05/15/08 City Council Newsletter

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EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER May 15, 2008 City of Eugene 777 Pearl Street, Room 105 Eugene, Oregon 97401-2793 (541) 682-5010 (541) 682-5414 (FAX) www.eugene-or.gov IN THIS WEEK’S EDITION PUBLIC WORKS RECEIVES GRANT FROM ODFW TO HELP RESTORE DELTA PONDS THE MINOR CODE AMENDMENT PROJECT UPDATE MAKE-UP ARTIST ASSISTS WITH MASS-CASUALTY DRILLS HULT CENTER SPECIAL SEATING NOW AVAILABLE ON THE WEB EUGENE 08 NEIGHBORHOOD GRANTS RECREATION SERVICES OFFERS FUN, ADVENTURE AND 100 SUMMER CAMPS AROUND THE CITY Public Works Receives Grant from ODFW to Help Restore Delta Ponds With regular sightings of bald eagles, osprey, river otters, and a wide variety of other bird and wildlife species, Delta Ponds is one of the best places in the Eugene area for wildlife viewing. The City’s on-going habitat enhancement project at Delta Ponds was just awarded an $81,000 grant from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) to continue enhancing the riparian area of the ponds. The funding from this grant will be used to plant 9,500 native trees and shrubs over the next two years. This work will complement the upcoming riparian slope construction work that the City and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will be undertaking at Delta Ponds this coming summer. ODFW’s “150 Grant Program” is a one-time funding source aimed at projects that enhance habitat for one or more of Oregon's state symbols (Chinook salmon, American beaver, Western meadowlark, and th Oregon swallowtail) in preparation for Oregon's 150 birthday celebration in 2009. The Delta Ponds project benefits two of the four state symbols: Chinook salmon and American beaver. Over the past several years, the City of Eugene has collaborated with local, state, and federal partners to restore this side-channel habitat of the Willamette River. The primary goals of this effort are to re- establish hydrological connections between the mainstream Willamette River and the Delta Ponds so that the Delta Ponds system serves as a side-channel to the Willamette River (as it did historically), improve in-stream and riparian habitat for a wide variety of species including Chinook salmon, American beaver, Western pond turtle, river otter, and neo-tropical migratory birds, and provide appropriate levels of interpretation and public access to the Delta Ponds. For more information about the grant or the Delta Ponds Restoration Project, please contact Eric Wold, Natural Resources Manager, at 682-4842 or Scott Milovich, Principal Landscape Architect, at 682-6086. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 1 May 16, 2008