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i ~ ~ hawthorn, and many others (see Chapter The Oregon white oak savanna-prairie, a ~ 6, Habitat Management Plan). Coupled once vast and abundant habitat type with the removal of fire as a management indigenous to the Willamette Valley, is now tool, these invasive species have nearly extinct. Less than one percent dramatically reduced habitat diversity in the remains. Some of the animal species that park, creating monocultures (where one depend upon savanna-prairie are also i kind of plant dominates) that smother the gone, or nearly gone, from the valley, and j { diverse communities of native plants that are not likely to return given the fragmented would otherwise be growing there. state of the remaining habitat. However, although it has been radically altered over iii J Cultural Preferences the past 150 or so years, the park remains Cultural habits and attitudes also played a a showcase for plant communities and N ~ _ strong role in the changing landscape, successional trends that are common to ~ particularly on Skinner Butte. Towards the the Willamette Valley. It is a similar story ~ ; Cultural attitudes end of the settlement era, closing out the that is happening everywhere, in the U about plants and 19tH century and entering into the 20'h Willamette Valley and around the world, landscape aesthetics century, the practices of grazing on the The presence of this resource in the center are consfantly butte eventually gave way to industry, of Eugene is particularly unique and changing municipal utilities and urban development valuable as a tool for teaching the story of as the Eugene grew up around the park local plant and animal communities, how (see "Euro-American Settlement," this they fit in with human culture, and how they chapter). The cultural aesthetic of the time are both changing. favored ornamental trees, and people ~ began to feel that the butte would look Blyds better decorated with a few trees. For It is worth pointing out that the butte, as ~ example, a grove of incense cedar was both bird habitat and a recreational planted around the home of Dr. Shelton in resource for birding, is still extremely _ the 1880s, This grove has since spread to valuable despite enormous development cover a large portion of the lower and and change. Skinner Butte and its unique middle south slope of the butte. Several geography are exceptionally attractive to ; municipal tree planting efforts also took migratory birds. Despite changes in ' place, including a 1934 Veteran's Day tree vegetation, or perhaps in some cases planting ceremony, because of them, Skinner Butte has r ! become a regional magnet for birds and These planting efforts merely accelerated birders alike. It is located in the flight path ~ what natural succession would have done of many species of migratory birds traveling anyway: transformed the butte from part of through the Willamette Valley corridor. The avast savanna-prairie to an island of shape and size ofthe butte, and its isolated emerging forest. After the fires and grazing stopped, the invasive species arrived, and Skinner Butte is an tree planting began, many areas of Skinner I excellenf place fo Butte are now dense, wooded and brushy. view a diversity of Only a few, rapidly disappearing remnants f bird species, of savanna-prairie on the east and west - including migratory slopes (see Map 4: Existing Vegetation). birds and large f resident birds such Endangered Habitat as the greaf horned As we see it today, Skinner Butte Park is owl (Bubo unrecognizable from its condition prior to '~g'~ " d~;~ virginianus) Euro-American settlement. The forested hill l surrounded by a sea of buildings and homes bears little resemblance to the 3 ' entl slo m rass knoll that stood ~`;1~"' relatively unchanged forthousands ofyears. I'° ~ (~4 i'IM' ~ Skinner Butte Park • Master Plan 2001 23