Page 20
Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR Wednesday, March 3, 2004
Cycle Oregon coming
Lake Selmac among host communities
WORSHIP DANCING -
Members of Beit Em-
manuel, an Illinois Valley
Messianic congregation,
presented Hebrew wor-
ship dances for mem-
bers of The Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-
day Saints in Cave Junc-
tion (top) on Saturday,
Feb. 28. They also taught
several dances to LDS
members
(left).
Bev
Clapp is congregational
leader of the Messianic
group, and provided in-
formation about Hebrew
dance as worship.
Grayback thinning project comments solicited
Illinois Valley Ranger
District has identified a 40-
year-old stand of trees that
requires management, and
public comments are wel-
come.
The trees slated for
thinning are located in the
proposed Grayback Com-
mercial Thin Timber Sale.
The stand was planted in
the early 1960s after a pre-
vious stand was clear-cut.
According to the U.S.
Forest Service, the stand is
overstocked, and in danger
of stagnation with low
growth rates.
The stand, located on
approximately 60 acres in
the Grayback watershed, is
also “at moderate risk for a
stand-replacement fire,
with dense vegetation and
significant ladder fuels.”
The forest service lists
specific goals for the pro-
ject, including:
*Restoration of indi-
vidual tree vigor for resid-
ual trees.
*Reduction in the po-
tential for stand-replacing
wildfires.
*Increased potential
habitat for the Northern
Spotted Owl.
*More “Phytophthora
lateralis”-resistant Port
Orford Cedar.
*Production of com-
mercial timber products.
According to the letter,
public comments “will
help identify any potential
extraordinary circum-
stances and assist with pro-
ject design.”
By MICHELLE BINKER
Staff Writer
Some 2,000 cyclists
will pedal over hill and
through dale; along creeks
and under trees and via
mountainsides from Can-
yonville to Crater Lake --
the long way.
The 17th annual Cycle
Oregon bicycle ride, which
includes Illinois Valley’s
Lake Selmac, will run
from Sept. 11 through 18.
The ride will cover nearly
400 miles of hilly terrain.
Riders will cover an
average of 65 miles per
day, and be treated to de-
luxe camping and enter-
tainment in host communi-
ties along the way. Cycle
Oregon’s evening enter-
tainment showcases some
of Oregon’s most talented
performers.
Day One will begin in
Canyonville, with a grand
parade along Main Street.
From there the riders wend
their way along Cow
Creek to Glendale, then
brave a 3-mile stretch of
Interstate 5 before stopping
in Wolf Creek.
On Day Two the riders
will follow the course of
Wolf Creek to its junction
with the Rogue River.
Then through Galice and
Merlin on the way to Illi-
nois Valley to camp over-
night at Lake Selmac.
The first major climb
of the tour occurs on Day
Three, as the riders climb
the Siskiyou Mountain
range to reach Williams in
the Applegate Valley and
make their way to historic
Jacksonville.
Day Four is a layover
day during which partici-
pants can take in the sights
of Jacksonville and nearby
Ashland.
On Day Five, the rid-
ers will leave Jacksonville
and be faced with a di-
lemma: a mere 74-mile
ride today? Or perhaps
take the optional, 110-mile
route through Ashland
which includes a grueling
ascent on Dead Indian
Road. Both groups meet in
Butte Falls for lunch be-
fore heading to Lost Creek
Lake at Joseph Stewart
State Park, where they will
camp for two nights.
Day Six will find the
riders ascending 84 miles
to the rim of “Big Blue,” -
Crater Lake. After lunch,
the riders descend once
again to Lost Creek Lake.
On Day Seven, the
final leg of the tour, the
cyclists will return to Can-
yonville.
Cycle Oregon has
given $4.5 million to host
communities since the
ride’s inception in 1987. In
January the Selma Com-
munity and Education
Center announced it had
received a $10,000 grant
through Cycle Oregon.