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Bringing <br /> the forest THE REGISTER-GUARD CITY/REGION SUNDAY,NOVEMBER 23, <br /> 2003 <br /> tho <br /> back to the <br /> Amazon: <br /> Amazon More plants <br /> planned <br /> Volunteers plant trees and <br /> other plants to improve the Continued from Page CI <br /> habitat of Amazon Creek <br /> hummingbirds follow up the <br /> BY JIM FEEHAN Willamette,"she said. <br /> Trees and shrubs were ei- <br /> The Register-Guard ther donated, came from seed- <br /> While 58,000 plus were getting lings,or were obtained from the <br /> ready to watch Saturday's Civil War Interstate 5 bridge project area, <br /> football game at Autzen Stadium, Balhe aid. <br /> T <br /> about 30 volunteers instead gave The trees and shrubs also <br /> their time to improve Amazon Creek. serve as a visual buffer for <br /> Shovels in hand and bundled in faneighbors living south of the <br /> warm clothing, volunteers from Eu- Belcher, chairmans aJeffersonsaid John <br /> gene's Stream Team and the Jeffer- Belcher, Committee. <br /> son Westside Neighbors planted Amazon Greenerytung <br /> in- <br /> about 100 native tree and shrub spe- "We're creek,"Belcher e ditchai <br /> cies along the creek's north bank to a real ga said. <br /> near the footbridge leading to the The long-range goal of the <br /> Lor Lane County Fairgrounds Conven- neighborhood group is to work <br /> En- <br /> tion Center. with the U.S.Army Corps of gineers to plant all native trees <br /> "People want to have nature in <br /> the city," said Lorna Baldwin, Eu- and shrubs along the north <br /> gene Stream Team coordinator. bank of the creek running the <br /> Blackberry bushes have crowded full length of the fairgrounds. <br /> the stream banks edging out indige After that's accomplished, the <br /> nous tree and shrub species. By group wants to widen the <br /> planting native vegetation,it's hoped stream bed to the south and <br /> that birds, salamanders, turtles and make its bank slope more grad <br /> ual <br /> frogs will return to the creek, Bald- .Besaid. <br /> win said. "Thicher s is a place to congre- <br /> The tree planting also provides a gate in our neighborhood, and <br /> hands-on lesson in ecology,she said. we'd like to keep it that way, <br /> "Thirty-percent of the water that he said. <br /> falls in Eugene goes into Amazon People passing by Amazon <br /> im- <br /> Creek. It later goes to Fern Ridge, Creek will see a noticeable Long Tom River and ultimately the prblackberryovement brambles,tthe overrun <br /> Willamette River with its spring Chi- Fsaid Phyl- <br /> Willamette <br /> salmon, which is listed as an lis Fisher,a volunteer.i <br /> endangered species,"Baldwin said. "Blackberries make greate <br /> The volunteers planted big leaf jam, but it'snnot great for the <br /> maple, Oregon ash, Oregon white environment,"she said. <br /> oak, ponderosa pine and Douglas fir <br /> and willow trees,along with Douglas <br /> spirea, red flowering currant, dog- <br /> wood and Pacific ninebark shrubs <br /> among other species. <br /> The species were carefully select- <br />' t ed to enhance the region's ecosys- <br /> tem,said Lauri Mullen of the Eugene <br /> Stream Team. <br /> "The red flowering currant, for <br /> example, is one of the plants <br /> Please turn to AMAZON,Page C7 <br />