Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Page 13
FAC’s meadow knapweed effort worthwhile work
Throughout Illinois Val-
ley, land owners have been
working hard to reclaim their
fields from the rapidly
spreading meadow knap-
weed.
The Forestry Action
Committee (FAC) conducts
many weed-removal projects
on public and private land.
Knapweed must be dug out
so it won’t grow back from
the root.
Or, where the ground is
fairly level, knapweed plants
can be killed by first weed-
eating down to ground level,
and then spreading 6-mil
black poly over them, held
down securely with rocks or
boards, throughout the weed
season. This also kills the
seeds, but not the soil.
Knapweed has tiny seeds
that easily stick to tires,
hooves, boots, and digging
equipment. The seeds start
new populations wherever
they land. When knapweed
gets established, it crowds out
natives, tree seedlings, live-
stock forage plants, and other
plants useful to humans, FAC
reported.
FAC’s most recent pro-
ject is creating a weed-free
corridor along Takilma Road,
which the land owners are
expanding onto their proper-
ties. Weeds along two-thirds
of the road were removed
during the first phase of the
project. The National Forest
Foundation (NFF) has given
FAC a $10,000 grant, which,
along with the $10,000 antici-
pated from the Oregon State
Weed Board (OSWB), would
have covered the remaining
third of the road, and touch-
ing up along the original
stretch.
But OSWB had ex-
pressed serious doubts about
the effectiveness of non-
chemical methods to control
OSWB listed as reasons:
“low probability of success,”
the need for “stronger land-
owner cooperation” and the
need to treat “outlier popula-
tions.” Actually, said FAC,
the project already has been
quite successful; has involved
a great deal of land owner
cooperation; and is precisely
knapweed. However, it
agreed to monitor the effec-
tiveness of the project this
year to settle that question.
But it has quite recently noti-
fied FAC that OSWB will not
fund this year’s project, and
without matching funds, the
NFF grant cannot be pro-
vided.
A year’s delay will allow
the weeds from the unfin-
ished section and new seed-
lings in the treated section to
re-infest the areas previously
cleared, said FAC.
treating the outskirts of Illi-
nois Valley’s knapweed
population.
OSWB also stated the
need for an “integrated weed
management approach.” By
its definition this includes
herbicides, which run counter
to the Takilma community’s
wishes. By insisting on her-
bicide use as a prerequisite
for funding, the board is de-
nying the basic principle of
empowering land owner
choice, FAC noted.
The reason for OSWB to
monitor the project’s results
was to establish whether re-
moving knapweed by hand is
just as effective as applying
herbicides. The recurrence-
rate reduction figures, from
the people actually doing the
projects, indicate that non-
chemical methods reduce the
populations just as rapidly as
do chemicals.
Said FAC, “Feedback
from land owners has been
immensely encouraging.
Many who previously felt
overwhelmed by the scale of
the infestation are now confi-
dent they can keep the re-
maining weeds on their land
under control. Biological con-
trol measures have helped.
“The knapweed seedhead
weevil larinus has been intro-
duced in recent years, which
slows the weed’s spread. So
any small black beetles with
long weevil snouts encoun-
tered while digging out knap-
weed should not be killed;
they’re on our side. Like other
nonchemical methods, they do
not kill native plants, earth-
worms, or other organisms
that make up healthy soil.
“The success of the
knapweed eradication efforts
is entirely up to the people of
Illinois Valley. Donations
(which are doubled by the
NFF funds), volunteers, and
other ideas for funding
sources will make all the dif-
ference.”
For more information
phone 592-4098.
BPA lists steps toward numerous powerful plans
Nearly $2 million in con-
tracts to research and develop
ways to help manage the in-
termittent nature of renewable
energy were awarded by
Bonneville Power Admini-
stration (BPA).
Research will focus on
wind, ocean wave and in-
stream tidal technologies.
The intermittent nature of
these resources poses particu-
lar challenges for connection
to the region’s electric trans-
mission system, said BPA.
In December 2006, it
issued its formal request for
proposals (RFP) to the energy
industry for technology that
can help advance these re-
newable power initiatives.
BPA received 25 project pro-
posals. Since earlier this year,
the agency has completed
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negotiations on eight of 11
projects selected for further
negotiation and subsequent
funding.
The pro-
jects range
from wind-
forecasting
tools
to
wave energy
technology
to technolo-
gies that can
harness tidal
energy. Several of the re-
sponding parties are from the
Northwest. Approximately $2
million were dedicated to
these projects during fiscal
year 2007, with the potential
for continued funding into
future years.
BPA also began its re-
search and development so-
licitation process for fiscal
year 2008. Areas of interest
for ‘08 include transmission,
energy efficiency, physical
security and renewable re-
sources.
“The existing federal
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power system uses 31 dams
and one nuclear power plant,
along with some wind power,
to generate
emission-
free, nonfos-
sil-fuel-based
electricity for
the
North-
west,” said
BPA Deputy
Administra-
tor
Steve
Hickok.
“Adding renewable wave
energy to the mix, with no
associated fossil fuel use or
emissions, certainly fits well
with our federal power supply
portfolio and holds promise
as our region’s electricity
needs continue to grow.”
The renewable integra-
tion portion of the RFP will
help support recommenda-
tions provided in the Wind
Integration Action Plan de-
veloped by a group of leaders
from the Northwest Power
and Conservation Council,
utilities, renewable power
developers and BPA.
The Action Plan was
released in March and can be
found at nwcouncil.org/
energy/Wind/library/2007-
1.htm.
Hickok said that there is
opportunity for ocean wave
and tidal generation technol-
ogy to garner the same level
of popularity and growth that
wind power has experienced
during recent years.
For fiscal year ‘07, BPA
has contracts in place that will
support nearly $2 million of
BPA program expenditures in
renewable research, develop-
ment and demonstration. The
eight projects are the first to
be partially funded with these
monies; BPA will fund up to
65 percent of each project’s
first-year costs, but not more
than $500,000 on a single
project.
Projects and parties in-
clude:
*BPA Control Area Re-
gional Wind Resource Data-
set for the Determination of
Wind Energy Integration Im-
pacts (3Tier, Seattle. BPA
cost: $197,000).
*Demonstration of
Power Electronics Device to
Support Wind (North Caro-
lina State/DOE. BPA cost:
$500,000).
*Tacoma Narrows Tidal
Energy Feasibility Project
(Tacoma PUD. BPA cost:
$165,000).
Feasibility study to as-
sess various leading in-stream
tidal generation devices.
Evaluating tidal current
models.
Identifying permitting
and environmental issues in
the Tacoma Narrows.
*Tidal In-Stream Energy
Conversion
Project
(Snohomish PUD. BPA cost:
$221,000).
*Wave Energy Lab and
Test Beds (Oregon State Uni-
versity. BPA cost: $466,000).
Design and build a labo-
ratory wave energy conver-
sion device testing facility.
Establish an ocean de-
ployed wave energy device
test facility.
-Wave Forecasting
(EPRI. BPA cost: $31,000).
Proposal to employ the
operational forecasting prod-
ucts of NOAA/NECP models
to predict ocean wave energy
at water depths of coastal
wave energy projects.
*Wind Ramp Forecast-
ing System Using Improved
Doppler SODAR (Second
Wind/Oregon State Univer-
sity. BPA cost: $100,000).
Cook still
among Idol
contenders
The suspense continues
for Kristy Lee fans.
They’ll have to wait until
Thursday, April 10 at 8
p.m. to see if the Selma-
connected vocalist makes it
Kristy Lee Cook
to the top seven contestants
(Photo by Fox Television) on Fox TV’s American Idol.
Voter approval of her per-
formance, Coat of Many Colors, sent Kristy Lee Cook to Idol
Gives Back. Taped in Hollywood on Sunday, April 6, it will
be aired Wednesday, April 9 at 7:30 p.m.
The goal this season is to top the $76 million raised last
year for children in the United States and Africa. According
to the Website www.americanidol.com, “During the show,
viewers will be able to make donations via toll-free lines and
the Internet.
“Money raised by the charity special will be distributed
by Idol Gives Back to Children’s Defense Fund, Make It
Right, Malaria No More, Save The Children’s U.S. Pro-
grams, Children’s Health Fund, and Global Fund to Fight
AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.”
The special will include Robin Williams, Celine Dion,
Billy Crystal, Kiefer Sutherland, Jennifer Connolly, Bono,
Brad Pitt, Reese Witherspoon, Mariah Carey, Heart, and Glo-
ria Estefan.
The Kristy Lee Cook Q&A section of the American Idol
Website asked, “If you don't make it on American Idol, what
will you do?”
She listed her goals as, “Pursue my career, possibly do
America’s Top Model, but mostly try to get a record con-
tract.”
Another Website, www.kristy-boards.com provides fo-
rums for the “largest fan base for Kristy Lee Cook.”
Desiree Eddy, of Country Folks Restaurant in Selma,
reports that the place is “packed, you can’t even move in
here” on Idol performance nights. And they are nearly sold
out of a special edition of “Southern Oregon Idol” T-shirts.
Sign boards in Grants Pass, Selma and Cave Junction
encourage voters to keep the vocalist, who calls Selma her
hometown, in the competition.
Regardless of the outcome on April 10, making the grade
to the “Elite Eight,” and praise from Dolly Parton -- “Oh,
your mama’s going to be so proud of you” -- are still exciting
accomplishments.
~Zina Booth
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