The City of Eugene has unveiled its final concept for new sports facilities in Golden Gardens Park. But a local environmental watchdog group says it still has concerns.
The park spans more than 220 acres of mostly undeveloped land in the Bethel neighborhood. Its ponds are home to the northwestern pond turtle, a potentially threatened species.
Last month, the city released its final draft for developing the park. The design includes six new soccer fields, eight baseball fields, and space for pickleball and tennis courts, among other features.
Project Manager Mark Kosmos said there’s currently no publicly-owned sports complex of this size in Eugene, which often forces families to travel to Portland or Medford for events.
He also said while there are athletic fields at Eugene’s public schools, those spaces are rarely available to the larger community, due to dense programming. According to Kosmos, Golden Gardens Park will be different.
“This is for the citizens of Eugene,” he said. “It's not a question of waiting your turn at a school district because the school owns those properties, and they control it.”
Kosmos argues the renovated space will bolster the local economy. The project is supported by a city bond measure from 2018.
Protecting the turtles
Beyond Toxics—a Eugene-based pollution watchdog group—has expressed concerns about the renovation plans. Executive Director Lisa Arkin said she's worried about the public health and the turtle population.
The City of Eugene hasn't yet decided whether it will use synthetic or natural turf for its courts.
Kosmos said an independent firm will do a financial, social, and environmental analysis of those options once the community feedback process is over. Arkin argues the public shouldn't be left out of that decision.
"We believe that there should be scientists part of that, and community advocates who understand the value of this park space in the west Eugene community," said Arkin.
Arkin said synthetic turf could create heat islands, as the material gets hotter than grass does in direct sunlight. Many synthetic turfs also contain PFAS chemicals, which some studies suggest may interfere with reproduction in turtles.
Arkin said since it takes a decade for northwestern pond turtles to mature, the visible consequences could be delayed.
"Within that decade, there could be significant introduction of pollution from the artificial turf that can change their hormonal balance," said Arkin. "[We] won't know for decades the impacts on the ability of this population of turtles to maintain their survival."
Kosmos said natural turf poses its own problems, as it gets wetter in the winter and needs recovery time after heavy use, meaning the city would have to build more courts to meet the same demand.
He said the city is consulting with vendors who could provide a PFAS-free synthetic turf. Arkin said she's unconvinced of how free of the chemicals those products actually would be.
Defining the distance
Meanwhile, Beyond Toxics and the city also disagree about how far the sports facilities should be placed from the ponds.
According to Kosmos, the northwestern pond turtles nest on the west side of the water. To account for that, that area would border an over-100 acre natural space, with fenced-off sections to keep people and predators out.
In addition, Kosmos said the city will relocate the public trail which currently runs along the pond. And he said it's committed to have no lighting at night from early May through early July, to avoid disrupting the turtle’s nesting season.
However, Arkin argues the baseball fields on the other side of the pond would be too close. The proposed buffer there is less than 500 feet, which is the distance that has been recommended by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Kosmos argues there’s little research on these turtles, and no concrete risk that justifies 500 feet as a hard rule. He said there are other ways to protect turtles on the east side, such as by having vegetation, trees, and a berm that could mask the animal’s sight lines.
“We've got the space that we have. We're trying to give the best buffer distances,” said Kosmos. “We can't meet this number that we're not even sure is the right one, but we're trying to do the best thing we can."
What's next?
The northwestern pond turtle is still under review as a potential threatened species under the federal Endangered Species Act. Both the city and Beyond Toxics say they expect a determination by next April.
“We would recommend that the city pause this process until the Endangered Species listing is decided and the level of protection is communicated,” said Arkin. "In the meantime, we'd like to see the city invest in our current parks and leave this natural and peaceful area alone.”
Kosmos said the city can continue this process while it waits. He said the specifics of the park renovation plans may not be ready until 2026 or 2027, anyway.
“I don't know what [the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service] will say, but we'll react to it. We have enough site here to be able to do that,” said Kosmos. “We're going to make a smart decision.”
The city is holding a final in-person information session on the Golden Gardens Park renovation on Nov. 13, starting at 5:30 at Prairie Mountain School. It will be followed by an online-only session on Nov. 21.
