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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 22, 1977)
Lingo-learning builds environmental savvy By EG. WHITE-SWIFT Of the Emerald In Oregon, CATS do not meow, they say "No spray.” And Mazamas are not Polish gurus, they are mountain climbers. Deciphering Oregon’s en vironmental slang is the first step in understanding environmental issues. Since you cannot tell the players without a program, herewith is a beginner’s guide to environmental issues and groups. HERBICIDES: The number one issue in Lane County for the last year has been the use of her bicides in forests and along roadsides. Herbicides are part of the chemical compounds created to eliminate modern pests such as insects, plants and wildlife. The timber industry and U.S. Forest Service use herbicides, or plant eliminators, to free commer cial tree species from competition from blackberries and non commercial tree species. Her bicides are sprayed either by hand or from helicopters. Aerial spraying on forest lands adjacent to rural farms led to the formation of Citizens Against Toxic Sprays (CATS). They claim herbicides drift into water supplies and over farm crops, allegedly creating health problems for rural Lane County farmers and defoliat ing gardens and private timber lands. A by-product of the manufactur ing process of the herbicide 2,4,5-T is dioxin, which CATS members say is toxic and an un necessary cancer-causing (car cinogenic) elemtnt introduced into Oregon’s environment. They say labor-intensive hand or mechani cal clearing is an economically prudent alternative to polluting the environment with carcinogenic herbicides. The timber industry counters that the dioxin is not harmful in small doses. They claim Oregon’s forests cannot produce enough timber to meet local mills' needs without a steady diet of her bicides. In the last two years, CATS members have forced the forest service to rewrite its environmen tal impact statement (EIS) cover ing herbicide usage in Pacific Northwest national forests. Al though they asked politely at first, they eventually had to take the forest service to court before the government officials would change the EIS. CATS also convinced the Lane County Commissioners to ban the use of 2,4,5-T along county maintained roads. The county’s transportation department had used it to clear roadside vegeta tion in both rural and urban areas. Another herbicide group, the Al liance for Better Land Manage ment (ABLM) stalled a plan to spray herbicides by another fed eral agency with timber lands in Lane County, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The ABLM appealed a decision by the BLM to spray the herbicide Silvex, a chemical cousin of 2,4,5-T. The Department of Interior is review ing its subordinate agency’s (the BLM) plans for spraying, so the BLM postponed its chemical treatments. WILDERNESS: The fate of Oregon’s remaining wild areas is currently under evaluation by the U.S. Forest Service and BLM. The timber industry would like to open all roadless areas for harvest, while conservation groups want the remaining “de facto” wilder ness to be formally recognized and preserved by Congress. The Oregon Wilderness Coali tion, Sierra Club and the Wilder ness Society claim that the timber industry would be healthier if pris tine forests were not cut. Instead, they request that the money which would be spent on building roads be used for reforestation in acces sible areas. Timber industry officials claim they cannot live happily ever after unless they are allowed to cut the old-growth timber stands on fed eral lands. They have few old growth stands left on their own lands. Government officials will prob ably decide what areas will be set aside, and those that will be cut, within the next two years. Areas that are not preserved will proba bly never again have a chance to reach wilderness status. WHALES: You cannot expect to find whales swimming in the Willamette River, but if you did, a recent Lane County ordinance makes it illegal to hunt them. Oregonians Cooperating to Pro tect Whales, a Eugene group, is working to save whales from the harpoon. They have little opposition, and hope to place the whale issue on the ballot next spring. They pro ose banning the purchase by state agencies of products manufac tured in whaling nations. NUCLEAR: Although a nuclear initiative to ban nuclear plants in Oregon failed to gain a majority last November, energy groups throughout the state are working to oppose further development. Private utilities and labor groups oppose nuclear foes. The Trojan nuclear plant, jointly owned by the Eugene Water and Electric Board (EWEB), Portland General Elec tric (PGE) and Pacific Power and Light, is providing electricity to the regional power grid. The grid is operated by the Bonneville Power Administration and is largely based on hydro-electric power generated by dams built on the region's major rivers by the Army Corps of Engineers. Oregonians for Nuclear Safeguards, the Trojan Decom missioning Alliance and the Energy Conservation Organiza tion have requested that the Tro jan facility be put out of service permanently. They also oppose two nuclear plants proposed by PGE to be built near Pebble Springs in northeastern Oregon. The Oregon Department of Energy and Energy Facility Siting Council, who regulate energy plants, are considering PGE’s plans. CONSERVATION: There are many environmental groups in addition to the preceding local and regional groups. They are monitoring environmental issues as diverse as land use planning, wildlife, recycling, recreational hik ing and biking and forestry. A few groups to know about are: •Oregon Environmental Coun cil: A coordinating group for more than 80 member environmental organizations statewide, the OEC has fought in almost every en vironmental battle in the last six years. •\ /estem Environmental Trade Association Providing the industry and labor viewpoint on environ mental issues, WETA is the OEC’s counterpart on most is sues. •Obsidian: Recreational hiking and back packing groups based in Eugene. •Mazamas: Mountain climbing, trail and river trip specialists. •Emerald Mycotogical Society: Field trips in search of mush rooms, monthly meetings at the Eugene City Library. •Southern Willamette Or nithological Club: Research, edu cation, birding recreation and the publisher of Oregon Birds magazine. Meets first Monday of the month in Science III. •Lane CountyAudubon Soci ety: Local chapter of the nation wide bird and conservation in terest group. Monthly meeting and a local newsletter about birds and environmental issues. •Eugene Natural History Soci ety: Field trips and monthly meet ings concerning plants, birds and all facets of natural history. •Native Plants Society of Oregon: Identifying and conserv ing wiklflowers is the goal of the Portland-based NPSO. •Oregon High Desert Study Group: If you like the desert coun try of eastern Oregon, you will want to hook up with the OHDSG, based in St. Paul, Oregon. •Eugene Canoe and Kayak Club: For a taste of the wild and scenic rivers, ECKC is an outdoor specialist. 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