BY CHRIS ORSINGER
Wildish Aquisition
Time to fulfill the original vision for
Buford Park and Pisgah.
W
ildish Land Company’s filing of a Measure 37
claim to allow development on 1,400
acres next to Mount Pisgah (Lane
County’s Howard Buford Recreation Area, aka
Buford Park) raises the question Lane County citi-
zens have faced since early 1970s: Will we fulfill
the park’s original vision of including the Wildish
lands in the park?
The 1973 Oregon Legislature authorized acquisi-
tion of the Wildish lands as part of a Willamette
Greenway park purchase. Funding available at that time
purchased the existing 2,300-acre Buford Park, now managed by Lane County
Parks Division. Numerous public plans have supported this acquisition, including
The Metro Plan (1980), the Buford Park Master Plan (1994), and most recently the
Rivers to Ridge Open Space Vision (2003). All these plans were adopted or en-
dorsed by elected officials of Springfield, Eugene, and Lane County.
A century from today, future generations will view public acquisition of the
Wildish lands as a visionary community decision and a fantastic legacy of open
space. Just imagine how different Eugene and Springfield would be if community
leaders had not acquired the river front parks in the 1960s.
The 1,400-acre Wildish lands lie between the 2,300-acre Buford Park’s extraordi-
nary wildlife and botanical resources and approximately 1,000 acres of public land
along the Middle Fork Willamette River. This acquisition would create a 4,700-acre
complex of open space at the confluence of two major rivers (Coast Fork & Middle
Fork of the Willamette) and provide an anchor of critical habitat and open space for
our rapidly developing metropolitan area. Some of the potential benefits include:
• Conserving and restoring habitat in the dynamic confluence area for fish (in-
cluding threatened Chinook salmon and winter steelhead) and wildlife.
• Allowing extension of river front bike paths to Buford Park/Mount Pisgah;
• Having a natural, easier-to-manage park boundary formed by the rivers.
• Improving water quality and reducing downstream flood impacts by restoring
the area’s extensive floodplain to filter, detain, and store and floodwaters.
• Providing environmental education and restoration research opportunities for
students and scientists.
Thirteen ponds created by gravel extraction on the Wildish ownership, along with
12 ponds on public land at the confluence already provide good wetland habitat.
These ponds and adjacent floodplains can be further enhanced to improve habitat
and recreational opportunities (such as hiking, birding, horseback riding, canoeing,
etc.).
Friends of Buford Park & Mt. Pisgah (FBP) led an effort to purchase the Wildish
property in 1994. At that time, the appraised value was based on the land’s zoning
for sand and gravel and forestry, and was therefore much lower. The Wildish
Company decided not to sell.
Over a decade has passed and it’s time to look with an open mind at our options,
especially the option of fulfilling the original plan to include all the Wildlish lands in
the park. We have initiated a dialog with the Wildish family, and they say they will
consider the range of options from development as allowed by Measure 37 to sale
of the entire parcel.
However, the community must come to a consensus that we support and are re-
solved to fund the acquisition. FBP is willing to raise funds, but the community and
governments must help. We will need to lobby for funding from federal, state, local
governments and solicit foundations and individuals. Here are a few possible fund-
ing sources:
Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (which helped fund the Green Island
purchase at the McKenzie confluence); Bonneville Power Administration (which ac-
quires habitat to mitigate for losses from federal hydroelectric dams); Corps of
Engineers (via a congressional appropriation for projects that implement the ongo-
ing upper Willamette Floodplain Restoration Study); a voter-approved park bond
measure; private foundation grants; a community fundraising campaign, which will
demonstrate broad public support for the acquisition, that we are serious about
this.
An acquisition effort may take a year or more. Negotiating an agreement with
the Wildish family will be time-consuming and complex. Their rights as a landowner
must be respected. Securing funding will require great effort. However, if we keep
our eyes on this prize, present and future generations will enjoy an extraordinary
open space resource that will help sustain the fish, wildlife and our area’s livability
as the metropolitan areas grows and develops.
You can urge the Lane County Board of Commissioners to support the Wildish
acquisition by writing them at 125 E. 8th Ave., Eugene 97405.
Chris Orsinger is executive director of Friends of Buford Park & Mt. Pisgah. Contributions to support the
acquisition effort can be sent to Friends of Buford Park & Mt. Pisgah, PO Box 5266, Eugene 97405. The non-
profit organization’s mission is to protect and enhance native ecosystems and compatible recreation in the Mount
Pisgah area. FBP works in partnership with Lane County and other agencies to restore habitat, propagate native
4 JULY 6, 2006
TO THE EDITOR
SATURDAY SILENCE
I’d like to thank EW for the story on the
Wayne Morse Youth Project (“Saturday
Silence”) in the June 29 issue. I have been
very impressed by the great work these young
people have been doing, and the dignity and
tenacity with which they have been working
with Lane County to have the electricity
restored for their free speech events. It’s clear
that the Morse Youth Project has in fact been
a positive influence on the crowds in the
Wayne Morse Free Speech Plaza, and that
they have nothing to do with any of the prob-
lems in the plaza.
I would like to correct what might be a
misperception created by some of the word-
ing in the article. The article states that “the
accusers in this case are the county commis-
sioners who support a decision made by
county employee David Suchart”.
I want to make it clear that I am one county
Commissioner who does not support the deci-
sion to turn off the electricity. I did not support
the original decision to turn off the electricity, I
have worked to have the electricity turned back
on, I have urged the other Commissioners to
change this decision, and I remain committed to
assisting the Wayne Morse Youth Project in this
cause. As I have stated in commission meet-
ings, turning off the electricity is not fair to the
Morse Youth Project, and has no effect on
deterring any problems.
I will continue to work in support of the
Morse Youth Project and common sense to
have the electricity restored for their great
work. Thanks for helping to keep the spot-
light on this issue.
Pete Sorenson
Lane County Commissioner
South Eugene District
NEGLIGENT LANDLORD
I opened EW’s June 22 issue eager to read
the cover story, “The Word from Woolley.” I
thought to myself, “Finally some input direct-
ly from the horse’s mouth.” I also thought it
was a nice bit of fair and balanced journalism
for EW to feature the perspective of one of the
developers who owns many of the empty
buildings in downtown Eugene. Instead I
found myself feeling insulted and further
frustrated by the continuing lack of action to
redevelop that area. If Woolley and The Ulum
Group meant the article to smooth over some
ruffled feathers in the “uneducable”
Eugene community, I’m afraid in my case it
failed.
Before I continue I should explain that
while leaning left, in general I consider
myself a political moderate and economic
pragmatist. I understand there are a lot of
market forces involved in the redevelopment
of downtown I don’t claim to understand. I’m
not one of Eugene’s stereotypical “hippies”,
nor am I a recent California transplant. I’m 30
years old, employed, an Oregon native, enjoy
living near downtown, and have settled in
Eugene for good. I’ve found Eugene, despite
its shortcomings, to be a very nice place to
live and work for several reasons, least of
which being the input the community strives
to have in its own operations.
That being said, I’ll stick to what I do
know as I continue with the “chatter” that has
arisen on these editorial pages since Connor
and Woolley announced their plans for devel-
opment, and I will address this directly to Mr.
Woolley: As I walk through downtown
Eugene, I find many areas that don’t belong
to you are relatively successful, if not
bustling. In fact, it often seems the farther a
business is away from your properties the
more successful it is. I wonder what’s so dif-
ferent about the market forces in those areas
of downtown?
I may be one of Eugene’s uneducated
chatterers, but it seems to me, despite market
forces, you are a negligent landlord. One
“nuance” I think most of Eugene can agree on
to make Eugene a better city is for those areas
to be redeveloped in a manner that will be
successful.
If C&W can’t do that, I think we as a com-
munity should pressure the city to take them
over and find someone who cares and
respects Eugene enough to get the job done.
William Kennedy
Eugene