Interior Secretary is hopeful for Oregon forest plans
hitt's visit to Oregon
this week leaves no
doubt that there is a
GRANTS PASS
(AP) — Interior Sec
retary Brute Bah
new attitude in the White House about
spotted owls and timber.
The same bottom-up approach the
Clinton administration has brought to the
health care crisis was evident ns Babbitt
loured a plywood mill and an experi
mental forest, talked to community lead
ers. and sat in a cramped log cabin to
hear about environmentalists and timber
interests getting together.
"It's not about a victory for one side or
defeat for another." Babbitt said Satur
day. "It's about corning together and
building a new kind of West."
Babbitt returns to Oregon on Friday
with President Clinton and other Cabinet
members for a conference aimed at break
ing (he logjam in the Northwest’* nation
al forests.
hogging has been choked off by law
suits to protect the habitat of the northern
spotted owl until the Forest Service and
Bureau of Land Management develop
plans to protect the threatened bird
Jeff DeBonis. director of Public
Employees for Responsibility, said Bab
bitt's visit offered tremendous encour
agement to Forest Service and Bl.M
employees.
Past logging quotas were set by Con
gress and district rangers had to find a
way to turn out the cut. They now feel
they can do what's best for the forest.
DeBonis said.
"Employees are |ust really excited."
DeBonis said from his office in Eugene
"We are seeing these agencies become
environmental stewards instead of
resource exploiters "
Babbitt made it clear there is no turn
ing bac k to the statu* quo. and di*t isions
would ho based on sciom e rather than
politics,
"It's not going to tie like it was in the
past.” Halihitt said after hearing from !t>
community loaders at Kiddle High
School in Douglas County, the most tun
tier-dependent county in the Northwest
But he made it clear there still would
he room for an industry dependent on
timber from the national forests
''That does not mean wo cannot make
an investment in the future.” lie said
Babbitt's tour included a look at the
Koscburg Forest Products plywood Plant
No. 4 in Riddle
When his predecessor, Manuel l.ujan
jr , toured the same plant in December,
he told reporters he voted for the Kndnn
gered Spot ies Act while a New Mesh o
congressman in 1974 thinking it would
protect nxotii spe< ies such as lions and
rhinos, rather than domestic species sm h
ns the spoiled owl
After Babbitt loured the plant, ho mar
veled at how every scrap of wood that
went through the mills was put to use.
recalling that teepee im inorators so
familiar in Ins youth in Flagstaff. Ariz ,
were nowhere to bo seen
babbitt was particularly impressed
with a southern Oregon organization
tailed the Applegate Partnership, which
has brought together environmentalists,
timber interests, the Forest Service and
HI M to develop a plan for ivstoriug
health to a forest made sit k by mistakes
of the past
lie liked the boltom-up approach.
"The c hange can't come from t.000
miles away." Hubhitt told them as they
sat together in the small living room of a
log i abin It has to come from that point
where the i unflirt generates the i relative
response "
Geologists hope quake will warn
SAl J-:M (AP) — Geologists said
Monday they couldn't have
designed a better earthquake than
last week's to raise the public's
consciousness without inflicting
much damage.
"This was the best of all pos
sible earthquakes if we’re going
to have one," John Beaulieu,
deputy state geologist, said at a
special Senate Agriculture and
Natural Resources Committee
hearing on earthquake prepared
ness.
Beaulieu said Thursday's
quake was large enough to be
widely noticed but was centered
in a relatively isolated area.
Matthew Maybe, also of the
state Department of Geology and
Mineral Industries, said ail indi
cations are that the earthquake
occurred along the Mount Angel
fault east of Salem.
Several small earthquakes were
detected near the fan It in 1990.
he said.
"There are numerous faults of
the same type in northwestern
Oregon that could give us a repeat
or worse." Maybe said. "This is
by no means the maximum event
that we should be planning for "
He said his agency recorded
the earthquake at a magnitude of
5.6 on the Richter scale. Each
point on the scale is 10 times
stronger than the number below
it and represents as much as 35
times as much energy released.
Maybe said more titan 63 after
shocks had occurred sin< e the
earlfiquake.
Beaulieu said reinforcing struc
tures and taking other steps to
prepare for earthquakes takes
time.
"To mitigate problems is not a
quick fix," he said "We need a
long-term commitment."
The earthquake caused super
ficial damage, mainly cracks, in
the Capitol and moved the 2.1
fool high. 10-ton pioneer statue
atop the building
Officials disagree about
whether the gold statue should
be taken down.
"I urge you very strongly to gut
the gold man off the top of this
building,'* Beaulieu said.
Me said the statue, which shift
ed an eighth of un inch in the
earthquake, could crash to the
bottom inside of the building in
a stronger quake.
Hut Hill l-each, Capitol admin
istrative services manager, said
engineers have advised him to
leave the statue as is because its
weight helps stabilize the rotun
da area.
Leach said repairs to more
firmly anchor the statue are to
begin in about a week
Plane crash kills four in
Mount Hood Forest area
KSTACADA (A I*) A twin-engine plane slammed into a
mountain in the Mount Hood National Purest, killing four peo
ple. authorities said Monday
"The plane was flying hi a climbing position and did not
clear a peak at the 4,01)0 to 5.000-fool level It flew straight into
it." said Hob Girard, the search and rescue < oordmalor for the
aeronautics division of the Department of Transportation.
The 1’iper Aztec 2.1 took off from the Troutdale airport about
9 10 p in Sunday. The wrw kage was found at 12 40 p in. Mon
day by the National Guard, said Dick Meyer, a spokesman for
the Federal Aviation Administration hi Seattle
The four were identified as pilot 1-arrv Rvan of Hugeue and
his wife. Garin, and Michael and Sue laivvrence of C.orvallis.
Girard said
Crews started searching for the plane, who h did not file a
flight plan, about 5 u.m after a babysitter alerted authorities
tfiat the Corvallis couple was overdue.
The plane i rashed near the Fish Creek drainage area, about
15 miles east of Fstacada
The National Transportation Safety Hoard was investigat
ing the accident.
r* LATE
NIGHT
* WITH *
•SUBUIRV^
195* Sub!
i Buy any sub and a beverage after §
I 9 p.m. and get a sub of equal or lesser |
I value for 95*. I
I Valid at campus location |
I only through 4/30/93. Not valid with any other offer. |
1304 Hilyard. 484-6955.
OPEN UNTIL 2:00 a m. EVERY NIGHT
•SUBWAY*
Art
ns
&School
Supply
35% OFF!
GOING, GOING, GONE...
We are getting out of the poster &
fine art prints business to make
room for exciting new products.
We will continue to sell frames & mats.