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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (July 16, 1998)
Senate: Harkin’s amendment fails ■ Continued from Page 1 ment which was included in the bill that passed Thursday. The amendment addressed the currently high ratio of loans to grants and tuition inflation. “We can give more and more money, but we’re not doing much good if it doesn’t decrease the net cost of tuition,” Smith said after the bill passed. "What we are trying to say to authorities is that we’re watching. ” Another amendment, which was written by Tom Harkin, failed 56-41. The Harkin Amendment would have subsidized Federal Family Education Loans. National Public Interest Research Groups had lobbied extensively for the Harkin Amendment. The Senate also passed an amendment that would enable welfare recipients to count two years of post secondary or vocational education as a work activity. The author. Sen. Paul Wellstone, D-Minn., argued that the current system discourages people from con tinuing their education for fear of losing welfare. “If we are serious as a nation about moving people from welfare to work, we must take steps to ensure that people on welfare can become economically self sufficient and this amendment does just that,” Well stone said in a written statement. Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., had his Campus Safety amendment passed, making provisions to expand the physical demarcation of campus areas for reporting campus crimes. Dam removed to help salmon snawnina Opponents fear property restrictions a nd loss of irrigation By Jeff Barnard The Associated Press MEDFORD — Armed with a green sledgehammer, Interior Sec retary Bruce Babbitt knocked the ceremonial first chunk Wednes day out of what is considered the first Northwest dam being breached to help salmon protect ed by the Endangered Species Act. Speaking over boos from 200 property-rights advocates on a nearby bridge, Babbitt said the grassroots support and consensus that grew over more than a decade into allowing Bear Creek to flow freely through the Jackson Creek Dam should serve as a model for the nation. “This is a powerful demonstra tion of what we can do,” Babbitt said. “We can find that common good. We can protect agriculture, restore this city and bring back salmon.” Standing among demonstrators, farmer Lyle Woodcock of Murphy said he was afraid protection of salmon under the Endangered Species Act will lead to restric tions on his property rights. He also said the removal of this dam could lead to removal of others that provide valuable irrigation. “This is a trivial thing here, but it’s a foot in the door,” he said. The 12-foot-tall Jackson Street Dam has diverted water from Bear Creek for the Rogue River Valley Irrigation District for 37 years. It has been blamed for blocking spawning runs of salmon and steelhead, including threatened coho salmon, during low water years and accumulating harmful silt that flows into the Rogue Riv er, one of the West’s premier salmon and steelhead rivers. While property rights advocates chanted “Go home Babbitt,” and environmentalists yelled "Let the river go,” the secretary took three swings with the sledge and knocked a pre-cut chunk of con crete out of the top of the dam. Afterward, Babbitt shook hands with Eric Ditmer, an assistant pro fessor of environmental studies at Southern Oregon University who is credited with envisioning re moval of the dam in 1986 and keeping the dream alive until it won wide support. “This is bigger than I ever thought it would be,” Ditmer said. Plans are to cut an 8-foot-deep notch in the dam and build two new steps to create a kind of stair way for fish that will be accessible even in times of low water. About 5,200 cubic yards of silt — 500 dump-truck loads — will be removed from behind the dam. When the work is completed this fall, spawning salmon and steelhead should be able to reach an additional 20 miles of spawn ing habitat that is now regularly cut off during low flows because of the poorly designed fish ladder, and silt that chokes spawning beds will be reduced. The entire project, including building a new diversion up stream in 1996 to serve irrigators, is costing about $1.8 million. This was the latest in a series of dam-removal ceremonies from Maine to California that Babbitt has taken part in to restore fish runs. On Tuesday, he knocked a chunk out of a dam on a Sacramen to River tributary near Chico, Calif. Though only a small dam on a small stream running through downtown Medford, a city of57,000 in southern Oregon, the Jackson Street Dam represents much more to people trying to reverse the de cline in Pacific salmon runs. Smith: Distance events will remain a Drioritv ■ Continued from Page 1 cused on the distance and middle events. Now, he said, he’ll have no problem focus ing on the complete package. “The 800 meters on up is the heart and soul of tradition here,” Smith said. "That’s not going to change. I will defi nitely focus on mid-distance and distance runners. There are area commitments, but we need to make trade-offs if we want a competitive track and field team.” Smith explained that he'll try to blend Oregon’s tradi tional strength in the distance events with the other events into a team capable of win ning national championships. “Oregon has the potential to win,” Smith said. “They’ve done it before. That’s a moti vational point.” One of the keys to such a level of success is making the most of the 12.6 full scholar ships allotted to track and field programs by the NCAA to recruit the nation’s best ath letes, he said. “We have to work, to stretch out the 12.6, and that’s what I plan on doing.” Smith said. “That’s what I did at Wisconsin, and at Virginia.” At Wisconsin, Smith coached 33 cross country All Americans and 39 All-Big 10 selections. “We will go after the best athletes in the country,” Smith said. “I’m committed to finding the right fit for Oregon ■ track and field. We will keep our best athletes in the state. If you can put that type of team together, then you can put yourself in a place to be high ly competitive at the national level.” Before he leaves Eugene for Wisconsin to tie up some loose ends, Smith said he plans to meet with Dellinger and each of the Oregon assis tant coaches in order to get their input on where the pro gram currently stands. “My plan right now is to sit down and talk with the entire existing staff,” Smith said. "To learn where those guys are at.” Replacing a coach as deco rated as Dellinger will not be easy, Smith said, but he thinks he will enjoy the chal lenge. Dellinger led the Ducks to 14 top-10 national finishes in his 26 years as head coach. He will remain at the Univer sity as the cross country coach this fall. “Bill has been an icon in the sport,” Smith said. "If I do one-tenth of what he’s done, I will have had a successful ca reer. Now it’s my responsibili ty to see if I can continue it, and that’s a challenge. Bottom line, that’s what everyone anxiously awaits. It will be in teresting to see how patient everybody is, but those things can’t influence me. I have a job to do. I have my own style, and I just have to do it the way that I feel is best for the team.” ONE COURSE THAT COULD CHANGE THE COURSE OF YOUR LIFE. Look forward to the future with confidence. Enroll in Army ROTC, an elective that’s different from any other college course. Army ROTC offers hands-on training. Training that gives you experience and helps build self-confidence, character and management skills. All the credentials employers look for. ROTC is open to freshmen and sophomores without obligation and requires about four hours per week. It will put your life on a whole new course. Find out more. Call CPT Rich Lewis. University of Oregon ROTC, 346-3102. 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