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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (March 24, 2004)
Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR Wednesday, March 24, 2004 Page 8 Rock solid effort ... (Continued from page 1) Additionally, “the gal- vanized steel used in the railings and support struc- tures for the walkways was rusting and leaking into the groundwater and surround- ing material, causing dis- coloration in nearby for- mations,” said Roth. “Tom noted that there were also dark splotches around the base of some formations,” said Roth. “They were caused by lint from clothing attaching to surface algae.” A diluted solution of bleach had to be used to carefully “wash” the for- mations using low pressure hand pumps, to restore them to original colors. On Nov. 15, 1985, crews began the tedious restoration process begin- ning with rubble and as- phalt removal. Since the restoration began, the lights have been replaced with smaller 20- watt bulbs, and the green growth has been nearly eliminated. Airlock doors were installed to alleviate un- natural airflow, which helped reduce moss growth around light fixtures. The main entrance was also fitted with a stainless steel gate to allow bats and other small creatures to freely access the cave. The original asphalt trail was replaced with concrete. Restoration crews were able to incor- porate some of the larger pieces of rubble into the new pathway in the form of steps and walkway rein- forcements. Instead of using steel for stairways, crews re- placed the structures with high pressure fiberglass railings and supports. “These will last over a cen- tury before they will need to be replaced,” said Roth. Restoration has helped to alleviate further damage to formations by reducing unnatural airflow and plant growth, and providing a pathway for tourists that better conforms to the natural beauty of the cave. As a result of the work, visitors can now see the cave in a more natural state. However, volunteers are still needed at the caves to help with continuing efforts to keep the caves looking natural. Tours resumed on Friday, March 19 at Oregon Caves National Monument, just in time for spring break. Tours, which last approximately 90 minutes, will be offered during the following dates and times: Spring: March 19 to May 28 - 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; May 29 to June 18 - 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Summer: June 19 to Sept. 6 - 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fall: Sept. 7 to Oct. 11 - 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Oct. 12 to Oct. 24 - 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Oct. 25 to Nov. 28 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Winter: Nov. 29 to March 2005 - No tours. Schmidt House reception set Josephine County His- torical Society will host an opening reception in the Historic Schmidt House Museum during “First Fri- day Art Night,” April 2 from 6 to 8 p.m. at 508 N.E. 5th St. in Grants Pass. The society will be honoring the Schmidt House’s recent acceptance to the National Register of Historic Places, featuring exhibits detailing the lives and contributions of the Schmidt family to the early history of Grants Pass and present day community. Authors John and Joy Taylor will be present to sign their new book, “Old Timer’s Tales of History.” Certified Public Accountant 592-3630 Accepting new clients for Tax Return Preparation Payroll Accounting & Reporting Financial Statements and Compilations Notary Services also available *Saturday, March 27, 8 p.m. Newman Methodist Church *Sunday, March 28, 3 p.m. 1st United Methodist Church Ashland CJ couple conditions improving (Editor’s Note: The following, regarding Cave Junction residents Rocky and Sara Jones, was re- ceived last week. They were injured in a Valentine’s Day motor vehicle accident near Grants Pass. The informa- tion below is from Chris Duncan Leppert (Illinois Valley High School Class of 1954, who is corresponding secretary for IVHS Alumni and Friends.) Checked in with Sara, and she reports her visit with doctors last Tuesday promising. Stitches out; pins and bolts and webbing all looking good. New cast on. She can wiggle toes. Doctors cautious, but still somewhat optimistic. Further evaluation in an- other month; another 12 weeks before an answer to all of her questions about the foot. She's still very, very tired and greatly medicated; frustrated, of course, at loss of concen- tration due to medication. Generally in good spirits, however. And she is considering going to Grants Pass to stay with her sister, Alice, perhaps in a couple of weeks. Her Portland doc- tors were very pleased with the surgeries done by the Grants Pass team prior to getting her to them in Portland. Rocky is out of ICU at Rogue Valley Medical Center in Medford and in his own room. She had talked to him this morning. The trach is out, but he is needing to relearn to swal- low. Doctors feel that perhaps the minor stroke he suffered Oct. 20 has complicated that proc- ess. He will be wearing the neck brace "halo" for an- other two or three months. He's up for a few min- utes taking more steps on the walker each day. His U.S. Coast Guard Auxil- iary buddies are keeping good watch over him, Sara reports. Their grandson, Brad, (Morgan's son) is living in the house and caring for the garden, with watchful help from the good neighbors. Again, she thanks all for caring and prayers. Marketing in RCC offering Rogue Community College’s (RCC) Small Business Development Center (SBDC) will offer a new four-part series of classes in April covering key areas of marketing and financial statements. Three marketing strategies courses, “Attraction Marketing,” “Building a Targeted Mar- keting Plan,” and “Guerilla Marketing,” and one course on “Financial State- ments” are offered. Pre-registration is re- quired by noon two work- ing days before the class to avoid cancellation. Phone (800) 411-6508 for pre-registration. 476-2127 n on tio so Junc h t ing ave ba m n, C , 2 GP Co ddiso room a , et, A bed t e s 3 f 43 3 Vi e ath 9 squar , 2 b 0. 9 0 12 1502 droom ,000. 3 be 165 $ Build on your lot — $104,000 Coming Soon — $148,000 3 bedroom, 2 bath with rec. room, 1502 square feet, turnkey – some restrictions. 488 Addison, Cave Junction. 1533 sq. ft., 3 bedroom, 2 bath COUGARS SPLIT DOUBLEHEADER - Illinois Valley softball team used nine hits for a 4-1 victory against Brookings in Cave Junction on Saturday, March 20, but lost 10-1 in the nightcap. Jessica Ragsdale hit a 3-run homer for I.V.’s lead in the opener, and Ricci Coultas was 3-for-4. Kim Hamilton fanned 10. I.V. (2-2) will play host to South Umpqua on Tuesday, March 30. (Photos by Gary Bell) Underage drinking costly situation Underage drinking costs every American household approximately $558 annually; according to Oregon Liquor Control Commission. A study performed by the federal Office of Juve- nile Justice and Delin- quency Prevention and Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) demon- strated that problems asso- ciated with drinking by minors cost the U.S. $58 billion annually - enough to send a million teen- agers to college for a year. Expenses linked to underage drinking are: *Traffic crashes - $18.2 billion. *Violent crimes - $36.4 billion. *Burns - $469 million. *Drowning - $771 mil- lion. *Suicide attempts - $1.51 billion. *Fetal Alcohol Syn- drome - $469 million. Meth deaths rise in state According to State Medical Examiner Karen Gunson, 78 people died during 2003 from metham- phetamine use; a 20 per- cent increase from 2002. Although deaths from cocaine, heroin, and com- binations of drugs had de- clined, the rise in metham- phetamine deaths caused a significant rise in the state total. Altogether, 190 people died of illicit drug over- dose in Oregon in 2003, an 8 percent increase from the previous year. is open Saturdays: 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Hours: Mondays - Saturdays 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. For more information phone (800) 922-1025 *Alcohol poisoning - $948 million. *Treatment - $1 bil- lion. According to the Na- tional Institute of Health, adolescents who start drinking before 15 have a 40 percent chance of de-