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Eugene Weekly : 12.24.03 Page 1 of 7 <br /> EIU9INE <br /> 40.. .,AI -a i 150+ film reviews <br /> c= v [of movies that don't all suck] <br /> News Views letters Calendar Film Music Culture Classifieds Personals Archive <br /> SPORTS VS. NATUREHELD <br /> Closto <br /> WHAT ARE THE CITY'S PARKSFOR? TURF RECaVt <br /> BY ALAN PITTMAN IN PROGRESS __ <br /> Most people in Eugene use city parks for walking and <br /> bird watching more than playing baseball or soccer, <br /> according to a city survey this year. Most want the <br /> city to balance parks between natural areas and <br /> developed sports fields. <br /> But that's not what the city is doing, say a growing number of critics. The city plans to <br /> spend more than 80 percent of the 1998 $25 million parks and open space bond on sports <br /> and other active recreation development rather than natural areas. <br /> "It's been hijacked," says Tom Pringle,of the bond measure. "I didn't vote for this." Instead <br /> of natural areas,the city is developing"billiard-table" fields,with closely cropped, <br /> 0 chemically intensive turf devoid of wildflowers and cover for animals,he says. "It's green <br /> asphalt." <br /> The sports vs. nature war in city parks has reached a pitched battle over Amazon Park, <br /> where 120 people packed a city meeting last month. Sports advocates say they need more <br /> fields to serve thousands of players, and city officials say they're following directions <br /> established by a city parks committee six years ago. But natural parks proponents oppose <br /> city plans to develop new ball fields in an Amazon park wetland and have raised big <br /> questions about what people want out of their parks and how the city has decided to spend <br /> millions of dollars in public money. <br /> THE PEOPLE'S PARKS? <br /> To bolster their case,natural parks proponents point to a scientific survey the city did in <br /> February that shows a large majority of people favor natural parks. <br /> Survey respondents said providing opportunities to enjoy nature or the outdoors was the <br /> most important benefit of parks(32 percent). Protecting the environment came in third <br /> (14.2 percent),while sports didn't make the top nine list of benefits, and presumably fell in <br /> number 10, "other" (1 percent). Outdoor/environmental programs ranked second in the top <br /> choices for parks programs people would most like to see increased. Sports came in fourth. <br /> 9 When asked what is the right proportion of parks for Eugene, 52 percent favored an equal <br /> distribution of natural and active/sports parks. When asked what outdoor recreation <br /> elements are most needed in Eugene,respondents rated trails for biking and walking first <br /> http://www.eugeneweekly.com/archive/12_24_03/coverstory.html 1/6/04 <br />