Appeal Tribune Wednesday, August 23, 2017 3B
Canyon views
Drug possession
charge is eased
Eclipse lessons encourage
student interest in science
Your Turn
DAN VASEN
Experiencing
the
Great American Eclipse
was a once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity, but long af-
ter the shadow has faded,
it’s still likely to leave a
lasting impression on
children, and hopefully inspire them to
learn more about science.
Many in the scientific community
think it will, and feel this week’s total so-
lar eclipse is equivalent to the Apollo Lu-
nar Landing on the moon for our young-
er generation of today.
Previous eclipses have assisted sci-
entists in many ways since the
mid-1800s, including the discovery of
helium, and testing Albert Einstein’s
theory of relativity. If the eclipse
prompts some of today’s students to
study science, imagine the contribu-
tions they might make in the future?
The Chair of the International As-
tronomical Union’s Working Group on
Solar Eclipses, Jay Pasachoff, put it this
way: “The most important scientific out-
come from this year’s eclipse may be
more fundamental: inspiring a 7- or 8-
year-old girl or boy somewhere to enter
a career of science, perhaps even lead-
ing to a fantastically wonderful discov-
ery 20 or 30 years from now.”
Learning about space has been a life-
long hobby of mine. In 1979, the year of
the last total solar eclipse to cross over
Oregon, I was a sixth-grader in Southern
California and my dad would take me to
visit the famous Griffith Observatory
which had a large solar telescope. I also
remember my seventh-grade science
teacher who inspired me to pursue a ca-
reer in science.
When I started teaching science 22
years ago at a brick and mortar high
school in Portland, I never imagined I
would be spending part of my summer
vacation camping out in Central Oregon
to observe this epic astronomical event.
Have a topic, issue or viewpoint pertinent to
Silverton or the east Willamette Valley you
would like to share? The Silverton Appeal
Tribune welcomes letters to the editor up to
250 words, or submissions to the Your Turn
section, from 600 to 750 words, on topics of
broader interest.
Contact Justin Much at 503-508-8157 or
jmuch@salem.gannett.com.
When my tenth school year at Oregon
Connections Academy starts this fall I’ll
have plenty of ecliptic show-and-tell ma-
terial to share with students and staff.
If families had a chance to observe
the eclipse from a location in the path of
totality or watched it live on TV or
streamed online, their children will cer-
tainly benefit. When kids see scientific
phenomenon like the eclipse happening
in the real world, it helps them make
connections to what they learned in
school.
Although the eclipse is over, for
many children their interest in the uni-
verse may have just begun. This rare so-
lar spectacle offers many teachable mo-
ments that teachers, parents and stu-
dents can refer to for years to come.
The timing for this eclipse corre-
sponds nicely with back-to-school sea-
son and children will be energized to
learn more about science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics (STEM)
education.
Not only can children explore STEM
concepts, such as mathematical calcula-
tions to predict future eclipses, but they
can also integrate history, art, writing,
and other disciplines into eclipse educa-
tion. Try a tasty experiment using Oreo
cookies to demonstrate the phases of the
moon, or ask your student(s) to write a
letter to themselves about their eclipse
story and put it in a time capsule not to
be opened until the next total solar
ANDREW SELSKY
ASSOCIATED PRESS
A bill signed by Oregon Gov. Kate
Brown on Aug. 15 makes personal-use
possession of cocaine, heroin, metham-
phetamine and other drugs a misde-
meanor, not a felony.
Oregon joined just a handful of other
U.S. states in defelonizing drugs under
the new law, which was supported by
law enforcement groups and takes ef-
fect immediately.
Jo Meza, owner of Amazing Treat-
ment, a rehab center in Salem, applaud-
ed the move. She has seen the damage
caused by drug addiction in her 30
years in the field.
“There’s a huge crisis out there, and
locking people up is not going to work,”
Meza said.
Looking to kick their addictions, pa-
tients ascended a flight of stairs into
Amazing Treatment, located above a
Mexican restaurant and a barber shop
in downtown Salem.
Inside the center, someone had
drawn a syringe on a whiteboard with
the words “No more.” Above that was a
quote by philosopher Friedrich Nietz-
sche: “Many are stubborn in pursuit of
the path they have chosen, few in pur-
suit of the goal.”
Meza said imprisoning first-time of-
fenders with limited or non-existent
treatment opportunities is not a solu-
tion. But the goal can be achieved with
treatment for six months to a year with
support from recovering addicts and
training in how to remove oneself from
the environment that led to the drug
abuse, like a circle of addicted friends
or relatives, she said.
Among the bill’s supporters were
the Oregon Association Chiefs of Police
and the Oregon State Sheriffs’ Associa-
tion, which said felony convictions in-
clude unintended consequences, in-
cluding barriers to housing and em-
ployment. But the two groups, in a let-
ter to a state senator who backed the
bill, said the new law “will only produce
positive results if additional drug treat-
ment resources accompany this
change in policy.”
eclipse comes in 2024.
You don’t have to be a rocket scientist
to research this rare solar spectacle, cit-
izen scientists can also get in on the fun.
NASA recently launched a new Global
Learning and Observations to Benefit
the Environment (GLOBE) program
(observer.globe.gov) so people around
the world can collect data about the
Earth’s atmosphere.
The NASA Eclipse Ballooning Pro-
ject also involved students across the
country, including several from Silver-
ton, North Medford, and Tigard High
Schools. Special high-altitude balloons
equipped with cutting edge technology
collected images and atmospheric mea-
surements. See the results at
eclipsemega.movie.
The new Building on the Eclipse Edu-
cation Program sponsored by Astrono-
mers Without Borders has many hands-
on
STEM
activities
(astronomerswithoutborders.org) for
families, as does the American Astrono-
mical Society (eclipse.aas.org) and the
National Science Teachers Association
(nsta.org). These excellent resources
can help you to continue the conversa-
tion with your child about science and
related topics long after the eclipse it-
self.
I hope families keep the eclipse
learning momentum going while the ce-
lestial experience is still fresh. Who
knows? Maybe this eclipse could be a de-
fining moment for Oregon students.
I would love to see a sixth-grader at
Oregon Connections Academy walk
across the stage on graduation day sev-
en years from now planning to major in
astrophysics in college, just in time to
chase the next total solar eclipse cross-
ing over North America.
Dan Vasen, of Corbett, is an Oregon
Connections Academy elementary
school assistant principal. For informa-
tion about the school or to reach Vasen,
visit www.OregonConnectionsAcade-
my.com or call 800-382-6010.
Canyon views
In light of Whitewater Fire, some policies need changes
ROB FRERES
The fire near Mt. Jef-
ferson began when a light-
ning-struck tree fell to the
ground, igniting fuel on
July 23.
As of Aug. 14, over
6,500 acres have burned
both inside and outside of the Federally
designated Wilderness area. Nearly
$12,000,000 has been spent on fire sup-
pression since its inception.
Freres Timber, Inc. owns 1,400 acres
within a mile of the fire. Strong east
winds could cause devastating damage
to our timber. The U.S. Forest Service
granted permission to remove “hazard-
ous fuels” from our firebreak.
Freres personnel and our contractors
quickly jumped into action cutting a 75-
to 100-foot firebreak along roads and
property lines. Contractors Bob Ward
and Cory Callsen made valiant efforts to
protect this land. They worked as much
as 32 consecutive hours on two separate
occasions.
Ziglinski and Derrick cutting crews
fell timber for nine hours per day. Sieg-
mund Excavation & Construction used
their steep slope harvesting equipment
and dozers to create fire lines. Freres
road crew and Lulay Timber personnel
ran additional dozers. Everyone worked
in extreme heat and smoke.
There are too many heroes to recog-
nize at this time. More than 100 log truck
loads were shipped in three days; with
loading beginning at 2 a.m. and trucks re-
quired to hit Highway 22 by 1 p.m. The
Freres family extends its heartfelt grat-
itude to everyone who helped protect our
timberland in this time of need.
Last week, I contacted Congressman
Schrader and Walden, and Senator Wy-
den to express our view that firefighting
policies in statutory wilderness areas
need to be changed—all means neces-
sary should be allowed to fight fires in
wilderness areas to minimize the size
and expense of future wildfires.
The Whitewater lightning strike oc-
curred four weeks before firefighters
were dispatched. The fire could have
been addressed before it required the
multimillion-dollar response that is on-
going.
Rob Freres is the executive vice presi-
dent of Freres Lumber Company in Ly-
ons.
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