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collected a year prior during the same quarter. The yard debris collection program was initiated in an attempt to bolster statewide recycling rates and to extend the life of the Short Mountain Landfill. Yard debris represents a large portion of what is deposited into the landfill and decomposes anaerobically in the landfill environment, which creates greenhouse gases and contributes to leachate generation. When diverted from the landfill, yard debris is ground up and mixed with manure and other organic materials to produce soil amendments marketed by local firms like Rexius Forest By-Products and Lane Forest Products. The increase from last year shows that Eugene residents are beginning to take full advantage of the recycling services provided to them at their curbsides. A recent garbage can weight study by the City confirms that Eugene customers are indeed reducing the amount of trash they generate. The weight of garbage contained in the most popular-sized roll cart of 35 gallons decreased from 29.7 lbs in 2000 to 25.4 lbs in 2003. For more information, contact Alex Cuyler, recycling analyst, Planning and Development Department, 682-6830 or via email at alex.d.cuyler@ci.eugene.or, us 2004 Oreqon Library Association Conference There was a flurry of activity around the Hilton Eugene and Convention Center last week as Eugene hosted the 2004 Oregon Library Association Conference, attracting quite a few more people than anticipated. Over 600 attendees from all over Oregon, including 34 Eugene Public Library employees and nearly 200 exhibitors, had the opportunity to benefit from informative sessions on library topics ranging from Dewey Decimal Classification, to How to Support Your New Technology, to Cross-Cultural Awareness. Angel Jones, one of the three featured speakers, spoke eloquently on the conference theme, "Diversity, Not Window Dressing". The other speakers were Diana Abu-Jaber, author of Crescent and Arabian Jazz, an Oregon Book Award winner, and Ray Hanania, award-winning syndicated columnist, humorist and author. The theme was very well-received and generated much interest, many questions, and in Angel's case, offers to speak for other organizations. The Downtown Library was the location for the ©LA President's Reception on Thursday evening from 9 - 11 p.m. Colleagues from around the state enjoyed and raved about the new building. For more information about the conference, contact Library Public Services Manager Rob Everett at 682-8314. Repairing Ridgeline Trail Requires Ingenuity and Perseverance Every winter, Natural Resources Maintenance (NRM) staff clears downed trees off trails in Ridgeline Park. This year, however, the New Year's Day storm presented staff with greater challenges than normal. In addition to more than 20 small trees and limbs blocking the trail, five Douglas firs, averaging over two feet in diameter, uprooted the trail's surface. "The trees' root wads had ripped up the trail, rendering the path impassable," says NRM lead worker Jesse Cary-Hobbs. NRM staff logged 180 person hours clearing, repairing and rerouting the trails. Also this year, staff used a "highline" rigging system, a National Parks Service trail-building technique, for the first time to move gravel down a hillside to repair the Blanton Ridge section of the Ridgeline trail, from 52nd and Willamette to Blanton Road. The system works like an aerial tram: gravel is loaded into buckets at the top of the hill and ferried down the hill on a cable strung in the air between two trees. This method of hauling material is more common in wilderness areas than in an urban forest, but it enabled the crew to move the gravel and repair trails without damaging the soft trails leading to the affected areas. Cary-Hobbs credits NRM team member Matt McRae with sharing his National Parks Service trail expertise and introducing the crew to this new technique. The program hopes to use the highline rigging system in future trail repairs. In addition to maintaining over 12 miles of Ridgeline trail, the NRM program is also responsible for maintaining Eugene's undeveloped parks, open waterways and wetlands, totaling over 5,000 acres in total. For more information, contact Natural Resources Maintenance Supervisor John Clark at 682-4826. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 3 April 22, 2004