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wildlife and provide recreational and educational opportunities for residents who use the area. The first
<br />phase of the project began in 2004 and included removing invasive, non-native vegetation, constructing
<br />gravel and paved paths and parking areas, and excavating inlets and weirs for improved water flow.
<br />Future improvements include trails, restoration of pond bank habitat and interpretive signage.
<br />The Delta Ponds project is an ongoing collaboration between the City of Eugene, the Army Corps of
<br />Engineers and other resource agencies. Sixty-five percent of the estimated $6.2 million multi-year
<br />project funding is provided through Section 206 of the federal government’s Water Resource
<br />Development Act. The City’s share of approximately $2 million over the life of the project comes from
<br />stormwater fees and 1998 parks bond measure funds.
<br />
<br />For more information about the Delta Ponds restoration project, contact Scott Milovich, landscape
<br />architect, at 682-6086. A number of volunteer opportunities exist at Delta Ponds; contact Matt McRae,
<br />Stream Team coordinator, at 682-4850 to learn more.
<br />
<br />Fiddlin' Around With History: Tunes & Talk at Eugene Public Library
<br />On First Friday, July 6, at the Downtown Eugene Public Library, toes start tappin' at 6 p.m. with a free
<br />concert by the Oregon Old Time Fiddlers Association. Enjoy hoedowns, waltzes, cowboy songs and
<br />more with this talented and experienced group of musicians.
<br />
<br />At 6:30, Tom Nash of Southern Oregon University gives a fascinating talk on “True Stories and Other
<br />Fictions in Northwest Oral History.” He explores provocative questions such as: Where does local
<br />history end and folklore begin? Are we duped by tall tales, or do they reflect the dynamic interplay
<br />between events and memory? What is the role of fiction in history?
<br />
<br />Nash looks at the elements of folklore embedded in supposedly nonfiction stories of frontier Oregon and
<br />the West, drawn from oral histories recorded in the 1930s and 40s. These oral histories reveal the hand
<br />of the interviewer in both subtle and bold ways. "Literalists" took down every hiccup and expletive along
<br />with the story, while "wordsmiths" perked up dull recitations and fictionalized uneventful details.
<br />"Collaborators" became so involved that their own narrative vision interacts with the interviewee's
<br />version. This is a presentation of the Chautauqua Program of the Oregon Council for the Humanities.
<br />For more information, please call the Eugene Public Library at 682-5450; www.eugene-or.gov/library.
<br />
<br />Kids learn lessons in success at Police Activities League Camp
<br />Wrapping up an outstanding day camp offered during the first week of
<br />summer break, the Eugene Police Activities League Camp sent
<br />dozens of young participants through the Spencer Butte Challenge
<br />Course on Friday. The City’s Challenge Course—the only full-service
<br />accessible course in the region—consists of ropes, cables, poles,
<br />tires, swinging bridges, bolts, ladders, log pilings, and platforms,
<br />making up challenge course elements that group members help each
<br />other get over, under, around, or across.
<br />
<br />The 92 PAL Camp participants went through the Challenge Course in
<br />—
<br />teams, finding some parts easy and fun and othersas the name
<br />—
<br />impliesa true challenge. When each participant reached a portion of
<br />the course they found personally challenging, other kids
<br />spontaneously offered outstanding peer support and encouragement,
<br />in a demonstration of the camp's success in teambuilding.
<br />
<br />The Eugene Police Activities League Camp is offered to youth ages
<br />–
<br />813 through a partnership between the Eugene Police Department
<br />and Recreation Division. The kids join teams, each led by a police
<br />officer, and have a great time participating in a wide range of games and activities. Leading up to the
<br />Challenge Course climax, PAL Camp participants build team trust and individual confidence through a
<br />week of activities that include team sports, disc golf, bowling, the Amazing Mini Race, Dance Dance
<br />Revolution, nutrition education, art classes, and leadership skills training. This program is designed to
<br />give kids an opportunity to work with positive role models and learn about success and failure on a
<br />playing field without drugs or violence.
<br />
<br />
<br />EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 4
<br />June 28, 2007
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