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<br />which was formerly known as the West Eugene Wetlands Partnership, includes the City of Eugene, The
<br />Nature Conservancy, McKenzie River Trust, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
<br />Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Long Tom Watershed Council, Willamette Resources and
<br />Educational Network, and Oregon Youth Conservation Corps. Together, this group is able to pool its
<br />expertise and knowledge to efficiently identify sites with high habitat and recreational value, as well as
<br />assist one another with obtaining grant funding to help acquire land or implement capital improvement
<br />projects. These partners have helped the City obtain several million dollars in grant funds for the
<br />Ridgeline over the past decade.
<br />
<br />Acres
<br />In 1997, Ridgeline Park was 852 acres. The table below summarizes the acres that have been added
<br />since then, in large part due to the passage of the 1998 and 2006 PROS bond measures. Through
<br />collaboration with other organizations and through leveraging bond funds with matching grants, the City
<br />has been able to acquire 1,288 acres, bringing the current size of Ridgeline Park to 2,140 acres.
<br />
<br /> Projected Acres to be Acquired Actual Acres Acquired
<br />1998 Bond 232 397
<br />2006 Bond 100 891*
<br />TOTAL 332 1,288
<br />* includes a pending acquisition.
<br />
<br />Acquisition Funding
<br />The success the City has experienced requires a lot of collaboration, creativity, and expertise. In terms of
<br />funding, having bond money in hand created the opportunity to leverage additional funding through
<br />matching grant and landowner donations. The City has been successful in obtaining a state grant from
<br />the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB) and federal grants from the U.S. Department of
<br />Agriculture’s Forest Legacy Program, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s North American Wetland
<br />Conservation Act Grant Program, and Bonneville Power Administration’s Wildlife Mitigation Program.
<br />In total, non-City funds account for 27 percent of the total spent on Ridgeline Park acquisition since
<br />1998. The table below summarizes the various funding the City has used to acquire Ridgeline Park land
<br />since 1998.
<br />
<br /> City $** State $ Federal $ Donated $
<br />1998-2006 $4,074,837 $552,325 $542,500
<br />2007-present $7,645,714 $750,000 $886,825 $1,655,000
<br />TOTAL $11,720,551 $750,000 $1,439,150 $2,197,500
<br />** City $ includes a combination of bond funds, Parks SDCs, and Stormwater Corridor Acquisition funds.
<br />
<br />Recent Recreation and Habitat Capital Improvements
<br />Over the past five years, the City has implemented several capital improvements to Ridgeline Park and
<br />the Ridgeline Trail, predominantly with grant funds from state and federal sources and A6 funds. For
<br />example, seven trailhead kiosks were added, three trailhead parking lots were graded and re-surfaced,
<br />and wayfinding signage was added using a grant from the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department.
<br />Several eroded segments of the Ridgeline Trail were renovated using A6 funds and federal stimulus
<br />funds, and one new trail segment (Ribbon Trail) was added using federal stimulus funds. Finally, habitat
<br />improvement projects at Mt. Baldy, Moon Mountain, Mariposa Woodland, and Wild Iris Ridge were
<br />implemented. The latter two projects were funded with federal stimulus funds and grant funds from
<br />OWEB. The City’s partner, the Long Tom Watershed Council, obtained the OWEB grant funds for the
<br />Wild Iris Ridge project.
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