National Park Service Grant Provides Technical Assistance to Develop Ridgeline Management Plan

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12/03/04 FRI 15:58 FAX 541 682 4882 EUGENE PW MNTNC & POS PW ADMIN f~j002 , . . , . 8 U G ~ ~'N~ P~r~s ~~d open spe~~~~ N EV'V .R~~ L~~S~~:~~ www.cieugene,or.us/parks December 2, 2004 CONTACT: ¦ Scott Duckett, Natural Resources Manager, 682-4842 ¦ Therese M Picada, Public Information Spedalist, Parks and Open Space, 682-481 682-4800. FOR IMMEDIATE RELE~?SE National Park Service C3rant Provides Technical Assistance to Develop Ridgeline Ma agement Plan This spring, the City of Eugene, in conjunction with several community conservatio partners, will embark on in-depth planning for a Ridgeline system management plan, thanks to a grant o technical assistance from the Rivers, Tra11s and Conservation Assistance (RTCA) program of the National Park Service. The central benefit of the grant is access to the expertise of an RTCA community planner assigned to the project and state-of the-art technical resources. The assistance will build on local and regional planning efforts already in place, such as the West Eugene Wetlands Management Plan and Rivers to Ridges, a regional vision for natural areas and open space. ' A comprehensive management plan for the Ridgeline Park system is imperative in order to maximize the over 1,000 acres of scenic, forested open space for its recreational, habitat, and water quality benefits, as well as its contribution to reducing the threat of wiidland fire, especially as the system continues to grow. Over 350 acres of Ridgeline land have been acquired in the last few years alone through the 1998 parks and open space bond measure, and the vision for the system indudes a contiguous span of open space from Moon Mountain in fire eastern part of the dty to the West Eugene Wetlands, a 20-mile recreation and wildlife corridor along the`i Ridgeline. With this grant, City staff and partners, such as The Nature Conservancy, Long Tom Watershed Coundl, McKenzie River Trust, and Lane Coundl of Governments, hope to leverage additional project resources in the effort to develop and implement a comprehensive Ridgeline management plan and the concomitant public involviement and outreach. For more information, call 682-4842.