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The fight to save a 40-acre Eugene
forest from development took a hop forward Aug. 17, when state
biologist Jeff Ziller confirmed that animals photographed on the
property were a red-legged frog and a pileated woodpecker, both
sensitive species in Oregon. The red-legged frog is also a federally
listed species of concern, endangered in California and Canada.
The property, now known as the East Fork Amazon Headwater Forest,
sits between Nectar Way and Dillard Road in southeast Eugene.
The city lost an opportunity to buy it in 2004, when it capped
its offer to DDA Oregonia Local Manager Munir Katul at $300,000.
Developer Joe Green then offered $325,000, but the city wouldn't
go higher. "I would have sold it to the city for $326,000!" Katul
says.
Neighbors and land use activists quickly galvanized an effort
to save the forest from development. The city followed suit, offering
first to buy the property for $430,000 and then to re-negotiate
a purchase price, but Green rebuffed their efforts (see news brief,
EW 8/18).
The city still has some wiggle room as Green pushes forth with
his development plans. The upcoming Goal 5 inventory of natural
resources may restrict the developer's options, and the discovery
of two sensitive animals on the property strengthens the case
for preserving it. City Councilor Betty Taylor suggested in an
e-mail to City Manager Dennis Taylor that the city can deny Green's
development permits or use its power of eminent domain, the government's
right to appropriate private property for the public good. •
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