Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 20, 1978)
Commissioners back toxic weed program Lane County board approves $1,250 to fight poisonous tansy ragwort The Lane County Commissioners have ap proved a $1,250 budget to fund biological caterpillar warfare against the toxic tansy ragwort weeds. Tansy ragwort is a poisonous weed that has caused fatal liver damage to grazing livestock. Many infested fields cannot be harvested for fear of reaping the tansy into bales of hay. Oregon’s losses attributed to tansy ragwort are more than five million dollars, according to the state department of agriculture. Last December Lane County appointed Dick Fields, a graduate from the University of Michigan, to administer the tansy ragwort program. He will head a three-man field team. While chemical warfare is practiced in other counties by spraying their fields with 2,4-D Amine, Fields will use biological methods by using the cin nabar moth larvae, which, he says, “provides one of Lane County’s best hopes for long-term control of tansy ragwort.” The cinnabar moth larvae are caterpillars that eat only tansy weeds. They will be gathered from existing colonies that are outside the county. “We’ll probably put in 10,000 miles," says Fields, between the established colonies and the new release sites. Fields hopes to establish more than 10Onew colonies in Lane County. Biological control is a long-term process, Fields says. “You start getting control from a release of cinnabar moth larvae in three to five years." County Commissioner Jerry Rust comments, “We're not under any illusions. It will take about ten years to alleviate the problem." The tansy ragwort program is a realization of a campaign promise by Rust, and the Lane County Commissioners unanimously support it. “We’re taking giant steps to eradicate tansy ragwort,” says Rust. Tons’ of ESCAPE slots open as Friday deadline approaches The deadline to add an ES CAPE class is Friday, but Director Susannah Malarkey says there are still “tons” of placements to fill. “The demand is higher in the spring because schools and agencies are familiar with our program,” Malarkey says. If you’d like to get out in the spring sunshine (when we have some), ESCAPE has plenty of placememts in recreation working with kids, both in school and after school. Malarkey mentions track and field, tennis, baseball and jogging programs. Many community placements J?l: are still vacant, says Malarkey. Among the organizations that need volunteers are Switchboard, Family Shelter Home, Woman Space and Friendship with the El derly. For those interested in working with the handicapped, Malarkey says the Pearl Buck Center, John Collier House and Harmony House all need workers. Volunteers are needed at vari ous schools, also. At Bethel dis trict junior highs from noon to 2 p.m., students can assist in stained glass, disco dance and photography workshops, to name just a few. At Condon Elementary School, ( people are needed to help in the “English as a Second Language program. French and Spanish < tutors are needed at various junior ] and senior high schools, also. Malarkey says “there are so many placements left, I don’t know what to stress." Students gain one credit for three hours work weekly, and for first time volunteers, a weekly seminar and project is required. For more information, stop at 5 the ESCAPE table in the EMU lobby, or call 686-4351. l_ Emerald graphic WHY DOESN’T ANYTHING EVER GET DONE AROUND HERE??? (BECAUSE YOU WON’T DO IT!!!) Your Associated Students Organization of the University of Oregon (that’s right you belong, too) needs your input, energy and enthusiasm Put your two-cents-worth in (along with all the bucks you re alreadv shelling out) and show you more than just go along with all the decisions made for you. The following ASUO offices are open for election this spnng, and you could fill one of them: • ASUO President • Erb Memorial Union Board (EMUB) • Student University Affairs Board (SUAB) in the following majors: T fv^ t in/' Anthropology Art Education Art History Classics CSPA Education English Fine & Applied Arts General Arts & Letters General Humanities Geography History Journalism Languages Law Liberal Arts Linguistics Music Philosophy Political Science Psychology Religion Sociology Speech Unclassified You need only be a UO Student registered this term to file for one of these offices (however, only those majors within the above-listed majors are eligible to run for SUAB). For more information, call the ASUO Elections Board at 686-3724, or come into Suite 4, EMU. FILING FOR THE MAY 3 & 4 ELEC TION WILL CLOSE AT 5:00 p.m., FRIDAY, APRIL 21. YOU HAVE AS MUCH AS YOU’LL PUT .frj
