct. They envisioned a place where the
natural beauty of native plants and water complemented a thriving
business center—and together, they found that path through
the West Eugene Wetlands.
 |
| This is what the "wet" prairie looks like in late summer: brown and bone dry. This is the same view as in the photo above. |
For more information about the West Eugene Wetlands Plan,
contact:
Patricia K. Johnston
West Eugene Project Manager, BLM
751 South Danebo
Eugene, OR 97402
(541) 520-2159
pat_johnston@or.blm.gov
Or:
Eric Wold
Wetlands Program Supervisor, City of Eugene
1820 Roosevelt Blvd.
Eugene, OR 97402
(541) 682-4888
eric.n.wold@ci.eugene.or.us
Or visit this web site:
www.wewetlands.org
|
PARTNERING WITH THE FOREST SERVICE
