PROJECT A NATIONAL MODEL.

Byline: Scott Maben The Register-Guard

The national director of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management got a glimpse of the latest wetland restoration work in west Eugene on Thursday and liked what she saw.

Kathleen Clarke, on a tour of BLM districts in Oregon, said the wetlands conservation partnership pioneered by her agency, the city of Eugene and The Nature Conservancy serves as a model for the country.

"I think this is the way we ought to be doing business," Clarke said in trumpeting the collaboration, which has grown to eight agencies and organizations since 1992.

She congratulated representatives of the participating groups for garnering federal funds and using volunteers for further stewardship of the land.

"I'm here to celebrate your success in this fantastic endeavor," Clarke told a group of officials gathered near the intersection of West 18th Avenue and Bertelsen Road.

Nearby, an Egge Sand & Gravel crew worked to finish removing an estimated 60,000 to 70,000 cubic yards of soil and rock to expose wetland and upland prairie habitat filled in years ago in anticipation of residential development.

The goal is to restore the historic landscape at the six-acre, city-owned site known as Willow Corner, and on some adjacent land owned by The Nature Conservancy.

Using heavy equipment, workers are scooping up fill measuring 6 to 7 feet deep in spots. Starting this fall and continuing for several years, the site will be planted with a mix of native plants, while crews will weed out invasive plants expected to pop up.

Wildlife biologists hope to bring back native plants and animals, including Fender's blue butterfly, a federally endangered species, and its host plant, Kincaid's lupine, listed as a threatened species.

The BLM recently contributed $150,000 toward the $885,000 project through the federal Cooperative Conservation Initiative.

The agency also awarded the wetlands partnership $773,000 for a second restoration project, called Dragonfly Bend, along Amazon Creek and including a 75-acre wetland near Royal Avenue and Greenhill Road.

The combined funding represents nearly 20 percent of all the BLM's Cooperative Conservation Initiative grants this year, and it's the largest single award of the 89 funded projects. That illustrates how highly federal authorities regard the local effort to protect wetlands, Clarke said.

To date, the BLM has spent more than $13 million to help buy land in the wetlands partnership's project area, which now covers more than 2,500 acres of land in various stage of restoration. The partnership also includes the Army Corps of Engineers and Oregon Youth Conservation Corps.

"I think it's a great tribute to you folks and your vision," Clarke said. "You're working together to enhance quality of life. ... Carry forward."

City Councilor Nancy Nathanson also recognized the accomplishment of the public-private partnership.

"We plan together, we fund together and we manage together," Nathanson said. "I can't imagine the citizens being happier with the arrangement."

The Willow Corner restoration project is adjacent to the 442-acre Willow Creek Natural Area owned and managed by The Nature Conservancy. Both parcels are in the headwaters of the Willow Creek watershed, which encompasses most wetland sites in west Eugene.

Willow Corner and Willow Creek Natural Area are considered critical areas for recovery of Fender's blue butterfly and Kincaid's lupine. Some of the largest known populations of both species are found elsewhere on the Willow Creek site, and the butterflies from there are expected to continue migrating to and establishing new populations at other newly restored sites in west Eugene.

The Dragonfly Bend project, still in the planning stages, also calls for restoring wetland and upland prairie habitat, which was lost to farming in the 1930s. In addition, restoration workers will transform about 3,000 feet of Amazon Creek and the Amazon Diversion Channel back to braided and meandering streams with native vegetation.

CAPTION(S):

Representatives of various groups that have worked to restore a wetland in west Eugene meet with Kathleen Clarke, the national director of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. She congratulated their efforts on the project at West 18th Avenue and Bertelsen Road. Kevin Clark / The Register-Guard Construction equipment removes fill material on a nine-acre parcel at the corner of West 18th Avenue and Bertelsen Road. The area is being restored to a wetland prairie by various groups working through the Cooperative Conservation Initiative.