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4111% NOMPONIONNONNENI INNOMMIIMMINNE=Mal <br /> iii ism�w i1111I:-.1r... <br /> EUGENE 'A /PIMP MN MN WM If 1111/1/4/ IM111111111111111111111111111111111111 <br /> =MILJIM.177IIIJIII-ML.7. 11111111l7:4111J1L7All 741.111L,==. 111111111111 <br /> September 9, 2002 <br /> CONTACT: <br /> • Eric Wold, Wetlands Supervisor, City of Eugene, 682-4888 <br /> • Therese M. Picado, Public Information Specialist, Parks and Open Space, 682-4814 or <br /> 682-4800, therese.m.picado(a�ci.eugene.or.us <br /> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE <br /> City Acquires 75 Acres of Wetlands in West Eugene <br /> On August 30, the City of Eugene acquired 75 additional acres of wetlands in the <br /> floodplain of Amazon Creek in west Eugene. The land is located north of Royal Avenue and <br /> east of Greenhill Road, between the Amazon Diversion Channel and the Amazon A-Channel, <br /> and augments over 400 acres of wetlands south of Royal Avenue that are currently being <br /> restored. This large, contiguous span of prairie wetlands provides habitat for numerous plants <br /> and animals that depend on large expanses of prairie wetlands for their long-term survival, such <br /> as Oregon's state bird, the western meadowlark. <br /> The wetlands were purchased with a combination of funds, including a $500,000 grant <br /> from the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB), $530,000from a North American <br /> Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) grant, $680,000 from the Eugene District Bureau of Land <br /> Management, and $250,000 from the City of Eugene's Stormwater Management fund, for a <br /> total purchase price of$1.96 million. <br /> The Fern Ridge Multi-Use Path that is currently being constructed south of Royal <br /> Avenue travels near the new wetlands, providing public access to the wetlands. Interpretive <br /> signs along the path will explain many of the important ecological and cultural facets of the <br /> wetlands. <br /> This acquisition was made possible ana will be managed by the West Eugene Wetlands <br /> Partnership, which includes the City of Eugene, The Nature Conservancy, U.S. Bureau of Land <br /> Management, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Oregon <br /> Youth Conservation Corps. The area may be restored in the future through the wetland <br /> mitigation bank or other funding sources. For more information, call 682-4888. <br /> ### <br />