Eugene has been named one of the most nature-friendly communities in the United States, in a new book released by Island Press. The book, "Nature-Friendly Communities," highlights 19 communities that lead the nation in safeguarding local landscapes, natural resources and wildlife.

“Being identified as one of the 19 most nature-friendly communities in this country is a true honor and confirms what we all know, that Eugene is one of America's greatest cities for the Arts and the Outdoors,” said Mayor Kitty Piercy. “This book calls us the ‘shining star of wetlands preservation' for our West Eugene Wetlands Plan and says we provide an example which other communities can follow.”

Eugene's innovative wetlands program has led to the successful acquisition and protection of 3,000 acres of important wetland habitats and the restoration of over 700 acres of wetlands, while allowing development to proceed. Mayor Piercy agreed that Eugene's success is based on two key factors cited in the book:

Solid planning which focuses on balancing economic, social, and environmental values, and

Strong partnerships with state and local government and private non-profit partners, such as:

· The United Front – the annual collaborative lobbying effort with other local jurisdictions to acquire federal funding for common priorities including the wetlands

· The Nature Conservancy

· US Bureau of Land Management (BLM)

· US Army Corps of Engineers

· US Fish and Wildlife Service

· McKenzie River Trust

· Oregon Youth Conservation Corps

· Education and volunteer partners, the Willamette Resources and Educational Network (WREN) and the City's Stream Team program.

“It is an ongoing challenge to balance economic, social, and environmental interests and this is once again acknowledgement that with commitment and collaboration, we can do it. This important work takes the commitment of all of us and we have worked hard on building and maintaining these partnerships.”

"Eugene is leading by example. Its nature-friendly programs are an impressive mix of initiatives, including wetland restoration, pest management, stormwater management and wastewater treatment, that set it head and shoulders above the vast majority of communities around the country,” said authors Chris Duerksen and Cara Snyder in the book.

“I am pleased and gratified that the book also recognizes our other ongoing efforts,“ said Piercy. “These include our management of resources on public lands through our Parks and Open Space Division, our dedicated natural resources staff in both the Public Works and Planning Departments and our inderpartmental Environmental Policy Team, which has been the catalyst for many initiatives.”

“We are looking to the future, dedicated to continuing to be an environmental leader,” said Piercy. Current efforts include: protection of natural areas outside of the West Eugene Wetlands through completion and implementation of the City's work to meet State Planning Goal 5; implementation of the Rivers to Ridges vision for future open space in the Eugene-Springfield area; and, waterway restoration projects in the Metro Waterways study, in partnership with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The other 18 nature-friendly communities in the new book are Austin, TX; Baltimore County, MD; Dane County, WI; Fort Collins, CO; Pima County, AZ; Placer County, CA; Sanibel, FL; Twin Cities, MN; Bath Township, OH; Charlotte Harbor, FL; Chicago, IL; Dekalb County, GA; Farmington Valley, CT; King County, WA; Pittsford, NY; Powell County, MT; Teton County, WY; and Traverse Bay, MI.

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