Meeting: Congressman Peter DeFazio on Transportation Electrification Monday, March 8 5 PM To get the zoom link for this free event, email: contact@eveva.org.
Our Congressman, Peter DeFazio, Chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee of the US House of Representatives, will present an overview of his plans to support and promote Transportation Electrification at the 5 PM Zoom meeting on Monday, March 8, of the Emerald Valley Electric Vehicle Association.
Following Rep. DeFazio’s presentation and Q&A, we will hear about the Oregon Legislature’s progress on EV incentives and charger development and what you can do to help.
City of Eugene adjusts urban camping response (2-22-21)
In order to support community health during the COVID-19 pandemic, the City of Eugene has temporarily adjusted its enforcement process around prohibited camping in order to help people maintain recommended physical distancing while reducing the need to move around the community. These adjustments align with recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control, Oregon Health Authority, and Lane County Public Health.
The City continues to work with Lane County and partners in the community to find safe places for unhoused community members, including the newly established microsites, additional Rest Stops, overnight car camping sites and in existing shelters. However, it is still the case that many people experiencing homelessness are residing in Eugene’s parks, natural areas, and right of way areas for the time being.
The City has developed criteria aimed at balancing the need for places to sleep with the public health crisis that requires adequate physical distancing to protect community members’ health and well-being. These criteria set parameters around location of camps, safety and cleanliness, acceptable behaviors and impacts to neighbors, the environment, and city infrastructure. Further, there are locations in Eugene’s parks, natural areas, and the rights of ways that are not acceptable for camping at any scale due to unmitigable impacts on the environment, neighborhoods and the usability of parks and public infrastructure such as streets.
Lane Arts Council’s artist professional development program, Professional Practice returns this spring with a series of three workshops and discussions. The series focuses on ongoing collaborative learning with an artist cohort, combining presentations from regional and national experts with take-home work and group discussions. This year’s virtual format can be accessed by artists throughout Lane County. This year’s topics are applicable to visual artists, musicians, actors, writers, dancers, and all creatives of all disciplines.
The series kicks off in early March and will continue through the spring with multiple workshops and discussions. Artists are highly encouraged to register for the full series ($65). Single workshops are $25.
• Creative Resilience for Artists Workshop: Tuesday, March 2nd, 4:30-6pm Discussion: Tuesday, March 16th, 4:30-6pm
• Financial Wellness for Creatives Workshop: Tuesday, March 30th, 4:30-6pm Discussion: Tuesday, April 13th, 4:30-6pm
• Developing Your Digital Presence Workshop: Tuesday, April 27th, 4:30-6pm Discussion: Tuesday, May 11th, 4:30-6pm
Eighty percent of residential zoning in Eugene is designated for single-family homes, yet young adults, smaller families, and the growing population of elderly need housing options that increase access to public transportation and services, reduce maintenance costs and provide more social opportunities. The Eugene Middle Housing Project will revise the Land Use Code to improve housing choices in the short term and affordability in the long term for Eugene residents.
In 2019, the Oregon Legislature passed House Bill 2001, requiring cities to allow more types of housing in residential areas, particularly in more traditionally single-family neighborhoods where housing choices are limited. Revising Eugene’s Land Use Code to comply with House Bill 2001 will shape how our community develops and expand opportunities for where people can choose to live and what type of home they live in. [More information regarding the reason for the survey can be found here.]
The survey will be open until March 5th, 2021, and folks who take the survey will be entered to win one of two $50 gift cards. If you don’t have an Engage Eugene account you will need to create one to complete the survey
In the Santa Clara Community Garden last year there was discussion of an invasive worm species showing up in some garden plots (crazy jumping worms, read more below). We suggest that this year gardeners make an assessment of the worm populations in their growing areas. A lot of worms, generally, is good! Doing a worm survey would be a super-fun thing for kids of almost any age to help out with! Here’s how to do a worm survey:
Earthworms are classified by where they live in the soil layers. There are “litter dwelling worms” top-most in leaves and debris (called Epigeic), upper soil-dwelling (Endogeic), and deep burrowing earthworms (Anecic). It’s also important to try to distinguish between adult and juvenile worms.
This downloadable PDF describes the main worm types and how to perform a worm count in about an hour. Again, a great way for kids to get dirty!
You might find this video helpful, too. It’s from the UK, but hey…
If you can, please take pictures of your collected worms to share with the assessment team. When you have finished your survey, email us (goodsoil@santaclaracommunitygarden.org) and we will collect the data from you. Also, anyone in Santa Clara or beyond is welcome to collect and submit a report. Just let us know where you’re from, and include contact information.
Jumping worms, known also as Asian jumping worms, crazy worms, Alabama jumpers and snake worms, are invasive earthworms. Native to eastern Asia, they present challenges to homeowners, gardeners and forest managers. Jumping worms get their name from their behavior. When handled, they violently thrash, spring into the air and can even shed their tails to escape. They are more of a U.S. problem back east and in the midwest, but they are showing up here in Oregon, and even locally, in greater numbers.
We definitely want to see lots of earthworms in our beds at the community garden, but we also want to determine if the crazy jumping worms are making an appearance. And besides, Citizen Science rocks!
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