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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (July 30, 2015)
Wednesday, Aug. 5th thru Sun., Aug. 9th Sale starts at 10 a.m. [Brown] has a financial incentive to want to bust up homeless camps by the river. He is an EWEB commissioner and heavily in- volved in EWEB’s riverfront development project.” John Brown says, “This is laughable. I have absolutely zero financial interest in what is being discussed. … Only in Eu- gene can people twist the truth and good intentions to make someone look bad. I re- ally wish they would join me in the fall on a riverbank cleanup.” The persistent “snitch” worry comes from concerns that the Hobbit hut occu- pants would call the police to report on homeless campers, but Brown says in- volving police has not been part of the dis- cussion. “We were merely asking if a vet wanted to keep an eye on the river, and if needed, warn someone setting up a camp in an environmentally sensitive area that it is illegal to camp within 100 feet of a Class 1 stream with protected species and which is a drinking water source for humans.” Cleanups are happening on local rivers. Michelle Emmons, Eugene-Springfield coordinator for Willamette Riverkeeper (WK), says she’s not tracking the Hobbit huts idea. “Most of the homeless folks I work with are more interested in having the city support ‘safe spots’ in exchange for a variety of work, including river cleanup activities,” she says. “These safe spots, with a longer ‘lease’ of three to six months, would help folks save enough money to get into transitional housing in- stead of having to move every two weeks.” Meanwhile, Emmons says she and her WK River Guardians organized several cleanups along the river around I-5 and Knickerbocker Bridge this spring. “ODOT and I are working very closely to try to keep these areas clean, but the recent surge of summer transients and recreational users has made individual efforts almost impossi- ble,” she says. A larger cleanup from Clear- water Park to Alton Baker Park is in the works, tentatively Aug. 8. The annual Great Willamette Cleanup between Oakridge and Portland is scheduled for Oct. 3. The annual McKenzie River Clean- up was July 11, and the volunteer effort pulled tons of garbage, tires, boat parts and hardware from the shallows and along the banks. Organizers don’t have exact numbers yet, but “some participants in- dicated they found less trash this year on their boat routes,” says Larry Six, execu- tive director of the McKenzie Watershed Council. Local fishing guides along with the McKenzie Flyfishers and other groups participated. And this week, July 30, crews from the Lane-Metro Youth Corps will be working with Lane County Parks cleaning up sec- tions of the McKenzie River, removing invasive species from riparian areas and picking up litter. — Ted Taylor Bring in this coupon for $5 off .... any purchase of $10 or more.* Valid August 2015 Amazing bargains and summer close-outs with some fall merchandise already discounted! *This coupon must be presented to receive discount. Coupon applies to in-stock merchandise only, including sale items. Cannot be used on special customer orders, consignment merchandise, layaway pick-ups, gift certificates, or be applied retroactively for refunds on prior purchases. Limited to one coupon per customer per day. One coupon only per transaction. Coupon expires 8/31/15. 18th & Willamette Meridian Building 541-431-3411 ADOPTION EVENT: 7/31-8/2 PetSmart, 2847 Chad Dr, Eugene | 10am-5pm eugeneweekly.com • July 30, 2015 Eugene Weekly 4.75 W x 3.25 H 7
