Posted by Kevin Matthews on September 05, 2000 at 08:40:30:
Press Release: Citizen Mappers Deliver 110 Local Nature Sites to LCOG Today2000.0905 -- PRESS CONFERENCE -- Tuesday, September 5, 2000, at noon, in the center of the Atrium Building in Eugene, featuring brief statements by three Nature Project participants, public display of the 8 foot wide map of identified metropolitan area nature sites, and press Q & A.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Eugene, Oregon. Today the Citizens Nature Project delivers documentation of 110 natural resource areas in Eugene and Springfield to local government planning staff. This information on more than 100 local nature areas was compiled by a wide range of citizen volunteers organized during the month of August by the Citizens Nature Project, as an grassroots contribution to the Metropolitan Natural Resources Study being conducted by the Lane Council of Governments (LCOG).
The Metropolitan Natural Resources Study is being conducted by LCOG for the City of Eugene, the City of Springfield, and Lane County, to designate specific natural areas for protection as part of the statewide land use planning Goal 5 inventory requirements. Sites are listed for consideration as significant riparian, wetland, and wildlife habitat areas, on both public and private lands.
Kevin Matthews, a Nature Project coordinator, said "Most of the riparian, wetland and wildlife habitat areas that historically existed in the metropolitan area have already been lost to development. It is urgent to recognize and protect the precious bits of green space and natural habitat that still remain."
A previous round of work on the Metropolitan Natural Resources Study in the early 1990s ultimately failed to be approved by all of the local jurisdictions. Now, more than ten years after the start of the previous effort, under increasing state pressure to comply with Goal 5 inventory requirements, local governments are using an accelerated schedule to support a potentially quick approval process.
"We support the local government efforts to approve an initial natural resources inventory quickly," said Matthews. "But their timeline and budget don't allow for the fieldwork needed to find all the important areas. We saw an opportunity for local citizens to help improve the quality of the process, by taping into the local knowledge of the community, working very quickly so as not to delay the ultimate approval. Now after just a month our grassroots effort is submitting more than a hundred documented nature sites."
To facilitate citizen participation, the Citizens Nature Project created a simple green form called the "Nature Form" to organize site documentation by lay observers. Then the community mapping effort went into high gear, with a meeting of expert naturalists on August 13, followed by a training session for survey team leaders on August 19th. Then on August 26th teams of three observers each fanned out across the metro area, coordinated from a giant map and command center set up in Amazon Park. In addition, dozens of additional forms were filled out by citizens independently. Nature Forms were collected by a self-imposed August 31 deadline and collated over Labor Day weekend for submission today.
The Citizens Nature Project (CPN) was founded in July 2000 in response to a public workshop held in June in Eugene and Springfield by local government planning staff. Over the coming weeks and months, CPN will continue to cooperatively engage and support the Metropolitan Natural Resources Study effort of our local governments. In the immediate future, CPN expects to submit additional important nature sites, to publicize the planning process and opportunities for constructive public input, and to formally evaluate and comment on proposed nature site significance criteria.
Background Information:Citizens Nature Project web site:
http://www.NatureProject.orgNatural Resources Project home page, City of Eugene web site:
http://www.ci.eugene.or.us/NRS/
NRS Overview Memo by Kathi Wiederhold, Project Manager, LCOG:
http://www.ci.eugene.or.us/NRS/overview_memo_5-22-00.htm
Natural Resources Study Official Map, downloadable PDF file:
http://www.ci.eugene.or.us/NRS/images/metronr1117.pdf
Press Contacts:Kevin Matthews
Artifice, Inc.
PO Box 1588, Eugene, OR 97440
541-345-7421 voice
541-953-1650 direct cell phone
541-345-7438 fax
matthews@artifice.comMary O'Brien
PO Box 12056, Eugene, OR 97440
541-485-6886 voice
541-485-7429 fax
mob@darkwing.uoregon.edu
Citizens Nature Project! http://www.NatureProject.org/nature.html
Neighbors Forum! http://www.SoutheastNeighbors.org/sen_forum.html
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Kevin Matthews, matthews@artifice.com
541-345-7421 vox, 541-345-7438 fax, P.O. Box 1588, Eugene, OR 97440Citizens Nature Project! http://www.NatureProject.org/nature.html
Neighbors Forum! http://www.SoutheastNeighbors.org/sen_forum.html
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Kevin Matthews, matthews@artifice.com
541-345-7421 vox, 541-345-7438 fax, P.O. Box 1588, Eugene, OR 97440