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About Appeal tribune. (Silverton, Or.) 1999-current | View Entire Issue (July 28, 2021)
WEDNESDAY, JULY 28, 2021 | SILVERTONAPPEAL.COM PART OF THE USA TODAY NETWORK Oregon still working on rules to protect ag workers from smoke Dora Totoian Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK Angela Mosso and her son, Wyatt Tofte. COURTESY OF THE FAMILY A mother’s tragic story of loss Finding a way to heal after the Santiam Canyon wildfire heart, but I didn't think that was a real thing," Chris added. "I do now." Letters become lifelines Capi Lynn Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK Angela Mosso wears a compression garment under her shirt all day and night, removing it only to shower or apply oint- ment to her arms, shoulders and back. It's painful and uncomfortable, especially dur- ing an unusually hot summer, but neces- sary. Constant pressure will help reduce scar- ring from the third-degree burns she suf- fered 10 months ago during the Beachie Creek Fire in the Santiam Canyon, one of the deadliest wildfires in Oregon history. Her feet practically melted to the bone as she fled the inferno that engulfed North Fork Road, the gateway to a maze of swim- ming holes and hiking trails. They healed on their own and look almost normal today, although she has nerve damage and can't walk long distances. Burns on her back and shoulders re- quired skin grafts, and she'll soon have an- other surgery on her right arm where scar tissue limits movement. Angie knows she will physically recover, and the scars will fade. But the emotional scars are fresh and permanent. She lost her mother and only child in the wildfire. Peggy Mosso and Wyatt Tofte were the first of five canyon fatalities last Labor Day. The three were separated by smoke and flames while trying to load their car and evacuate their home in the middle of the night. Angie survived only because her long- time partner Chris Tofteignored barricades and risked his life to try to save his family. Two days later, while she was fighting for her life at the state's only burn center in Portland, 13-year-old Wyatt was found be- Wyatt Tofte and his dog Duke on a hike the day before Labor Day, when historic winds fueled the Beachie Creek Fire. COURTESY OF THE FAMILY hind the wheel of the family's Honda Civic. The car was still on the property the family rented 4 1 ⁄ 2 miles up North Fork Road. His dog Duke was draped over his lap. His 71- year-old grandmother was next to him in the front passenger seat. Once she was released from the hospi- tal, the couple retreated to the Oregon Coast, first staying at a family member's condo, then a vacation rental home. Angie has never publicly shared her sto- ry from that harrowing night. Nearly a year later, she and Chris are fro- zen in their grief. They haven't been able to make decisions about returning to work, where they might live next or if they will be ready to seek help from a counselor. "Your heart physically hurts so bad, like it's going to explode," Angie said. "If you don't try hard enough, you could just die." "People say they're dying from a broken As the story of Chris' rescue of Angie and the death of Wyatt and Peggy spread across the world, cards and letters came pouring in offering condolences, prayers and encour- agement. Chris couldn't bring himself to read any of them. It was too painful and still is. But for Angie, the messages from strang- ers, many of whom have suffered personal tragedies of their own, somehow helped when it seemed nothing could or ever would. Shoeboxes filled with hundreds of letters — she estimates more than a thousand in all — are stacked on shelves, on the dresser and in a tote. She's read each one, some multiple times. "If it wouldn't have been for their letters and all that love … " Angie said, her voice cracking. Close friend Leann Moore said the let- ters were lifelines. "Those letters, in moments of despair, saved her," Moore said. Angie writes a couple of thank yous a week, but it's doubtful she'll be able to re- spond to everyone. "I want them all to know every single one of them was seen and heard and helped with the depression and everything being gone," she said through tears. "To be uplift- ed out of that, after something so bad, I would have never thought that could have happened." Support for her and Chris, who techni- cally aren't married but have been together since they were 21, has come in many forms. A Gofundme fundraiser online has raised nearly $300,000. Gifts large and small have been delivered, from a new bed with the note "If you don't get rest, you won't heal," to homemade goat's milk soap See LOSS, Page 4A State forestry institute should be more transparent Claire Withycombe Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK You might have seen one of their ads on TV, promoting the state’s “responsi- ble forest management.” Or your child might be reading about forests in school from materials they developed. But here’s something you might not know: the group behind those ads and school materials, the Oregon Forest Re- sources Institute, is a state agency, cre- ated by law 30 years ago. And the law that created the agency requires it to “enhance and provide support for” Oregon’s forest products industry. The institute isn’t forthright with Or- egonians about its mandate to support the state’s forest products industry, state auditors said in a report released Wednesday. The Oregon Forest Products Institute “presents itself as objective, but at times oversimplifies complex forestry topics to the point of being misleading,” auditors said. They also found the insti- tute’s messages focus on “promoting simplified and biased material that fa- vors the industry.” Further, the state law that created the agency gives it “broad authority” with limited oversight, auditors said. While state law prohibits the insti- tute from spending money to influence, or try to influence, legislation or state rules, the agency has testified to the legislature advocating in support of po- tential new laws. It also registered its Vol. 140, No. 32 Online at SilvertonAppeal.com News updates: h Breaking news h Get updates from the Silverton area Photos: h Photo galleries Serving the Silverton Area Since 1880 A Unique Edition of the Statesman Journal board members and agency directors as lobbyists between 2002 and 2013, and auditors said some of its events “cov- ered controversial topic areas and may have catered to policymakers.” Reporting shines light on institute Gov. Kate Brown requested an audit of the institute last summer, after OPB, The Oregonian and ProPublica pub- lished an investigation that included a report on the institute’s activities. Head auditor Kip Memmott told reporters Wednesday morning that the Secretary of State’s office pursued the audit inde- pendently. See TRANSPARENCY, Page 3A QEAJAB-07403y ©2021 50 cents Printed on recycled paper At a Willamette Valley flower farm, C.S. spends nine hours a day, six days a week planting, growing and packaging the flowers that adorn people's tables. Nothing changed last September when smoke from the Beachie Creek and Lionshead fires started rolling into the valley, she said. The skies turned red and the air quality became hazard- ous. Her employer didn't offer to pay workers if they chose to go home, so she continued working. "The smoke doesn’t let you breathe well. My throat hurt. There was a lot of black dust I was breathing in, and dirt coming from my nose," C.S. said in Spanish. She asked that she be identi- fied by her initials. Thousands of farmworkers in the area worked in smoky conditions dur- ing last year’s Labor Day fires. Farm- worker advocates reported hearing from countless people describing headaches, nausea, loss of appetite and other smoke-related symptoms, as well as pressure to continue working in dangerous conditions. Oregon’s workplace safety agency (Oregon OSHA) is several months into developing specific rules to protect workers from future wildfire smoke, but those rules will not be completed before fall. Gov. Kate Brown ordered OSHA in March 2020 to develop rules to protect workers from heat and See SMOKE, Page 3A Oregon’s classic salmon license plate gets a colorful update Dianne Lugo Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK Oregon’s salmon license plate, first introduced in 1998, is getting an updat- ed, more colorful look, available Sept. 1. Fans of the classic salmon license plate who want it on their vehicle have until Aug. 31 to get to the Oregon DMV to register for one. The original plate, designed by Newport artist Herb Goblirsch, was first introduced by the Oregon Water- shed Enhancement Board and Oregon Parks and Recreation department in 1998, becoming one of the state’s earli- est custom plate designs. Revenue from the specialty plate has contributed over $8 million into salmon recovery, helping protect and restore native salmon habitats, ac- cording to the release announcing the new design. “When coupled with voter-dedicat- ed investments from the state’s lot- tery, this plate allows salmon sup- porters to show their true colors and invest in a worthwhile cause — healthy salmon habitat,” said Meta Loftsgaar- den, executive director of the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, in a news release. The new design comes from Gretch- en Kirchner, an amateur artist and for- mer graphic designer for the water- shed board. Kirchner drew inspiration from her 16 years in Oregon and the state’s beaches, forests, mountains and val- leys. She worked with OWEB biolo- gists to accurately represent the salmon’s details. To create the plate’s design, Kirch- ner first used watercolor pencil for the original artwork and finalized the de- sign on Adobe Illustrator and Photosh- op, according to the Oregon Salmon Plate website. “Her challenge was to create a beau- tiful and realistic portrayal of salmon native to Oregon while also meeting the design requirements for a license plate,” the website states. Residents hoping for a low-number See SALMON, Page 2A
