1000 FRIENDS OF OREGON, FRIENDS OF EUGENE,
AND LANDWATCH LANE COUNTY
OPEN JOINT LANE COUNTY OFFICE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 18, 2001

Today 1000 Friends of Oregon, Friends of Eugene and Landwatch Lane County officially opened their new joint office serving Lane County. The office is being funded by donations from Lane County residents who are members of the three groups.

The office opening is being celebrated today at an open house from 5:30 to 8:00 pm. The office is located at 120 West Broadway, between Olive and Charnelton on the Eugene mall.

"We are glad to establish a permanent presence in Lane County, because this county is grappling with the whole spectrum of growth and development issues, from downtown revitalization and bypasses to coastal sprawl and the loss of farmland," said Robert Liberty, executive director of 1000 Friends of Oregon. In addition to its headquarters in Portland, 1000 Friends also has offices in Medford and Salem.

Bob Emmons, president of Landwatch Lane County, welcomed "the professional help we need to turn back the tide of rural sprawl" that threatens the county's forests and farmlands. Landwatch played the leading role in convincing the Lane County Commission not to change forest zoning to allow more houses.

"This new office will increase both the impact and the visibility of the great work our volunteers have been doing for years to improve our community's quality of life," said Friends of Eugene co-president Deborah Noble. Friends of Eugene has been involved in many local land use and transportation issues, including Eugene's Lane Use Code Update project and the proposed West Eugene Bypass.

The office, in downtown Eugene, is staffed by Lauri Segel, who will work half-time for the three nonprofit groups. Segel, a Eugene resident, previously worked for James Reinmuth, Dean of the College of Business at the University of Oregon, and has long volunteer experience in land use issues in Lane County. Segel admitted that having three bosses will be a challenge, but one that she welcomes: "I am going to love this job, because I care so much about what happens here and I want to make a difference."