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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 31, 2007)
Page 13 Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR Wednesday, January 31, 2007 Continued forest conflicts predicted by OSU Some of the changing social values and demands to ensure “species viability” that ultimately caused the collapse of national forest management plans during the 1980s and ‘90s have been addressed, scientists say, but other topics still have similar potential for conflict. An historical analysis by researchers at Oregon State University (OSU) at Corvallis, published in the professional journal, “Forest Policy and Economics,” concluded that many lessons have been learned by man- agement agencies following the contentious battles of the past 20 years. During those times one U.S. Forest Ser- vice management plan after another was invalidated by courts due to inadequate measures to protect wildlife species, OSU said. A fundamental change has taken place in manage- ment agencies. They now incorporate ecological sci- ence much more heavily into their decisions; have a greater understanding of what it takes to protect habi- tats and species; and have raised the bar in terms of protecting species at the expense of dramatically lower timber harvests on public lands, OSU reported. But the heightened at- tention being paid to species protection, researchers say in their report, is no guaran- tee that other forest manage- ment controversies based on different conflicts won’t result in the same “crisis management and angry voices” that have become the undesirable norm in re- cent decades. “Some lessons have been learned, and some changes made in regulations as a result of different politi- cal administrations,” said Sally Duncan, policy re- search director with the In- stitute for Natural Resources at OSU. “But substantive change is a very slow proc- ess, and there will be more crises in forest management; you can count on that. It may just be in different ar- eas.” This analysis was con- ducted, researchers say, to help determine why forest plans developed during the ‘80s and ‘90s so regularly ended up in court, and why “ad hoc” groups of scientists who examined the plans so consistently concluded that they did not allow for enough species protection -- beginning with the The forest service had become “by default a timber agency” and struggled to adapt to these social changes and ever more conflicting mandates, the report noted, and like many large bureau- cratic institutions was reluc- tant to change. A host of environmental l a w s passed dur- north- ern spotted owl, but later broad- ening to concerns much be- yond that. “The plans crafted by the forest service during the 1980s were universally deemed inadequate,” said Jonathan Thompson, an OSU doctoral candidate in the Dept. of Forest Science. “We wanted to under- stand how the same basic set of laws and regulations could result in such com- pletely different conclu- sions, and hopefully learn how these types of problems might be avoided in the fu- ture.” The issues that led to forest management gridlock began with the rise of the modern environmental movement in the ‘60s, and were intertwined with the post-World War II demand for more housing, increasing urbanization, and timber production gradually giving way to a view of forests as places valuable for recrea- tion, fish and wildlife pro- tection, and scenery. ing t h e ‘60s and ‘70s added to the pressures; membership in environ- mental groups surged; and interest groups became adept at using court chal- lenges to halt timber sales. As forest plans began to fail, specialized science groups were appointed to examine the types of species protec- tion provided in these plans, and frequently found them inadequate. “The species protection standards were very new, and the regulations were often vague, hard to inter- pret, sometimes almost im- possible to achieve,” Thompson said. “Management agen- cies,” he said, “often did not have the scientific back- ground, ecological expertise or the latest data, all of which were available to the groups examining their plans, and the scientists and agencies often came to very different conclusions.” Prior to the ‘80s, the researchers noted, ecologi- cal science was often a mi- nor part of forest plans and scientists in that field were rarely consulted. Now it has become a primary force in these plans and some scien- tists are being criticized for being “too involved” in pol- icy issues and management decisions. Another hypothesis the study explored was the level of risk to species. At first, many forest planners be- lieved that a few, isolated old-growth reserves would take care of most species concerns, OSU said. But for the northern spotted owl, it was perceived that neces- sary room for protection rose from an initial estimate of 30 acres to 3,000. By the early ‘90s, the number of species under consideration was more than 1,000. Species protection moved from a minor con- straint on timber production to a driver of planning and management. The end result of all these forces, researchers said, was a major decrease in timber production from public lands; a disruption of traditional approaches used by the forest service; a groundswell of environ- mental awareness and con- cern; and major political and court fights. Many participants inter- viewed in the research, the study authors said, now feel that problems with species protection are largely in the past. They feel that manage- ment agency approaches have changed, more science is being used in plan devel- opment, and a broad body of case law is now available to add consistency to the proc- ess – at least so far as it re- lates to species viability. But the broader contro- versies of recent years, the study noted, showed a proc- ess “crippled by the incre- mental nature of scientific understanding, institutional problems, and larger social dynamics” -- forces that have not gone away. Walden takes strong stand for supporting O&C funding Congressman Greg Walden (R-Ore.) announced that unless funding for the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self- Determination Act (county payments) is in the forth- coming stopgap spending bill to fund government op- erations -- known as a Con- tinuing Resolution (CR) -- he will vote against the bill’s passage. A CR was passed at the end of the 109th Congress, and it will expire on Feb. 15. Another CR must be ap- proved by Congress by that date to fund vital govern- ment functions. “The federal govern- ment faces an extreme fund- ing crisis if another CR is not approved next month by Congress,” Walden said. “However, Oregon’s county governments and rural ATTENTION! Chiara Usher, 14, of Selma is reported miss- ing, and her family wants help finding her. She last was seen early Friday, Jan. 26 in the 28000 block of Redwood Hwy. Chiara, a freshman at Illinois Valley High School, is 5-2 and has brown hair and brown eyes. Phone (541) 597-4796 with information as to her whereabouts. schools are already experi- encing a funding emergency since Congress has not reau- thorized and funded the es- sential county payments program. “The federal govern- ment made a pact with for- ested communities nearly a century ago, and it’s high time this pact be upheld. I will not support a funding package that breaches the federal government's prom- ise to our counties and schools. If the federal gov- ernment does not fulfill its obligation to the county pay- ments program in the Con- tinuing Resolution, I will express my opposition loudly and vote against it.” Walden and Congress- man Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) already have written to the House leadership asking that a one-year extension of the county payments program be included in the CR. “Many counties are faced with choosing be- tween schools and law en- forcement, between roads and libraries,” Walden said. "The layoff notices are be- ing prepared. The conse- quences of the federal gov- ernment breaking its prom- ise to timbered communities will be dire. They are facing an emergency in every sense of the word.” Walden and DeFazio introduced, on the first day of the new Congress, H.R. 17, a bill which would reau- thorize the county payments program for seven years. The Kerby Transfer Station is open to help you... Hours: Mondays - Saturdays 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. For more information phone (800) 922-1025 McLain OSP likely leader Appointment of Acting Superintendent Tim McLain to the position of superinten- dent of the Dept. of Oregon State Police (OSP), pending State Senate confirmation, was announced by Gov. Kulongoski. “Deputy Superintendent McLain answered the call in December to serve as acting superintendent, and he has carried out that duty with integrity, honor and dedication to the safety of our communities,” he said. “His knowledge of our state and his nearly 28 years serving Oregonians as a member of OSP make him exceptionally qualified to lead Oregon’s top statewide law enforcement agency through this coming period of growth and expansion.” Oregon law provides that the superintendent is the executive and administrative head of the department and serves a four-year term. Following the retirement of Superintendent Ronald Ruecker, McLain was appointed as interim super- intendent on Dec. 1, 2006. McLain, 50, has been a member of OSP for more than 27 years, originally starting as a patrol trooper in Roseburg. In 1985, he joined OSP’s Criminal Ser- vices Division as a member of the Douglas County In- teragency Narcotics Team. He went on to supervise an interagency gang en- forcement team and narcot- ics team in the Portland area. Later he was assigned to supervise criminal inves- tigations in 17 Central and Eastern Oregon counties. In 1998 he was assigned as commander of the South- west Region Headquarters in Central Point, where he oversaw OSP operations in seven southern counties un- til moving to OSP General Headquarters in Salem in 2001. He served there as the lieutenant colonel oversee- ing all law enforcement op- erations until December ‘06. P.O. Box 1668 ~ 221-C S. Redwood Hwy. Cave Junction OR 97523 ~Life & Health Insurance ~Medical Plans ~Independent Agent for Aflac Mary Reynolds Office: 592-6262 Fax: 592-6263 Cell: 660-7342 jeffersonstate@frontiernet.net First office at I.V. Medical Center Monday - Friday by appointment Pain - Stress - Injuries Deep massage CranioSacral Therapy Senior Discounts Gift Certificates LUZ MOORE TO CONDUCT USDA WORKSHOP FOR LOW-INCOME AND FIRST-TIME HOME BUYERS Bret Dixon and Susan Cherry representing the Rural Development Divi- sion of the USDA will speak at a workshop to be held in the Cave Junction City Hall Council Chamber on Friday, Feb. 9, 2007, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. This workshop is open to the public. They will dis- cuss USDA Programs available to low-income and first-time homebuyers in Josephine County. The focus of the workshop will be USDA home ownership programs that will help low-income homebuyers who would not have a chance to own a home any other way. Three homebuyers programs will be discussed. The first of these is the Direct Home Ownership Program through which it is possible to receive fi- nancing for up to 100% of the loan value with no down payment required. Depending on the buyer's income/household size, the interest rate can be reduced to as low as 1%. The USDA will provide help with the initial process of determining a person's eli- gibility for this program. They will work to find op- tions and to address any problems. A USDA repre- sentative will provide help to complete the application and conduct an orientation interview. This process would provide the appli- cant an eligibility certifi- cate so that they can shop for a house. When you have a Di- rect Home Loan with the USDA, there are several servicing options available for times of hardship or emergency. For instance, if you experience a reduction in income, you may receive an additional reduction in your interest rate. Or, if you experience circum- stances beyond your con- trol that have seriously affected your standard of living, you could receive a payment moratorium for up to two years. The other two pro- grams to be discussed will be Loan Note Guarantees and a Home Repair Pro- gram. USDA provides a loan note guarantee with 100% financing that in- cludes the added feature of NO MONTHLY MORT- GAGE INSURANCE in the payment. This allows the buyer to qualify for and afford more. The Home Repair Program is for very low- income homeowners and offers up to $20,000 over 20 years at 1%. There is also a grant program for homeowners age 62 and older who cannot afford a loan payment and need to remove health and safety hazards from their home. The grant is for up to $7,500. This workshop is be- ing conducted by Luz Moore with the endorse- ment of Century 21 Harris & Taylor and the IV Chamber of Commerce. This is an effort to educate the peo- ple of our com- munity about the opportu- nities available to them and their families. Seating will be limited. For registration and for those wishing to apply for a housing loan, please phone Luz at (541) 415-1961.
