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PROJECT STATUS <br /> DATE: 1/5/09 <br /> BRIEFING FOR: OREGON STATE DIRECTOR <br /> PREPARED BY: Patricia Johnston (541) 520 -2159 <br /> FROM: <br /> SUBJECT: WEST EUGENE WETLANDS PROJECT/PARTNERSHIP <br /> PURPOSE OF THE BRIEFING DOCUMENT: <br /> Update on the West Eugene Wetlands Project/Partnership <br /> Background Paper <br /> West Eugene Wetlands Proposal for a Sustainable Management Strategy <br /> Relevant history <br /> The West Eugene Wetlands (WEW) have enjoyed a considerable track record of successes starting with the <br /> Cities Award for Excellence in 1992 for the West Eugene Wetlands Plan from the League of Oregon Cities to <br /> the Cooperative Conservation Award of Excellence in 2005 awarded collectively by seven federal agencies. <br /> The BLM has been involved in this partnership effort since 1994. The WEW Partnership has leveraged over <br /> ;35 million to achieve a wide range successes acquiring, protecting, restoring and educating the public about <br /> wetlands, rare habitats, threatened and endangered species. The BLM to date has spent $12.4 million Land and <br /> Water Conservation Funds (LWCF) to acquire over 1300 acres in the WEW. Additionally, $1.0 million was <br /> spent in 2004 of CCI funds for T &E habitat restoration and riparian restoration along the Amazon channel. <br /> Partners include the Bureau of Land Management, City of Eugene, The Nature Conservancy, Oregon Youth <br /> Conservation Corps, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, McKenzie River Trust, <br /> Long Tom Watershed Council and Willamette Resources and Educational Network (WREN). <br /> The WEW helps meet the State Director's priorities of Endangered Species Act (ESA) compliance, CCl/CCS <br /> goals, outdoor recreation and noxious weed control. The WEW also helps meet the DOI and BLM National <br /> priorities of cooperative conservation and ESA. <br /> The WEW program can be broken down into six major program categories including: <br /> 1. Threatened and Endangered Species Management <br /> 2. Habitat restoration to support recovery of listed and sensitive species <br /> 3. Environmental Education and Outreach <br /> 4. Partnership coordination and support • <br /> 5. Facilities maintenance /operations <br /> 6. Recreation <br /> Current Budget Situation <br /> Since the early 1990's, the Eugene District has been funding the WEW program from within its existing budget. <br /> There has never been a base allocation for the WEW or ear - marked funds to support the acquired lands (or the <br /> associated WEW program) except during the acquisition phase using LWCF. <br /> As decreases in funding continue in all subactivities, the District will not be able to maintain the WEW program <br /> in its current form. The District will not be able to fund program elements involving recovery of federally listed <br /> plants and animals (4 listed species occur in the WEW) or the restoration of habitats to support listed and <br /> sensitive species. The support that has been provided to the community through education and outreach and the <br /> nationally recognized partnership can no longer be supported. Basic operations and facility management can <br /> only be minimally covered in FY09 as budgets decline and the capacity to maintain this will also likely decline. <br /> Staffing is also decreasing from two staff dedicated to the WEW to one, by eliminating the WEW Project <br />