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.