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i <br /> <br /> s' <br /> INFORMATION BRIEFING <br /> West Eugene Wetland Environmental Education Center <br /> 1992 The initial West Eugene Partnership forms and adopts the West Eugene Wetlands Plan. <br /> The partnership now includes City of Eugene, Army Corp of Engineers, The Nature <br /> Conservancy, Oregon Youth Conservation Corp, BLM, and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. The <br /> WEW Plan specified acquisition, restoration and outreach/education as the vehicles with which <br /> the long term goal of the Plan would be achieved. The goal was to establish balance between <br /> environmental protection and sound urban development in the West Eugene Wetlands. <br /> The BLM has made a investment in excess of $10.5 million dollars with Land & Water <br /> Conservation Funds to acquire contiguous wetland parcels that were identified by the <br /> Plan and the partnership as high priority. Funds were secured through the lobbying <br /> efforts of the City of Eugene. At this time, the federal acquisition phase of this project is <br /> sunsetting, while restoration and maintenance is ramping up through mitigation bank <br /> funding that is generated by the City of Eugene. The education/outreach element of the <br /> plan has gained community visibility and support as several education and environmental <br /> groups engaged with the West Eugene Wetlands Plan. <br /> 1992 In 1992, a study was prepared by the Lane Council of Governments with U.S. <br /> Environmental Protection Agency funding to explore the community need, preference <br /> and interest in an interpretative center based in the West Eugene Wetlands Project. <br /> Twelve "construction"sites within the WEW project area were review based on 16 site <br /> selection criteria which included natural resource values, accessibility, education <br /> opportunities and transportation issues. The BLM wetland office site was rated the most <br /> suitable. The concept of an environmental education center was borne out of that study <br /> and by Oregon's Senator Hatfield's urging, who had been a strong proponent of the West <br /> Eugene Wetland Project from its inception. <br /> 2/99 In February, 1999 acommunity-based group formed which included the BLM's WEW <br /> Project Manager to explore more fully an education center in the wetlands project. <br /> Concurrently, the. Lane County Audubon Society stepped up to a growing interest and <br /> need to provide volunteer- based education programs on-site. <br /> 9/99 In September, 1999 the focus of the BLM WEW Project Manager position was shifted <br /> from acquisition duties to education/outreach and strengthening community partnerships <br /> that would support aneducation/interpretative center. Amore diverse group emerged <br /> which formed the environmental education committee: <br /> • 4-J School District <br /> • Bureau of Land Management <br /> • City of Eugene <br /> • Native Plant Society of Oregon <br /> • Willamette Resources and Educational Network <br /> • Lane County Audubon Society <br /> <br />