Item 2: Ordinance on West Eugene Wetlands Burn Ban Exemption

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Lookouts are posted downwind to keep the Burn Boss apprised of any abnormalities. In most cases a qualified EMT is on site to assist with medical situations. 6. Description of Public Notice and Outreach Public notification for the Councils public hearing on this item will include a hearing notice describing the ordinance title and meeting information. For previous controlled ecological burns at Willow Creek, TNC staff have notified nearby residents by distributing fliers door-to-door on the day before the scheduled burn. This practice will continue at Willow Creek. BLM staff will notify nearby businesses in person or by phone prior to burning on BLM lands. For burns on City land, notification is provided to all properties around the burn area in advance of a burn, providing residents the option of having staff contact them during the morning prior to a burn. All public notices will comply with LRAPA notice requirements. 7. Controlled ecological burns and recent state legislation Controlled ecological burns are exempted from recent state legislation curtailing grass seed farm open burning. The City lobbied for this exemption in order to provide both an important tool for protecting and restoring biological diversity in wetland prairies, and to provide opportunities for training fire staff in wildland fire fighting techniques. Both of these goals controlled ecological burning program. 8. Costs and Who Pays for Burning Costs of burning are paid by either the land owning agency or agency providing the burn crews. The fee for obtaining the burn permit from the Lane Regional Air Pollution Authority (LRAPA) is paid on a rotating basis by the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, City of Eugene, Friends of Buford Park and Mt. Pisgah or The Nature Conservancy. These organizations pool all of their native prairie ecological burns under a single LRAPA permit. BLM crews serve as the lead agency for burns on federal lands. The Nature Conservancy uses its own trained staff along with contract crews to provide burn resources at the Willow Creek Preserve. The Eugene Fire Department provides lead support with trained Parks and Open Space Division staff on City burns. However, all of these organizations, along with other partner agencies such as the Oregon Department of Forestry, have historically collaborated, volunteering support for each other to ensure adequate resources are available at each ecological burn, regardless of who owns the land. 9. Conclusions This pending proposal for authorization to conduct controlled ecological burns follows the course of past requests that have been authorized by the Eugene City Council. We believe the proposed burning can be accomplished with a minimal impact to adjacent property owners and the general public. ABP Monitoring- 2002 Season Summary Page 4