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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 21, 2009)
Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, Ore. Wednesday, January 21, 2009 Page 11 Meadow north of Selma cleared for wildlife by Oregon Hunters Association Some 24 members of the Josephine County Chapter of Oregon Hunters Association (OHA) spent Saturday, Jan. 10 cutting and clearing brush and trees from Butcherknife Meadow in the Siskiyou Na- tional Forest north of Selma. The project is part of a multiyear effort to improve forage for big game and other wildlife in Rogue River- Siskiyou National Forest. “Our goal is to clear about 200 acres of meadow habitat each year to enhance big game forage,” said Brett Loper, OHA chapter presi- dent, of Grants Pass. “We gave $5,000 for the project last year and are contributing another $5,000 for 2009.” Grasses and herbaceous flowering plants found in meadow habitat are a major food source for a variety of wildlife species, especially deer and elk. But as time passes, conifers and shrubs begin to encroach on mead- ows and will eventually con- vert them to forest habitat. To keep the meadows open, they need to be cleared of trees and brush then maintained with controlled burns every three to five years. For the Jan. 10 project, OHA volunteers cut en- croaching brush and conifers, accumulating 64 piles that the U.S. Forest Service will burn. Last year, OHA helped USFS open nearly 300 acres of meadow at Waters Creek, also near Selma. Healthy meadow habitat is important for wildlife. “These open, grass meadows make up only about 1 percent of the forest, but they get very heavy use by deer, elk, wild turkey, grouse and other wildlife species,” said David Austin, supervi- sory wildlife biologist for the Wild River and Siskiyou Mountains ranger districts of the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest. Meadow habitat en- hancement projects have been conducted in Siskiyou Na- tional Forest during the past five years. Besides OHA, the Rocky Mountain Elk Founda- tion and the Oregon Dept. of Fish & Wildlife have been working with USFS on the meadow projects. OHA is the state’s largest pro-hunting organization, with more than 10,000 mem- bers and 25 chapters state- wide. Its mission is “to pro- vide abundant huntable wild- life resources in Oregon for present and future genera- tions, enhancement of wild- life habitat and protection of hunters rights.” Land-use activist Sommer seen by some as presenting ‘poorly developed’ arguments By SCOTT JORGENSEN IVN Staff Writer On Monday night, Jan. 12, the Cave Junction City Council denied a request by Merlin resident and land-use activist Holger Sommer to waive an order by the Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA) to pay approxi- mately $7,500 in legal fees. For Sommer, the denial was simply the latest in a se- ries of local battles regarding land-use issues. During the past few years, Sommer has main- tained a constant presence before the Josephine County Board of Commissioners, as well as the Cave Junction and Grants Pass city councils. And he’s stepped on some toes along the way. Grants Pass-based attor- ney Jim Dole is among Som- mer’s biggest critics. “He has wasted a lot of time and a lot of money on the part of a lot of people in this community,” Dole said. “I just don’t think it’s right.” Dole has represented Copeland Sand & Gravel, defending against many of Sommer’s LUBA appeals. “The majority of his ar- guments are so poorly devel- oped that it becomes ex- tremely difficult for a lawyer to respond to them,” Dole said. “I think the LUBA members have also struggled to make sense of the points he’s trying to make. In a number of instances, the law is squarely the opposite of what he says it is.” In a June 27, 2007 deci- sion in which it ruled against Sommer and several other petitioners and in favor of Josephine County, LUBA representatives stated that “determining what to do with petitioners’ third assignment of error is problematic at best. “The argument in sup- port of that assignment of error rambles for over 40 pages. Not only is the num- bering and presentation con- fusing, it is nearly impossible to ascertain what, if any- thing, peti- tioners are actually argu- ing in any particular portion of the brief,” LUBA stated. T h a t same docu- ment later refers to the “often dis- joined argu- ments that are presented by Holger Sommer (center, in dark vest) is seen during a county land-use hear- petitioners in ing in 2008 attended by some Copeland employees. ( I.V. News file photo) support of this assignment of error” and states that “the arguments “Projects physically can’t presented in support of this get done, or they lose assignment of error are so money,” Peterson said. “It poorly stated and developed has a tremendous economic that the overwhelming major- impact.” As an example, he uses. ity of it cannot be responded points to Barlow Sand & “You have special users to.” Gravel, which is Copeland’s out there who what this to be Bill Peterson, Copeland Cave Junction affiliate. That their own private playground administrator and former company is now down to one and recreational airstrip,” said Grants Pass city manager, said part-time employee, Peterson Ellis. that the company has spent said, although it used to em- With an open door pol- “multiple tens of thousands of ploy many more. icy, Grossi said that he gets dollars” fighting LUBA ap- “We had nine people out “good input from people,” but peals filed by Sommer. there,” Peterson said. “It was that the constraints of his op- Josephine County legal intended to be producing ag- eration don’t permit him to counsel Steve Rich said that gregate to satisfy the de- please everybody. each additional LUBA hear- mands throughout the county. “Because (the airport ing requires the use of staff But real people lose real department) is an enterprise time, and records have to be jobs.” fund and it has to be operated preserved and assembled, Peterson notes that with like a business” said Grossi, which takes “hundreds of the recent economic down- “I can’t do as much politi- man hours.” There’s also the turn, some of those employ- cally to satisfy people be- staff time for drafting the ees would have been laid off cause I have a structure that I briefs and presenting the ar- anyway, but he said that it have to conform to, both from guments. wouldn’t have happened as the feds and from managing Rich estimates that the quickly. my budget.” county has spent “easily tens “Are the appeals solely Toler pointed out that the of thousands of dollars” fight- to blame for the job loss? county had citizen advisory ing Sommer’s various LUBA They are not,” Peterson said. committees for most every appeals. Peterson added that “(But) It is a contributing facet of its services, and their every LUBA appeal has di- factor, and it’s a major one.” purpose is to advise the rect costs between $3,000 and (Continued next issue. Read county commissioners. He $7,000, and comes with a the entire article online at felt there was no reason why series of hidden costs. illinois-valley-news.com) it should not work for the airports. Toler also seemed hopeful that individuals fill- Water Wells ing the slotted positions Pump Sales would represent group rather than individual interests. Installation The commissioners Service voted 3-0 to re-establish the 592-6777 two boards. Commissioner Sandi Cassanelli, who is the 1470 Caves Highway current airport liaison, with Licensed • Bonded • Insured Locally owned and Grossi, will work to pin down WWC #1504 • CCB #152266 • CPl #7-113 operated in the valley for over 25 years. details. After county legal Member Oregon Ground Water Assoc. counsel takes a look at the bylaws, advertising will take place to fill the at-large posi- tions. “The onus is on you,” Ellis told Cassanelli. County board revamps airport advisory committees By MICHELLE BINKER Staff Writer Although demand has been steady from Illinois Val- ley residents that the Jose- phine County Board of Com- missioners re-establish an airport advisory board, there has been reluctance to recre- ate past “contentious” and “unproductive” boards. Now that the developers of a posh golf resort adjacent to the Grants Pass Airport are involved, the idea seems to have gained some traction with the county. Commissioner Dave Toler brought up the matter on Friday, Jan. 9. “There is a lot of demand for it in Illinois Valley,” said Toler. “I was in a recent meeting with Paradise Ranch folks, and they would like to see an advisory board out in Merlin, too.” Toler recommended that each airport have its own board, because there isn’t much common ground be- tween the two facilities. Alex Grossi, county air- ports director, agreed. “There are no similar issues, it’s night and day,” Grossi said. Recommended composi- tion of the board would have representatives from the chamber of commerce, busi- nesses, airport tenants and users, a community develop- ment organization and two at- large positions, said Toler. With admitted reluc- tance, commission Chairman Dwight Ellis said he’d be willing to try again. He stated that past committees had been unproductive and contentious because they were loaded with people who wanted the airport for their own specific Illinois Valley Airport ‘wish list’ voiced (Continued from page 7) new facilities, current projec- tions of airport activity, new environmental and other regulatory constraints, appro- priate land use to support usage and long-term financial health. Anderson and project planner Sarah Lucas, ex- plained that WHPacific would produce an airport layout drawing. It will “depict the existing airport facility and graphically show the rec- ommended improvements,” and a capital improvement plan, “that will provide the airport with a method and proposed schedule for cor- recting identified airport de- sign deficiencies.” Included in WHPacific’s report will be a “review of historic buildings on the air- port and how they may affect future development,” and a discussion of appropriate Air- port Reference Codes, which dictate the FAA’s design and safety standards. The role of the advisory committee, Anderson ex- plained, is to review the infor- mation provided and give the planners input based on their familiarity with the airport, the community and public input. “One thing we will ask of the committee is rumor control,” Anderson said not- ing that, “Airports can be lightning rods for one issue or another in a community, whether it is noise or environ- mental issues or the types of aircraft being planned for.” Among comments from the committee, Bill Gettle, owner of The Flying Machine at the airport, asserted that the current ALP has many mis- takes. Committee member Ed Russell had a slew of con- cerns, from the incomplete industrial park to the west and its connection to the airport, to historic and utilitarian quality of the airport for gen- eral aviation. Don Moore, Cave Junc- tion mayor, added that the facility is a valuable asset, but “it’s terribly underused.” “If you don’t have han- gar space,” said Moore, “you Concrete Remodel New Construction CCB 174891 592-6609 can’t bring more business to this airport.” Committee member Keith Hill pointed out that the I.V. Airport is an alternate airstrip should coastal or nearby facilities be fogged in, but suffers from lack of fuel. “It is the one big thing that would increase tremen- dously the functionality of this airport,” said Hill. Sev- eral in attendance indicated their agreement. Those present spoke of a thriving airport which cur- rently hosts private flight training, aviation mainte- nance and camping. They also expressed hopes of see- ing the historic Siskiyou Smokejumper Base become a destination. And they under- scored the need for fuel. Three more workshops will be scheduled throughout the year. The Valley’s Tax Experts AND RENTAL CENTER Has Joined Forces With... 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