Meadowlark Prairie 

Location: Green Hill Rd. & Royal Ave.

Meadowlark Prairie is one of the most popular destinations in the West Eugene Wetlands. The Fern Ridge Bike path encircles the edge of this extensive natural area, and an outlook with parking, picnic tables, shade, and restroom facilities is located just south of Royal Avenue on Greenhill Road. Birdwatching is a popular recreational activity, with waterfowl, raptors, and songbirds, including the Western Meadowlark, all frequenting the habitats at this natural area. A webcam for Meadowlark Prairie can be found on the City’s website by using the link to the right or navigating to the Parks and Open Space home page, and then to the Parks Web Cams page.

Meadowlark Prairie today is very different than in the past 100-150 years. In the late 1800s the native wet prairie was converted to agricultural use, and then Amazon Creek was channelized through the site in the 1950s for flood control. These activities disconnected the natural wetland hydrology and significantly altered the historic native plant community. In the 1990s, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, and the City of Eugene began working cooperatively to restore this wetland site. Levees were pulled back to the edge of the property (and now support the bike path), improving wetland hydrology and allowing more frequent flooding by Amazon Creek. The project restored and enhanced wetlands, reestablished historic drainage and flooding patterns, provided wetland plant and wildlife habitat, including habitat for rare and declining species, provided recreation and educational opportunities; improved flood storage capacity; and improved water quality within the Amazon Creek system.