Applegater Spring 2017
21
OPINIONS
Behind the Green Door
Community face-off
BY CHRIS BRATT
Near the end of 2016, I attended
two very long public hearings about
the proposed expansion of the Cascade-
Siskiyou National Monument east of
Ashland, Oregon (Applegate’s backyard).
Both meetings attracted hundreds of
people who listened to many speakers
taking turns arguing for or against the
proposed monument expansion.
Of course, I spoke in support
of the monument’s expansion (only two
minutes were allowed for each person
because so many people wanted to
speak) along with many other monument
supporters. We advocates for expansion
believe that “The Cascade Siskiyou
National Monument is an ecological
wonder, with biological diversity
unmatched in the Cascade Range...a
biological crossroads...the interface of
the Cascade, Klamath and Siskiyou
Ecoregions in an area of unique geology,
biology, climate and topography” (taken
from the first words of the June 2000
proclamation establishing the Cascade-
Siskiyou National Monument by
President Clinton).
The opposition, in voicing some
of its main objections, cited a lack of public
disclosure, findings, or implications of
expanding the monument. In addition,
some opponents claimed that the
president lacks authority under the 1906
Antiquities Act to include Oregon and
California Lands Act (1937) forestlands
in any monument designation. All three
Jackson County commissioners, who,
prior to the hearings, had already gone on
record opposing the expansion, suggested
that Jackson County was not included
in the planning process. As anyone can
imagine, these were large, controversial
hearings where many strong, diverse
opinions were expressed from both sides
of the expansion issue.
Ordinarily, I welcome
differences of opinion on how our
public lands and monuments should be
managed. But these two public hearings
had a different tenor. I was struck by
how many of the opponents had such
outspoken fear, anger, and distrust of
the expansion supporters and processes.
These voices of resentment were aimed
at stopping a legal planning process and
the president’s power to expand our local
landmark national monument.
Many speakers in opposition of
the expansion called it a backroom deal
to “lock up” these public lands. There
were strong innuendos expressed that
portrayed supporters as land-grabbing
Industrial cannabis production
is not good for the Applegate
BY TAYLOR STARR
I have called the Applegate Valley
home for the past 15 years. In that time,
I have come to love its clean water, dark
night skies, bountiful farmlands, and
rural charm. I love its people and the
spirit of care and community that makes
it a safe and supportive place to live,
work, and raise a family. And yet many
of the things that many of us love about
this unique place are at risk.
It would be difficult not to notice
the changes that are currently impacting
our valley. With the legalization of
commercial cannabis production in
2014 and the influx of industrial grows,
there have been many accompanying
negative impacts. These grows are largely
bankrolled by out-of-state corporations
and implemented with little regard for
neighbors, streams, or wildlife. The
construction of giant greenhouses on
gravel pads degrades our best agricultural
land while raising its price astronomically
due to the influx of corporate cash.
If we turn our best farmland into
fields of gravel unaffordable to most
inhabitants, how will we provide for our
community’s food security and maintain
our agricultural way of life?
The impacts don’t stop there,
however. These giant greenhouses are
heated, lighted, and cooled with massive
amounts of electricity, mimicking the
sun and wind while producing bright
lights, constant noise, and pollution.
At a recent Williams Town Council
meeting, neighbors of an industrial
grow with 14 greenhouses eloquently
described the obliteration of peace and
quiet that they had enjoyed for decades
in their rural residential neighborhood.
Their description of industrial fans just
feet from their property line emitting
deafening noise 24 hours a day for
months on end was heartrending.
Industrial or poorly managed outdoor
grows can also be extremely detrimental
to adjacent rivers and streams through
runoff and erosion. Growers also use an
array of harmful chemicals to combat
molds, mites, and pests, leading to
chemical contamination of both the
environment and the final product. At
the same time, the traffic created by
large crews of workers contributes to the
growing level of unsafe conditions on our
small rural roads.
The irony is that folks have been
organically growing cannabis here for
decades on a small scale with minimal
impact to neighbors or the environment.
Indoor, energy-intensive, noise-and-
light creating industrial activity is not
appropriate for the Applegate. It does not
rely on our climate or soils for its success.
In fact, it would be more appropriate
for an industrial-zoned site in Medford
or White City, close to distribution
channels, labor, and power.
Cannabis is a naturally resilient
and productive plant that thrives in our
climate; why not grow it outdoors on
family-scale farms with organic practices
and minimal impacts? The Applegate
could be a model of sustainable cannabis
production with a profitable, marketable,
special-interest groups that are not
well represented by the people living in
southern Oregon.
Nor were there any kind words
for the Bureau of Land Management
(which is managing the monument),
the two US senators from Oregon,
or the City Councils of Ashland and
Talent because of their support of the
monument expansion. Ironically, I heard
only one person use unfriendly words
about the outstanding ecological and
other non-commodity values present in
the monument. Though the monument
area does have unmatched biodiversity
and wildlife habitat worth protecting, the
opposition couldn’t find one redeeming
factor in all its allegations.
Well, despite all the
accusations and deceptive railing
against the expansion by opponents, a
larger monument has become a reality. In
January 2017, President Obama used his
power under the federal Antiquities Act
to approve a more limited expansion—
47,624 acres rather than 66,500 acres.
(See expansion map on page 20.)
But my guess is that all of the
opposition’s misleading language that was
expressed at these hearings will continue
in other public land debates across
t h e We s t a n d
the nation. Also,
Chris Bratt
the deceptive
rationale being used by opponents that
contends that we who support protecting
public lands and monument-worthy
areas are “locking up” these lands is
just plain nonsense. How can an area
be locked up if all visitors are free to
enter and enjoy the conservation and
recreational designations? How can an
area be locked up if locals can continue
to use the area for grazing their cattle or
other granted entitlements? In reality,
it has been the timber, mining, and
ranching industries that have kept much
of our public land locked up for decades.
Many local environmentalists will
always be working to promote protection
for ecologically integrated lands like
this monument. Perhaps better choices
could be made if we could bring multiple
perspectives to find solutions to the
expanding cultural challenges. It’s not
too soon for our dissident communities
to talk about cooperation and common
cause on issues instead of continued
resistance to seeking new opportunities
for agreement.
Chris Bratt
541-846-6988
and community-friendly industry, or we
could become an overcrowded, greed-
driven, and polluted place that barely
resembles the home we love.
These industrial grows will continue
to proliferate if citizens don’t take a
stand and reject them. We are not
powerless to watch our valley’s rural
character be irrevocably changed. County
government is working on regulations
for cannabis that address light, noise,
pollution, traffic, and other impacts. If
you are concerned by the developments
in your neighborhood, come to a town
or county meeting and express your
support for sensible standards. Write a
letter to the editor, and organize with
your neighbors to express your concerns.
If you are a landowner, consider a
conservation easement or restrictive
covenant on your property to protect
it from future degradation. If you are
a consumer, educate your friends and
dispensary about the benefits of outdoor
organic cannabis for the environment
and your health. And if you are a grower,
inform yourself about best practices
for cannabis production that mitigate
impacts, and then act in good faith to
grow conscientiously.
The Applegate has experienced
many changes over the years, and yet
its rural character has persevered. It has
remained a place defined not just by its
beauty, peace, and quiet, but also by
its caring community of folks looking
out for each other in times good and
bad. Unless we come together now as a
community to define how we want to
protect this character, it may be lost.
Taylor Starr
farmertaylor@yahoo.com
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