Ed Alverson was hired recently by The Nature Conservancy as the stewardship-ecologist for its interests in the southern Willamelle Valley. The Nature Conservancy is a non-profit conservation organization that, among many other goals and objectives, manages the Willow Creek Natural Area in west Eugene.

The City of Eugene Public Works Department has contracted with the Nature Conservancy for Ed's botanical and wetlands expertise to the west Eugene wetlands program. He has been a welcome addition to the team of City, County, and L-COG staff working on the West Eugene Weilands Study.

You may have noticed that some of the property on the south side of West 18th Avenue between Bertelsen Road and Willow Creek Road was recently burned. This was a prescribed burn, conducted on September 4th by The Nature Conservancy and the Oregon Department of Forestry as part of on-going management efforts on the Willow Creek Natural Area. The 40 acre burn was meant to restore open prairie conditions to a portion of the natural area that has been invaded by trees and shrubs. Much of the Willamette Valley was retained historically as open prairie due to frequent fires set by the Kalapuya Indians. These fires and natural fires prevented the regeneration of trees and shrubs in open areas, promoted the growth of certain important food plants, and made harvest of seeds and nuts easier. With the arrival of settlers in the 1850s, these burning practices were halted, and trees and shrubs began to slowly invade any areas that were not farmed.

A prescribed burn differs from a wildfire in that is is conducted under fuel and weather conditions that maximize both management objectives and safety considerations. A secure fire break was established around the burn units before the burn, and a crew of fire workers was present (along with pumper trucks) to conduct the burn. The fire was started only after getting the proper permits and getting the final go-ahead from the Oregon Department of Agriculture in Salem. Nature Conservancy staff notified adjacent residents of the planned burn the night before, and burn conditions were established to minimize the impact the smoke would have on area residents. However, if anyone experienced problems with the smoke from this burn, The Nature Conservancy would like to know about it and try to find ways to alleviate the problems in the future. You can contact Ed Alverson of The Nature Conservancy at 687-5586 with your comments or questions.

This was the third prescribed burn for Willow Creek, with previous burns done in 1986 and 1987. Less than two weeks after this year's burn, bunch grasses had begun to resprout, and we expect a wonderful flower display next year due to the "fertilizing" effects of the ashes on the plants of the prairie grassland plant community.

While the Willow Creek Natural Area supports a great diversity of plant and animal species, it is not exactly pristine. The Nature Conservancy has a long list of projects and tasks that will need to be done to restore the natural area to the desired condition.

If you would like to help in this restoration effort, you are invited to join a work party at 9:30 a.m., Saturday, November 9th, at the bridge over Willow Creek on W. 18th Ave., about 0.4 miles west of Bertelsen road. The party will clear scotch broom that is invading the habitat of the rare Fender's blue butterfly. After several hours of clearing, the party will take a break to tour the burned portion of the natural area. Participants are requested to bring work gloves, a pair of loppers or a hand saw, and water. The work party will be cancelled only in the event of a heavy rain. For more information, please call Ed Alverson at 687-5586.

If you have wetland questions, you can contact the following individuals: