FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contacts:
Jennifer Velez
BLM, Eugene District
(541)222-9241
[email protected]
Susanna Hamilton
WREN
(541)338-7046
[email protected]
September 8, 2015
Lorna Baldwin
City of Eugene
Eugene Park Stewards
[email protected]
National Public Lands Day Event in the West
Eugene Wetlands
Eugene, Ore. – Volunteers from the community are invited to join forces in celebration of National Public
Lands Day on Saturday, September 26 by helping improve vital wetland habitat. The all-ages event will be
one of many offered across the country to celebrate service in our nation’s treasured public lands. The
event is being put on by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the Willamette Resources and
Educational Network (WREN) and the City of Eugene.
The event will begin at 9 a.m. at Stewart Pond. Gloves, tools and refreshments will be provided by the
City of Eugene Park Stewards program. Participants will receive a National Public Lands Day t-shirt and
a fee-free one day voucher. This voucher can be used for free entry to participating federal public lands up
to a year after the event.
Volunteer projects planned in the Stewart Pond area of the wetlands include trail maintenance and
removing non-native plant species to promote access to the site, as well as habitat restoration for
wetlands species. This work will build on recent efforts by the BLM and other members of the Rivers to
Ridges Partnership to restore this portion of the wetlands.
The West Eugene Wetlands encompass over 3,000 acres of wet prairies and oak upland habitat that were
historically common in our area, but are rare today. This unique landscape provides for an abundance of
native flora and fauna including the western meadowlark, Oregon’s state bird, and Lane County’s highest
known diversity of dragonflies and damselflies. The wetlands also provide habitat for a number of rare
plants including Kincaid’s lupine and the Willamette Valley Daisy.
“Volunteering at this event will benefit the plants and animals that call the wetlands home, as well as the
thousands of visitors who come to the wetlands each year to bike, hike, view wildlife, and enjoy its
natural beauty,” said Carrie Woods, Wetlands Manager for the BLM.
Participants are encouraged to wear appropriate clothing and footwear for outdoor activities.
For more information and to RSVP, please contact Greg Koester at (541)683-6600.