"What is Going on with Eugene?"

"What is Going on with Eugene?"

NEIU's next door neighbor goes through a complete- ly eco-friendly redesign this fall

By Lluvia Carrisoza, Visual Media Editor

Improvements to Eugene Field Park are made to ensure less flooding and a more native habitat.

Eugene Field Park, located on the south side of Foster Avenue between Monticello and Ayers has been going through a reconstruction for the past five months. Eugene Field Park is about two blocks west on Foster from NEIU's athletic field. The Wetland project started in April 2011 and if all goes well, all aspects of the project will be ready for the public by the Spring of 2012. There are two main parts to the project. One is the replacement of non-native trees and plants with those that are native to the area. Secondly, the north bank of the Chicago River that runs through Eugene will be accessible to the public once the project is finished. A ten minute walk from the Student Union will be all that stands between Northeastern students and a beautiful river bank.

According to The US Army Corp of Engineers the efforts being made are to bring the Eugene Field Park area as close to its natural habitat as possible. The plants and trees that are being planted were chosen because they are native to the area and will help reduce the flooding that occurs in the park during rainy seasons. Also, soil fill currently on the park will be removed in order to

have the newly planted vegetation grow on natural soils. Some of the fill will be used to raise the existing baseball field in order to prevent flooding.

Both sides of the river that run through Eugene had been fenced off in the past, but the Wetland Project is looking to restore about 2000 linear feet of stream bank on the north bank. The restoration of the bank will provide residents and students access to the river by restoring a natural slope that reaches the river. This will allow for recreational sports such as fishing and kayaking.

According to the Eugene Field Park Advisory Council, although the goal is of this projects is to prevent flooding, the reconstruction of this park does not ensure that it will no longer flood during rainy seasons. In order to completely eliminate the flooding problem in Eugene Field Park, more projects like this need to be done along the whole river.

Sponsoring the restoration program is the Chicago Park District. For more information visit the Eugene Field Park Advisory Council at http://eugenefield. wordpress.com/,