PR 02: WE Wetlands Self-Guided Tour
Contents
- Welcome
- What are Wetlands?
- A Brief History
- Taking the Tour
- Being a Wetland Guest
- Stewart Pond/Bertelsen Slough
- Eastern Gateway
- Willow Creek Wetland
- Danebo Wetland
- Lower Amazon Wetland
- Fern Ridge Vicinity
- West Eugene Wetland Birds
- West Eugene Wetland Native Plants
- West Eugene Wetland Reptiles, Amphibians, and Mammals
General directions for West Eugene Wetland Self-Guided Tour From downtown Eugene at the intersection of Willamette Street and 11th Avenue, drive west on West 11th Avenue 1.2 miles to Chambers Street. Continue west on West 11th from Chambers for 1.1 miles to the intersection of Seneca Road and West 11th Avenue. The Fred Meyer store at this intersection is your starting point for directions to specific sites in this booklet.
The west Eugene wetlands are a wonderfully complex natural system that lies on the western edge of Eugene. With the help of this self-guided tour book, you can experience the unique pleasure of exploring Eugene's wetland system in a new way - on your own and at your own pace. If you would like to volunteer to protect Eugene's waterways, please call the Eugene Stream Team at Eugene Public Works Maintenance, 465-2814.
Wetlands are areas with standing water or with water-logged soils during the growing season. Some are wet all the time, others only at certain times of the year. They are characterized by particular types of soils (hydric) and plants (hydrophytes) that have adapted to wetlands because of their ability to tolerate changing water conditions. The wetlands in west Eugene are of several types: marshes, ash forests, ponds, emergent grasslands, and some human-constructed ponds that may fit state and federal wetland definitions.
Understanding the following terms will help you understand wetlands:
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-- ASH WOODLAND These wetlands are dominated by trees that include Oregon ash, black cottonwood, and willows. Wildlife found in these woods include: Pacific tree frog, Northwestern garter snake, blacktailed deer, downy woodpecker, black-capped chickadee, American robin, and other songbirds.
-- EMERGENT MEADOW These wetlands include such plants as sedges and cattails. Look for Pacific treefrogs, northwestern garter snakes, and raccoons in these areas. Look for deer tracks in the mud. Birds living in these meadows include common snipe, red-winged blackbird, and song sparrow.
-- POND In these open and shallow waters, look for ducks and Canada goose. In seasons when water levels fluctuate, look for shorebirds such as Kilideer and sandpipers along the edge of the ponds. Swallows dart over the water and nearby grasslands catching insects.
-- WET PRAIRIE These wetlands are dominated by tufted hairgrass, which grows in clumps and sends seed stalks up to 3 to 5 foot heights when mature. Camas lily is an evident plant when it blooms in April and May. Racers and gopher snakes, as well as garter snakes live in these grassy areas. The wet prairies are home to sparrows, finches, and other seed-eating birds.
Before white settlement of the Willamette Valley, extensive prairies covered much of the valley floor. Native Americans used fire to control trees and main tain the grasslands for hunting purposes. Some of the west Eugene wetlands are remnants of these wet prairies.
Most of west Eugene has been significantly altered during the past century through activities such as grazing, plowing, drainage alterations, land development, and public improvements, such as streets, railways, and storm and sanitary sewer systems. The west Eugene wetland system represents the areas that survived a number of these changes because they were wet and expensive to develop. Because of the recognition of the important environmental roles these valuable wetlands play, in 1989 the community asked that a wetland plan be developed to protect wetland areas in west Eugene while allowing sound urban development to continue. Many of the changes and the future plans outlined in this brochure are the result of that planning effort.
This easy to follow booklet is organized to help you find your way to the site and to enjoy yourself while you are there. The booklet highlights six separate wetland tours. Each tour provides directions to an individual site, offers a detailed map, and describes points of interest. Points of interest are indicated on the maps by numbers shown inside either a circle or a square. Circled numbers indicate publicly-owned lands and numbers inside squares show privately-owned land. Some of these points include best viewing areas, plants and species you might see, brief historical facts, and visions for the future. At the end of the booklet, you will find a listing of birds; native plants; and reptiles, amphibians, and mammals that can be found in the west Eugene wetland system.
Please remember that most of these areas are privately owned, so be careful not to trespass. In most cases, you can see the sites from public roadways. Most of the plants and animals found in wetlands are sensitive to human disturbance. Please enjoy the area without disturbing nests, plants, flowers, or wildlife.
Enjoy vour visit, and come back again and again! By combining several gentle visits to the sites across the seasons, your viewing rewards will increase.
Directions: Traveling west on West 11th Avenue and Seneca Road go north on Seneca and travel 0.5 miles north to West 5th Avenue and turn left (west) to begin the numbered tour of this unit.
This unit lies along the A-3 Channel, a tributary of Amazon Creek. The A-3 Channel was modified by the U.S. Soil Conservation Service in 1969-72, and is maintained by the City of Eugene, Public Works Department. Its primary purpose is to convey stormwater runoff.
1. A-3 Channel. This channel drains much of the west Eugene industrial area. It could be widened to provide more water quality treatment and flood capacity. This would allow enhancement of other environmental values and improve its appearance. The City has developed conceptual engineering designs for water quality treatment features along this portion of the A-3.
2. Stormwater Treatment. The City has considered design of a created wetland at this site to settle out sediments and filter pollutants from stormwater runoff.
3. Eastern Gateway Restoration Site. This 17-acre site contains about 9 acres of existing wetlands which are mostly ash woodlands. The restoration project removed old fill material on 7 acres in the interior of the site in 1993. The wetlands restoration project adds shallow pond habitat and wet prairies to this site. The restoration project involved several government agencies and private developers. (Refer to pages 6-7 for more details).
4. Stewart Pond. This 11-acre seasonal wetland is home to many species of water birds. Geese and ducks are numerous during the wet seasons. The surrounding brush and trees harbor a variety of songbirds. Penny roayl and other plants are harvested for dried-flower displays.
5. Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) Mitigation Site. ODOT has been coordinating with BLM to mitigate wetland impacts of the Beltline widening safety project on this 40-acre site. The site will contain prairie habitat and shallow ponds mixed with uplands and will complement the remaining Bertelsen Slough site.
6. Bertelsen Slough. The Bertelsen Slough is a wonderful marsh bordered by Oregon ash and white oaks. Water level in the marsh is maintained by a small dam at Bertelsen Road. Herons, ducks, beaver, and dragonflies abound here. This slough helps filter many pollutants from the A-3 Channel. Working with the City, Humboldt State University (California) is studying the slough for pollutant removal under a corporate grant from Woodward-Clyde, a Portland, Oregon, environmental consulting firm.
7. Wallis Street. This is a good place to view the upper end of Bertelsen Slough. Beaver, cinnamon teal, swallows, and songbirds are easily viewed from the levee along the A-3 channel. The tall cottonwoods south of the slough have been nest trees for red-tailed hawks and great horned owls.
8. Oak-ash Forest. BLM owns parcels at the foot of and on the north slope of Stewart Knoll. Ash forested wetland sites occupy the lower areas. Uphill, the forest transitions into oak and bigleaf maple; upland species replace the nearby wetland plants.
9. West Eugene Transportation Enhancement Project. The City was awarded $1.1 million from the Oregon Transportation Commission to enhance the Amazon Creek from Bailey Hill Road to Danebo Avenue. This 1.5-mile project will include extension of the Ama§zon to Fern Ridge bicycle path and Amazon Creek stream enhancement under the federal Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA). The City's bicycle and wetland plans made award of this grant possible.
DIRECTIONS: From West 11th Avenue and Seneca Road, turn right (north) onto Seneca and travel 0.5 miles north to West 5th Place and turn left (west) onto West 5th. After 0.3 miles turn left (south) onto Market Street and park near West 7th Place. Until parking is provided for this site, you will walk approximately 750 feet west along West 7th Place to the trail entrance.
This 17-acre site is owned by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). In preparing for seven acres of wetland restoration, 20,000 cubic yards of fill was removed from the interior of the property in the fall of 1993. The native soil was then prepared and seeded with over 30 species of native grasses and wild flowers. The surrounding ash forests and willows will ultimately blend with shallow ponds and prairies that are being restored. This restoration project was developed by the City of Eugene to compensate for wetland losses on at least four other projects: airport runway expansion (Federal Aviation Administration funds), electrical substation expansion (Bonneville Power Administration funds), a low-income housing project (general funds), and a commercial business (private funds). By combining resources, the wetland on this site will be improved over the next five years. During its first winter, the new ponds have attracted many birds including great blue herons, waterfowl, and shore birds.
Directions: From West 11th Avenue and Seneca Road, continue west on West 11th for 1.1 miles and turn left (south) onto Bertelsen Road. Continue south on Bertelsen for 0.7 miles to West 18th Avenue and turn right (west) onto 18th Avenue. After 0.4 miles, look for parking along gravel shoulders on either side of 18th Avenue. Watch for traffic.
Willow Creek contains the soul of the west Eugene wetlands. Here lie the most undisturbed of the remaining prairies, the highest concentration of native plants, and the healthiest populations of rare plants. The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is the major land manager of the natural area in the relatively undeveloped Willow Creek watershed.
1. Willow Creek Natural Area. At over 300 acres, Willow Creek's grasslands, ash woods, streams, and beaver ponds provide one of the most important remaining habitats for plants and wildlife in the Eugene/Springfield metropolitan area. Over 200 species of native plants and 75 bird species have been observed at Willow Creek. The best remaining example of the wet prairie plant community in west Eugene is found at Willow Creek. This habitat supports six species of rare or endangered plants, a concentration unequaled anywhere else in the Willamette Valley, including the federally listed Bradshaw's desert-parsley (Lomatium bradshawii). Also present at Willow Creek is one of the largest remaining populations of Fender's blue butterfly, which is found in an upland grassland area. In the spring, Willow Creek's grasslands are alive with the blue flowers of the camas lily, the bulbs of which were a staple food item for the Kalapuya Indians.
TNC began efforts to protect Willow Creek in 1979, and since 1982 has been managing the site under a lease agreement with the private property owners. Management activities have included a series of prescribed burns, designed to halt the encroachment of trees and shrubs into the prairie habitat. Much of the Willamette Valley was burned in historic times by the Kalapuya Indians, and such fires are actually beneficial to many native prairie plants, including both Bradshaw's desert parsley and the camas lily. The most recent burn was conducted in September 1994. TNC biologists have been conducting research on the effects of the prescribed burns on the wet prairie plant community and rare plants.
Recently, JNC began to acquire properties at Willow Creek as they became available. It also submitted a proposal to fund habitat protection and enhance ment activities through the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) under its wildlife mitigation program. The proposal ranked very high in BPA's project review process and approval is likely.
2. Fire Break. Follow the fire break road south, and look for two beaver dams adjacent to the road on the west side. In recent years, beaver have become more active at Willow Creek. Since beaver have moved in, there is more water along the creek channels, and great blue heron, American bittern, and wood ducks have been seen more frequently.
3. Prescribed Burns. The road leads past the open prairie into ash forest. In some places, the ash are thick. In other places, you will notice thin stands of younger trees. Here, in the absence of fire, the ash trees are encroaching on the prairie. Since 1986, TNC has conducted four prescribed (controlled and permitted) fires to burn the ash and promote prairie growth. You can notice signs of fire on many trees.
4. Fender's Blue Butterfly. In 1990, this rare butterfly was discoverd on the eastern edge of the site, feeding exclusively on Kincaid's lupine. The uplands on the edge of Willow Creek support one of the largest populations of this butterfly in the Willamette Valley and the world. TNC has organized volunteer work parties to remove non-native plants that compete with the lupine needed by this butterfly.
5. Willow Creek Realignment. Once Willow Creek flowed through natural channels northward to join Amazon Creek. North of 18th Avenue, Willow Creek was channelized and its flow was altered. The restoration of Willow Creek to return it to its original alignment is a future project of local interest.
DIRECTIONS: From West 11th Avenue and Seneca Road, confinue west on West 11th for 1.7 miles. After passing the Beitline Road intersecfion with West 11th, you will cross Willow Creek (point #1 on the tour of this site). At the next intersection (0.2 miles past Beltline), turn right (north) onto Danebo Avenue.
In this unit, Willow Creek joins Amazon Creek. From here, the prairies extend west and northwest toward Fern Ridge Reservoir.
1. Amazon Creek/Willow Creek Confluence. Willow Creek flows into Amazon Creek at this site.
2. Bureau of Land Management West Eugene Wetland Office. Located on a small hill overlooking a 12-acre site, this house was converted into an office for BLMs wetland project. This site offers a nice view of the Amazon and Willow Creek basins to the east and south. One day, this site could become an environmental education center for the southern Willamette Valley wetland habitat and other ecosystems. The human and natural history of the region can be told here.
3. Prairie Wetland Interpretation. There are over seven acres of prairie wetland with rare plant populations on this site. The proximity of this wetland to the office building and the proposed Fern Ridge bicycle path on the north side of Amazon Creek make it a good location for wetland interpretation. Informational signs and a raised boardwalk would allow for interpretation without harming the rare plant populations.
4. Balboa Airstrip/Dragstrip. This site was once an airport that was later used as a dragstrip. Mitigation requirements for a private wetland permit has resulted in removal of the paved lanes and they are being restored naturally to their original prairie aspect.
5. Spectra-Physics Scanning Systems, Inc. This firm was one of the first to deal with development and wetland issues by saving a mature ash forest on the northwest corner of its property. It also created a nationally renowned wetland complex about 3/4 mile downstream along Amazon Creek. This high-technology manufacturing business employs over 400 persons who enjoy lunch time walks and wildlife observation in the surrounding wetland.
6. West Eugene Transportation Enhancement Project, Phase I The City was granted $1.1 million from the Oregon Transportation Commission to enhance the Amazon Creek from Bailey Hill Road to Danebo Avenue. This 1.5-mile project will include extension of the Fern Ridge bicycle path and Amazon Creek stream enhancement under the federal Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA). The City's bicycle and wetland plans made award of this grant possible.
7. Enhancement Project, Phase II. The second phase of the above project will extend the Amazon Creek enhancement and bicycle path from Danebo Avenue to the Southern Pacific Railroad tracks.
DIRECTIONS: From West 11th Avenue and Seneca Road, continue west on West 11th 3.5 miles to Green Hill Road. Turn right (north) onto Green Hill and continue 1.25 miles to Royal Avenue. Turn right (east) onto Royal and look for places to park near the maintenance road gates along Amazon Creek.
This unit is the future heartland of the west Eugene wetland system. It has great restoration potential for prairie and for seasonal, shallow ponds. During spring evenings, this region is alive with singing Pacific tree frogs.
1. Danebo Pond. Created as a result of borrow activities for the Beltline Road overpass of the Southern Pacific Railroad, this five-acre site is now owned by Lane County. Dug in the 1960's, the pond receives water from the adjacent A- 3 Channel. Willows once rimmed the pond, but beavers have effectively trimmed the shiubbery over the past decade. This shallow pond provides resting and feeding for many waterfowl and shorebirds. Great blue herons can often be found feeding here. It is likely the pond provides treatment for the stormwater found in the A-3 Channel.
2. Prairie Expanse. These prairies south of the railroad extend 1.5 miles from Danebo Avenue to Green Hill Road. This is the largest, uninterrupted stretch of prairie in west Eugene.
3. Spectra-Physics Prairie Restoration Site. This 40-acre site contains 27.5 acres of wetland restoration and enhancement conducted by Spectra-Physics in the late 1980's and early 1990's. It was selected by the Army Corps of Engineers' Waterways Experiment Station in Vicksburg, Mississippi as a national demonstration site for wetland prairie restoration. The City of Eugene owns the site and will assume management responsibility once Spectra-Physics restoration is completed in 1994. Wildlife have already taken advantage of the restored habitats. Look for birds, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals on this site.
4. Amazon Diversion Point. In the 1950's and 60's, the old alignment of Amazon Creek was diverted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to take about 3/4 of its flow to Fern Ridge Reservoir. The old creek was channelized and renamed the "A" Channel. The A-3 Channel flows into the "A" Channel about 100 feet north of the diversion structures. This site is a key component for the connection of these waterways. The main purpose of the project was flood control.
As you stand along Amazon Creek at this point, take time to look up and around. To the north lies the Willamette Valley, which extends over 100 miles and ends at the Columbia River. To the west lie the Oregon Coast Range mountains. To the south lie the south hills of Eugene. The high point to the southeast is Spencer Butte, headwaters of Amazon Creek. To the east lie the Cascade Range mountains. On a clear day you can see the North and Middle Sister volcanic peaks. To the northeast lie the Coburg Hills. From this spot, you can appreciate being on the Valley floor, within the Amazon Creek watershed.
5. Restoration Site. Farmlands in this vicinity have great potential for wetland restoration. Shallow ponds, prairie, and shrub and ash thickets can be established with relatively low cost because of the hydrology and soil characteristics.
6. Restoration Site. These farmlands on the west side of Green Hill Road also have high potential for restoration. There is a small population of rare plants on this site.
7. Army Corps of Engineers Levee/Restoration Project. The Corps is currently studying a proposal to reduce the levees along the Amazon in this location. Flood protection would not be reduced. The Creek channels could be widened to restore the connection between the Creek and its flood plain, thus improving wetland and wildlife habitat restoration capabilities. The City of Eugene would be a partner in this restoration project.
8. The Fern Ridge Bicycle Path. The planned path would continue along the Diversion Channel to Fir Butte Road and then to Fern Ridge Reservoir.
DIRECTIONS: From West 11th Avenue and Seneca Road continue west on West 11th 3.5 miles to Greenhill Road. Turn right (north) onto Greenhill and continue 1.25 miles to Royal Avenue. Turn left (west) onto Royal and continue 2.5 miles to the end of Royal Avenue. The gate at the end of Royal is point #2 on the tour of the Fern Ridge Unit.
The West Eugene Wetland Plan recognizes the connection between the wetland system and Amazon Creek to Fern Ridge Reservoir. The Diversion Channel provides a hydrological connection. The prairies in west Eugene and Fern Ridge were once connected. The bicycle path contained in city, county, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' plans will provide a recreational connection. The Wetland Plan allows for acquisition from voluntary sellers to accomplish further wetland enchancement and restoration on the eastern and southeast ern edges of Fern Ridge Reservoir.
1. Amazon Diversion Channel. The majority of the Amazon's flow empties into Fern Ridge Reservoir. Built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1941, the Fern Ridge project includes about 12,000 acres (over 19 square miles). Constructed for flood control and irrigation purposes, Fern Ridge also has high recreation and wildlife values. Its proximity to the Eugene/Springfield population of 200,000 makes it a popular spot.
2. Royal Avenue. At the western end of Royal Avenue, an extensive marsh habitat exists. Approximately 5,000 acres on the east and south sides of the reservoir are leased by the Corps to the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife and are managed as a state wildlife management area. Here waterfowl are numerous. The bird checklist for Fern Ridge Reservoir contains over 250 species. Also along the eastern edge of Fern Ridge lie several concentrations of rare plants which are in "Resource Natural Area" protection status. The Corps has coordinated with BLM on prescribed burn experiments in these prairies. The Corps has also coordinated with Oregon Fish & Wildlife, Ducks Unlimited, and BLM to improve wildlife habitat in the marshes.
3. Fern Ridge Dam/Long Tom River. From this point the reservoir pool can be observed. On the northern side of Clear Lake Road lies Kirk Park. Downstream, BLM owns another 11-acre site which contains prairie habitat and rare plants. This stretch of the Long Tom River contains some of the largest remaining riparian habitats in the southern Willamette Valley.
4. Coyote Creek Unit. This unit also contains rich ash/oak forests. The farmlands in this corner of Fern Ridge Reservoir have soil and hydrology characteristics suitable for wetland restoration and enhancement.
Birds in the West Eugene Wetland Area
This is a provisional list of 162 bird species that have been observed in West Eugene Wetland areas and the forested uplands of the upper Willow Creek drainage basin. The list follows the scienfific order of birds with an indication of the common names of families or family groups indicated. For the super family of wood-warblers and sparrows, subfamily groups are indicated; this catch-all family is related genefically, but has very diverse outward characteristics. If you observe other species, please send a note to Steve Gordon, Lane Council of Governments, 125 East 8th Avenue, Eugene, OR 97401.
West Eugine Wetland Reptiles, Amphibians and Mammals
The following species of reptiles, amphibians, and mammals have been recorded in the west Eugene wetlands region, including the wooded hillsides in the upper Willow Creek drainage basin. The reptiles and amphibians were surveyed in 1991. The mammal list is very preliminary; it is the result of casual observations - no formal, scientific study has been done. For example, many of the bats and small rodents have not been identified by species and do not appear on this list.
