FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contacts:
Jennifer Velez
BLM, Eugene District
(541)222-9241
[email protected]
September 22, 2014
Susanna Hamilton
Lorna Baldwin
WREN
City of Eugene
(541)338-7046
[email protected]
[email protected]
National Public Lands Day Event in the West
Eugene Wetlands
Eugene, Ore. – Volunteers are invited to join the BLM, Wetlands Resources and Educational Network
(WREN), and City of Eugene for a National Public Lands Day event in the West Eugene Wetlands on
Saturday, September 27, 2014. The all-ages event will be one of many offered across the country that day
to celebrate service in our nation’s treasured public lands.
The event will begin at 9 a.m. at Stewart Pond. Gloves, tools and refreshments will be provided by
Eugene Park Stewards. Participants will receive a National Public Lands Day t-shirt and fee-free voucher
that can be used for up to a year after the event.
Volunteer projects planned in the Stewart Pond area of the wetlands include trail maintenance, improving
bird surveying areas, installing blue bird houses near Sandpiper Pond, and spreading native seeds to
promote habitat 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 Joel Krestik at (541)225-6300.