CC Minutes - 11/10/03 Mtg - Laserfiche WebLink

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· Presentation of Award from The Nature Conservancy Mayor Torrey introduced Scott Duckett, Natural Resources Manager for the Parks and Open Space Division, who made the presentation of an award to the City on behalf of The Nature Conservancy. Mr. Duckett presented the award. He explained that The Nature Conservancy had worked closely with the City of Eugene in trying to strike a balance between wetland protection and providing for economic development in the west Eugene area. He related that The Nature Conservancy had chosen the City of Eugene to receive its statewide conservation award because of the success of the West Eugene Wetlands Project. He noted the award was a photo of flowers in the Willow Creek Nature Preserve. Councilor Papd came forward to receive the award. Mayor Torrey asked Mr. Duckett to speak to an award received by Steve Gordon. Mr. Duckett spoke glowingly of Mr. Gordon's accomplishments as a natural resource planner. He said Mr. Gordon had been successful in garnering much federal and partner support to acquire lands and to protect the important natural areas within the City. He expressed hope that Mr. Gordon would continue his good work despite being semi-retired. He showed the award presented to Mr. Gordon by The Nature Conservancy. Mr. Gordon explained that the award depicted a spotted skimmer, a dragonfly that was fairly common in the West Eugene Wetlands. Mayor Torrey remarked that it took a lot of people to make a positive impact to a community. He called Mr. Gordon a tremendous asset. He noted that Mr. Gordon would agree with him that the West Eugene Wetlands was a partnership between the City Council, staff, partners in the environmental community, and the development community. He called attention, in particular, to the work of the Bureau of Land Management in the West Eugene Wetlands Program. He strongly encouraged the council to pass a resolution thanking the Bureau of Land Management for its efforts in making this happen in the commu- nity. He said the community was a better place because of the work of the Bureau of Land Management and also a better place because of people like Steve Gordon. Mr. Gordon commented that the City Council had adopted the plan unanimously in 1992. He noted that he had worked with four mayors, eight city councils, and five city managers over the life of the project. He stressed that without the support of everyone, from those who had lobbied for federal support in Washing- ton, DC, to those who gathered seeds, the project would not have succeeded. Mr. Gordon also noted the reorganization of the Public Works Department, calling it instrumental. He lauded the City of Eugene for hiring people with a background in natural resources, specifically commend- ing the work of Kurt Corey, Johnny Medlin, Scott Duckett, Eric Wold, and Neil Bj6rklund. He added that the decision to sub-contract with Ed Alverson of The Nature Conservancy was also of great benefit to the project. MINUTES--Eugene City Council November 10, 2003 Page 2 Regular Meeting