ROSES
‘9.99*
( nimktl!
I gfO *m I M% h% I*rt*w**« < uti
11 <»\m ns wix.irrs
rw( ta«i»Tv>
Editor
Trudi Richmond knows the
Eugene Millrm e ducks and geese
— and they know her. After all.
she has Iwen feeding them for the
past 15 years.
Kn.hniond drives in from Fall
Greek every Monday. Wednesday
and Friday and gives them sev
eral bucketful!* of bread and
grain It costs her about $h for
uaf.h feeding frenzy
”1 save the gram for last," she
said "It keeps them from fol
lowing me to the car,"
The docks and geese eat up the
attention Everyone who comes
by with food is treated like the
best-loved person in Eugene
The well-fed birds have nest
is) themselves into the i itv s con
sciousness lost .is New Yorkers
are known for feeding their C en
trill Park pigeons. Eugene resi
dents coddle their millracu
du< ks.
On sunny days, families stop
bv to give children their first
exposure to wild animals. Or
sometimes long-time residents
c onto on< e a year for a visit The
birds hav e tiecome so essential to
Eugene that they've been adopt
ed by the community
Art and Bernice (Prison count
themselves among the millnii.e s
visitors Him come by every win
ter to diet k in with the birds, to
feed them and watch them play,
EVery time I tenner drops a few
bread crumbs, duc ks and geese
from all over the pond swim over,
cutting several v svvpths in the
water One by one they hop up
on the shore as Art snaps Ber
nice's picture amid the swarm
"You certainly get a lot of
attention." Bernice said.
The duc ks and geese are the
ones getting the attention said Eat
Photo fry wfccha* Shindy
Senior Jana Herd, alongside Danny Corzine, reaches out to feed an
anxious goose a piece of bread near the Eugene Mlllrace. Jana feeds
the ducks day-old bread from Williams Bakery.
While, a customer service work
er at the University Physical
Plant, whit h is located behind
the millrar e "Those ducks eat
better than you and I." White
said.
White said plant workers don’t
feed the animals themselves —
the public takes t are of that —
hut they do care for them if
they're injured. Workers send the
wounded birds to an animal orga
nization and dispose of the ones
who die
Workers have also had to res
cue dut ks from it e blocks during
the winter. "Thin paddle out in
a canoe to free the ducks.'' White
said, "and they just fh hat k and
get stuck again."
Kt >('.N radio's Ralph Steadman
also fields a number of t ails on
the birds. On his radio show a
few weeks ago. lie asked the pub
lic what it thought of the birds'
tH t asitmal jaunt into traffic on
Franklin Boulevard
The response was mixed Some
people seemed genuinely t on
corned that the ducks and geese
have loo much pull in the com
munity. After all. nobody is Irv
ing to slop them from crossing,
nor is anybody eliminating the
birds’ motivation (or crossing —
the grass in the street's divider.
Other people. however,
thought the issue was more
humorous than troublesome.
Count Steadman among them
" They live here too,” he said.
"They have a right to go where
they want.”
Williams Bakery, located only
a few blocks from the millrace.
does its part by selling old bread
to people interested in feeding
the ducks It costs only 10 cents
a loaf, or$5 fora grocerv-tmrt full.
Penny Cash, who works at the
Williams thrift store, said a num
lier of customers buy wheat bread
for the ducks because it's more
nutritional.
Cash's lies! ( ustomer has l>een
Turn to DUCKS. Rage 6
l SIVTPSIAPVOO
!
: www
Shouu youR Qrc€n
for 5oe Off ANy
moiMe o^eR 50c
I ON SC. PATRICK'S DAy
! * 344-2691 *
1888 FrankSn Btvd. °«
(next to 7-11 on Vlard)
SAM’S ON CAMPUS
sandwiches
Where a Sandwich is
A Complete Meal!
We Bake Our Bread Fresh Daily
FREE DELIVERY
50* OFF 75'OFF s1®OFF
sm. sandwich mod. sandwich family size
12 loot &4 foot 2 foot
oxp. 2 2& 93 exp. 2 2S93 exp. 226/93
804 E. 12th
comer of 12th & Alder
343-1141
RECYCLE 0
THIS -1-*
PAPER!
ALL DAT
TUESDAY
s
p
A
G
H
E
T
T
I
EAT
EVERY
TUES!
includes
I Garlic Bread
11:30 am-10 pm
PIZZ*
?eJ££
ITALIAN KITCHEN
2673 Willamette • 484-0996