| OWEB Biennial Conference - Field Trips |
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Field Trips Showcase Workshop Themes
Pull on your mud boots, and don your rain gear! We're heading outside to see real-life local projects. We recommend you bring comfortable walking shoes and rain gear, including umbrellas, for all trips. Notes below indicate if you may need mud boots. We will travel to most sites by school bus, but will take public transit to at least one site. Most trips have no access to drinking water or restrooms.
All will depart from the Hilton at 3:45 p.m., and return by 6 p.m., except Ferguson Creek, which will depart at 2:30 p.m. (due to the distance to the site).
NOTE TO BIKERS: The Alton Baker and Planet Improvement Center sites are accessible by bicycle from the Hilton. The hotel has nine bicycles for rent for $5/hour or $15/day with helmet and lock (available dawn to dusk only - bikes have no lights). Bikes can be paid for with a card or charged to your room. The Hilton also provides covered outdoor bike racks for locking up bikes if you choose to bring your own. Bicycle maps will be available at the conference registration desk.
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| Alton Baker Park |
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Volunteers Form Nucleus of Stream Team: Alton Baker Park is the site of a six-year project to restore more than seven acres of riparian habitat using diverse resources and community volunteers. Coordinated by: Eugene Parks and Open Space Division
Gear and travel notes: Walk four blocks to city transit station, ride bus to tour start point. Walk 2.6 miles on bike/pedestrian path. Ride bus back to transit station or walk to Hilton 1.75 miles. This site is accessible by bicycle from the Hilton. Bicycle maps will be provided.
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| Delta Ponds Enhancement Project |
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Delta Ponds Park
Creative Fund-raising Connects Delta Ponds to Willamette: The City of Eugene drew funding from traditional and unique sources to enhance riparian habitat and re-establish hydrological connectivity between the Willamette River and the 150-acre Delta Ponds complex. Coordinated by: Eugene Parks and Open Space Division
Gear and walking notes: Walk about one mile total on flat, paved/gravel paths.
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| Ferguson Creek Sub-watershed Program & Restoration Tour |
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(Note early departure at 2:30 p.m.)
Junction City
Landowners Are Key to Creek Restoration Success: Meet and talk with three landowners who completed restoration projects on their land as a result of the Long Tom WSC's Sub-watershed Enhancement Program. The tour will be hosted by Andy & Maryrae Thomson along Eber Creek where partners replaced an undersized culvert with a cost-effective bridge, fenced off a mile of stream, and restored stream bank stability and shade. Meet John Neumeister and Gary Holzbauer, and see photos of their stream projects. Topics of discussion will include what motivated each landowner to engage in a project, what were the benefits to them and watershed function, and how these projects inspired others in the watershed. Coordinated by: Long Tom Watershed Council
Gear and walking notes: Walk about one mile round trip across a pasture. Motorized transport will be available for a few people. Mud boots suggested.
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| Lost Creek Confluence |
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Elijah Bristow State Park
Collaborative Efforts Restore Confluence Site: A 30-acre site at the confluence of Lost Creek and the Middle Fork Willamette River is being restored to a floodplain forest. Over five years, this three-phased project required overcoming challenges among diverse interest groups and coordination with state and federal agencies to successfully implement the project. Coordinated by Middle Fork Willamette Watershed Council and Oregon State Parks.
Gear and walking notes: Walk about two-thirds of a mile round trip. Mud boots suggested along with headlamp or flashlight.
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| Planet Improvement Center |
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BRING Recycling
Planet Improvement Center Harnesses Human Resources: See how Thursday lunch speaker Julie Daniel is transforming a building materials recycling and retail center into a conservation theme park featuring water wise landscaping and a bioswale. Coordinated by: BRING Recycling
Gear and walking notes: Easy, short walks.
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| South Meadow Floodplain |
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Buford Park / Mt. Pisgah
Relationships Help Restore Floodplain: Partnerships helped restore a 200-acre floodplain, construct and revegetate a backwater, remove obstructions on a mile of side channel and restore 30 acres of riparian forest and savanna. Coordinated by: Friends of Buford Park / Mt. Pisgah
Gear and walking notes: Hike about 1.5 miles round trip on level ground. Wear sturdy shoes.
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