Supporters of the Leaburg Fish Hatchery are celebrating after lawmakers gave the facility a last-minute reprieve this weekend.
The
nearly 70-year-old hatchery along the McKenzie River east of
Springfield was set to close July 1st. Earlier this year, budget writers
decided not to include funding for Leaburg in the upcoming two-year
spending plan. But on the last day of the legislative session Sunday,
lawmakers approved $1.3 million to keep the hatchery open.
Sean
Davis lives in McKenzie Bridge and had been helping to lead a grassroots
effort to save Leaburg. “Last night we were really happy,” he said. “We
had a big celebration.”
Fish at the Leaburg Hatchery Credit Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
Davis
and other people in the eastern Lane County community worked feverishly
to save the facility. For years, the Oregon Department of Fish and
Wildlife operated the facility under a federal contract. The federal
government pulled out of that contract last year, which means it
required state funding to stay open.
Several state lawmakers who
represent the area pushed budget-writers to include the hatchery, but
were repeatedly told the funding was not available. Some introduced a
bill to transfer the facility to the Oregon State Parks Department,
which would have made it eligible for lottery revenue.
Near the
end of the legislative session, supporters got a glimmer of hope: The
legislature’s Ways and Means Committee included money for Leaburg in an
end-of-session measure known around the Capitol as the “Christmas Tree
bill,” since it includes “presents” for lawmakers in nearly every
district.
But prospects for that bill, and more than 100 others,
were cast in doubt when Senate Republicans left the state in a dispute
over an unrelated bill to regulate carbon emissions. The GOP lawmakers
left in order to deny Democrats the quorum needed to conduct business.
That turn of events left Leaburg supporters unsure of whether the money would come through.
“I’ve
had people say it’s not going to pass. There’s no way,” he said. “But
the community really came together with a loud voice and they were
heard.”
The “Christmas Tree Bill,” which is House Bill 5050, was the second-to-last bill approved by lawmakers before the final gavel fell Sunday afternoon.
The
funding is a one-time appropriation, meaning the reprieve is temporary.
Davis said he’s working on a long-term funding source for the hatchery,
which supporters call an economic lifeline for eastern Lane County.
Another
Lane County project that got a last-minute boost through that bill is
the Eugene YMCA. The measure includes $15 million to help the Y build a
new facility.
Eugene Family YMCA CEO Brian Steffen told KLCC last
week that if the bill failed, the effort to replace the Y’s crowded
64-year-old facility could be delayed by several years.
The
overall cost of the YMCA replacement project is around $34 million, so
the $15 million from the state represents a significant portion.
Lane County Sheriff’s Office Marine Patrol deputies are warning boaters about an obstruction on the McKenzie River approximatelyhalfway between Bellinger Landing and Hayden Bridge Boat Landing. A full-sized cottonwood tree, shown below, is spanning the entire width of the river preventing boaters from safely navigating that section of the river. Marine Patrol deputies were out with chainsaws today working on the obstruction but the area is still not passable. The obstruction is being reported to the Oregon State Marine Board, and at this time we are asking boaters to avoid the area between Bellinger Landing and Hayden Bridge Boat Landing.
We encourage everyone floating the rivers to scout out the area they plan to float ahead of time and check the Oregon State Marine Board’s (OSMB) website for recently reported obstructions.
Boaters can view a list of reported obstructions on the Oregon State Marine Board website by visiting https://www.oregon.gov/osmb/Pages/Reported-Obstructions-Alerts.aspx
**Only obstructions that have been reported to OSMB will appear on the site.
