Eugene weekly., June 20, 2013, Page 13, Image 13

‘There are people who remember playing in Amazon Creek when they were little.
It’s not that far off — we’ve got a lot of potential.’
— D ANA D EDRICK ,
fi sh were all around one foot long and were found about
a quarter mile from where Amazon Creek connects to
Long Tom River. “What they’re likely doing is exploring,”
Dedrick says. “Some experts fi rmly believe that trout can
successfully inhabit Amazon Creek.”
It will take some time and effort, possibly including
modifi cations to the concrete sections of the creek. But
Jason Schmidt, the LTWC’s urban watershed restoration
specialist, says that controlling water pollution is a big step
in the right direction. If local businesses continue making
adjustments to their landscapes, Amazon Creek could be
well on its way to a state of remission.
But the Nobles’ vision of a healthy Amazon isn’t yet a
sure thing. While groups like the LTWC are helping the creek
revert to a more natural state through town, the waterway’s
point of origin might go in the opposite direction. The
Amazon headwaters area is currently slated for development
by Leslie and Martin Beverly, who own a 26-acre parcel of
land that includes a portion of the headwaters. The Beverlys
did not respond to a request for comment for this story.
For more than 10 years, the Southeast Neighbors have
worked together to block development of the headwaters,
a partially successful effort on their part. In 2008, the city
worked with the Southeast Neighbors to purchase 40 acres
of land from Joe Green for $1.4 million. At this time, the
Beverlys also offered to sell their land, but at a price of
$4 million, and the city decided not to purchase. The land
known as the Beverly property is the last parcel of the
Amazon headwaters with its fate undecided.
If the city of Eugene were to purchase the Beverly property,
as it did with the Green property, it would most likely use
funds from the 2006 Parks and Open Space bond measure,
which is set aside specifi cally for acquiring or improving
parks and natural areas and cannot be used for other purposes.
The Southeast Neighbors estimate that a portion of land called
the Deerbrook PUD property is worth approximately $1
million, and while the property has not been appraised since
before the housing crash, Matthews says that the Southeast
Neighbors have offered to partner with the Beverlys for re-
appraisal, which has not yet happened.
With Amazon Creek’s already dilapidated condition, pav-
ing the headwaters and building houses will impact the water
quality further down. Proponents of conserving the Amazon
headwaters argue that the headwaters represent a keystone
area, crucial to retaining connectivity between watersheds and
providing habitat to native plant and animal species.
Matthews, who is planning to run for the East Lane County
commissioner position next year, says about 60 percent of
water runoff in Eugene drains into Amazon Creek. “It really
is the dominant native watershed of Eugene,” he says. “This
is the last place where we could actually complete a habitat
corridor between other preserved headwaters land and this
greenway.”
In the 2003 Rivers to Ridges Vision plan, which lays out
a framework for future parks and open spaces in the Eugene
metro area, the headwaters are identifi ed as a possible park
and open space area, and the report lists their importance in
terms of scenic quality, connectivity and habitat. Jeff Krueger,
a principal member of the team responsible for the Rivers to
Ridges plan, says that the closeness of the headwaters to the
Ridgeline Trail System makes them a desirable candidate
for preservation. “In general, the headwaters area was one of
those key areas in that open space vision,” he says.
Building houses on the headwaters will be a big change
for a landscape that has so far avoided urbanization. Over
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huge asset to getting people involved. He had an honest
enthusiasm and an infectious light that could really connect
with a lot of people.”
In his honor, Erin’s parents launched the Be Noble
Foundation, a nonprofi t devoted to raising enough money
to acquire the Amazon headwaters and protect them
from development. Erin’s friends and family say they are
committed to carrying on his spirit and legacy by saving
the land he loved. They want to see a change in the way
Eugene’s natural resources are treated.
So far, the Amazon headwaters have avoided major
restructuring from development, and the Nobles want to
keep it that way. Nestled in the south hills of Eugene just
above Martin Street, the headwaters carry water from the
upper reaches of Amazon Creek to the lower portions,
including those that run through town. The Ridgeline Trail
follows segments of the creek, surrounded by towering oak
trees and Douglas fi rs. Glimpses of Spencer Butte loom
through the tree-shrouded sky, and the quietness that comes
with a natural area prevails, save for the gentle tumbling of
the stream. As water fl ows down from this area, it carries
food, nutrients and debris to the ecosystems farther down,
although right now, there’s not much of a functioning
ecosystem directly below.
But for Amazon Creek, change is happening. The Long
Tom Watershed Council (LTWC) works with local busi-
nesses to improve water quality through simple measures
such as landscape alteration. By building rain gardens and
bioswales, areas of vegetation and soil that slow the entry
of water into the stormwater system, businesses along the
creek can reduce their impact on the creek’s water quality.
Already, the LTWC has partnered with In Shape Athletic
Club to remove excess asphalt from their property and re-
place it with soil and native plants, allowing stormwater to
fi lter through instead of draining directly into the creek.
“We have to increase the demand for those kinds of
landscapes,” says Dana Dedrick, executive director of
the LTWC. “We’d love to have more Amazon Creek
champions, and now that we know a lot of our vision is
possible, much more possible than we thought, we want to
keep building the community support.”
Dedrick says that the LTWC envisions an Amazon Creek
that allows safe passage for trout and other wildlife, and
with each improvement to the land surrounding Amazon
Creek, the prospect of a healthy habitat draws a little closer.
“Imagine angling for trout from Fern Ridge Trail,” Dedrick
says. “There are people who remember playing in Amazon
Creek when they were little. It’s not that far off — we’ve
got a lot of potential.”
Last year, the LTWC discovered three native cutthroat
trout in the lower reaches of Amazon Creek all the way
near Junction City, further confi rming the creek’s capacity
for harboring native species as it once did. Dedrick says the
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