Worth More than Money The struggle to save a local forest BY LISA WARNES AND KATHLEEN LEONARD In the southeast hills of Eugene lies a 38-acre forest bounded by Dillard Road to the east, Nectar Way to the west and city parkland (part of the Ridgeline Trail system) to the south. This forest contains Amazon headwaters, wetlands, creeks, upland wildlife habitat and significant acreage for several plants that are federally listed species of concern and endangered at the state level. Eugene's Parks and Open Spaces Department wants to acquire this land to add to the Ridgeline Park network. In the spring of 2004, city officials reached a verbal agreement to buy the 38 acres, then owned by DDA Oregonia, for $300,000. But before the deal was formalized, DDA Oregonia sold the parcel to Portland developer Joe Green for $325,000. When local residents, who had been trusting the city's process, learned of the sale and of Green's plans to build a 77- to 115-home subdivision, they formed a neighborhood committee to save the plot from development. This group now stands at about 100 households and has joined forces with the Southeast Neighborhood Association. Determined to conserve this treasure for all of Eugene, they have been raising funds to pay for environmental studies and an attorney. After the sale, Parks still wanted to buy the property and Green indicated that he would sell it to the city for $600,000. The city had $300,000 to spend on the land and went to the state Parks Department to apply for a matching grant. The state granted the money, clearly recognizing the importance of preserving this irreplaceable habitat. But there was one catch: The city was required to get an appraisal that supported the purchase price in order to use the state funds. The appraisal came in at $430,000. The city then offered Green $430,000 and an open book to all their surveys and engineering reports. He turned down the offer and began his own surveying. Green is very near completion of wetland determination and natural features assessment.   Those of us who care deeply about keeping this forest intact for its own sake, for all of Eugene and for future generations, must now attend to politics. Green has every intention of having his proposal submitted by spring of 2005, before the scheduled finalization of the city's Goal 5 inventory in July. Goal 5 is a state planning guideline that requires Oregon cities to conserve open space and protect natural resources by taking regular inventory of their lands and working to protect the most environmentally valuable. City staff members started the most recent inventory process for Goal 5 last year, but they grossly overlooked the plot on Nectar Way, listing only one creek as upland wildlife habitat. But a study conducted by a biologist hired by the neighborhood committee shows that the plot contains at least three acres of wetlands and many seasonal creeks. At this point, one of the city's options is to condemn the property and have the courts set a fair price. With condemnation, the developer must sell the land to the city for preservation. The willingness of local neighbors to give their time and money toward preservation of this property indicates that there are many who believe that the beauty of this precious ecosystem is a great deal more valuable than another housing development which may make a Portland developer a little bit richer. While the neighborhood recognizes that this plot is private land, it is also important wildlife habitat, a key component of the Upper Amazon Creek watershed, and contiguous with the Ridgeline Trail system. Protecting the property will provide long-term benefits to the city and its residents. There are several things you can do if you would like to support the city in purchasing and protecting this land. To stay updated, get on the e-mail list devoted to this project by sending your e-mail address to ksl@efn.org. Also, the neighborhood committee needs donations to pay for legal fees, environmental studies, printing, etc. Another way to help is to send a personal e-mail to the mayor, city manager and City Council members telling them why it is important to preserve this land. Lisa Warnes is the official spokesperson for the effort to preserve the Nectar Way forest. She can be reached by phone at 484-2210 or by e-mail at ksl@efn.org
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