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.