Camassia Newsletter, March 1994
Restoration Project Initiates Wetland Bank
A major innovation of the West Eugene Wetlands Plan is the creation of a wetland mitigation bank. The bank establishes a "credit" program in which wetlands in one area are enhanced, restored, or created to compensate for the loss of wetlands in other areas due to development.
In 1993, the west Eugene wetland mitigation bank was initiated with a restoration project on a 16-acre wetland site. The site is located between West Fifth and West Seventh avenues, east of Bailey Hill Road.Every predominant type of wetland found in west Eugene is present on the publicly owned site, which also serves as the eastern gateway to the west Eugene wetland system.
The goal of the project was to successfully restore the natural wetland functions and values to approximately seven acres of former wetland. This amount of restoratation mitigated the wetland effects of four recent development projects in the Eugene area. The first step ofthe mitigation project was to remove more than 20,000 cubic yards of fill material that had been dumped at the site over the years. Removing the fill material lowered the elevation of the site, allowing it to retain water as a natural wetland. The existing ash woodland on the site was preserved, and the construction area was replanted with native Willamette Valley prairie grasses and other wetland plants. Steps will be taken to control the spread of invasive, non-native vegetation on the site.
The site will be closely monitored and is expected to provide valuable information for the design of future wetland mitigation projects.
Partnerships Help ProjectThe wetland mitigation project is significant for several reasons. First, it represents the successtul use ot federal funds to purchase wetlands to be protected or enhanced. Second, the project demonstrates the partnership approach that underlies the West Eugene Wetlands Plan. Project participants included: the Federal Aviation Administration, which contributed funding to mitigate wetland impacts resulting from a runway expansion at the Eugene Airport; the Bonneville Power Administration, whose funds were accepted for mitigation of substation improvements in Goshen; a private developer, who contributed to the site for impacts of a small development in west Eugene; and the City of Eugene, which funded part of the project to meet a mitigation obligation for a low-income housing project. Among the agencies cooperating in the mitigation and restoration project were the City of Eugene, the BLM, the Oregon Division of State Lands, and the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. |
Information and Resources
VIDEOIt Can Be Done - A Model Approach to Solving Urban Wetland Problems - shows how a perceived local wetland problem was turned into a community opportunity. The 14-minute, locally produced video describes the effects of the discovery of wetland resources in west Eugene on private property owners, the business community, and planned public improvements. It also talks about the value of the partnerships that have been created among local, state, and federal public agencies and the private, nonprofit Nature Conservancy. Other communities have given the video good reviews. Copies of the video can be purchased at the Lane Council of Governments for $25. Several copies are also available for short-term loan. If you are interested in purchasing or borrowing a copy, call 687-4283.
PLANS AND DOCUMENTSThe West Eugene Wetlands Plan - is the plan adopted by the City of Eugene and Lane County. Copies of the plan, published in December 1992, can be purchased at the Lane Council of Governments office for $15.25 or by mail for $18.50. To order a copy of the plan by mail write: Lane Council of Governments, Attn: Carolyn Henderson, 125 E. Eighth Ave., Eugene, OR 97401. Please enclose a check for $18.50. For information please call 687-4283.
