Environmental Footnotes
Roadless canyon wilderness endangered
CHIEF JOSEPH’S HOMELAND
THREATENED: Less than 100 years ago
Chief Joseph and me Nez Perce tribe called
the Wallowa VaHey home. Many of them
wintered in the big canyon country north of
Enterprise, along Joseph Creek, where
Chief Joseph was bom.
Today, nearly 30,000 acres of U.S.
Forest Service land still remains as wild as it
was when Chief Joseph roamed these pris
tine canyons. This unique, undisturbed
area is critical winter range for Rocky Moun
tain elk and is the last undeveloped area
along Joseph Creek.
A local northeastern Oregon conserva
tion group, Maintain Easter Oregon Wilder
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ness (MEOW), have proposed that the
Joseph Canyon roadless area be protected
as part of the National Wilderness Preser
vation System.
Until recently the forest service has had
the foresight to save this spectacular area.
But now their outlook has changed, MEOW
says, and the future of the roadless wilder
ness area is apparently in jeopardy.
The north slope stands of timber, critical
to elk for thermal cover during winter, are
marginal timber sites at best. MEOW or
ganizers claim that plans are being made to
build roads into the area and log these mar
ginal stands at a net cost to the taxpayer.
Rather than manage the area for the re
source it produces best (elk), this plan
would result in loss of elk habitat as well as
further erosion of the local economic base.
Other wildlife and watershed values are
high in the Joseph Canyon roadless area.
Black bear are found in timbered areas and
cougars are not uncommon. Mink, muskrat,
beaver, river otter and racoons make their
homes along the larger streams, most of
which support steel head and resident trout
By E G. WHITE-SWIFT
Of the Emerald
Golden and bald eagles are abundant in
the area. Goshawks, Cooper’s hawks and
sharp-shinned hawks nest in the conifer
thickets along Swamp and Davis Creeks.
Blue grouse, ruffed grouse and chukars are
numerous. Great grey owls are currently
subjects of research on the Wallow
Whitman forestland.
If you are an Eagle Cap Wilderness fan or
have eqoyed the Joseph Canyon roadless
area, this is the time to become involved, as
the forest service will be making their deci
sions soon.
For the forest service viewpoint, write Al
Oard, Supervisor, Wallowa-Whitman Na
tional Forest, P.O. Box 907, Baker, Ore.
97814.
For the Maintain Eastern Oregon Wilder
ness viewpoint, write MEOW, ’Winding
Waters Chapter, Route 1, Box 157, Enter
prise, Ore., 97828 (426-3096).
EPA WITHDRAWS FROM KAB:
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Administrator Russell Train notified Keep
America Beautiful recently that the agency
was withdrawing from the organization’s
national advisory council.
Train’s announcement was prompted by
a recommendation from Roger Strelow,
EPA’s assistant administrator for air and
waste management. Strelow had recom
mended that “EPA should withdraw im
mediately from participation in KAB until
and unless its position or loooymg in oppose
tion to beverage container legislation is re
versed.”
EMERGENCY 1060: The old red. white,
and blue Army wants to use the chemical
compound “1080" to kill ground squirrels at
Fort Ord, Camp Roberts and Hunter-Liggett
Military Reservations in California to com
bat an alleged threat of bubonic plague.
Use of this dangerous toxicant and other
poisons on federal lands was banned by
executive order in 1972. The Army is seek
ing an emergency exemption from that
order, although no cases of the plague have
been reported at the bases.
The Army contends that because of high
squirrel populations, inevitably there will be
a plague However, environmental groups
say the Army had not seriously considered
alternative measures to deal with the prob
lem and have requested that the Army pre
pare an environmental impact statement
before any program is undertaken. They
fear that if the use of a restricted chemical,
in this case Compound 1080, is allowed, it
might trigger a flood of requests from ag
ricultural interests to reinstate widespread
use of the poison.
HIKES PLANNED: The Obsidians,
outback-packers from way back, are plan
ning two hikes this weekend. A six-mile hike
about Bear Mountain south of Eugene will
be led by Obsidian Lee Hatch Sunday. Also
Sunday, the Obsidians are planning a
spur-of-the-trail hike somewhere in the
upper-Mohawk Valley. As they drive
through the valley, they will find the trail that
“looks good" for the weather.
The Sierra Club is planning a 17-mile
hike Sunday into the Hardesty Mountain
and June Mountain areas. Call 686-5014
for more information.
SOLAR CELLS CHEAPER: At noon on
a sunny day, an array of solar cells a little
more than one square foot in area can gen
erate about 10 watts of electric power —
enough to operate a small TV set.
Once installed, the cells produce essen
tially free electric power, but the high initial
cost prevents them from being generally
competitive with other forms of energy.
The Energy Research and Development
Administration (fcrlUA) recenuy announcea
a 26 per cent drop in the cost of solar cells,
from $21 a watt to $15.50, over a six-month
period. ERDAs goal is 50 cents a peak
watt by 1986.
ERDA also announced plans for instal
ling 60 kilowatts of solar cells on a remote
island to supplement the existing power sta
tion at an existing facility. The location for
the test has not been chosen yet. The solar
system will be integrated with the existing
system to measure the capabilities of solar
under field conditions.
ELECTRIC FENCE FIRES — Illegal
electric fence controllers are being sold
throughout Oregon reports the State De
partment of Forestry. These illegitimate de
vices are responsible for forest and grass
fires in the state because of their overly long
electrical impulses.
Nineteen fires resulted from the fences in
1975 on lands protected by the forestry de
partment. In addition, 60 electric fence
caused blazes were reported to municipal
and rural fire departments that same year.
The only legal electrical fence controls
are those authorized by the Underwriter s
Laboratory, the Canadian Standards As
sociation of the Factory Mutual. It is against
the law to sell any controls without the ap
proval of one of these organizations, how
ever, they are being found on the shelves of
department and farm stores throughout
Oregon.
Persons using unauthorized fences may
be charged for fire control costs if the fence
starts a blaze spreading to state-protected
lands, asserts Leo Wilson, department of
forestry fire prevention director
Council accredits
Social work degree
A University program leading to a
bachelor's degree in social work was re
cently accredited by the Council on Social
Work Education.
Granted through November, 1977, the
accreditation is the initial one for the prog
ram, which is newly identified as a separate
degree offering in the Wallace School of
Community Service and Public Affairs
(CSPA).
According to Carmelrta Thomson, visiting
assistant professor in CSPA. there are ap
proximately 25 designated social work ma
jors, ‘but many more students are enrolled
in work classes. ’'
The program, which Thomson described
as designed to train students in "the helping
professions," includes courses in casework
methods, group work methods, child wel
fare services and community organization,
as well as research and field experience. It
employs four full-time faculty members plus
“adjunct instructors who teach one or two
classes," Thomson explained.
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