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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 3, 2003)
Page 2 Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR Wednesday, December 3, 2003 Several years ago we attended a newspaper trade show in Portland, and couldn’t find a parking place within a cou- ple of light years from the location. And now apparently, those seeking a parking spot in Downtown Portland have overflowed all the way to Seattle -- because it’s not easy to find a slot there either. Still, we recently had fun with family members, as for- tunately we had brought hiking boots, a canteen of water and a GPS. We drove around the Downtown Seattle area seeking street parking, but finally – as we were running low on fuel – opted for a parking lot. Still, we were lucky, having to pay “only” six bucks for all-day parking. We were able to navigate the area around Pike Place Market with little difficulty. (That’s what my parents used to call me.) Anyway, the crowds weren’t quite wall-to-wall as during summers – only elbow-to-elbow. The widespread market is a great place to visit, what with all the colorful, eclectic displays of produce, toys, baked goods, T-shirts and other clothing, fresh fish and the like. Not to mention the sidewalk entertainers and the Downtown Seattle Home- less Brigade. Interesting people. We saw several of them purchasing $3.50 lattes, so I guess times aren’t too rough for some. I found fresh-baked pumpkin cookies and was as happy as a clam. I still haven’t figured why clams are happy, but … Anyway, it was fortuitous that we had decided to visit our son and his family in Covington, not too far from Seat- tle, at the same time that our daughter and her daughter in San Diego planned to visit them. So there we were: five adults and two munchkins, the latter being 1+ and 8+, shar- ing Mike, Christy and Kimberly’s home in familial togeth- erness. We were honored to be given Mike and Christy’s room; they slept on couches in the living room. Great kids. Vicki and Natalie slept in the guest room. We had our dogs, “Bingo” and “Rocky” with us, al- lowing them to sleep in their own guest room, otherwise known as our van. It has a propane heater, so the cold Washington nights didn’t freeze them. During the day we would let them run around the backyard, although they would have preferred being inside with us and the family dog, “Snoopy,” a beagle mix capable of jumping several feet in the air when excited. I used to be able to do that, but my knees can’t handle it anymore. All told, we had a fine visit, including a good lunch at one of the upstairs eateries at the Pike Place mart. A high- light of that meal was Mikey spilling a glass of Sprite on me, as the table tilted in my direction. He thought it was amazingly humorous, seeing his ol’ dad jump up, grabbing my camera away from the tsunami of Sprite. Boy, some people’s sense of humor … I can’t imagine where he got it. On Veteran’s Day we drove through a national ceme- tery near Mike and Christy’s home. It was impressive and a bit of an emotional wrench, seeing the numerous white crosses and granite tombstones of those who’ve died in U.S. military service. Flags lined the drives, and small knots of mourners stood at various locations. We said a silent prayer in honor of the fallen. Our drive back to Cave Junction was uneventful, thanks first to Mike and Christy leading us to an Interstate 5 on-ramp. I get lost, confused, baffled and bewildered in busy metropolitan areas. At this point that’s anything lar- ger than Illinois Valley. Everyone was glad to get home, including our dogs, although they enjoyed exploring various highway rest stops. Not my idea of a good time, but doggies have their own ideas. No one can make you feel without your consent. - Eleanor Roosevelt - Illinois Valley News An Independent Weekly Newspaper Co-owned and published by Robert R. (Bob) and Jan Rodriguez Bob Rodriguez, Editor El Jefe Entered as second class matter June 11, 1937 at Post Office as Official Newspaper for Josephine County and Josephine County Three Rivers School District, published at 321 S. Redwood Hwy., Cave Junction, OR 97523 Periodicals postage paid at Cave Junction, OR 97523 Post Office Box 1370 USPS 258-820 Telephone (541) 592-2541, FAX (541) 592-4330 Volume 66, No. 37 Staff: Cindy Newton, Britt Fairchild, Chris Robertson, Steve Fairchild, Becky Loudon & Kacy Clemons Member: Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association DEADLINES: News, Classified & Display Ads, Announcements & Letters 3 P.M. FRIDAY (Classified ads & uncomplicated display ads can be accepted until Noon, Monday with an additional charge.) POLICY ON LETTERS: ‘Illinois Valley News’ welcomes letters to the editor provided they are of general interest, in good taste, legible and not libelous. All letters must be signed, using complete name, and contain the writer’s address and telephone number. The latter need not be published, but will be used to verify authenticity. The ‘News’ reserves the right to edit letters. One letter per person per month. Letters are used at the discretion of the publisher. Unpublished letters are neither acknowledged nor returned. A prepaid charge may be levied if a letter is inordinately long in the editor's opinion. POLICY ON “HERE, THERE & EVERYWHERE”, DISPLAY & CLASSIFIED ADS & NOTICES: All submissions must be hand delivered, faxed or e-mailed to us for publication. Submissions must be resubmitted each week if the item is to run for more than one week. SUBSCRIPTION RATES One year in Josephine County - $20.80 One year in Jackson and Douglas Counties - $24.40 One year in all other Oregon counties and out-of-state - $28 POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to P.O. Box 1370, Cave Junction, OR. 97523 (Editor’s Note: Views and commen- tary expressed in let- ters to the editor are strictly those of the letter-writers. * * * Typed, double- spaced letters are ac- ceptable for considera- tion. Hand-written letters that are double-spaced and highly legible also can be considered for publication. Cards of thanks are not accepted as letters.) *** ‘Another alternative’ From Christopher Sabionski Cave Junction I am writing to share my views and some facts regarding Forest Supervi- sor Scott Conroy’s pro- posal for the Biscuit Fire “recovery.” Conroy wants to log 519 million board feet from 29,000 acres (12,000 of which are in the Kalmio psis Roadless Area). Forest ecosystems depend on rotting, dead trees for nutrients for re- growth and habitat and food for birds. Forests don’t need man’s help in fire recovery because fires are a natural part of the forest ecosys- tem, except when fire is suppressed by man for decades. Fires clear away un- derbrush and small diame- ter trees. Ashes put nutri- ents in the ground and en- courage the growth of mushrooms, which further break down rotten wood. If Conroy removes these dead trees how does he propose to replace the loss of topsoil? Will he be trucking it in himself? Many plant and tree spe- cies require fires before they will produce seed, including Knob Cone Pine. Forests don’t need man to replant after a fire. Most seeds are not burned by fires and germinate when conditions are right. Conroy’s plan to reforest after logging the dead trees is a recipe for disaster. U.S. Forest Service (USFS) reforestation plans usually provide for the planting of very few spe- cies of trees and all of the same size and age. Forests are most fire resistant when there is a diversity of species and size. Old-growth trees are very fire resistant and “farmed” forests consisting of uniform-sized trees and species go up in flames. Repeated reforestation is costly and further stresses the ecosystem. This “recovery” plan would destroy any possi- bility of healthy tourism. Who wants to visit a for- est filled with stumps, and one species of tree neatly planted in rows? USFS reforestation usually in- volves heavy herbicide use, supposedly to prevent the spread of noxious weeds, brought in by the forest service. According to ECONorthwest in Eugene, salvage logging costs $100,000 per million board feet. I don’t want my tax money used to subsidize another environmental dis- aster. And I don’t want to go hiking in a farmed for- est saturated with herbi- cides. This proposal would be the largest logging pro- ject in modern times, and if approved would be a blueprint for future eco- logical exploitation. Be- cause of its size, it would further depress regional log prices, hurting private timberland owners. Conroy stated that res- toration of the Biscuit Fire is his No. 1 priority. If this is true, then he should leave the forest alone and let nature take care of it- self. We have a duty to en- sure the Earth’s survival. If we continue to abuse it where will we get our oxy- gen and clean water? For- ests are for all life, present and future. I find it uncon- scionable that many peo- ple, including our own elected officials, would sacrifice our planet by ex- ploiting the ecological im- pact of a natural phenome- non: Yes, fire. Many people feel it is our heritage to log the Earth into submission. There are many atrocities in our American heritage that have become out- lawed, and rightfully so, including slavery, the abuse of Native Americans and unequal women’s rights, to name a few. Many people are fed up and angry. We don’t see any hope in the future, voting processes are ques- tionable, our ecosystems are rapidly vanishing, and speaking out against the government can mark one as a suspected terrorist. My generation will make a change and will hold the government and its corporations account- able for their crimes and extortions. I encourage everyone, including Con- roy, to study how native tribes prescribed fire and helped to preserve the natural cycles of the forest. The USFS’s proposal for the Biscuit area should be canceled and all restora- tion should be turned over to reputable, private resto- ration projects that don’t have ulterior motives and agendas. Conroy wants to limit the public input period to a meager 45 days, and dur- ing the holiday season when most people are dis- tracted and very busy. Considering the ecological impact of his proposal, that is unacceptable. We need to let Conroy know that our comments should be heeded, and not discarded if the forest ser- vice doesn’t like what it hears. We pay our govern- ment officials and if they are not living up to the de- mands of responsible peo- ple then we need to find ourselves competent re- (Continued on page 3) HELPFUL HANDS - With smiles on their faces, mem- bers of the Illinois Valley High School equestrian team assist shoppers at Shop Smart Food Warehouse on Tuesday, Nov. 25 by bagging their groceries. The tips the students earned on the job will go to the team. (Photo by Steve Fairchild) The Illinois Valley Chamber of Commerce is hoping for dry weather to kick off a peaceful holiday season with the I.V. Holiday Parade on Saturday, Dec. 6 at 3 p.m. *** Parade participants will begin lining up at 2 p.m. at Evergreen Elementary School. The theme for the parade this year is “Peace on Earth.” To participate in the parade phone the chamber at 592-3326.
