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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 14, 2004)
Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR Wednesday, January 14, 2004 In light of the Biscuit Fire and the continuing wildfire risk inherent in the wildland urban interface (where houses meet the forest), Josephine County has begun a compre- hensive and innovative community fire planning process. The basis of the process is a cutting-edge risk assess- ment tool that incorporates four factors: 1. risk – the likeli- hood of fire occurring; 2. hazard – resistance to control once a wildfire starts; 3. values protected; and 4. structural vulnerability of buildings. Using GIS technology, these factors are then color-coded onto a map of the county that clearly indicated areas of risk. Community meetings will begin this spring in I.V., Wolf Creek and Williams that will allow neighborhoods to review and refine the Risk Assessment Map. Besides iden- tifying areas where on-the-ground hazards or thinning work may have been overlooked, the meetings will allow people to list other points of value to the community that should be protected and incorporated into the assessment. When completed, the risk assessment will be used to target areas for appropriate interventions like fuels reduc- tion and fire prevention education. What is different in this approach than other programs, where individual properties are treated, is the goal of developing multiproperty projects that will have a landscape effect of reducing the probability that a fire will spread through the area. Fuels reduction will include creating defensible space around homes, improving safe access by thinning along driveways, and secondary fire breaks and thinning to re- duce the chance of fires spreading. The goal, too, is to increase participation in these pro- grams by special needs population (the elderly, handi- capped, low income) by involving social service agencies to conduct outreach and means tested subsidies. In another novel approach, the county will apply for National Fire Plan projects to improve coordination and – hopefully – the amount of funding. The Commission on Family and Children will administer the Outreach/ Education grant, while IVCRT will administer a grant for fuels reduction. The amount being requested for fuels re- duction is $1.5 million. This is in addition to the $250,000 grant to the CRT already approved and awaiting funding, which will serve as a pilot to build the systems for the lar- ger grant to be implemented in 2005. The fuels reduction grants will be designed to use local contractors to conduct the work. This adds a job creation aspect to the program that is very beneficial and a goal of the CRT. Another similar program that has just received a $30,000 grant from the Weyerhauser Family Foundation will employ local contractors to conduct a small pilot res- toration program in the Biscuit Fire area. The restoration work will be jointly designed and monitored by the com- munity and the Forest Service. Marcus Kauffman, from EcoSystem Workforce at Ore- gon State University at Corvallis, has agreed to provide training in stewardship contracts – a contracting authority that gives more flexibility to the forest service to (in part) make it easier for small contractors to successfully bid on forest service contracts. The grant will also provide train- ing to local contractors on how to prepare and submit suc- cessful bids to federal agencies. IVCRT Organizational Development The CRT Board completed the last OD session with our consultant, Mary Ward, on the 13th. The new Commu- nity Outreach Committee is preparing a letter and survey that will be sent to the general members, describing some of the outcomes of this process along with preparation for the annual meeting in March. Outstanding business, individual sought for chamber recognition Nominations for exem- plary service by individu- als or businesses/ organizations in Illinois Valley during 2003 are sought by I.V. Chamber of Commerce. The deadline for nomi- nations in the annual pro- gram is Feb. 15. Forms are available from the chamber office in the I.V. Visitor Center. The phone number is 592-3326. Last year’s winner for 2002 (in the business/ organization category) was I.V. Fire District and I.V. Volunteer Firefighters As- sociation in connection with protecting the valley during the Biscuit Fire. Although I.V. firefighters were not directly involved in fighting the wildland flames, they provided tre- mendous support for the wildland firefighters who were brought in, while continuing to protect the valley and its populated environs. The specific achieve- ments and contributions by volunteers and district staff comprised the basis for the recognition. The top citizen award for 2002 went to T. Lund, director of music for I.V. High School and Lorna Byrne Middle School. To nominate someone for this commendation, nominators must provide specific examples of the nominee’s achievements and contributions. Also sought are de- scriptions of demonstrated leadership qualities, volun- teer services, commend- able activities, and other club or organization in- volvement. Plaques will be awarded to the top nomi- nees chosen by chamber directors. They will be given during a special chamber gathering to be announced. RCC’s YES! gains $8,000 grant The YES! (You Expect Success) resource center at Rogue Community College has received an $8,000 grant from Trust Management Services LLC. The YES! Center, working with the college’s Moving On program, will focus on domestic violence and sexual assault awareness issue. Billie Miracle and Alexa Priddy will coordinate the grant-funded program. EVERGREEN ELEMENTARY ACHIEVERS - Evergreen Elementary School Students of the Month for Decem- ber were honored with a celebratory lunch at Pizza Pit on Friday, Jan. 9. Accompanying the students were administrators Lise Van Brunt (right) and Mindi Law. Students are (not in order) Sky Vaughn, Caitlin Cro- well, Alicia Warner, Jonny Mason, Kori Krauss, J.R. Loose dog meets fate following I-5 hassle A dog running at large on Interstate 5 near Grants Pass snarled traffic and led public safety officers on a not-so-merry chase for 2 1/2 hours Sunday after- noon, Jan. 11. The animal, which had been running in and out of traffic in the vicinity of Highland Avenue and N.W. Vine Street with an- other dog, slipped through a wire fence onto the lanes for southbound traffic. Page 9 Renckens, Abigail Miller, Danielle Speulda, Rachel Ma- son, Fred Nults, Myana Dhenin, Ben Milner, Robert Lowden, Laurissa Tausaga, Ally Cowan, Scandle Wil- liams and Casey Robertson. (Not shown: Bryan Sowell and Jesse Bethke). The students were nominated for the special honors by their teachers for outstanding achievements of many types. (Michelle Binker photo) As vehicles slowed and stopped to avoid strik- ing the dog, Grants Pass Dept. of Public Safety offi- cers observed a semitruck skidding to a stop to avoid a collision with stopped cars. Josephine County Animal Control and Ore- gon State Police were sum- moned to assist. The dog eluded every attempt to capture or redi- rect it away from traffic. Finally a Grants Pass officer located the animal behind unoccupied busi- nesses on Highland Ave- nue. Due to the continued threat of accident or injury posed by the dog’s ac- tions, the officer shot and killed the dog when it was safe to do so.