wetlands

At Sunrise Park, discovering a ‘wetland’

Written February 19th, 2024 by Hasso Hering

Comments: 5 responses.

On Sunday the bike and I made a detour through Sunrise Park off Southeast Thurston Street. The visit reminded me of the flap over “wetlands” that delayed the reconstruction of this park several years ago.

Posted in: Bicycling, Commentary, News
Tags: Albany parks, Sunrise Park, wetlands, wetlands bank, wetlands mitigation

Road request in nature area is blocked

Written January 15th, 2024 by Hasso Hering

Comments: 8 responses.

A land owner’s plan for a road through a southwest Albany nature area to access his landlocked property along the Calapooia River is dead, for now anyway.

Posted in: Commentary, News
Tags: access easement, Curt Sorte, land use, landlocked parcel, natural area, Oak Creek trail, restrictive covenant, southwest Albany, Spring Meadows, wetlands, woodlands

Sunrise upgrade: Pretty soon now

Written January 8th, 2018 by Hasso Hering

Comments: one response.

If you’re wondering what happened to the long-gestating plans to renovate Albany’s Sunrise Park, wonder no more. The city parks department hopes to call for bids on the project by the first week of February.

Posted in: Commentary, News
Tags: Albany block grant program, Albany parks, Sunrise Park, wetlands

Sunrise Park: Renovation in sight

Written April 17th, 2017 by Hasso Hering

Comments: no responses.

The renovation of Sunrise Park, first considered in 2013, is finally scheduled to take place this year now that the city of Albany has obtained the required permits and spent $38,000 in federal antipoverty grant money to make up for the loss of a patch of so-called “wetlands.”

Posted in: Commentary, News
Tags: Community Development Block Grants, Sunrise Park, wetland bank, wetlands

How wetland rules waste money

Written April 14th, 2017 by Hasso Hering

Comments: 13 responses.

Here’s an example of how Oregon’s effort to protect so-called wetlands goes too far and requires the spending of public money without accomplishing any actual wetland protection. I came across it on a bike ride on Riverside Drive just outside of Albany.

Posted in: Commentary
Tags: Oregon Department of State Lands, Riverside Drive, wetlands

You don’t see any water, do you?

Written July 17th, 2016 by Hasso Hering

Comments: 9 responses.

Wetlands again? Yes, once again the designation of normally dry ground as wetlands is likely to cost the city of Albany some money.

Posted in: Commentary, News
Tags: Albany City Council, Brandis property, Timber Ridge Street, wetlands

Does this look like a swamp?

Written June 28th, 2016 by Hasso Hering

Comments: 16 responses.

You’re looking at the playground in Albany’s Sunrise Park. But it’s more than that. It’s also an exhibit in the story of how bureaucracy expands when it’s allowed to distort a well-intended law.

Posted in: Commentary, News
Tags: Department of State Lands, Sunrise Park, wetlands