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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 21, 2005)
Page 5 Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR Wednesday, September 21, 2005 USFS Babyfoot logging error draws indignation By CHRIS HILL Correspondent Earlier this year, 10 to 17 acres of the Babyfoot Lake Botanical Area were accidentally logged as part of the Fiddler Timber sale after a mistake was made by the U.S. Forest Service (USFS). This error was discov- ered in August by Barbara Ullian, conservation coor- dinator for Cave Junction- based Siskiyou Regional Education Project, after the area was reopened. It had been closed to the public earlier this year due to safety concerns. USFS District Ranger Pam Bode has stepped up to the plate to accept re- sponsibility for the error. She held a public meeting in Cave Junction Tuesday night Aug. 16 to gather ideas on how to re- store the damaged area. Instead, the evening was filled with tension as emo- tions ran high and angry attendees voiced their dis- approval of USFS. “The forest service is at fault here,” said Bode. “I wouldn’t be taking the blame if I didn’t have to,” she said. “There was a lack of adequate oversight. I had several vacancies in my staff. I am ultimately accountable for this. I did- n’t have the adequate staff in place to make sure this mistake didn’t happen. “Anytime anything goes right or wrong, I’m held accountable because I’m the district ranger,” Bode said. An investigation of the mistake has led Bode to believe that the error that caused the logging mistake occurred around fall 2003. The logging didn’t occur until spring this year. Bode went on to ex- plain what happened, but said that she did not know the particular details of how the mistake happened. “After the Biscuit Fire, aerial photos were taken and analysts determined what areas could be logged,” she said. “The sale was devel- oped and re-developed many times. We had sale- prep foresters who some- how put the line in the wrong place on the ground. “The sale-planners in the office knew about the botanical area and the lines were drawn right on paper, but when it came to putting the actual lines on the ground, they were put in the wrong place. The sale planners in the office did- n’t know that the sale prep foresters didn’t know where the exact lines (ought to be),” Bode said. Bode also added that USFS “adequately moni- tored John West’s harvest and that the oversight was not his fault.” John West of Silver Creek Timber was a purchaser of the Fid- dler Timber sale. Despite Bode’s presen- tation, those angry about the logging peppered her with insults and interroga- tions. “ ‘Oops’ is not com- fortable with me,” said Selma resident Mort Mon- dale. “You can’t restore what you whacked,” he opined. Mondale and others blamed Bode with a poor follow-up before the actual logging. “The fix for this prob- lem is very simple,” said Bode. “We need to mark the botanical area on the ground. If it was marked, then this wouldn’t have happened,” she said. The Babyfoot Lake Botanical area is home to the rare Brewer Spruce, many of which were dam- aged or killed by the fire. “The Biscuit Fire is what killed the Brewer Spruce. The loggers didn’t do it,” Bode added. A botanist for the Rogue River-Siskiyou Na- tional Forest, Maureen Jones, agreed with Bode that the fire is what killed the Brewer Spruce sur- rounding Babyfoot Lake. She added that she’s more concerned about the inva- sive knapweed that she recently spotted in the area. More follow-up meet- ings will be held to discuss restoration solutions to the damaged area. The next meeting is planned for Wednesday, Sept. 28 at 6:30 p.m. For more information, phone the forest service at 592-4000. RASCAL Rogue Area Senior Computer Assistance League in cooperation with Rogue Community College is forming Senior Computer Classes for members at the RCC Learning Center (Kerby Belt Building). If you would like more information please attend and join at the Friday, September 30 meeting at 10 a.m. in the Kerby Belt Building. Bill Rose, 476-5070 Lou Garrotto, 955-1950 We are pleased to announce that Nelson R. Maler has joined our firm as a Financial Consultant Financial Planning Associate By PAUL SHOWALTER Fire Fuel Reduction Coordinator Are you prepared for wildfire? That’s the burning ques- tion that has filled the air in and around Illinois Valley since the 2002 Biscuit Fire hit the ecological reset but- ton upon hundreds of thou- sands of acres adjacent to our community. But let us not forget about more recent wildfires. Although not as large, these fires were not neces- sarily “adjacent to” but “directly within” several residential communities. They seemed to have moved all too quickly through our neighborhoods consuming nearly all the vegetation; and in some cases, several homes. Can you do some- thing in advance to give your family, home, and pre- cious shade trees a fighting chance? Most definitely. Where do you start? The recent climate sur- rounding “fire yak” in our neck of the woods has be- gun to blossom into a ren- aissance of information and support for the entire com- munity. Learning to live with fire is a lesson easily obtained if one desires it. Illinois Valley Fire District recently sponsored and completed a community- wide fire plan to prepare for future wildfires. Did you know that Jose- phine County produced a plan that has gained national attention and is being emu- lated in other communities across the country? Have you heard the cliché, “It’s not if, but when the next one will occur?” Copies of this plan are readily available. Illinois Valley Branch Li- brary is a good place to start. If you don’t have time to read the document, maybe you can initiate or attend a meeting to learn more and possibly participate in the process. Fire-safe councils are starting to flare up in several valley neighborhoods. Their purpose is simple: defining needs within each neighbor- hood and acting on these needs to better prepare for the unfortunate event of a wildfire. Who has special needs for evacuation in my n eighb o rho od? Wh at sources of water are avail- able for firefighters? When will support arrive when a fire starts? Where is a safe place to go? Why is my neighborhood considered high risk during a wildfire? How can I help my family and neighbors be better prepared? An impor- tant point is this: fire-safe councils are grass roots (ie: members are from the com- munity and for the commu- nity). I.V. Fire District has Don’t miss the biggest arts celebration of the year – all in downtown Grants Pass. 50 artists and 10 bands perform in one weekend, all free to the public! Musical Performances Bluegrass, Rock & Folk Siskiyou Summit, Billy Rock, B Wishes Band, Cascade Strings... Artists Needed! Call today. Street Painting Performances presented by The City of Grants Pass Saturday & Sunday, October 8th & 9th downtown Grants Pass on “H” Street between 5th and 6th Streets from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. Amazing pastel art on the street National and regional street painters create huge drawings. 10 bands playing barbershop to bluegrass, funk to folk, rock to classical and more all day. Plus, 50 professional and student street painters creating huge pastel drawings on “H” St. Blues, Funk & Jazz Lytning, Rogue Power Company, Mambo Rico, Butch Martin, Funktional Fusion, State of Jefferson Salsa & more Want to be street painter yourself? For $5, we’ll provide the pastels and the street, you provide the inspiration. Art Along the Rogue will unveil a new piece of permanent art for the Grants Pass community at 5 p.m. Saturday, October 8th. Students & professionals Student groups from regional schools will show their talents. Cash prizes awarded to artists For more information call 800.547.5927 or visit www.artalongtherogue.com SPONSORED BY: Ausland Builders, LLC • Cascade Block • City of Grants Pass• Evergreen Federal Bank• Fiberoptic Lighting Inc • Gates Home Furnishing • Grants Pass Pharmacy • Home Valley Bank • Plaza Sewing N' Vacuum Center • Three Rivers Community Hospital • Steve Welch, CPA.Registered Investment Advisor • Eye Care Group • Premier West Bank • Seven Feathers Hotel and Casino Resort • Wheeler Toyota • Umpqua Bank • Riverside Inn • Photo Den • Barnes Plumbing • US Bank • Chet’s Garden Center • Grants Pass and Josephine County Chamber of Commerce • Hellgate Jetboat Excursions • Liberty Bank • Fred Meyer • Bank of The Cascades • Cummings Construction • SOFCU Community Credit Union • The Mail Center • Holiday Inn Express • Imprints tots & Tees • Saga Graphics • KTVL 10 • Rogue Community College • Medford Mail Tribune • Recognition Specialties • Charter Communications been kind enough to volun- teer its time to facilitate such meetings and provide sup- port. Did you know that the majority of I.V. Fire District consists of volunteers? Give those hard-working folks a break and get informed, in- volved, and prepared. There are numerous other programs in place that provide free literature, on- site home assessments, and even financial reimburse- (Continued on page 15) 1246 NE 7th Street, Suite A Grants Pass, OR 97526 (541) 476-8060 ©2005 Citigroup Global Markets Inc. Member SIPC. Smith Barney is a division and service mark of Citigroup Global Markets Inc. and its affiliates and is used and registered through- out the world. CITIGROUP and the Umbrella Device are trademarks and service marks of Citicorp or its affiliates and are used and registered throughout the world. THIS IS WHO WE ARE. THIS IS HOW WE EARN IT is a service mark of Citigroup Global Markets Inc.
