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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (March 1, 2006)
Page 2 Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR Wednesday, March 1, 2006 Buckle up. There’s no telling where this is going because I’ve got a lot to spout. It all started when Jan went to Carlsbad in San Diego County for three weeks to help our daughter, Vicki, with Natalie, 3, and Ella, 9 months, while Matt, Vicki’s husband, was in Belgium for his company. That left me as the Lone Wrangler. But not lik- ing being apart, and preying on the pity, generosity and just all-around goodness of the “Noose” crew, I was able to take a 7 a.m. flight from Medford a week ago from last Monday to spend the last week with fam. In an unusual departure, so to speak, I flew direct to Los Angeles, rather than Medford to Portland, and Portland to San Diego. The idea, you see, was to allow me to take Am- trak from L.A. to Oceanside, next to Carlsbad, where the fam could pick me up. It worked great. I wouldn’t have thought of taking that route, but Jan and Vicki know how much I like trains, and so en- couraged me in that direction, so to speak. It was terrific. First, trains have dining cars or snack bars; so you can get some real food instead of a sack of nuts or chips. Second, you can see so much from the upper deck of a passenger car. To tell the truth, this is not going where I thought it would. Because I have a sheaf of notes I wrote, beginning with a 21-degree Medford morning; not to mention that my wake-up call at the motel in Medford went to the wrong room. But I always wake up early when preparing for a flight, so that worked out OK. Why a motel? Easy. I didn’t have to arise at 4 a.m. I got a ride di- rectly to the airport doors. And I left my car at the motel so I didn’t have to pay for airport parking. Now, where was I? Oh, yeah. The train ride, I think is where I was going, so to speak. Union Sta- tion in L.A., across from historic Olvera Street, is a lovely edifice with great architecture and furnish- ings. I dug it, and even recalled being there a cou- ple of times as a kid. I managed to find “my train” before the announcement by listening for engine noises and going up the right tunnel; then had to wait a while before boarding. By the way, I hadn’t been to LAX since the early ‘70s and the place hasn’t changed a bit. Weird. The Amtrak senior discount fare from L.A. to Oceanside was $15.30, which I think is a great bar- gain, so to speak. Heck, the shared shuttle from LAX to Union Station cost 15 bucks. Go figure. Anyway, munching a tuna sandwich and suck- ing on a bottle of cranberry juice while looking down at the world rolling by from a train cannot be beat. There is no feeling like gliding on the rails with the gentle swaying of the cars. Wow: I was pumped. We left Union Station on the dot, and stopped at Fullerton, Anaheim, Santa Ana, Irvine, and San Juan Capistrano before reaching Oceanside only 10 minutes late. I was impressed. But then, I took my first ride on a train, with a steam engine heading it up, when I was but 9 months old. The old clickety- clack is in my blood, so to speak. OK, it’s time to end, but there’s so much more I want to say. Ah well, next week will have to suffice while I gather my thoughts and recover from having almost a full week away from the office. Of course, I’m paying for it, in more ways than one, but it’s well worth it. So to speak. www.realest8online.com Real Estate Online, Realtors Lilly Lee Vásquez, Broker 541-592-6838, office 541-415-0068, cell “Find your next home on-line.” Illinois Valley News An Independent Weekly Newspaper Co-owned and published by Robert R. (Bob) and Jan Rodriguez - Bob Rodriguez, Editor El Jefe Entered as second class matter June 11, 1937 at Post Office as Official Newspaper for Josephine County and Josephine County Three Rivers School District, published at 321 S. Redwood Hwy., Cave Junction, OR 97523 Periodicals postage paid at Cave Junction, OR 97523 Post Office Box 1370 USPS 258-820 Telephone (541) 592-2541, FAX (541) 592-4330 Email: newsroom1@frontiernet.net or newsdesk@illinois-valley-news.com Volume 68, No. 50 Staff: Michelle Binker, Becky Loudon, Bryan Harley, Tabitha Jackson, Zina Booth. Member: Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association DEADLINES: News, Classified & Display Ads, Announcements & Letters 5 P.M. THURSDAY (Classified ads & uncomplicated display ads can be accepted until Noon, Friday with an additional charge.) POLICY ON LETTERS: ‘Illinois Valley News’ welcomes letters to the editor provided they are of general interest, in good taste, legible and not libelous. All letters must be signed, using complete name, and contain the writer’s address and telephone number. The latter need not be published, but will be used to verify authenticity. The ‘News’ reserves the right to edit letters. Generally, one letter per person per month at publishers’ discretion. Letters are used at the discretion of the publishers. Unpublished letters are neither acknowledged nor returned. A prepaid charge may be levied if a letter is inordinately long in the publishers’ opinion. POLICY ON “HERE, THERE & EVERYWHERE,” DISPLAY & CLASSIFIED ADS & NOTICES: All submissions must be hand delivered, faxed or e-mailed to us for publica- tion. Submissions must be resubmitted weekly if the item is to run more than one week. SUBSCRIPTION RATES One year in Josephine County - $20.80 One year in Jackson and Douglas counties - $24.40 One year in all other Oregon counties and out-of-state - $36 POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to P.O. Box 1370, Cave Junction, OR 97523 (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. ‘Thank you’ submissions are not accepted as letters. * * * Whose study, research ya’ gonna’ believe? From Lynne Vanderlinden Cave Junction Here we go again. Their scientists vs. our scientists. Greg Walter “I.V. News,” 2/15) is evidently anti-salvage logging; there- fore he terms the Donato study “impeccable” (def. 1 faultless, 2. not capable of being wrong.) Naturally, those who question it are slippery, un- professional buffoons whose credentials and research are worthless. Walter even stated that “they” had not taken time to read Donato’s findings. After all the hoopla surround- ing this article, I doubt that. Without taking the time here to go into the merits of either side of the argument, I found a good Website of be- fore-and-after photos of Mt. St. Helens, where Weyer- haeuser started salvage log- ging and replanting its land as soon as the mountain cooled down enough. Even though these pictures are 10 years old, what was accomplished in 20 years is nothing short of amazing. At present these trees are 70-75 feet tall and are sustain- ably logged on a regular ba- sis, providing timber, jobs and donated lumber for Habi- tat for Humanity homes across the nation. Our public land (BLM) was left to regen- erate on its own, and looks like the face of the moon. But hey, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Visit weyerhaeuser.com/ citizenship/publicoutreach/ sthelens/photogallery. Some- times pictures are worth more than a thousand words. Better yet, disbelieve any study by anyone until you actually go see it for yourself. Tree-Planting Day fun set Saturday, March 4 From Suzanne Vautier Cave Junction It is that time of year again; the community is gear- ing up for the annual Forestry Action Committee (FAC) Volunteer Tree-Planting Day set for Saturday, March 4. There is a buzz in the air as everyone gets ready for the big day. And it is exciting to see all the folks coming out to pull this event together. People with donations of food for the tree-planters can leave it in the Butler Bldg. at the U.S. Forest Service’s lower compound in Cave Junction by 11 a.m. We espe- cially need main dishes; but anything that will help feed the hungry tree-planters will be gratefully appreciated. Volunteer tree-planters are encouraged to bring tools if they have them, and to be at the compound at 9 a.m. for sign-up, where we will have doughnuts, coffee, tea and hot chocolate. Then it is off on an adventure in tree-planting along riparian areas at loca- tions within the Illinois River Watershed. When the trees have been planted it is time for a nice lunch provided by the community. Lunch will be in the Butler Bldg., where eve- ryone can share their stories of the day’s adventure. It is a fun event for everyone; for families, youth groups and adults. We hope that many will come join the fun and com- munity spirit of the Tree- Planting Day. Cutting trees at former base seen quite harmful From Roger Brandt Cave Junction I was recently told that the Josephine County Board of Commissioners has or- dered tree-cutting at the Siski- you Smokejumper Base within the area nominated for placement on the National Register of Historic Places. Tree-cutting needs to stopped for two reasons: Public Trust: I under- stand that the tree-cutting is being done to implement the conditions of an FAA grant for expanding the airport. This grant was apparently awarded without following guidelines required by law. Implementing the conditions of this grant under these cir- cumstances violates the trust of the constituency. Economic Values: The county has taken no apparent steps to understand the eco- nomic consequences that may happen if tree-cutting takes place within the historic Siskiyou Smokejumper Base. Without this information, the county commissioners may be setting the county on a course that will result in a serious reduction of our eco- nomic stability, economic adaptability, and economic resiliency. I have included the fol- lowing to help clarify this concern. A panel of experts ap- pointed by Oregon’s gover- nor recently acknowledged that the Siskiyou Smokejum- per Base is a significant story in U.S. history and approved placing it on the prestigious National Register of Historic Places. This represents a sig- nificant economic develop- ment opportunity in the heri- tage tourism market. No other county on the West Coast has this story, so the marketing opportunities that can make us competitive in the lucrative heritage tour- ism sector are significant. Without giving this careful consideration, we risk losing this advantage. I shouldn't have to ex- plain the importance of this while the trees are falling. The cutting needs to stop so a plan can be formulated to assure that we retain our ad- vantages and implement solid economic development strate- gies for the county’s future. Heritage tourism is one of the strongest sectors in the travel market. Josephine County’s smokejumper story represents a unique and pow- erful heritage tourism story. This is one of Oregon’s great- est adventure stories and gives us the opportunity to develop a marketing image that no other community on the West Coast can claim. It is important that we retain this advantage to make our community competitive in the national and global tourism market. Travelers on Hwy. 199 carry more than 40 million tourism dollars through Jose- phine County every year. The Siskiyou Smokejumper Base can play a role in capturing that money for our economy. Tourism traffic on the Hwy. 199 travel corridor is likely to increase with promo- tional efforts of the Wild River Coast Cooperative. National interest in Southern Oregon is likely to increase, with Crater Lake now being printed on quarters as the icon of Oregon. Josephine County is in the cross-fire of tourist traffic between two internationally significant national parks. There is no other coast- mountain highway on the West Coast that has the same concentration of natural and cultural resources as Jose- phine-Del Norte Counties’ Hwy. 199. The future of tourism along this corridor is strong, and it would be prudent to give serious consideration and planning for how we are going to take advantage of this now and in the future. Tree-cutting on the historic base needs to stop until our options have been thoroughly investigated to assure we do not take actions that will per- manently reduce or impair our advantages in the tourism market. The Siskiyou Smokejum- per Base may not look like much when you first see it, but this is exactly the point that makes the story compel- ling. Smokejumping was an innovative idea that was im- plemented on a shoestring budget and in an environment of high risk. Despite these factors, the crews were able to make the program work through grit, inventiveness and adaptabil- ity. The result of this was a program that successfully reduced catastrophic fires in Oregon and California for 38 years. They saved millions of dollars every year in fire sup- pression expenses, not to mention what was saved in personal property and forest products. There was drama and adventure at every turn, and that story is contained within the historic base. This represents a proud aspect of Josephine County history, and it is important that we carefully investigate the advantages it can give to our economy. We must also consider our responsibilities to assure that this nationally significant story is retained in the highest state of integrity for the enjoyment of the na- tion. BLM decisions affecting community questioned From Alexxis Lombardo O’Brien I’ve noticed interest building in more than 28,000 acres of public land included in Illinois Valley land man- agement projects under the Bureau of Land Manage- ment’s Medford District. Most get contracted to (Continued on page 3) Opening Tuesday, February 28 in Selma (541) 597-8588 Now scheduling appointments. 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