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<br /> <br /> <br />EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER <br /> <br />February 9, 2012 <br /> <br /> <br />City of Eugene <br /> 777 Pearl Street, Room 105 <br /> Eugene, Oregon 97401-2793 <br /> (541) 682-5010 <br /> (541) 682-5414 (FAX) <br /> <br /> www.eugene-or.gov <br /> <br />IN THIS EDITION <br />JUVENILE CHINOOK SALMON FOUND AT DELTA PONDS AND HERON SLOUGH <br />NEIGHBORS ASKED TO MAKE PROGRAMMING SUGGESTIONS <br />POETS PATTY AND VINCE WIXON AT EUGENE PUBLIC LIBRARY <br />EUGENE PARK STEWARDS MAKING A DIFFERENCE <br /> <br />AROUND THE CITY <br />Juvenile Chinook Salmon Found at Delta Ponds and Heron Slough <br />For the first time in over 60 years, juvenile spring Chinook salmon can swim freely through newly created side <br />channels of the Willamette River at Delta Ponds and Heron Slough. With completion of the major restoration work this <br />year, water can now flow through the ponds for 2.2 miles, before <br />it meanders through Debrick Slough and back into the river. <br />Across the river from Delta Ponds is Heron Slough, a quarter- <br />mile of newly constructed stream-like side-channel, where river <br />water can also flow during high water events like those Eugene <br />has had over the past several weeks. <br /> <br />Slow-moving side-channels, such as those recently restored at <br />Delta Ponds and Heron Slough, provide areas of calm water <br />during high winter flows. It is here that juvenile salmon are able <br />to rest, feed, and grow larger before migrating to the ocean. <br />Although the Delta Ponds and Heron Slough projects provide <br />benefits to multiple wildlife species, both projects were designed <br />specifically to provide overwintering habitat for juvenile Chinook <br />salmon. <br /> <br />A grant from the NOAA Restoration Center has allowed the City <br />Contractor’s crew monitors fish at Heron Slough <br />of Eugene to hire a consultant to monitor fish in Delta Ponds and <br />Heron Slough. The consultant has been running a rotary screw trap at the inlet at Delta Ponds. Since January, over 50 <br />juvenile Chinook have been captured and released using the rotary screw trap. A handful of Chinook were also found <br />in the interior ponds at Delta Ponds and hiding under submerged tree roots in Heron Slough. <br /> <br />For more information about the Delta Ponds and Heron Slough projects, please contact Natural Resources <br />Coordinator Lauri Holts at 541-682-4925 or lauri.j.holts@ci.eugene.or.us. <br /> <br />Neighbors Asked to Make Programming Suggestions <br />In addition to the dinner, crafts, and games usually provided at the monthly First Friday Family Fun Night at Petersen <br />Barn Center, the Feb. 3 event also included a community meeting. Recreation staff <br />asked the 116 neighbors who attended the event to suggest activities they’d like to <br />see provided at the center. Recreation Services currently provides programs for <br />children, teens, adults, and seniors at Petersen Barn, including child care, art, dance <br />and fitness classes, and social activities. <br /> <br />To ensure a good turnout, staff canvassed the neighborhood inviting residents to <br />attend the event and local schools publicized the event in their blog. To give ample <br />opportunity for input, attendees were able to offer suggestions as part of an open <br />forum, by responding to a written survey or by submitting written comments. <br /> <br />EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 1 <br />February 9, 2012 <br />