News Release
| Release Number: | 99-068 |
| Dated: | 7/26/1999 |
| Contact: | Matt Rabe, 503-808-4510 |
Portland, Ore.--The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers invites interested members of the public to attend an open house and public information meeting Wednesday, July 28, at the Lane County Commissioner's office, 125 E. Eighth Ave., Eugene, Ore., to discuss upcoming changes at Fern Ridge Lake.
The open house will begin at 6:30 p.m. for people wishing to speak one on one with the Corps' project managers. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m.
Officials from the Corps will outline the 15-day schedule to lower the lake's water level by about two feet beginning Aug. 1, and the anticipated affects it will have on users of the lake.
"We have received numerous calls from people concerned about this action," said Martin Hudson, chief of planning for the Corps' Portland District office. "Based on conversations with Senator Wyden's and Representative DeFazio's offices, we decided it would be a good idea to meet with the users of the lake to talk more about the project."
The lake must be lowered to begin construction of a water control structure for the Fern Ridge Marsh Restoration Project. This project will restore native plants to about 350 acres of land in the southeast corner of the lake, improving habitat for waterfowl, other waterbirds, western pond turtles, and other reptiles and amphibians.
These marshlands are currently dominated by reed canarygrass and home for carp, both of which decrease plant and wildlife productivity. The marsh restoration project at Fern Ridge includes about 16,000 linear feet of levees, five water control structures with fish filters (carp excluders), and two overflow spillways.