The City of Eugene plans to use synthetic turf for some new sports fields in Golden Gardens Park.
But city officials say they’ve found a material that could ease some of the community’s environmental concerns.
Golden Gardens Park covers more than 220 acres of mostly undeveloped land in the Bethel neighborhood. Its ponds are home to the northwestern pond turtle, a candidate for classification as a threatened species.
Eugene is now planning to build a sports complex there, with six new soccer fields, eight baseball fields, space for pickleball and tennis courts, and more.
City Architect Mark Kosmos said Eugene's sports community has been asking for more public facilities to help meet demand.
He said the City currently has to share the school fields it helps maintain with the Eugene School District 4J, which is also feeling the pinch for available space.
“If you look at it today, our recreation program can't reserve 4J fields to the extent that maybe that agreement worked a long, long time ago,” Kosmos said.
Kosmos said Golden Gardens Park is large, connected to major traffic arteries and could host events that draw more attendees from out of town.
He said the hope is to begin work on the fields in 2029, if everything goes according to plan.
“What we're committed to is doing the right thing for the community,” he said. “We're trying to improve the social, economic and environmental situation that we have at the park.”
However, the proposal to develop parts of the park has drawn some pushback.
Karen Hill, the co-leader for the Golden Gardens Habitat Guardians, said she fears the geese, eagles, otters, and beavers observed in the area could lose access to some of their habitat.
“Most residents appreciate the park on the basis of its nature and its natural features,” said Hill. “There’s the worry from my perspective, both from as a scientist and as a person who walks the park every day, that any kind of development there is going to be harmful to the wildlife that has made it their home.”
Meanwhile, Eugene-based environmental group Beyond Toxics raised concerns about the pond turtles being exposed to microplastics, nighttime lighting and PFAS chemicals.
PFAS are synthetic compounds found in some household and industrial products, including rubber crumbs in types of artificial turf. Some studies suggest they may interfere with reproduction in turtles.
“The concern that we heard from wildlife experts is that turtles have very long lifespans,” said Jennifer Eisele, the ecosystems and communities project manager for Beyond Toxics. “We wouldn't actually see the impacts for 10 to 20 years after these new contaminants are entered into their environment.”
During the planning process, Beyond Toxics urged the City to use actual grass to minimize PFAS exposure.
But Kosmos said natural turf would be harder to play on in some weather conditions, it would need additional maintenance, and it would require a highly-engineered drainage system.
A PFAS-free turf?
City staff completed the project’s master plan in 2025, adding more space between the play spaces and the turtle population. A consultant for the city then analyzed the options for turf in a report released this March.
Staff have now recommended a material for the first three to six fields: artificial turf with no infill.
The City’s sample looked like a fake grass carpet. Kosmos said there would be rubber mats underneath to help soften the impact for players.
“Instead of a crumb version that can walk home with you on your shoes, you have something that's completely contained,” he said.
Kosmos said the most likely candidate right now is a product made by TenCate which purports to contain no added PFAS compounds.
He said whether the City goes with that manufacturer will depend on what’s on the market further in the design process. He said Eugene will also revisit its turf options for later phases of development.
“As quickly as this technology came in, there's probably going to be something else down the road,” Kosmos said. “And we want to be open to that, especially if it does better in some of these categories.”
Eisele said Beyond Toxics hasn’t yet tested Eugene’s samples, but an analysis of a different product used at Umso Park in Eugene found no PFAS compounds.
She shared mixed thoughts about the City’s decision to use synthetic turf without infill.
“We were a little disappointed,” she said. “But if the development has to continue, I think they've done their best to come up with a compromise.”
Hill said some neighbors still feel insulted that they didn’t have more of a voice in deciding whether this development is necessary.
She’s now calling for the City to thoroughly analyze how much noise and light will affect the turtle population.
According to Kosmos, the City will likely cut down on night games during seasons that are important for the northwestern pond turtle’s life cycle.
The Golden Gardens Habitat Guardians formed as the park’s designated “Friends Of” organization earlier this year. Hill said they’re training neighbors to use the iNaturalist app to track wildlife in the area. She said that could give the community more data as the development reshapes nature there.
“We want to continue to do what we can with the City to make sure that the park continues to shine from a natural perspective,” Hill said, “and that residents continue to buy into the natural visitors that are home to the park.”
