Nov. 18, 1997 Contact Pauline Austin (541) 346-3129 THE SHIRE--Landscape architecture students at the University of Oregon are pitting straw bales and willow twigs against the mighty Columbia River. The project will test natural techniques for repairing flood damage along the river bank. Last year the rain-swollen river sucked up three acres of waterfront along this carefully landscaped tract of UO property known as the Shire. Twenty-two UO students wrestled 1,100 straw bales down to the river's edge, anchored them and then drove in willow sticks that will grow into trees and help re-establish natural vegetation. The students temporarily stabilized upland areas with a tough and porous geotextile material, anchoring the fabric with willow stakes and reeds. The UO School of Architecture and Allied Arts uses the property to demonstrate and teach landscape preservation and management. The low-cost technology being tested could help farmers faced with the need to stabilize damaged stream banks along other flood-damaged rivers. -30- #F-6029/Spcl to Chronicle of Higher Education