A Brief History of the West Eugene Wetlands
The city of Eugene is located in the Willamette River Valley in central
Oregon (see Vicinity Map), in a part of Oregon that was largely prairie until the mid-1800s. Over the
next century and a half, farms, industries, businesses, and homes were
gradually
claiming much of this prairie, so that the 360, 000 acres of Western Oregon
prairie had dwindled to about 13,000 acres by 1985.
Where is West Eugene, Oregon?
By this time, Eugene, which shares its eastern border with the city of
Springfield,
had become Oregon's second largest urban area. The two cities joined forces
to attract industrial development in their area through the
Eugene/Springfield
Metropolitan partnership. Since Eugene cannot expand into Springfield on
the eastern side, Eugene's city council selected an area west of the city
for industrial expansion in the 1970s. Eugene invested over $12 million
in street, water and sewer improvement, in the hope of attracting
businesses
that would bring jobs and diversification to the city.
How were wetlands discovered?
In 1987, the city of Eugene was suddenly forced to reconsider its carefully
planned industrial expansion. A biologist hired to inventory the natural
resource areas of Eugene identified about 1,500 acres of wetlands west of
Eugene--with more than a third of these wetlands occuring on lands which
had been set aside for industrial development (see Map
of West Eugene).
This discovery seemed to threaten Eugene's economic growth. Federal
regulations
concerning wetland development require so-called mitigation--for each
developed
acre of wetland, the developer has to purchase and preserve an acre of
wetland.
Furthermore, the federal permitting process for developers is long and
complex.
For Eugene's economy, the discovery of wetlands in West Eugene seemed to
mean that potential developers and industries would lose interest, that
industries already settled in West Eugene--foremost among them Spectra
Physics,
a major employer--would reconsider expansion plans, and that privately
owned
land in the area would suddenly become worthless.
What were the economic impacts of the discovery?
But instead of simply considering the discovery of wetlands as a massive
obstacle to the city's economic growth, city administrators tried to come
up with a strategy that would render economic growth and environmental
protection
compatible. In 1988, the city hired a land-use planner, Steve Gordon, to
put together a team of experts--engineers, planners, environmental and
ecological
consultants, financial advisors--that came to be known as the
"Wetheads."
From the start, this team involved the public--in particular the landowners
in the West Eugene area--in making decisions concerning the West Eugene
Wetlands. In conjunction with interest groups that ranged from property
owners and industrial to environmental group and concerned citizens, and
supported by numerous agencies ranging from the local and regional to the
state and federal level, the "Wetheads" developed the West Eugene
Wetlands Plan.
What was the response?
The West Eugene Wetlands Plan was approved by the city and the county in
1992, and by state and federal agencies in 1994. The plan suggests that
out of the identified 1,278 acres of wetland, 1,019 acres be designated
for protection and 259 acres for development. The protected wetlands would
be gradually purchased by public agencies, in particular the federal Bureau
of Land Management, and jointly maintained by the Bureau, the city of
Eugene,
and the Nature Conservancy. Instead of having to buy mitigation wetlands,
developers would have the option to pay funds for wetlands purchases into
a 'mitigation bank,' which enables public agencies to purchase and maintain
the wetlands instead. The plan also made permitting procedures simpler and
faster by channeling them through a city agency.
Who approved the West Eugene Wetlands Plan?
The federal approval of the West Eugene Wetlands Plan in 1994 has made
Eugene
the first city in the U.S. authorized to issue wetland permits. The plan
itself has received national attention (as well as several awards). It is
being shared with other communities who seek ways of turning "wetlands
problems" into "wetlands opportunities," as the Eugene
planning
team has phrased it. Not only does it provide strategies to combine
wetlands
preservation with economic growth; it has also fostered new ideas of how
to explore the West Eugene area for recreational and educational purpose.
Thus, nature trails and bike paths are being planned, and presentations
in schools--for a range of audiences from elementary school kids to the
University of Oregon students, are part of Eugene's efforts to keep the
public informed about the wetlands.
What is happening in 1995?
