Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Page 4
It’s a horrid choking and hacking sound, coming as it does
in the wee hours (no pun intended) after midnight. It’s a sound
that causes sleepy people to arise frantically with their eyes
popping and hearts pounding. “Where is it?” asks one spouse.
“At the foot of the bed!” responds the fellow spouse. “Get it off
the bed!” shouts the first spouse.
But sometimes it’s too late. Alas. And a magnificent, amaz-
ing and totally startling mass -- some call them hairballs -- is
deposited, usually on a spanking clean bedspread. Such is life
for those who live with cats.
If you’re “lucky,” you get the gasping critter onto the floor,
where it strategically places its meteor-like hairball on the car-
pet. Or perhaps on a piece of clothing that has found its way to
the floor. If you’re really unlucky, the internal projectile misses a
basket full of clean laundry. It’s something to pray for.
Residential felines are strange little creatures, resembling
Big Cat Predators, and acting that way too. Being nocturnal,
they sleep a lot while we stupid humans are awake. It’s esti-
mated that cats sleep approximately 80 percent of their time.
This is, I feel, so that during the other 20 percent, they can work
to keep us awake by demanding that we pet them. Or they leap
into bed, landing on uncomfortable places, and rub themselves
on their human being servants.
It’s sort of fun watching them play, but it seems as though
sometimes the play is pretty close to biting the jugular or rip-
ping out the guts of the other kitty. Our new arrival, “Flint,” is
growing, now weighing more than 3 pounds, and he takes on
16-pound “Bubba” with aplomb. Occasionally he pays for it,
which I can tell by the kitten squeaks.
But “Bubba” also has taken on the task of grooming the
little black guy, although at times I think it must hurt because of
the baby snarls from “Flint.” Meanwhile, the cat that should be
doing the grooming, “Bubba’s” mom, “Maui,” hisses and
growls at “Flinty,” so he’s somewhat intimidated. Not a lot, but
some. He’s a feisty little guy.
So far, no hairballs from him. But his two companions
make up for it. And he’s probably in training.
Hairball hacking is better than any alarm clock I’ve ever
used. Plus, you don’t have to clean up after an alarm clock.
Fine Dining
Steaks - Chicken - Fish - Large Hamburgers
Restaurant separate from lounge
Family Dining - Children Welcome
Banquet Room for special parties
Non-smoking - Rear entrance & parking
New Children’s Menu - Daily Specials
Friday Special - Prime Rib
Open 4 to 9 p.m. 7 days 592-2892 or 592-4222
(Editor’s Note: Views and
commentary, including state-
ments made as fact, are strictly
those of the letter-writers.)
* * *
Typed, double-spaced let-
ters written solely to this news-
paper are considered for publi-
cation. Hand-written letters that
are double-spaced and legible
also can be considered.
Cards of thanks are not
accepted as letters.
* * *
Peter Maluk ‘dedicated’
From Lorna Byrne Middle
School staff
Cave Junction
Peter Maluk has dedicated
the past 10 years of service to
Lorna Byrne Middle School
(LBMS) and Illinois Valley at-
large.
He has agreed to a
change by accepting a posi-
tion as principal of Fruitdale
Elementary School in Grants
Pass. His agreeability and
acceptance of this new change
and challenge in his life
shows his trust and faith in
the school, staff and commu-
nity to continue a vision of
progressive growth in the
betterment of our community.
It is with great regret that
we let him go to continue to use
his leadership strengths to
guide, direct and facilitate a
school and community with
greater need.
The staff at Lorna Byrne
have not let go easily, and have
a desire to show “Mr. Maluk”
how much our school and this
valley have valued and appre-
ciated the 10 years of dedica-
tion and direction he has pro-
vided to students, staff and
families.
If families or individuals
want to express their thanks,
thoughts of appreciation or
wishes of goodwill and fare-
well; letters, cards or notes of
gratitude can be addressed to
our longtime principal and sent
to LBMS, Junction Avenue,
Cave Junction. They will be
given him prior to the begin-
ning of the new school year
and the beginnings of his new
adventure with Fruitdale Ele-
mentary.
The LBMS staff would
like to show “Mr. Maluk” just
how much our valley has ap-
preciated his efforts.
Bluegrass treat
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Entered as second class matter June 11, 1937 at Post Office as Official Newspaper for
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S. Redwood Hwy., Cave Junction, OR 97523
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Telephone (541) 592-2541, FAX (541) 592-4330
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P.O. Box 1370, Cave Junction, OR 97523
From Joe Ross
Roseburg
It was a treat to experience
some of Oregon’s best Blue-
grass music at the Siskiyou
Bluegrass Festival at Lake
Selmac on July 30.
All the performers were
well-rehearsed, entertaining
and professional. I was amazed
by the wealth of great talent in
Southern Oregon, and one
group even traveled all the way
from Bend to perform.
What a beautiful location
for such an event. The crowd,
numbering in the hundreds,
was very appreciative, in-
volved and responsive. At only
$10 for adults, the price was a
real bargain for 12 hours of
captivating entertaining music
at lakeside. The joyous Blue-
grass sounds on banjo, fiddle,
mandolin, guitar and bass got
everyone’s toes tapping.
My hat is off to the busi-
nesses and volunteers who
worked hard to host such a
well-organized, down-home
event. A benefit for the Illinois
Valley Chamber of Commerce,
the Bluegrass festival’s success
will allow the chamber to spon-
sor other events, support local
business, and promote tourism.
Every regional chamber
should be as visionary and so
inclined to partner with the
Bluegrass music community to
present a day (or better yet, a
full weekend) of family ori-
ented entertainment that em-
phasizes pickin’ and grinnin.’
‘Beautiful Earth’
From JoAnne Stone
Cave Junction
I was poisoned by surprise
at a roadside vegetable stand
last week. As I approached the
register to pay for my produce,
a man was spraying for bugs
underneath a produce table.
Those of us concerned
about the quality of our air,
food and water, should take the
time to think: What are we
doing to ourselves and our
beautiful Earth?
Ruination view
From Shannon Wilson
Eugene
Being a former Selma
resident, I recently spent a few
days in the valley and the fol-
lowing were the blaring wrong-
headed practices perpetrated by
a few who seem intent to ruin
Illinois Valley for subsequent
generations.
Allowing a bunch of Cali-
fornia developers to slap up
400-plus crackerjack tract
homes on a flood plain in Cave
Junction. These 400 new resi-
dences will place a huge strain
on the river, as well as kill off
diminishing salmon runs.
Every I.V. resident, not the
developers, will pay in the end.
Dumping thousands of
gallons of water every day onto
hay fields on 100-degree days
at the expense of a dying river
and dying salmon runs.
To allow BLM and the
county to continue to remove
the biggest and most fire-
resistant trees surrounding resi-
dential areas, thus creating a
great tinderbox in the valley to
burn every home when a fire
does sweep through.
Allowing the Siskiyou
National Forest and federal
jack-booted thugs to degrade
the beauty of the Siskiyous,
and shutting down the most-
visited part of the river, Eight
Dollar Mt. Road, during the
height of the tourism season,
knowing well that tourism is
the greatest contributor to the
local economy.
There will come a day
when auto fuel is $5 per gallon
or more where clean water,
viable salmon runs, population,
and local food production will
determine whether a commu-
nity survives or not.
9/11 theory
From Kristine Strohl
Cave Junction
Someone at the National
Press Club in Washington,
D.C. must have recognized the
importance and credibility in
Dr. David Ray Griffin’s pres-
entation concerning the Bush
administration’s participation
in the 9/11 attacks and their
deliberate manipulation of the
facts in the 9/11 Report.
In his presentation to the
National Press Club on June
22, Griffin explains the Bush
administration’s involvement
in the 9/11 attacks and how
they manipulated the testimo-
nies given to the commission
and their findings.
Griffin points out: “The
Commission’s investigative
work, however, was carried out
by its staff, and this staff was
directed by the White House’s
main inside the Commission,
Philip Zelikow, a fact that the
mainstream press has not em-
phasized.”
Griffin concludes: “What
we need now is press that will
let the American people in on
this development -- which is
most important, given the fact
that the official story about
9/11 has provided the pretext
for virtually every other horri-
ble thing this administration
has done.”
Treason, murder and lying
to Congress are not easily re-
ceived by anyone against any-
one, especially our national
leaders. But aren’t we obli-
gated by more then 112 incon-
sistencies and our morals to
scrutinize 9/11 with as much
intensity as Nixon and Clinton
were scrutinized?
Painfully, as it might be,
we have to investigate this
momentous event with clear
and open minds and hold our
leaders accountable, or be
slaves to their ploys. To accept
a cover-up, and ignore the
truth, would be as destructive
to our country as any bomb.
Comments can be sent to
Abbie Jossie at 3040 Biddle
Road, Medford OR 97504.
Manage resources
From Stephanie Friedman
Cave Junction
South Deer EA
From Dorothea
Hover-Kramer
Cave Junction
Here’s what the public
might not know about the En-
vironmental Assessment (EA)
for the South Deer Landscape
Management Project (OR 110-
05-10).
Although the public com-
ment period regarding the
document ended Aug. 8, BLM
official Abbie Jossie is willing
to consider public input until
the Record of Decision is is-
sued in the next weeks.
The EA is a 133-page
document that is well written,
but clouds many of the facts of
which we the public should be
aware concerning the planned
“treatment” of our highly visi-
ble public forest land consist-
ing of nearly 7,500 acres in the
Deer Creek area.
Although several alterna-
tives are proposed, including
the sensible #4, the Natural
Selection Alternative (NSA),
prescriptions for treatment of
the forestland so far focuses on
#2, which is basically to cut
and burn or both.
“Cutting” is mitigated by
promises of “structural reten-
tion,” which essentially means
that 16 to 25 trees (less in some
areas) will be left standing
while everything else is clear-
cut. We need to imagine what
one acre of land looks like with
16 trees on it.
“Burning for fire fuel re-
duction” means that
everything but 8-inch-diameter
pines and 13-inch hardwoods
will be destroyed in certain
areas and burned every five to
10 years in perpetuity. Imagine
the smoke and air pollution of
last winter as a continuing
scene. Also, such fires hasten
the distribution of trees attack-
ing fungi and beetles.
“Replanting” can happen
immediately or within two to
three years depending on fund-
ing, and it will take approxi-
mately 20 to 30 years to cover
denuded hillsides to have tree
cover. It will take decades
more for soil and wildlife to
recover.
The beloved Thompson
Creek Overlook Trail will be
obliterated by the plan, and
overall, the scenery and beauty
that attracts us as residents and
tourists will be severely de-
graded.
It is interesting to hear
from people in our community
that seeing logging trucks carry-
ing one or two old-growth trees
makes them feel like there are
jobs for people in the commu-
nity.
Are the few jobs being
created even going to local
people? There are other ways
in which sustainable forest jobs
could be created for many
more valley residents, such as
logging smaller-diameter tim-
ber, and thinning, which would
help lower fire hazards.
Currently, our old-growth
forests on public land are being
logged for the benefit of a few
people and corporations with-
out regard to the long-term
effects on these unique natural
areas.
The American people, to
whom these forests supposedly
belong, are being short-
changed without necessarily
being aware of the severe and
complex ecological damage to
public watershed areas.
Throughout history, civili-
zations have declined due to
desertification. Guarding and
protecting our water resources
should be one of our greatest
priorities, especially as an edu-
cated society with the advan-
tage of learning from past so-
cieties that have failed to do so.
The damage that is being
done to our pristine watershed
areas in the name of free enter-
prise will have lasting conse-
quences, not only for the natu-
ral areas, but for the people
who live in our communities.
Logging in these sensitive ar-
eas is interrupting the natural
cycle of post-fire regeneration
that I have seen with my own
eyes.
One of the companies
logging these areas is Silver
Creek Timber. It has been
fined (by the U.S. Forest Ser-
vice) for violating terms of the
Bald Bear Sale contract of cut-
ting undesignated timber. I feel
that the forest service needs to
review and change its policies
in regard to listening to the
concerns made by the people
of this county during the public
comments periods for timber
sales.
It seems that these com-
ments, which have largely been
opposed to these timber sales
in old-growth, and now
(Continued on page 5)
Madrone Adventist
Elementary School
Excellent Academic Curriculum
Quality Christian Values
Safe Environment
Individual Attention
Registration: Sunday,
Aug. 14,
1 to 3 p.m.
Grades 1 through 8
School starts at 8 a.m.,
Monday, Aug. 22
Phone 592-3330
4300 Holland Loop Rd.
Cave Junction, OR
How do you like
my new summer
haircut?
Star Quest
Call or email and
come for a visit.
Joyce & Harry Abrams
592-6078
llamuz@forestedgefarm.com