Photo credit: Carrie Karl
Family Exploration Day!
September 18th
3pm - 7pm
Discover the West Eugene Wetlands with your family! WREN staff and volunteers will supply bug nets, field guides, and binoculars to promote unstructured exploration. Families are encouraged to bring a picnic and experience the joy of independent discovery. This program is funded by a Take It Outside grant from the BLM. For more information call 683-6483 or email info@wewetlands.org
"WREN was my first introduction into the workings of a non-profit dedicated to education & outreach and it was an invaluable learning experience to be a part of their team."
- UO Environmental Leadership Intern and Graduate, Sophie Perillo
Donations made on this site go to support WREN and WREN's award winning work in environmental education.
About the West Eugene Wetlands
Located in the watershed of the Long Tom River, a major tributary of our Willamette River, the West Eugene Wetlands comprises 3,000 acres of rare habitat, protected and restored by the West Eugene Wetlands Partnership, a unique partnership of state, federal and private agencies.
This area is home to numerous rare and unusual animal species and more than 350 species of plants, some of which exist only in the Willamette Valley. This includes three threatened and endangered plants and one endangered animal species. The West Eugene Wetlands also encompass every type of habitat-from wetland, to upland prairie, to oak savannah-found in the Willamette River Valley.
Wetlands are disappearing at an alarming rate. They provide our community with clean water, wildlife habitat and store flood waters. Almost one third of our nation's endangered species are found in wetlands or are dependant on them for survival. Nationwide less than half of the original 215 million wetland acres existing in colonial times no longer function. Locally, the situation is bleaker: less than one half of 1% of the Willamette Valley wet prairie habitat remains. Regulatory agencies, as well as local and federal governments struggle to protect and restore wetlands, but these efforts are not enough. Local community stewardship is essential to wetland protection and maintenance. Continual education also helps to create an atmosphere of stewardship.
The West Eugene Wetlands offer a unique perspective on the diverse, rare wetland and upland habitats of the southern Willamette Valley. It is important that education and outreach continue to inform the community in order to stimulate increased personal and collective responsibility in regards to land management issues, natural resource conservation and restoration, and the interconnectedness of these natural systems and the public.
The Partnership developed the West Eugene Wetlands Plan, which was adopted by the City of Eugene and Lane County in 1992, and which is the primary document that guides the overall management of the wetlands. The community-based collaborative process that led to the creation of the Plan and its overall management strategy brought together private, public, state, and federal agencies, business owners, and individuals in order to balance environmental stewardship with the needs of a growing, prosperous urban community such as Eugene.
Read more about the history of the West Eugene Wetlands and plans to protect these Willamette Wet Prairie habitats.
Want to help stop new invasive species before they become a weedy problem? Learn more about the Willamette Education & Early Detection of Invasives Network (WEEDIN)
Check out the West Eugene Wetlands Blog! A place to share your thoughts, photos, and wetland experiences...
Keep up to date with the West Eugene Wetlands Education Center Planning and Design process here
Submit questions or comments regarding the education center process in writing via e-mail or regular mail to pat_johnston@blm.gov or Pat Johnston, c/o West Eugene Wetlands Project Office, 751 South Danebo, Eugene, Oregon 97402.
