letter

Letter of Support for City of Eugene's East Fork Amazon Headwaters Land Acquisition Grant Application

March 24, 2008

Dear Ms. Scalise and members of the review committee,

Through development, road building and the liquidation of nature (logging, mining, drilling, etc.) we have eradicated all but 5% of the original native forests that once blanketed much of our nation, with 1/3 permanently deforested. The destruction of these forests has not simply meant doing without some hiking trails and photo backdrops, but has caused the irretrievable loss of life-sustaining forest benefits such as the attraction, storage and filtration of clean drinking water; the regulation of rainfall and moderation of regional climate; carbon storage and sequestration to combat climate change; the creation of fertile topsoil and erosion prevention; and many other priceless and irreplaceable natural processes that ensure the survival of much of life on Earth.

The mission of Cascadia's Ecosystem Advocates is to advocate for the protection of these remaining forests and watersheds that give us life. We, the undersigned, strongly urge the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department to provide this grant to the city of Eugene so what’s left of the Amazon Headwaters native forest -- one of the Willamette Valley's last flagships of biodiversity -- can be made a permanent part of the public commons.

One of the qualities that make Eugene a national model for urban livability is its forested South Hills, traversed by the popular Ridgeline and Spencer Butte trails. It goes without saying that any opportunity to enhance Eugene's quality of life while simultaneously protecting one of the few natural areas remaining in the region should not be squandered.

It is also worth mentioning the current restoration work being undertaken on down-stream portions of the much-degraded Amazon Creek. Any attempts at restoration on downstream portions of Amazon Creek without the protection of its Headwaters would be a gesture in futility, akin to giving CPR to a drowning victim only to bludgeon her on the head.

To the uninformed layperson, whether the city of Eugene purchases the 39-acre Amazon Headwaters remnant native forest may seem nothing more than a N.I.M.B.Y. ("not in my backyard") issue, of little importance to anyone outside the South Hills of Eugene, much less the rest of Oregon.

However, we would submit that the outcome of this decision may be considered a kind of litmus test for the state of Oregon's current level of comprehension of the value of an ecologically-functioning landbase and an indication of what is to come for future generations of Oregonians.

A 1990 Earth Day flyer distributed by the United States Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management states: “A tree that lives 50 years will contribute services worth $196,250 within its life span.” The city of Eugene has a rare opportunity to spend $3.8 million to protect what’s left of a forest that, if these calculations are at all accurate, is worth hundreds of millions. This is the bargain of the century, we ask you to please not pass it up.

Samantha Chirillo, Josh Schlossberg, and Shannon Wilson

Cascadia's Ecosystem Advocates