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
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