Defenders' Experts
West Eugene Wetlands Plan
Eugene, Oregon
The West Eugene Wetlands Plan was initiated in 1989 after the discovery of
more than 1,300 acres of wetlands in an area that had originally been zoned for
industrial development. Planners, environmentalists, concerned citizens, and
local, state, and federal agencies came together to develop a plan that
identified high quality wetlands for protection, complied with existing federal
and state wetland law, protected rare species, and provided more predictability
to the development community. In 1992, the City of Eugene and Lane County,
Oregon adopted the plan. The multiple objectives of the West Eugene Wetlands
Plan balance environmental protection with urban development. They include: open
space preservation, rare species and habitat protection, water quality
improvements, flood storage, and advance identification of development
opportunities and constraints. The plan demonstrates a commitment to using the
land use planning process to protect biodiversity and the value of engaging a
diverse partnership to develop and implement the plan.
The plan also illustrates the need for protection of significant natural lands within designated growth areas while still allowing some development. A map of the planning area, which is comprised of 8,000 acres, was produced. The planning area includes approximately 1,490 acres of wetlands, of which 48 percent were recommended for protection, 30 percent for restoration, and 20 percent for development.
The city has worked with the U.S. Department of Interior, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Oregon Youth Conservation Corps, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and The Nature Conservancy in using multiple strategies to implement the plan. The Bureau of Land Management received $12 million in federal Land and Water Conservation Fund to buy wetlands. So far, 2,500 acres of wetlands and adjacent uplands have been protected, all from willing sellers comprising more than 100 parcels of land. The city used zoning and wetland mitigation banking as two useful tools to protect resources. The Oregon Biodiversity Project, a statewide biodiversity conservation strategy, has identified the West Eugene Wetlands as one of 42 "conservation opportunity areas" in the state.
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