Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 1, 2006)
Page 4 Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR Wednesday, November 1, 2006 USFS, BLM burns planned Jobless rate (Continued from page 1) (Continued from page 1) sector, with residential unit permits falling from 87 in August 2005 to 59 in August 2006, according to estimates from the Census Bureau. A number of other in- dustries posted similar job declines in September, in- cluding food and beverage stores, financial activities, professional and business services, federal govern- ment, and health care and social assistance. Leisure and hospitality had the larg- est drop in September, fal- ling by 140. Offsetting these reduc- tions were gains in private and public education. Edu- cational services employ- ment rose by 40, while local government education, in- cluding K-12 and commu- nity college employment, added 350 jobs during Sep- tember. Jackson County’s job- less rate during September was 4.7 percent, down from 5.5 during August. Oregon’s seasonally adjusted rate was 5.4, and the U.S. seasonally adjusted rate was 4.6. Poolah ... (Continued from page 1) necessary funds to keep it open and operational? The Pool Committee is investigating creative meth- ods of fund-raising. Looking at everything from bond issues to a temporary tax to any other forms of revenue generation, they whole- heartedly invite public input. “We need all possible ideas from all possible peo- ple and all possible help,” Carmody appealed. Two committee mem- bers attended a grant writing symposium in Ashland and now are working to secure funding by this method. Grant funding can either be for capital projects or con- tinuing expenses, they noted, and both are hopeful for some positive response. As things stand now, however, two things are clear: *The pool will not open in 2007. There is simply neither enough time nor money currently available to complete necessary repairs before next summer. *Whether the pool will reopen in 2008 -- or ever again -- is strictly up to the community-at-large. What the committee hoped to accomplish during the Oct. 24 meeting was to educate, enlighten and offer a friendly, cooperative chal- lenge to that community at large. Balancing the neces- sary expenses against all the positives of having a com- munity pool, does the com- munity want the pool to re- main a valuable, viable part of the valley, asked the com- mittee. And noted Carmody, if, as the committee hopes, the answer is ‘Yes,’ how can all of us get involved to make that happen? You’re not 40, you’re 18 with 22 years experience. - Author unknown - Shawn Carmody, president of the Pool Committee, was interviewed by television station KDRV last week regarding long-range plans for the Cave Junction Swimming Pool. The possibility of a special tax district was mentioned, but there are no current plans for such an occurrence. (Photo by ‘I.V. News’) County assessor provides information on potential income with district for CJ pool Clarification about how much money could be gen- erated from a possible park- and-recreation tax district for Cave Junction Swim- ming Pool is offered by Mi- chael L. Schneyder, Josephine County assessor. Writing to the county board of commissioners, he referred to a story in the Oct. 25 issue of “Illinois Valley News” regarding the pool. The article noted that someone at a meeting esti- mated that “a district with a 5-cent rate could generate approximately $200,000 per year for the pool.” Schneyder said that would occur “only if the district included about 80 percent of all the assessable value in the county. “A good check on this,” he continued, “is to look at what the 4-H levy produces with a countywide rate at 4.59-cents per thousand. That rate produces a gross amount of about $233,000. About 40 percent of the assessed value lies inside the city of Grants Pass. “I suggest that it is improbable that the voters in the city of Grants Pass would want to support the pool in Cave Junction. “However,” said 3,716 acres with 2,839 acres of hand-piled burns and un- d e r - b u r n s o n approximately 877 acres in the following locations: *Galice and Illinois Valley Ranger Districts: A number of prescribed fires are planned, totaling around 1,909 acres. These pre- scribed fires will include some 1,048 acres of hand piles and 861 acres of broadcast burns. *Galice Ranger Dis- trict: Chrome Ridge, Flat- top, Squaw Mountain, Briggs Valley, Waters Creek, Butcherknife Creek, Horse Mountain, Clear Creek areas. *Illinois Valley Ranger District: Illinois Valley Ranger District facility, and the areas of Oregon Caves, Days and McGuire Gulches, Oak Flat, Six Mike, Little Grayback Creek, Upper Grayback Creek, Upper Sucker Creek Althouse Creek, Elder Mountain, French Peak, and Hogue Meadow (south of Takilma). Daily updates on an Interagency Prescribed Fire Information Line that provides the public informa- tion for the Medford BLM District and the Rogue River portion of the Rogue River- Siskiyou National Forest is available. Phone (541) 618-2354 or (800) 267-3126 for infor- mation. Do not use 911 for burn information as it could inter- fere with emergency calls. Forest Service pre- scribed burn information can be obtained by phoning the appropriate USFS office. Secondhand smoke killer, state says By SUSAN ALLAN No one should be re- quired to breathe unhealthy air as a condition of employ- ment. Yet for the 35,000 Ore- gonians who work in places where indoor smoking is allowed, inhaling toxic fumes is an unavoidable part of the job. U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona has re- leased a comprehensive new report that definitively con- cludes that secondhand smoke is a killer and must be addressed as a serious hazard to public health. “The debate is over,” Carmona said as he pre- sented the findings. “The science is clear. Secondhand smoke is not a mere annoy- ance, but a serious public health hazard.” Studies have shown that simply breathing second- hand smoke for as little as 30 minutes can cause blood vessels to constrict and raise the risk of heart attack or stroke. Secondhand smoke is responsible for lung can- cer in nonsmokers, for Sud- den Infant Death Syndrome and for respiratory illness and asthma in children. It is now clear that even minimal exposure to sec- ondhand smoke should be avoided. Most of us have a choice about that exposure. But what about those who work six-, eight- or even 10- hour shifts in bars and res- taurant/bar combinations where smoking is allowed? Here in Oregon we are working on many fronts to keep Oregonians healthy. But when it comes to sec- ondhand smoke, we are not succeeding. Secondhand smoke kills an estimated 800 Oregon nonsmokers every year. There is a solution. Ore- gonians can decide to pro- tect their friends and fami- lies from this hazardous ex- posure. We can demand that all workplaces become smoke-free. By simply re- quiring that people step out- side to have their cigarettes, we can protect the health of 35,000 working Oregonians. Such a simple action on behalf of public health; such a little change that can im- prove the health of so many. Many communities across the country have gone “smoke-free” in all worksites. Their businesses have found that the change costs them nothing and can even improve their bottom line in a number of ways, such as smaller insurance premiums due to a lower risk of fires and injuries, reduced cleaning and main- tenance costs and healthier employees and higher pro- ductivity. There are also benefits for employees who smoke. Experience shows that when a workplace goes smoke- free, employees who smoke often decide to quit, improv- ing their health and that of IVCDO Meeting Schedule Making Things Happen! November, 2006 Day Date Meeting Time Location Mon 11/6 Community Relations 5:30-6:30 PM IVCDO Office 11/8 Operational Oversight & Projects & Programs 5:30-6:30 PM Wed Executive Comm. 6:30-7:30 PM Workshop / Board Meeting 6:00-9:00 PM Thurs 11/16 Schneyder, “a district in- cluding all property assess- able to the Illinois Valley Fire District, which includes the city of Cave Junction, has a total assessed value for 2006/07 tax year of $425,227,430. Using that number times the reported rate of 5-cents per $1,000 would yield only $21,261.37. “It would appear the rate would need to approach 50-cents per thousand to gather $200,000 in taxes if the Illinois Valley Pool Dis- trict represented the Illinois Valley,” Schneyder con- cluded. Management Office indi- cates suitable weather con- ditions for smoke dispersal. “BLM plans nearly 10,500 acres of burning with about 8,358 acres of piled fuels and under-burns on approximately 1,647 acres in areas including: *Illinois Valley: Ap- proximately 312 acres of burning north of Cave Junc- tion and east of Selma areas. *Applegate/Thomas Creek/Squires Peak/Gales Creek: Broadcast burning is planned on about 700 acres. This includes about 100 acres in Thompson Creek area and 300 acres on Squires Peak and an addi- tional 300 acres in the Little Applegate drainage. Hand-pile burning will oc- cur on 2,000 acres mainly in the Applegate/Galls Creek areas, and some 300 acres near Howard / Hyatt Lakes. *Wolf Creek/Sunny Valley and Quines Creek: About 35 acres of under-burning is planned south of Speaker Road. Hand pile-burning is planned on about 2,400 acres in various locations, and smoke could be visible from the I-5 corridor at Wolf Creek, Sunny Valley and Quines Creek areas. *Grants Pass/ Merlin: Under-burning is planned on 500 acres in the Merlin and Galice areas. Pile-burning is planned on about 1,800 acres around the Grants Pass, Merlin and Galice areas. The Forest Service is planning burns on some Visitor Center Visitor Center their families. This helps reduce future smoking rates as well -- when children and teen-agers are exposed to less smoking, they are less likely to become smokers themselves. Currently more than 80 percent of adult Oregonians do not smoke. It is past time to take the next step to re- duce exposure to tobacco smoke for Oregonians. Let’s work together to require that all workplaces become 100 percent smoke-free. After all, shouldn’t eve- ryone be able to breathe clean air while they are on the job? (Editor’s Note: Susan Allan, administrator of the Oregon Dept. of Human Services Public Health Division, holds doctorates in medicine and law, and a master’s degree in public health.) T HE VIBRANT COLORS OF A UTUMN HAVE ARRIVED . W HY NOT BRING SOME HOME TO YOUR YARD ? L ET US HELP YOU • N ANDINA • B URNING B USH • V IBURNUM • H EATHER • O CTOBER G LORY • A UTUMN F LAME M APLE CHOOSE FROM SOME OF THE MOST COLOR- FUL TREES & SHRUBS . J UST TO NAME A FEW ! F ALL BULBS ARE IN , PLANT THEM NOW FOR A COLORFUL S PRING !
