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About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 14, 1996)
News [Feature The Clackamas Print Wednesday, February 14,1996 8 ■NEWS IN BRIEF Students aid in Energy Conservation Brad Zimmerman Assistant Feature Editor The Associated Student Goverment’s Student Services Committee is working in coop eration with Portland-based Community Energy Inc. on the “Community Energy Conser vation” project. The project is being coor dinated by Brinda Fearn, an ASG volunteer senator, and Helen Dunlap, head of the Stu dent Services Committee. Dunlap said that the goal of the project is to assist in the winterization of homes of the poor and elderly, who could not otherwise afford to do so. Mike Caudle, ASG Presi dent said that, “people’s needs are especially definitive right now due to the extreme weather conditions.” Community Energy Inc, will inform people of the tech niques useful in winterizing homes. Anyone who wishes to vol unteer his or her time should register at CC 140 as soon as possible, so ASG can make sure everyone has transporta tion to and from the class. The project is running on Saturday, Feb. 17, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mills visits Clackamas after surgery Amy K. Hanson Managing Editor Ed Mills, economics in structor, visited friends at the college yesterday on his first day out since he underwent double-by-pass open-heart sur gery on January 19. Everyday, Mills is getting healthier and stronger and is looking forward to teaching in England this Spring. He intends to teach at the American Institute of Foreign Study, in London England as he was one of the three Oregon instructors chosen out of a field of 18. Mills will return to teach ing at Clackamas in the fall of 1996. Are you involved in an activity, club, special event or just have any ideas that you would like to see in thé paper? If YES, please submit your suggestions to The Clackamas Print in Barlow 104, ext. 2309 or by e-mail CCCprint@dackamas Information Technology Services finds temporary home in Fireside lounge Paul Ulmen Staff Writer Students returning after Christmas break were dismayed to find the fireside student lounge taken over by I.T.S. Judging from the logo on the door, some mistakenly thought this was some off-campus group renting the lounge for a period of time. Who is I.T.S.? I.T.S. stands for Information Technology Ser vices. They are the people who have been working hard to bring us e-mail and the Internet. Since the offices they will occupy are under construction, they needed a temporary place to work. According to Chief Infor mation Officer Paul Rothi, ASG President Mike Caudle asked per mission to use the lounge for a short period of time. Because the construction is taking longer than planned, they are still there, trying to do two jobs at both Barlow and Clairmont. “To my understanding, that’s the hold-up. They were supposed to be out by Feb. 1,” said Caudle. Some students have voiced their frustrations to Caudle about not being able to use the lounge. Checking into it, Caudle dis covered that the room was origi nally to be used as an employee lounge, not by the students. The Help Center used it for a while. After they moved out and the employees were no longer using it, the students were allowed ac cess when Caudle became ASG President last year. It is not only the students that are frustrated, but the I.T.S. sup port staff as well. “The department has worked hard to get students the technol ogy as quickly as they could,” said Scott Branscum, network analyst/ micro-computer technician. Branscum feels because of some students' complaints, they have gotten a lot of bad publicity, especially from The Print. “Like being at the bottom of the totem-pole,” said Branscum. He and others at I.T.S. feel the only recognition they have gotten are numerous complaints and very little thanks. Some of the students' com plaints were that since staff had ' See I.T.S. page 9 Taking a trip through the Death Valley Paul Ulmen Staff Writer Each year Geology/Biology Instructor John Snively takes stu dents on tours to Death Valley, California. The following is a his tory and description of the valley. In 1849 a party of lost emi grants got stuck in the valley for about three months and suffered intently. Some members of the party escaped by climbing the sheer cliffs of the Panamint Mountains, hiked to Los Angeles and brought back a rescue party. As they left, one of them turned and waved saying "Good-bye, Death Valley,” thus giving the valley its name. The valley, which is over 100 miles in length and four to 16 miles wide, is formed by the sink ing of fault-block-mountains that leave high peaks and a sunken desert basin. The steep cliffs of the Panamint Mtns, border the west and the Amargosa Range is on the east forming the valley run ning roughly north and south. This makes it one of the largest national parks in the lower U.S. Death Valley holds the dis tinction of being the hottest, dri est and lowest place in elevation in the U.S. Cooler air is prevented from reaching the valley because of the high Panamint mountain ranges on its borders. Any air mass that gets there is very dry while the snow line is 11,000 feet high. Annual rain fall per year is about one and a half inches. Be sides being (fry it is also extremely hot during summer months. The hottest temperature ever recorded was 134 degrees Fahrenheit in the shade at “Furnace Creek Ranch” where dates are grown. Death Valley is also known for its high salt content. During the glacial period melting ice from the Sierra Nevadas filled the valley and formed a series of lakes, some 60 feet deep; The lakes eventually drained into each go there at the hottest time of sea son and the tourist season makes more money than at any other time of year. Another unusual item of in terest in the valley are the "mov ing boulders.” Three hundred pound boulders appear to move by themselves. Trails are left in the sand behind the rocks giving the indication that they have been moved. Although no one has seen it happen it is a theory that under certain conditions, such as wet sand and powerful winds, the winds propel the boulders across the surface almost as if they were bowling balls. In spite of the hostile envi- ■ ronment and dry conditions, the 4 discovery of gold,, borax and other Geology Instructor, John Snively takes student groups on tour of Death Valley each year. other and then lastly into Death Valley itself. Erosion also filled in the valley with 600 feet of gravel. As the water evaporated, salts in the water that flowed into it became more concentrated and were eventually deposited. Over the next 10,000 years, the lake dried leaving salts that formed over 36 types of borate minerals. At a place called Badwater, the water is not only hot but is so salty that only bacteria can live. As the prehistoric lakes evaporated, they left salt flats at the lower areas where nothing grows. Higher up the valley floors where it is not as salty, cacti, poppies, mesquite and coarse grass can survive. Mes quite has a very long tap root that extends down to the water table and the early pioneers used it to help them find water. Badwater also holds the distinction of be ing the lowest place in the U.S. by being 282 feet below sea level. Another unusual fact about this hellish spot is that in spite of its dryness, scratching a few inches under the surface one can uncover the water table. Because of this there are a number of plants that can adapt to the arid ity and six percent salt content of the water and grow here. Some of them are rare plant specimens. Usually this much salt would suck the flow of water right out of most normal plants. The creo sote bush is one bush that is able to adapt, as well as mesquite and Joshua tree. Numerous species of lizards also adapt and live in the debris at the base of Joshua trees. After the spring rains water the parched ground, numerous wild flowers spring to life form ing a vast array of color. This is the best time of year to visit when all the different types of wildflow ers and exotic plants are in full bloom. Because of the heat Death Valley used to be closed during the summer, but now tour busses T he C lackamas P ut ■ minerals finally tamed the valley in the 1 870’s. Development fi- , nally took place in 1880 when the famous 20-mule teams hauled the crude borax ore in huge wagons to Mojave to be smelted. At one time a very large steam engine was used to replace the mules that were used to haul the wagons on the 200 mile trip to Mojave. But it was too much for the steam engine's boiler and it exploded. In order to smelt the borax ore, special kilns were constructed that used charcoal. 750 miners clear cut the mountains to provide the wood from which to make to make charcoal. To this day these kilns are considered to be some of the best charcoal kilns in the country. Some of the stories about the mule teams and borax mining were made famous in the TV se ries “Death Valley Days” hosted by an actor that would later be come president of the United States, Ronald Reagan. Anyone interested in going with a group to Death Valley can contact John Snively in the geol ogy department. He promises not to leave anyone there. stake WISHES EVERYONE A H appy V alentine ' s D ay !’!!
