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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 6, 1994)
r Smokey Bear needs to rewrite his slogan Finally recognizing a need that has been blatantly obvious for years, the U.S. Forest Service is now attempt ing to alter its fire-fighting and logging practices to help prevent major wildfires from occurring. At a congressional hearing on Tuesday, Assistant Agri culture Secretary James Lyons said that the Forest Ser vice would be shifting more emphasis to "salvage log ging," the removal of dead timber, in order to reduce the amount of fuel available for a forest fire. The Forest Service is also planning to thin out some dense stands of forest, which are more susceptible to fires, and even light some small fires deliberately in an effort to further reduce the amount of combustible mate rial lying on forest floors. The now policies are a dramatic departure from the "extinguish all fires" mentality that has characterized the Forest Service’s fire prevention strategy for decades. 'I hat attitude has left forests full of dead trees and oth er combustible material, which has led to forest fires much larger, hotter and uncontrollable than would oth erwise naturally occur. Every summer, states throughout the West are ravaged by blazes that wipe out half a forest. This summer, 14 firefighters (many of who were from Oregon) were killed while fighting a fire in Colorado. The costs of continuing the old policy are high. The solutions being adopted by the Forest Service carry a high price tag as well, (the Congressional Research Ser vice estimates the cost at $250 an acre for about 14 mil lion acres in the West) but at least they would be ground ed in good science. That good science requires a more moderate set of policies than have existed in the past. The new policy should not. and realistically could not, remove all dead materials from the forest. Fallen trees and other dead material have been shown to be a valuable part of the forest ecosystem, providing food and shelter to some forms of life that otherwise could not survive. And the policy should not, and assuredly would not, let all Fires burn uncontrolled, either. Some fires must be fought, to save lives and property. Although a forest fire allowed to burn or intentionally set may appear to be destroying property, it will benefit both forests and for est industries in the long run. by helping to eliminate more massive fires. Besides, some studies have shown that a tree can sur vive a forest fire, if there isn’t too much dead fuel around for the fire to consume. If the forest has been regularly cleared of combustible waste by periodic burning, as occurs in nature thanks to lightning storms, fires may burn out or move on before destroying the ontire forest. Perhaps Smokey Boar should change his slogan. “Only you can prevent forest fires. Only we can start them on purpose." 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Men G«1on. Gar, Greaa. S«M> Mendareon. *»,, Hervy Trevor Kearney. Adam Keefer Mart UcTyre B«i Mo<*»u» Anne Moser KomlaM. Sborry Haney Hobtoe Reeve* Ut SMccoaa Paul Vet S«*le. Ken w<»s* Darvei West Bren Worn a* Oaneral Manager: Judy Recti Advertlting Director Mart Wane Production Manager: Mere* Roes Advertlelng: Marco Chmg Tony To*. I'm Harsher. Nrcoi* Merrmarh. Jeremy Mason Mchael IA*ot!e. Sarah MtcheB Tom Mctetstaac*. Kelsey Wetea Claeaifled: Betty Mrvcnan! Manager Sen T/e Tec* Dlttrlbutlon: John Long. Terenc Rafcoch. Itegm* Z 14rA Bueineea: Kathy Carbone. Supervisor Judy Connotty Production. Dehha McCobb. Production CoorcAnetor Shawn* Abel*. Greg Desmond Tara GauHney. Brad Joss Jerwter Roland. Nan Thangwyit. Dayton Vee Office H6-SS12 u<K><»V AOV^fTlUng. Cl«Min#d Adv«rtt»mg _346-4M3 DW ON AWVM-. ■ OPINION News I didn’t want to hear DamdThorn itrly Monday murmtvg, mi 18-year-old high school J—Jsenior was shot in the head while ho was sleoping at his homo in west Eugene Police said that the student. Aaron Iturra, was a "document ed gang affiliate" with a criminal record It is not yet known who is responsible for the killing, if the rnurderer(s) are members of a gang, it would be the first fatal incident of gang violent e in the city's history This was news I didn't want to hoar Not in my hometown. You see. I grew up in Eugene. I graduated from Willamette High School, the same school Iturra was attending when he was killed. When I was a junior, I wrote an editorial for 7'/ie Wolverine, Willamette's newspaper In it, I warned the city not to (relieve it was "too small or too white" to have a problem with gang vio lence. That was in 1991. when the first obvious signs of gang activ ity started showing up as modem hieroglyphics, spray-painted on freeway overpasses and railroad boxcars. But even as I was admonishing the city to keep its guard up against the arrival of gangs, I nev er really believed it would hap pen. There was always something inside me that kept humming some Pollyanna mantra: “Cmon," it said “This is Eugene.” That mantra was silenced Monday afternoon, as I heard of Hurra's murder. To the credit of the police, they have been warning us about gangs for years. It was a police presentation that prompted me to write that editorial, which I now realize. I didn't really believe in. But few people seemed to be listening Over time, schools drafted gang policies and started working closely with the police, but the community at large seemed to pay little attention. Thu.year after I left Willamette, a student was busted for having a gun in his locker Although that incident had nothing to do with a gang, it should have been a hint that the potential for serious youth violence was growing. And when a student was shut and wounded at Sweet Homo High School earlier this fall, and another was injured in a stabbing at Thurston High School a week later, I should have been pre pared for someone to get killed. Hut I wasn't. When 1 went to Willamette, things were different When someone had a problem with someone else, that person would just pick a light in the locker hay. A teacher usually intervened before anyone's nose got blood ied — not always, but usually. It wasn't exactly civil, but it did gut the point across, While that kind of confronta tion may still take place, there is now a whole new level. And it's a disturbing portent of things to come Or rather, things that am already here. Monday's killing was u savage act of violence. And while it might not lie gang-related at all. I have a sick feeling that it was. Portland has 400 drivo-by shootings a year, and that city's first gang fatality came only five veins ago Will we I* in that same position five years from today? It goes without saying that I hope it doesn't come to that. I just wish I knew what can lie done to prevent it. The police have some ideas about that, of course And I'm sure there are high stihool admin istrators and teachers who have suggestions, as well. The Eugene School District has implemented a dress code that prohibits gang clothing. Sugges tions to that effect have been made at Willamette and other area high schools. I'm sure But 1 don't think a dress (.ode will make any different* at all. Eor one thing. I don't know what constitutes gang apparel, and I don't think there's a hard and fast definition. Do we outlaw tho color blue? Red? Get real Besides, a gang's worst behavior is likely to l>e outside of school, anyway. What about installing metal detectors or hiring more security guards? That may curb violence at the schools themselves, but it will do nothing to stop crimes that happen off school grounds. A metal detector wouldn't have kept Iturra's killer from creeping into the converted garage he used as a bedroom. Some people have described the killing as a “wake-up call." It certainly was for me. But there's an ironic twist to that — a twist with tragic implications. If Iturra's murder just creates an atmosphere of fear, it could result in even more violence. When someone is killed, the nat ural reaction is to prepare to defend yourself. Too often that means arming yourself, or ally ing yourself with someone who is armed. That’s practically the definition of a gang. That must not be allowed to happen here. We need to find a middle ground between denial and counter-productive fear. T hem needs to be a community wide commitment to preventing gangs and youth violent*. There must l>e adequate fund ing for the police department to effectively investigate — and when appropriate, punish — youth crime. And because boredom is a tx>n tributing factor to gang formation, there must be enough money for schools to keep the curriculum interesting and the extra-curric ular activities up and running. Places like Looking Glass and the Youth Connection Teen Cen ter must continue to provide ser vices for young people, and get the money necessary to do so. People must be on the lookout for crime, and not ignore it because it isn’t happening to them Because someday, it just might. All this and more will lie need ed if we are to keep youth vio lence from escalating here, as it has in so many other places. Not in my hometown. Cmon. This is Eugene. David Thorn is managing editor for the Emerald.
