Proposed land acquisitions near Eugene are part of a settlement between the Bonneville Power Association and State of Oregon
Limited edition: The Fern Ridge Wildlife Area is a popular birding area. Photo: Rick Obst/Flickr
By Kendra Chamberlain. October 23, 2024. Acre by acre, the state of Oregon is protecting what’s left of the wetlands habitats that were once abundant in the Willamette Valley.
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) is proposing to acquire three parcels of land near Coyote Creek outside the city of Eugene to add to the Fern Ridge Wildlife Area (FRWA).
The FRWA encompasses nearly 6,000 acres of riparian, wetlands, wet and upland prairie habitat.
Wetlands habitats, which are some of the most biologically diverse habitats in the state, were once dominant through the Willamette Valley. They have become nearly non-existent thanks to agricultural and urban development in the valley.
According to some estimates , only 8 square miles of wetland remains in the valley.