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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 19, 2003)
Sen. Smith vows help for logging Outstanding awards set for Saturday U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Ore.) did not attend the logging rally on Friday, Feb. 14, but made his support of efforts to keep Rough & Ready Lumber Co. open known in a letter, portions of which were read. In the letter, he acknowl- edged the effect of the Biscuit Fire on Illinois Valley and the importance of forest manage- ment. “Over the past decade, over 160 mills have been closed in Oregon and over 30,000 family wage jobs were lost. This trend must not only end, it must be reversed,” Smith wrote. Smith also wrote about some of the initiatives, includ- ing improvements to forest fuels reduction projects, that will help. “While I am optimistic about the success of these ini- tiatives, I am also aware of the immediate need to deliver tim- ber volume to the Illinois Val- ley. As such, I will do all that I can to accelerate the reha- bilitation of the Biscuit Fire site,” he continued. Smith also made his feel- ings known during a Senate hearing on Thursday, Feb. 13, in which he said he “cannot allow (Rough & Ready) this mill and its workers to be drawn into that statistic (of Oregon losing 30,000 jobs to mills being closed), and into the failed forest policies that this Administration has vowed to correct.” cally honored before their fel- low students during a school assembly. However, the 46th recipient, whose name Bailey did not want revealed until the award presentation, will be honored on Thursday, Feb. 20 during a Selma town meeting. The meeting will be held at the former Selma Elemen- tary School gym at 7 p.m. “It makes me feel good to see the smiles on their faces when they receive the award,” Bailey, STAR program direc- tor, said, noting that the stu- dents’ proud parents always make a point of coming to the presentations. Announcement of the Illi- nois Valley Chamber of Com- merce “Outstanding Citizen” and “Outstanding Business” for exemplary service during 2002 will be made on Satur- day, Feb. 22. Winners, as chosen by secret balloting by chamber directors, will be announced during the chamber’s annual meeting. It will begin at 1 p.m. in Wild River Brewing & Pizza Co. in Cave Junction. Business nominees: *Illinois Valley Fire Dis- trict/Illinois Valley Volunteer Firefighters Association. *Oregon Caves Chevron. *Radio Station KLDR, Grants Pass. *Taylor’s Sausage Coun- try Store. Citizen nominees: *Rochelle Desser. *Jessica Krska. *T. Lund. *Dan McLeod. Fire District/Volunteers Sonny Moore, of Sonrise Tile, nominated the fire dis- trict and its volunteers “for their total, selfless commit- ment to every person in the valley. They have year after year responded 24/7 to all our sicknesses, car accidents, cats in trees, and just about any- thing under the Sun,” Moore wrote. He added, “It is truly humbling to know and con- sider many of these fine, out- standing people as friends, and is such a blessing to have a fire district within our com- munity. “When it comes to service or responding to fires,” wrote Moore, “our fire district and its volunteers stand out as the finest.” Oregon Caves Chevron “This business, co-owned by Jeff and Karen Stiles, has always opened its station for car washes for all who ask,” noted nominator Dan McLeod, of I.V. Little League. “They are ready to help with donations, and their openness to let (people) hang flyers” is appreciated, wrote McLeod, who is an employee at the service station. Radio Station KLDR The station was nomi- nated by Bob Rodriguez, of “Illinois Valley News.” He noted that although the busi- ness cannot be chosen as win- ner, because it is not a cham- ber member, that it deserves some kind of recognition for the community service it per- formed during the Biscuit Fire last year. The station and its sister facility, KAJO, broadcast sev- eral community meetings about the fire. They also pro- vided the valley constant up- dates on the fire situation. And for a two-week pe- riod, during the height of the Biscuit Fire, when the valley faced possible evacuation, the stations were on the air 24 hours a day. Taylor’s Sausage The longtime valley busi- ness received two nomina- tions, one by an anonymous (Continued on page 12) (Continued on page 3) Effect noted Pending closure of Rough & Ready Lumber Co. will have a direct and significant effect on Cave Junction and Josephine County. Approximately 145 mill jobs will be lost. In addition, another 15 jobs in the office are at risk, as are another ap- proximately 60 jobs tied to Rough & Ready through log- ging, trucking and lumber/ chip hauling. If a fair estimate of lost wages and benefits is $35,000 per employee, the direct effect to the economy could be $5.7 million annually. As mill principals Fred Krauss and John Krauss said in a press release of Dec. 4, “No meaningful public timber volume has been sold since the mid-1990s.” This statement is true of the Siskiyou National Forest, as it is throughout the Pacific Northwest. Compare this lack of a timber sale program with the figures for forest growth put by the U.S. Forest Ser- vice’s Region 6 in a document dated Oct. 15, 2002. The Siskiyou National Forest is credited with net merchantable board feet growth on 866,373 acres of 833 million board feet -- or .00498 percent of total mer- chantable growth. Is it any wonder to anyone that our national forests are choking to death from fiber growth, and prone to catastro- phic stand-replacement fires? (Editor’s Note: The preceding appeared in a Grants Pass Cham- ber newsletter.) Approximately 150 persons turned out for a protest rally at the forest service office in Cave Junction (Photo by Sam Newton) R&R rally urges salvage logging now Burned timber in Biscuit Fire area could save valley lumber mill if approval is expedited By SAM NEWTON Describing what was on the minds of many, Jim Nolan, People For the USA (PFUSA) committee chair- man/Deer Creek Grange #371 and organizer of a rally for salvage logging noted that the Biscuit Fire caused more dam- age in three months than 140 years of logging. Standing in the bed of a pickup truck, Nolan, delivered the opening speech. His comments were met with applause by those attend- ing the rally, many of whom carried signs that included: *“Repeal the Northwest Forest Plan.” *“Cut the burnt trees now.” *“Stop the Kalmiopsis Wilder-waste.” *“4 billion board feet up in smoke - log it now.” These sentiments were a few of many on signs carried by approximately 150 Rough & Ready Lumber Co. employ- ees and other concerned citi- zens who attended a lively three-hour protest rally that began at 11 a.m. in front of the U.S. Forest Service’s (USFS) Illinois Valley Ranger District office in Downtown Cave Junction on Valentine’s Day, Friday, Feb. 14. Talks by invited speakers were received with enthusias- tic applause and cheers. A number of participants stood along Hwy. 199 with signs, and many passers-by honked or waved to show support. The rally began with mu- sic performed by Steve Mar- tin; and an opening “Loggers Prayer,” read by Katherine Van Tuyl, secretary for PFUSA/Grange #835 of Sac- ramento. Nolan began by explain- ing the purpose of the rally. He said that it was aimed at making politicians, USFS, and concerned people aware that the completion time of the Biscuit Fire Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is un- acceptable, and that something needs to be done, before the timber burned during the fire is no longer usable due to bug infestation, rot and time. “I pushed hard to get the information out to our repre- sentatives in Washington,” he said. “The good thing is,” Nolan noted, “that Illinois Valley and Rough & Ready are on the minds of Washing- ton, D.C. and the president.” “Sen. Gordon Smith (R- Ore.) really came through this time,” said Nolan. He then read from a letter sent to Illinois Valley from Smith commending the com- munity for its dedication and wise use of Oregon’s renew- able natural resources. Smith also noted that he is aware of the immediate need to deliver timber to Illinois Valley and that he will do what he can to accelerate the rehabilitation of the Biscuit Fire site. Several letters in support of the rally and to expedite the EIS were sent to the valley by state Reps. Dennis Richardson and Gordon Anderson and Sen. Jason Atkinson. (See At- kinson’s letter in “Letters to Editor” this issue.) Dave Hill, a representa- tive from Southern Oregon Timber Industries Association (SOTIA), declared that he was present to represent the 95- member companies of SOTIA. Particularly, he said, to show support for efforts of R&R Lumber Co. employees, citi- zens of Josephine County and the work of the Siskiyou Na- tional Forest staff to move the salvage of fire-killed timber from the Biscuit Fire as quickly as possible. “Today is Valentine’s Day,” said Hill. “My wish is for a ‘Valentine’ from Presi- dent Bush that would expedite the salvage of timber killed in the Biscuit Fire, keep R&R Lumber Co. in operation and jump-start the process of reha- bilitation of environmental damage caused by the worst fire in Oregon’s history.” O’Brien resident and head of Nicore Mining, Walt Free- man, another scheduled speaker. said, “There are a lot of people out there that would just like ‘us’ to go away,” “Well, we’re not going,” he said. “We can thank PFUSA for stopping the monument that ‘they’ wanted to create, otherwise we would already be gone,” said Freeman. He asked the crowd if they had heard of “no- brainers,” stating that this is- sue was a no-brainer. “We have a mill that needs logs and 1 billion board feet of timber that needs to be logged,” he said. That is a no-brainer,” said Freeman. During the speech Free- man issued challenges to rally listeners and participants: “Fight for your jobs, keep up the fight,” he said. To the USFS the chal- lenge was to “follow the law but follow your mandate to manage the forest for the benefit of all, including com- modities,” and to the media to “stop taking the line of crap that the environmentalists are putting out there as being the truth,” and to “go out and find the real truth.” Jennifer Phillipi, a spokes- man for R&R Lumber Co., said in a heartfelt delivery (Continued on page 12) STAR program spotlights good deeds of area students By BRITT FAIRCHILD Staff Writer Helen Bailey will always remember the boy who skipped recess one day so he could sharpen pencils instead. She still remembers watching the boy discreetly as he took all of his classmates’ pencils, filed each one to pointed perfection, and re- turned them to their desks. The boy’s deed touched Bailey, a classroom volunteer, but what perhaps struck her most was the reason the boy gave for his action. “He said, “I wanted to do something nice,’” Bailey said. The boy’s simple act of kindness inspired Bailey to start the Students Taking Awesome Responsibility (STAR) program soon after. Seven years later, the pro- gram is as healthy as ever, with committed support from Neighborhood Watch volun- teers, the Josephine County Sheriff’s Office, and Bailey, of course, who lives in Selma. “(The purpose of STAR) is to reward responsible be- havior on the part of young people in Josephine County,” said sheriff’s Sgt. Ken Selig, STAR coordinator. Far too often, he said, the attention paid to juveniles who break the law overshadows that of the young people who do something positive in the community. STAR is an effort to help alter that, he added. Baile y’s 15-year-old grandson, Nathan Bailey, came up with the STAR name when the program began. Since its inception in 1996, 45 students have been recognized as taking “awesome responsibility” in their community with a certifi- cate, a pin and a “STAR” patch from the sheriff’s office. Past STAR students have been recognized for a wide variety of efforts, from rescu- ing a woman from a burning trailer in Merlin, to returning a bag of money to a market. The recipients are typi-