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reexamined and revised to be more precise about what was intended; did "direct" refer to a pipeline from one <br />site to another, or could it refer to seasonal runoff from an uplands to a wetland site? <br /> <br />Art Farley, 708 Woodhill Drive, represented Friends of Eugene/Springfield Habitats (FRESH). He noted <br />his organization's long-time support for the West Eugene Wetlands Plan and the balance it represented. He <br />said that FRESH had concerns about the revised criteria. Mr. Farley believed that while the intent of the <br />changes was to clarify the criteria, he also believed that in all cases the small clarifications favored <br />development and made it more difficult to protect wetlands. He suggested the City retain the original criteria <br />and designate what sites it could. <br /> <br />Emily Fox, 455 East 43rd Avenue, referred to an article from a 1993 edition of Science magazine entitled <br />"Wetlands Mitigation is a Loser's Game." She quoted from the article, which called for comprehensive land <br />use planning that steered development away from wetlands to more appropriate sites. She suggested the <br />elected officials consider favoring protection over development given the loss of wetland that had occurred to <br />this point. Ms. Fox reviewed the professional resume of John Corliss, and said that Mr. Corliss was able to <br />identify the value of an isolated site by evaluating the sites around it. She urged the elected officials to <br />rewrite protection criterion 4 as proposed by Mr. Corliss. <br /> <br />Mr. Sorenson said the elected officials were required to comply with many regulations, one of which <br />concerned the State's mandate for certain supply of housing, commercial, and industrial land. He asked Ms. <br />Fox how she would recommend the elected officials comply with those laws. <br /> <br />Mark Robinowitz, 2423 Friendly Street, said the community should prioritize protection of the wetlands <br />over other uses. He said the plan was meaningless if the West Eugene Parkway was not removed from <br />TransPlan. Mr. Robinowitz said that the 20-year planning period exceeded the petroleum age. In <br />combination with the worldwide ecology crash he believed was currently underway, it was clear to him that <br />the current planning for 2020 was unrealistic. <br /> <br />Mr. Robinowitz suggested that the City focus on discrete wetlands and interconnect them with habitat. He <br />advocated for rezoning of all wetlands and buffer areas as natural areas. He maintained that groundwater <br />recharge must be given priority if wetlands were to be maintained. <br /> <br />Mr. Robinowitz questioned the accuracy of the City's wetlands inventory, averring he had personally seen <br />wetlands surveys in other parts of the country done by unscrupulous surveyors in the pay of developers. <br /> <br />Mr. Robinowitz believed there was a sufficient supply of buildable land in other parts of the community to <br />accommodate commercial and industrial uses. <br /> <br />Mr. Robinowitz said that because of climate change, the plan should include location in the 500-year flood <br />plain, not the 100-year flood plain. <br /> <br />Bob O'Brien, 3525 Gilham Road, asked the elected officials to read John Corliss' testimony. <br /> <br />Mr. O'Brien advocated for stronger protection for the community's remaining wetlands. He said they were an <br />important community resource. He said the elected officials should adopt the strongest language possible to <br />protect the wetlands. Mr. O'Brien did not like the wording for protection criteria 1 and 4. He said that there <br />were many studies showing that isolated parcels containing endangered plants were very important. The <br /> <br />MINUTES--Joint Elected Officials-- August 4, 1999 Page 4 <br /> Eugene City Council/Lane County Board of Commissioners <br /> <br /> <br />