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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 7, 1981)
Hiker laments loss of non-wilderness trails By CAROLYN RAMSAY Of the Emerald Hikers had better show con cern for non-wilderness trails or the paths will disappear, says hiker Helen Smith. The 70-year-old conserva tionist encourages fellow hikers to acquaint themselves with their rangers’ planned timber sales and how the sales affect hiking trails. Smith has devoted her retir ement years to the Lowell Ranger District, working to pre serve the trails she loves to tred. She has hiked the trails for 35 or 40 years with the Obsidians, a local hiking and climbing club, she says. “I have realized for years that we were gradually losing our trails outside the wilderness to timber operations," Smith says. She says she became aware of the conflict between hikers and loggers when former Forest Service Supervisor Zane Smith initiated "sales and trails break fasts.” These meetings were designed to inform the public of forest timber sales each year. Smith’s breakfasts were re placed by public review meet ings every five years. But the turnout at these public sessions is slim, she says. People must realize trail pre servation is in the hands of the forest administration, Smith says. Unless hikers let the ad ministration know how they feel about their trails, the trails could disappear. "We don’t have anything else we can do,” she says. Three-fourths of the Lowell district trails were damaged by the forest industry during the past 15 years, Smith says. Smith encourages hikers and nature-lovers to attend the pub lic review meetings, where maps show the forest’s planned timber sales for the next five years. Meetings will be held at local ranger stations soon. Smith says the logging com panies are not always aware of the effect their clear-cutting and road-building has on hikers’ trails because "they want the timber so bad." Clear-cutting an area of trees leaves stretches of trail exposed to the sun, which promotes un dergrowth. The trails get lost in the underbrush, she says. Building roads through non wilderness areas can break a II11111111111 PHOTO III SPECIAL! Develop S Print 12 Exposure 20 Exposure $2.9S 24 Exposure $3 5£ 36 Exposure $5 4£ 3x size Code 11 LIMITED TIME OFFER 13th & Kincaid Mon-Fri 8:15-5:30 Sat 10:00-2:00 Sale ends Saturday, April 11 Textbooks 686-3520 • General Books 686-3510 • Supplies 686-4331 Photo by Steve Dykes Helen Smith trail’s continuity if the road fol lows the trail for a distance and then leaves it. In addition, hikers easily get confused when their trail meets a paved road if a continuing path isn’t visible. One of Smith's successes has been to encourage foresters to build their roads perpendicular to the trails. Cutters have been very cooperative in this area, she says. Wilderness debate continues By LESLIE FARRIS Of the Emerald Oregon's proposed wil derness bill again will be open to public debate during April when Rep. Jim Weaver, D-Ore., holds hearings in Salem, Bend and Medtord. Weaver proposed the bill in ^__N i/Un i nHi/Lr i ivto the rubber tree MAIL ORDER SERVICE • Condoms - over 30 varieties • Foams, Creams, Jellies • Books, T-Shirts, and more • 10-40% BELOW RETAIL FOR A FREE MAILORDER BROCHURE WRITE THE RUBBER TREE, DEPT MD 4426 BURKE, N SEATTLE, WA 98103 \ A PROJECT OF ZPG-SEATTLE J Rally For Higher Education FACTS • We are facing a financial crisis • Federal cut-off of Financial Aid • Possible loss of 30 faculty members • Possible loss of three schools and eight departments at UO This is Serious! Find out how this crisis affects you directly! Attend a Political Rally April 10th 11:30-1:30 EMU Courtyard Speakers include: Senator Ed Fadeley U S. Congressman Jim Weaver Senate President Fred Heard ASUO President Dave Eaton Speaker of the House Hardy Myers U of O Vice Pres. Curt Simic It's time to get involved now! Sponsored by ASUO State Affairs and SURC For more information contact Rich Wilkins 686-3724 January, titled “RARE II Re solution Act of 1981,” as a compromise between conser vationist and timber industry interests. The bill names no specific wilderness areas but limits future wilderness expan sion to 3 percent of Oregon’s yearly timber harvest or 5 per cent of Oregon’s federal timber for their smoked ham. Between 10th and Broadway downtown Call 683-2360 base, approximately 240 million board feet. Weaver held hearings in Feb ruary to hear testimony on the 3 percent “cap.” Jack Des mond, of the Oregon Wildes be added to the bill. Anyone wish ing to testify should contact the OWC at 686-5014 or the Sur vival Center at 686-4356. Rides are available. After the second round of hearings, Desmond says Weaver and perhaps Oregon’s other congressmen will draw up a wilderness bill, which Weaver probably will introduce in May. The success of the hearings depends largely on the number of wilderness activists who show up at them, Desmond says. “We’ve got to make sure the congressmen know there’s broad support for wilderness in Oregon,” he says. “The atmosphere in regards to wilderness has been changing over the past few years. There’s a new breed of forester coming up who recog nizes to maintain a healthy for est base, you have to leave things alone." Skylight Refectory 9 a. tn. to 2 f). m.
