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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
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