East Fork Amazon Headwaters; OPRD Local Govt Grant 2008

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13. PARTNERSHIPS /PUBLIC SUPPORT — Describe your involvement with partnerships from other agencies, groups or individuals and whether or not funding support is being provided from these agencies or groups. Describe local support for the project through local agency involvement, agency support and public participation in the formulation of the project through public meetings, public workshops, or other methods to gather citizen input, support and involvement for the project. The City of Eugene has an excellent and deserved reputation for working closely with a broad variety of partners to accomplish natural resource and recreation goals. The nationally renowned West Eugene Wetlands Program involves partnerships with the Bureau of Land Management, Army Corps of Engineers, The Nature Conservancy, and the Willamette Resources Education Network. The West Eugene Wetlands are located within the Amazon Creek Planning area, downstream of the proposed acquisition site. As partners in the long- term management and restoration of this hydrologic system, these agencies contribute to the overall health of the watershed and contribute to the goals of this proposed acquisition. The City of Eugene has gained valu- able experience and resources from these partnerships and intends to build upon these relationships for further benefit to the community. A recent Ridgeline Visioning effort has helped to solidify partnerships specific to the Ridgeline Area. Lane Council of Governments has coordinated a collaborative effort to develop a long -term open space vision for the Ridgeline Area, working closely with a broad partnership that includes The Nature Conservancy, McKenzie River Trust, Lane County Parks, Willamalane Park and Recreation District, City of Eugene, Bureau of Land Management, and Long Tom Watershed Council. Additionally, 200 individuals participated and provided input through public workshops and input opportunities. As the project partners work towards im- plementation of a Ridgeline Park system that stretches for 20 miles along the southern edge of Eugene, this proposed acquisition will be an integral link to urban residents and to a healthy watershed. The Southeast Neighbors (SEN), a neighborhood association in which the project parcel is located, has been very proactive regarding open space acquisition opportunities; over the past several years they have repeatedly encouraged the city to purchase available parcels in the Upper Amazon Basin. SEN has also partnered with the city in trail maintenance and construction projects, and they are supportive of efforts to improve neighbor- hood access to the Ridgeline through this new parcel. The City of Eugene's 2006 Parks, Recreation and Open Space Project and Priority Plan included an extensive public outreach component that demonstrates significant support for the kind of acquisition this project pro- poses. Public priorities include providing opportunities to enjoy nature and acquisition of ecologically sig- nificant sites; preserving viewsheds; accessing parks without driving to them; interconnecting the City's exist- ing parks and open space and improving connections along Amazon Creek. Acquisition of Amazon Headwa- ters streams is a number one ranked priority in the plan. In November, 2006, Eugene voters passed a $27.5 million bond measure for Parks and Open Space. With 59 percent of the vote, it was the most supported of all local voter initiatives on the ballot. It also followed on the heels of a $25.3 million bond measure for Parks and Open Space that was approved 8 years earlier in 1998. Such support clearly illustrates that the citizens of Eugene put a very high value on opportunities for recreat- ing out of doors and preserving natural areas. $7.75 million of the 2006 bond measure is identified for acqui- sition of natural area parks. A portion of the City's matching funds will come from this specific fund. Please find the attached letters of support from several of our supporting partners including Lane Council of Government, the Convention and Visitors Association of Lane County Oregon, The Nature Conservancy, Cascadia Wildlands Project, Native Forest Council, the Willamette Resources and Education Network, South- east Neighbors, and Friends of Eugene.