Editorial
Ban on redwoods
must be permanent
It doesn't happen ver\ often, but sometimes public
opinion c an swav elec ted officials’ opinions and even
make! them < hange their ntinds
Almost three weeks ago many Oi gonians were
hoi i it led to learn the last remaining redwood trees in
the state wen* to he cut down 1’he Grapevine. ,i H7
ac re parcel of old grow th redwood in the ( hole o Rang
ei Distrit I was due to he sold to loggers
Redwoods once ranged from central California all
the wa\ up to Oregon Most of the California trees le
mam primarily through the work of private orgam/a
lions, Imt of .ill tire redwoods that were once in Ore
gon. only four pert ent remain todav
The Oregon redwoods would have been harvested
under a "compromise" hill approved h\ last year's
I S Congress The legislation set a timber sale level of
110 million board feet lor tins vear. That level < ouldn’t
have been reached without cutting down the Oregon
redwoods
Itnt happilv. that isn't going to happen at least
not in the near future. After the decision was an
nounced. Rep Peter Del azio (l)-Ore). Sen). Mark Hat
field (R-Ore) and large1 numbers of private citizens
pressured Siskivou National forest Supervisor Ron
McCormick to reverse his decision.
None of the people; who convinced McCormick to
i hnnge his mind sees this us a permanent solution. The
moratorium is not permanent, even though the1 imme
diate danger to the mdvvoods is over
Del1 azio is the real hero of this \ ictory. He1 is argu
able the most environmentally conscious representa
tive in Congress today, lie worked hard to protect olrl
growth stands throughout the1 state, and his lobbying
for the redwoods was unsurpassed
I'.ven Hatfield trieel to p rot net the reef woods,
though his support of the redwoods wasn't as vigorous
as Del azio s Hut it was support nonetheless. Hatfield
has been at i used in rei ent months of being insensitive
to environmental issues, and was heavilv e rilie izeel by
Ills c oustituents HopelulU . this means a change in his
•tit it iiefi!.
Although this is a win for environmentalists it is
not a total vi< lory. To ipiote an old e In lie, they won a
battle but the war is still up for grabs
Lawmakers and forestry officials should listen to
the public and strive to make; the ban on old growth
redwood logging permanent The moratorium can be
lifted at any time, and if that happens, opponents will
fae:e another light just like the one hist week
Until a permanent solution to the old growth ques
tion is found. Oregonians will face battles on every
si rap of timberland the logge-rs want to cut down. It's
high time for it to stop.
POLLS OPPOSE '
TAXES. i
I’LL VOTE |
AGAIMST TME.Nl. /
pA\ /on
uO rMvL/K
ABORT iONi.
!’LL VOTE
FOR a
I.?
if
fpa.is favor^
limiting
: CONGRESSIONAL
V TERMS. J
SOMETIMES A
MAM WAS TO RXLOO
MIS CONSCIENCE. J
BPA should listen to residents' concerns
Il happens ever\ so often. Instead of a
major i ompain doing what it wants to do.
piihlii outcry is so great the compain lias to
sit and listen
The Ifl’A says it needs to build .1
at 1(1,(100'volt power line limn its substation
in (mslien to the Lane substation outside
west Lugene It built straight through, the
line and its 1 to loot lowers would < ut across
the < it\ s south lulls and the prnpert\ ol the
area's residents
The I’ortlandbased utilil\ li.is loin
routes in mind (or the towers The tavored \
route billows the existing 2 10.00(1 volt line;
it is preferred In the 1 ompain because land
alre<ld\ has been ( le.ired. and it is the short
esl route to the Lane substation Other
routes It (. and I) give the ( iK a widei
berth, skirting farther and tarthei south be
hind Spent ei Untie Route I) the line that
would ( ut farthest south, would cost si 11
million more than the \ route and would
require land 1 leal iug
\rea residents are concerned about a
niimhei of possible side ellei ts from the pro
posed (low ei lines Studies have linked the
elei I rolling net it lields generated In powei
lines ol this si/e to leukemia and memor\
loss I tala from the studies are inconi lusi\e
so lai Nonetheless, having a potential 1 ar
i inogeu in \our bai kvard would be unset
tling
Which brings us to the next concern ol
Smith Hills residents: the economic impact
of the lines They suv the specter of the tow
ers weaving through their land will drive
dow n the property value to prospei live hu\
ers Residents also are concerned about the
towers and lines detracting from Kugene's
distinctive southern skyline.
The residents, mam of whom belong to
Hitizens for Responsible Power Routing. sa\
none of the four routes is acceptable, and
that the HI’A needs to step bat k and listen to
their health and economic concerns before
drawing up anothei pi,in As it is mam do
not believe the new towers would be neees
suit for the hugene area As it is they are in
tended to provide a more reliable link m the
chain between a large station in Salem and
Southern (fregon
The MI’A will heal public testimony on
the routes during meetings l-'eb. I and IfH
This is. commendable; one might expec t the
stance of ,i powerful utility to be. “This is
where we intend to put the lines, tough
lilt k Hut the MPA has kept an open mind
and said it will considei an alternative route
if one is suggested
The c.oiiccrus of South Hills residents
are valid enough to be the* subjec t of si ientif
i< study . Hopefully, .it the upcoming forum
sessions the MPA will agree and keep its
promise to listen to the c one erns of South
Hills residents and find an alternative plan
foi its potentially dangerous electric itv
Letters.
Cheap shots
I knew th.it I mi Hughes
U null! I ci rue .1 lilt ul ll.ik tin
Ins letter "On sinking (01)1
|.in I "i|. lint I tlidn't realize the
responses I would he.ir .inti
It Mi I in tile p.iper would lie su
estreme
Kent |.ii ksiin ivrule th.it
Hughes has put his npinion
where it <itn s .mil dues nut lie
long" | ()l >1 |.m !~| That's
lunnv hei iiuse I always
thought the Ciliversitv newsp.i
per was .i pl.it e when- anyone's
opinion would lie appropriate
hut I guess |ai ksun knows a lot
more about journalism than I
do
I guess Hughes needs to
speak his opinion against ills
i rimmation a little louder tl the
only conclusion Jackson can
come to is that "Hughes won't
rest until everyone turns gay
or lesbian
I really don't need to com
rnent on the last paragraph of
Phil Zuckerman's letter [ODE.
Page l
j.in it!) as (heap shots like
those usunlh sa\ more .iboot
lliu purson stating tlirui than
the potson tho\ .in' iliii'i li'il al
I do agron that vor\ tow poo
plo. ll illlV IISO till' lot III Sill k
as a dorognlurv statomont
against gays Hut win is it so
farfeti hod that tlit* torm ' \on
sink could havo originalh
boon a put-down against homo
si'Mials-’ I ho Host (piostion is
v\h\ is it so tarlott hod for .1 ho
unisexual to possihh ho ot
fondml'
What it vou sink had orig
inallv hoi'ii a rat 1 si torm. would
thorn havo hoon so mot h 1:0111
plaining about tho minority in
dividual who pointotl it out? I
doubt it
Stophon Thomas
Fine and Applied Arts
Real solutions
I road with interest tho |an
17 article about the IH’A high
voltage power line routing pm
pose I I In- South Mills rt-si
dents .in- justified in their eon
reins about the health and aes
thelii eifei Is ol high voltage
power lines
I lie stage seems to he set tin
muting the new power lines in
the rural areas Aflei all as
Lane t !uuntv (lommissioner |ei
rv Kust mdu aled the urban de
main) tor power in I he Kiigene
area requires Ul’A to route the
lines somew here
Must people are not. per
haps, aware that loxii herhi
i ides are regularh spraved .ill
along power line routes, mi
grating into groundwater and
watersheds, and poisoning na
tive vegetation and wildlife,
that a power line route amounts
to a 20-or-so-feet wide r lean ut
swath that mart lies at ross the
landscape for miles Is this
what we want for our country
side and vvildlands7
Instead of limiting the ques
tion to "Where do we put the
new. bigger power lines." why
iiol ask llii' HI’A him iu,i n\ | > i j
vale or inminuiiih si/.i*il alter
il.iti\powei generators (solar,
u mil wilti'i geothermal, meth
.iin■ i't< | i mild hi- 111listi in tfil
with tin' miliums ol dollars
they mm plan to s|>i'iid on now
pirn or linos'
As our planet s e< olngit al
i i isis lii-i mill's dearer. vvi1 must
look lor ri-al solutions to mu
problems Mon' and widfi
mails morf deforestation and
bigger. mori- orolugii ally
harmful power lines are not the
answer to a healthy, sustain
able future tor out spei ies It is
time we take a serious look at
real, workable alternatives and
ask ourselves (and our elei ted
officials! "whs not
Karen Wood
Eugene
Frivolous
Is everyone tired of stone
washed jeans vet? Seen enough
fake wear-and-tear? I think so.
for some very serious reasons I
urge you to vow never to buy a
pair of slum- washed anything
ever again, ami In urge every
nne vim know to bust nil stone
uashed fashion .is uell
U 11\ ■' The reason is far awa\
hilt is real nonetheless In
northern \'eu Mexico, in a re
mote and beautiful mountain
range sai red to the I’uehlo bull
ails, federal forest lands are be
mg sold i lean til and sti ip
mined to get the stone used in
the stone washing of leans The
area being gouged is as beaut!
till as any land von have ever
seen, and Us importance to the
Pueblo Indians cannot he tin
derest diluted
Oregonians can help foster
New Mexico Native American
religious freedom and environ
mental protection by boycott
ing stone washed clothing
starting today. Tell your friends
far and wide to join you. and
together we can stop the frivo
lous destruction of the )emez
Mountains.
Tom Ribe
Graduate Student
Thursday, lanuary 25. 1990