Eugene weekly., May 19, 2011, Image 9

NEWS BRIEFS
Oops! Forgot to mention…
City & Touring Bikes
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(Bike maps for Eugene/Springfield & Lane Co.)
crawlies without a backbone such as
insects, worms and crayfish.
Aquatic macro-invertebrates can be
used to assess wetland quality in the
Willamette Valley based on an Index of
Biological Integrity developed by the
Xerces Society, an international nonprofit
whose goal is to protect and conserve
invertebrates and their habitat.
Th e final results for the West Eugene
Wetlands, a rare wet prairie habitat, won’t
be known “until all the invertebrates have
been identified and the data are analyzed
and compared to the data we compiled
from the wetlands we sampled in the
Willamette Valley for the last four years,”
according to Celeste Mazzacano, staff
scientist from the Xerces Society.
If you missed your chance to be a
citizen-scientist, you can still go explore
the wetlands at WREN’s 5th Annual
“Walkin’ & Rollin’” event 10 am to 2 pm
Saturday, May 21. The event encourages
participants to celebrate American
Wetlands Month by biking, rolling or
walking the Fern Ridge Bike Path through
the West Eugene Wetlands between Bailey
Hill and Greenhill roads.
This free, all ages event will host local
experts and organizations that will use
educational displays to explain the many
wonders of the wetlands. Those who plan
to travel from booth to booth learning
about the wetlands will receive a “wetland
passport” they can have stamped at each
station for a chance to win prizes.
Visit wewetlands.org for more
information about this event and the
history of the West Eugene Wetlands. ––
Chelsea Fryhoff
MORE PEOPLE
THAN EVER
HOMELESS
A record number of people showed up
for Project Homeless Connect (PHC) this
year, according to organizers who released
statistics and survey results recently. The
event March 17 at the Fairgrounds
accommodated 1,595 guests, the highest
number documented in the event’s five-
year history.
One third of guests spent the previous
night sleeping outdoors or in an
uninhabitable place; 27 percent were
doubled-up with another household; and
22 percent reported being housed but at
risk of homelessness.
PHC provides a broad array of services
once a year to feed, clothe and otherwise
assist people who are homeless or at risk
of becoming homeless. More than 800
volunteers are involved (coordinated by
United Way), the Fairgrounds donates
space, LTD offers free bus rides, and
numerous agencies and health care
providers participate.
“Project Homeless Connect is a day
when transformations occur,” says Richie
Weinman who coordinates the event.
“People with vision problems receive
no-cost vision exams and eye glasses.
People who are in pain receive dental care.
People get haircuts and walk away feeling
better about themselves.”
PLANTS:
SOME INVADE,
SOME DON’T
April showers brought May flowers,
and some flowering plants such as
blackberries yield yummy fruit, but they
also are a big headache for Mount Pisgah
Arboretum. Daffodils on the other hand,
are no big deal.
For the past 30 years the arboretum has
been combating Armenian blackberries,
(aka Himalayan blackberries), which can
grow basically anywhere and everywhere,
with manual labor and help from volunteer
groups.
“If you want to get some aggression
out, it’s really great,” said Ryan Heidt, site
assistant at Mount Pisgah, of hand-pulling
blackberry roots.
The staff at Mount Pisgah hosts at least
two volunteer work parties every weekend
to try and get rid of as many of these
invaders as possible and also to work on
other projects around the arboretum.
This old and pesky blackberry intruder
can be seen lurking and creeping around
almost every area on the grounds and has
been for a while, which can’t be said of the
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EUGENE WEEKLY
MAY 19, 2011 9