It is that Hot and Dry Time of Year

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Wildfire & Evacuation Preparedness

As we head into wildfire season, Eugene Emergency Management and Eugene Springfield Fire want to remind you to:
* Sign up for emergency alerts
* Know evacuation levels
* Check your go bag/kit
* Take preventative actions

Emergency Alerts Lane Alerts is the place to sign up to receive alerts from fire, police and other emergency response agencies. Sign up today at Lane Alerts. 

Evacuation Levels In Oregon, evacuations are issued as Level 1, Level 2 or Level 3. While every effort is made to provide time for evacuation, keep in mind that the levels may NOT go in order. This means that you may only receive a Level 3 – Go Now! If you are close to the start of a fire may not receive an alert but may be contacted by first responders knocking on doors or making announcements from vehicles.We encourage you to use your situational awareness. Make the decision to evacuate if you feel unsafe.

Go Bags/Kits should be a backpack or other easy to carry bag or tote. Items recommended for inclusion are below: 
* Non-perishable food and water (three-day supply if possible)
* Necessary prescriptions and medications
* Extra eyeglasses/contact lenses
* A printed map of areas near your home/work showing multiple ways to evacuate
* A change of clothing
* Credit cards, cash, checks (note that internet to use credit cards may not be available)
* Flashlight and battery-powered radio (include extra batteries)
* Extra charger for phone and other items you include in your bag/kit
* First aid kitPersonal hygiene itemsImportant documents (birth certificates, passports, insurance information, etc.) *Consider digital backups for these items
* Pen and Paper
* Face mask and hand sanitizer
* Photos and other easy-to-carry irreplaceable items (know where these items are and leave room to add them to your bag/kit it time allows)
* For pets: food, water, carriers and leashes should also be easily accessible
* For children/infants: include any diapers, formula, and other necessary items. Also consider a toy or other item to help them feel safe and stay entertained

Prepare your Home: Taking time to prepare your home can increase the chances that it will survive a wildfire. Some tasks to get started are below. For more information, request a FREE assessment from Eugene Springfield Fire: Assessment Request Task Checklist
* Clean roof and gutters
* Cover attic and crawl space vents with 1/8 inch metal wire mesh
*Keep grass mowed to 4 inches or less
*Remove burnable items and vegetation within 5 feet of your home
*Do not use combustible bark mulch; limit the use of mulch within 30 feet of your home
*Prune tree limbs up 6 feet from the ground 

Use Caution Preventing fires starts with you. Use caution when working with gas-powered equipment, grilling, camping or doing any other activities that have potential to start a wildfire. For tips on how to prevent wildfires, check out: Oregon State Fire Marshal : Prevent Wildfires : Education : State of Oregon

Stay Informed: To view any current evacuations in Lane County, you can visit: Evacuations in Lane County. If you are traveling in Oregon, evacuation, smoke and active fire information can be found at OSFM Interactive Maps Eugene Emergency Management and Eugene Springfield Fire thank you for doing your part to keep our community safe from wildfire.

Wayne Morse Family Farm Open House

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Wayne Morse Family Farm Open House

Sunday, May 17 • noon to 4 p.m.

Exciting plans are in the works for the what promises to be a fun afternoon: the annual open house at Wayne Morse Family Farm. Carriage rides, tours of the home, exhibits, music, food, community booths. SHiNA looks forward to partnering with Wayne Morse Family Farm Historical Board as co-hosts for this event. 

Volunteers needed the day of the event!

Volunteers are need for light duty: setting up, serving cake, greeting the public, clean-up, parking, etc. If you would like to participate and help make this a great event, please contact Denise at (541) 272-2097.

What’s On The May Ballot?

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Find out at SHiNA Membership Meeting
Tuesday, April 21 • 6:30 p.m.
Wayne Morse Family Farm
(if weather permits, we’ll meet in the shelter)

Get informed and meet the candidates! Each candidate will be given a chance to speak and convince you to vote for them in May. Also, there will be speakers in favor and opposed to Measure 20-373. The following list are those who have let us know they are coming to the meeting:

EWEB at large commissioner: Eric Dziura, Alexi Miller 

4th Congressional district, Democratic: Melissa Bird 

4th Congressional district, Republican: Monique DeSpain, Stefan Strek

Measure 20-373, Watershed Protection 
     In favor – Michelle Holman 
     Opposed – Charlie Conrad 

Support library funding renewal: Sally Krueger

Take advantage of this opportunity!
Your vote does matter!

Photo by Edmond Dantu00e8s on Pexels.com

EWEB’s Wildfire Resiliency Work

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Next SHiNA Neighborhood Meeting – 10/21, 6:30 PM at Wayne Morse Family Farm

This program is rescheduled from our August general meeting. Jeannine Parisi is the Resiliency Program Manager for EWEB. She will provide a general EWEB overview and describe resiliency and wildfire mitigation work especially with regard to power shutdowns and unexpected power outages due to weather events (ice storms).

Most of us remember the Holiday Farm Fire of 2020 where fire erupted quickly and spread westward from the Blue River area through Ben and Kay Dorris Park. How has this experience affected EWEB’s response to wildfire and preparation in case this type of event occurs again? What procedures does EWEB have in place? What is their role?

Join us at the Wayne Morse Family Farm Living Room on Tuesday, October 21, 6:30 p.m.
595 Crest Drive, Eugene

Wildfire Policy Forum October 2

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The Eugene Chamber of Commerce is hosting their September Policy Forum Breakfast on the Oregon Approach to Wildfire – an important topic for our neighborhood which lies at the urban-wildland interface. The forum is this week – on Thursday, October 2nd, from 7:00–9:30 AM – at the Eugene Country Club.  

This forum will offer a rare opportunity to better understand not only how Oregon fights wildfires, but why the stakes keep rising—and what can be done to change the outcome. It will provide business and community leaders with an informed perspective on how Oregon is safeguarding its forests, deploying resources effectively, and building fire-resilient communities.

We think SHiNA Neighbors interested in learning more about Oregon’s Wildfire Policy will gain a lot from attending this forum! You can find out more about the event and register here.

Mayor Kaarin Knudson at September SHiNA Meeting

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Tuesday, September 16, 6:00 PM
Wayne Morse Family Farm Picnic Shelter
595 Crest Drive, Eugene

NOTE: Our start time for this meeting needs to be earlier than we normally meet to accomodate Mayor Knutson’s schedule.


Don’t miss this opportunity to meet our mayor! There will be time to ask her your questions.
Spread the word, due to city budget limitations, we are only able to reach neighbors who have provided us with their email address.

October meeting reminder: Tuesday, October 21, 6:30
Community Conversation with representatives from EWEB.

EWEB Resiliency & Wildfire Mitigation at SHiNA Meeting – August 19th

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Join us at the next SHiNA Neighborhood monthly meeting on August 19th to hear from Jeannine Parisi, the Resiliency Program Manager for Eugene Water and Electric Board (EWEB). She will provide a general overview of EWEB and dive into Resiliency and Wildfire Mitigation work especially with regard to power shutdowns and unexpected power outages due to weather events (ice storms). Get a primer on this work by reading this article that EWEB published in 2024.

John Barofsky, our EWEB commissioner has also been invited but we are waiting to hear back about his availability.

SHINA Community Conversation – EWEB Natural Hazard Mitigation
August 19, 2025 at 6:30 PM
Wayne Morse Family Farm Shelter – 595 Crest Drive

Community Survey Live Now

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The City of Eugene’s 2025 Community Survey is now available online. This survey provides an opportunity for neighbors to weigh in on big issues for the City and contribute to the City’s strategic planning. We encourage our SHiNA Neighbors to participate in the online survey here: https://engage.eugene-or.gov/community-survey

More information from the City below:

The last survey, conducted in 2022, helped guide the 2023-2026 Strategic Plan by providing City leaders with key insights into what matters most to community members. The results from the 2025 survey will help us assess how well we’re doing in achieving those strategic goals and begin paving the way for future strategic planning. 

Why should you participate? While the City frequently gathers input about specific programs or services, the community survey is unique. It’s an opportunity to share your overall experience living in Eugene and provide input on big-picture issues that affect us all. Whether it’s about city services, quality of life, or long-term goals, this survey asks you to share your thoughts on the larger issues that shape Eugene’s future. 

Curious about what the City learned from the last survey? You can find a full report on the 2022 Community Survey and dive into the results at the City’s Community Survey Website. 

It’s not just about gathering input—it’s also about taking action. The City is committed to following through on the goals laid out in the Strategic Plan. Each year, the City publishes an Annual Report to track progress toward these goals and some goals rely on survey responses to determine progress. To learn more about these efforts, check out the Strategic Plan and the Year One Annual Report. 

Neighborhood Meeting – June 17

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Join City Councilor Matt Keating (Ward 2) for a discussion about the City Budget & other issues

The City of Eugene solved the budget shortfall for 2025. Neighborhood Associations, Amazon pool, the library and more will be funded through the next year. Our city counselor, Matt Keating, will come to answers questions about the budget crisis or other questions neighbors have. Please come for this chance to chat informally with our city counselor.

Tuesday, June 17, 6:30 p.m.
Wayne Morse Family Farm
595 Crest Drive, Eugene

If you are unable to attend in person and would like to view the meeting online, click on this link: https://tinyurl.com/3v2dmav8 or this QR code.