Pop Quiz!

Step right up folks! Time for some high-stakes testing!

(1) WRG is an acronym for:

A. Woefully Rotten Greed

B. Willamette River Giveaway

C. Willamette River Greenway

D. Wild River Grazing

Answer: (C) The Willamette River is the 13th-largest river by volume within the U.S. and claims the second largest waterfall by volume in Oregon City (second only to Niagra Falls!). Go to the Willamette Riverkeepers website for more incredible facts about our gem of a river.

(2) Those who may be compromising the integrity of the WRG are:

A. Some local land-use attorneys representing homebuilders

B. Out-of-state, pave-and-run developers

C. Lane County Housing Authority’s land acquisition and disposable policy

D. All of the above

Answer: (D) Sad but true.

(3) The Willamette River Greenway, protecting nearly 200 miles of riparian habitat, is vital to:

A. Tourism and local economy

B. Numerous species of flora and fauna

C. Recreation and community wellbeing

D. All of the above

Answer: (D) It is an Oregon treasure!

(4) True or False? The Willamette River Greenway is Goal 15 of Oregon State-wide Planning Goals.

Answer: True! It is No. 15 out of Oregon’s 19 statewide planning goals.

(5) The late Mel Jackson took soon-to-be Oregon Governor Bob Straub out on the Willamette River in the 1960s to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges and issues facing the river in a:

A. Submarine

B. Inner tube

C. Canoe

D. Jet boat

Answer: (C) Mel Jackson taught many Lane County residents their outdoor skills and reverence for our local natural wonders. Straub, a Pleasant Hill farmer and former Lane County commissioner, campaigned throughout the state with a canoe on top of his vehicle!

(6) Former Oregon gubernatorial candidates Tom McCall (a Republican) and Straub (a Democrat) agreed about the importance of:

A. Nuclear weapons

B. The Willamette River Greenway

C. Tater tots

D. Putting a man on the moon

Answer: (B) Both McCall and Straub went on to become Oregon governors who worked to preserve the precious Willamette River Greenway.

(7) Evergreen Housing Development Group (an out-of-state developer) built the market-rate ECCO apartment complex on River Road for $17 million and sold it to out-of-state investors for:

A. $20 million

B. $23 million

C. $27 million

D. $31 million

Answer: (D) Amazing but true! (Reported in The Register Guard in August 2016). What a loss to our local economy.

(8) True or False? Lane County has a severe housing shortage.

Answer: True and False! Lane County has a glut of market-rate (expensive) housing and an acute shortage of affordable housing.

(9) Homes for Good (formerly HACSA) needs a Good Neighbor Policy. A Good Neighbor Policy is based upon:

A. Strong fences and tall hedges

B. Graft and corruption

C. Collaboration and transparency

D. Us-and-them mentality

Answer: (C) Public lands need a public process!

Concerned? Curious? Confounded? To get clarity, please visit the Greenway Guardians website at greenwayguardians.org for more information about how our precious Willamette River Greenway is being compromised by an out-of-state developer’s proposal instead of allowing a public process for our public lands.

Julie Hulme and former Lane County Commissioner Rob Handy are Greenway Guardians, a local advocacy group committed to protecting the Willamette River Greenway.

A Note From the Publisher

Dear Readers,

The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.

That’s because of you!

Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.

Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.

We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.

And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.

None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.

As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.

Thank you for standing with us!