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Advice from a Seasoned Veteran A collection of lessons learned from the West Eugene Wetlands Plan from Steve Gordon, Natural Resources Program Manager for Lane Council of Governments. The City of Eugene, Oregon entered into a partnership with the U.S. Department of Interior, Bureau of Land Management, The Nature Conservancy, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Oregon Youth Conservation Corps, McKenzie River Trust, and Willamette Resources and Education Network. |
The West Eugene Wetlands Plan provided the vision for protecting the resource in a balanced way. It called for acquisition as a major implementation tool in both the urban and rural areas. Bureau of Land Management adopted the plan to guide its acquisition program.
Many Tools
Land acquisition is not the only tool used to protect the wetlands. Planning, zoning, land exchange, donation, conservation easements, and other means have been applied.
Many Pots
The project used over ten sources of funding for a total of $14.4 million with the possibility of another $3.5 million. Sources: Bureau of Land Management Land and Water Conservation Funds and Exchange funds; City park bond; Stormwater and mitigation bank funds; The Nature Conservancy; Bonneville Power Administration habitat funds; Oregon Department of Transportation mitigation funds; Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board grant; and North American Wetland Conservation Act grant (pending).
Willing Sellers
All purchases to date have been from willing sellers. No condemnation has been used (Bureau of Land Management can't use its condemnation powers with Land and Water Conservation Funds without explicit Congressional approval).
Partnering is Valuable
The City of Eugene actively went about forming a lasting partnership for the whole wetland program, including land acquisition. The partnering approach allows flexibility, sharing of resources, and cooperation in crafting approaches for funding and putting together a workable acquisition package.
Strategic Approaches
The City developed a strategic approach to federal lobbying and continues to invest in that united effort. The Nature Conservancy and the Oregon Wetlands Joint Venture have been instrumental partners with the City in the federal lobbying efforts.
The City and partners have been adaptive in managing land acquisition. The program continually adjusted to meet new situations in Washington, D.C. and changing local circumstances.
Good Staff
Bureau of Land Management, The Nature Conservancy and the City provided excellent real estate staff who worked with owners in very creative ways. Good people skills are essential. The program was carried out largely by word-of-mouth from owner to owner in the early years. Find good champions and leaders for the effort.
Always talk to your partners. Always keep communication lines open with owners and their representatives. Keep elected officials and the community apprised of progress and what is happening next. Don't surprise them, especially land owners and elected officials.
An intergovernmental staff team meets monthly and discusses acquisition issues. It has provided guidance to Bureau of Land Management and others in acquisition. An acquisition subcommittee meets to refine strategies and cooperate on grants. The current strategy for acquisition was reviewed and approved by the leadership committee, called the Wetland Executive Team, in 2000.
Cooperation
In some cases, one agency buys a conservation easement on the land and another will buy the improvement value. This flexibility allows sharing of costs and allows agencies to avoid restrictions on the use of certain funds, which have legal limitations. The City shares tasks in grant preparation and in lobbying efforts. Work out your differences with partners in a respectful way. If your agency is not the lead on an acquisition, be ready to play a supportive role.
Be Patient
The program evolved over an eleven year period, and it is still not finished. Its success is likely to evolve into a new spin-off project. When an acquisition offer is not accepted by the owner, continue good relations and be ready to try again when circumstances are right for making a new offer that will better meet the owner's needs.
Be Persistent
The City and partners are interested in long term success. The individual parcels were acquired with a grand scheme of a connected landscape in place. The plan provided the framework for the individual puzzle pieces (individual acquisitions). Obtaining the resources is hard work. It requires a commitment of staff time and money for the acquisition program.
Be Opportunistic
Be ready to shift priorities when an owner is ready. Be ready to adapt to the owner's needs. Be ready to seek a new source of funding and to leverage dollars available. Keep several irons in the fire without over-committing resources.
Celebrate Successes
While you may keep some acquisitions quiet out of property owner respect, be ready to tell your elected officials of progress. In a partnership, share the glory. Chart your progress and keep track of where you are going and what you achieve. Sometimes a party is in order. And pat your acquisition staff on the back - frequently.
Combine an urban (money and political support) with a rural proposal (more acreage per dollar).
Leverage funds
Make local (and other non-federal) dollars go further. Use those local funds for required match for federal, state, and grant opportunities.
Make the Deal
Find out what the land owner wants and try to configure a purchase that meets as many of those needs as you can within legal limits.
Step back from time to time and assess how you are doing. Where would you go next? What are newly evolving funding streams? Where could this success be transferred? Don't be too quick to call the project over.
Plan with people, not for them. A good involvement plan can help build community support, introduce a better idea, and help eliminate tough spots.
Set Measurable Targets
Check your progress and adjust accordingly as the program progresses.
Account for Development
Development is not a bad word. You should account for it and craft a conservation plan that recognizes where growth will and should occur. Inform others why development should not occur in certain locations.
Buy the Land When You Can
It will not be there in its present state forever. Management funds can come later. (Better yet, set up an endowment as you acquire land.)
Education
On-going education and outreach will be needed for any plan of large extent or any plan that takes a long time to implement (i.e., longer than a couple of years). Also, with newly elected officials, re-education often happens on a two-year cycle.
Accommodate People
Through recreation, education, volunteer activities, and field trips, get the public involved. The more people that can have ownership of the plan or program, the greater the likelihood of long-term success. That does not mean that sensitive natural areas must all be opened to recreation (even passive recreation), but some places must be open for wildlife viewing and hiking, for example.
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