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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (July 31, 2013)
Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, Ore. Wednesday, July 31, 2013 Page A-9 History of the Hippies in Takilma: by Kindi Farhnkopf much damage. Photographer Barbara Ullian was able to document off-road vehicle damage to rare plant habitats and to help protect those areas. Spe- cial hikes and slideshows were held to draw attention to the need to pro- tect the rare and endemic species of the eco-system. The Voice of the Wild Siskyou’s newsletter and the new www.siskiy- ou.org website were used extensively to reach a network of members that Lou Gold had developed with his tour across America. The talented staff continued to bring attention to the issues through the skillful use of the media to affect public opinion. Julie Norman, the former Ex- ecutive Director of Headwaters had been hired to create a Klamath-Siski- you documentary to be aired on pub- lic television. Their filming schedule included the talents of Ed Begley Jr., as narrator and Martha Stewart cook- ing salmon with Agnes Pilgrim, el- der of the Rogue-Takelma Indians, for an upcoming TV special. Many other scientists and experts were in- terviewed as the film highlighted the regions many wonders. The film, in a slightly different format was aired on Southern Oregon’s public televi- sion station. In 2002, with the retirement of Lou Gold, a young enthusiastic cam- paigner was hired to replace him: Rolf Skar. Rolf, based in a small of- fice in Portland, carried the word all over Oregon and across the nation about the need to protect the Siskiyou. His first summer the Kalmiopsis erupted in the Biscuit Fire of 2002, the largest fire in Oregon’s history, and the Siskiyou Project respond- ed by monitoring the fire and wildlands for the next several years. Ecologist Rich Nawa of the Sis- kiyou Project, worked with Conservation Direc- tors Barbara Ullian and Romain Cooper to survey and monitor the activities in the fire area, creating a public outreach campaign against salvage logging, which stud- ies had shown slowed the natural re- generation of the forests. To help with educating the pub- lic, the Siskiyou Environmental Film Festival was held in Ashland each winter from 2002-2007. This program offered documentary films about the area and its ecology, fire science, for- estry, restoration, wildlife and citi- zens. The festival, organized by Bar- ry Snitkin, brought together the many groups and concerned citizens of the area to network with each other, and filmmakers from around the country. For the gala 20th Anniversary Fes- tival, the special guest was Agnes Baker-Pilgrim, Elder of the Rogue- Takelma Indians. As Grandmother and spiritual leader of Oregon’s na- tive people, she had resurrected the ancient Salmon Festival on the banks of the Rogue River, and invited all to come to pray for the protection of the salmon’s homeland. A lawsuit to protect Oregon’s cougar population was won by Sis- kiyou Project’s staff attorney, Lori Cooper in 2004. An Economic Study of the Klamath-Siskiyou Bioregion by Ernie Neimi was produced by Siskiyou Project in 2005, helping to forecast the future change away from dependence on forest resources and jobs. In 2006 the Siskiyou Project, opened an office in Grants Pass, and continued its public outreach cam- paign to gather support for legisla- tive protection. Some of its original employees and board members have moved on, but the mission has not died, and is carried on by new activ- ists with fresh energy. Recently, the Siskiyou Project merged with the Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center of Ashland and continues to work for the permanent protection of Ameri- ca’s precious ancient forests. www. kswild.org Recently, Lou Gold returned to Oregon from Brazil, his new home, to see old friends in the Illinois Val- ley. When asked what the environ- mental movement did right or wrong, he replied, “I don’t think much about what’s right or wrong these days, and the only thing I can say is, I can no longer depend on the same old as- sumptions that I used to use as a for- est activist in America. The world is a different place today.” I was struck by the wisdom in those words; that we often grow older to find out how little we know about the world and we are humbled and changed by that knowl- edge. Author Kindi Fahrnkopf is a poet and flower child of the 60s who has lived in Takilma for 33 years. She worked at the Siskiyou Project for 10 years, as their office manager and ac- countant. Staff and Board of the Siskiyou Project in 2001 UNITY HEAL OMM TH CE UC O Y NT KI RD AB 1973 - 2013 LUT A ION FOR QU AL TH FO SO CARE ER AN AF LE Years HE The evolution and impact of the environmental movement in Takilma is explored in the next chapter of so- lutions. The Siskiyou Regional Educa- tion Project, 1983-2013. In 1995, protests were planned against the Sugarloaf and China Left Timber Sales near the Oregon Caves National Monument. Hundreds of protesters were gathered to stop the logging trucks from entering the for- est, and many were arrested one day including the Executive Director of the Siskiyou Project, Steve Marsden; Steve Jontz, Congressman from In- diana; Brock Evans of the Audubon Society and Charlie Ogle of the Si- erra Club. Although the timber sales were later clear-cut, the media with a live CNN broadcast helped propel the event into the public arena. For the first time pictures of huge fir stump fields were published, to the horror of the public, which believed that the national forests were protected. It be- came obvious that the biggest and the best trees were being harvested and the remaining forest was being de- graded by the process. The Spotted Owl debate heated up and the con- troversy between loggers and forest guardians became a national issue. Meanwhile, Siskiyou Project used the publicity to gather many more mem- bers and to expand its operations, in hopes of permanent legislative pro- tection. In 1997 the Siskiyou Project hosted its First Conference on Sis- kiyou Ecology, attended by 300 sci- entists, students, land managers and local citizens. The Siskiyou Field Institute was the idea of botanist Jen- nifer Beigel and as a result of her coordination, by 1999, provided the educational component of the Sis- kiyou Project’s programs, with over 33 science-based field courses on the ecology of the Klamath-Siskiyou Bio-Region. The success of the Field Institute in the coming years, under the leadership of Sue Parrish, who expanded its programs, was so strong that the Institute eventually in 2004 was able to become its own non- profit organization by partnering with Southern Oregon University and the River Network. In 1998 the Siskiyou Project, along with partners at the World Wild- life Fund and leading scientists Dr. Reed Noss and Dr. James R. Strittholt, of the Conservation Biology Institute produced the Klamath-Siskiyou Con- servation Plan, a landscape level con- servation biology assessment which would include comprehensive maps of the region, and its resources. The Siskiyou Project had also managed to secure Land and Water Conservation funds to buy out 2000 acres of min- ing claims, along the Wild and Scenic Chetco River, inside the Kalmiopsis Wilderness. By the next year, their massive public outreach campaign convinced the Forest Service to deny a large strip mine along Rough and Ready Creek, the most botanically diverse watershed in the State of Or- egon. They also helped create a 1,162 acre Area of Critical Environmental Concern, called the “Redrock Rain- forest” on BLM lands near the Red- wood Highway. In 2000, under the able and bril- liant leadership of Kelpie Wilson, the Siskiyou Wild Rivers National Monument campaign was launched. Collaborating with the Soda Moun- tain Wilderness Council, led by Dave Willis, the Siskiyou Project support- ed both their own Siskiyou Wild Riv- ers campaign and the Soda Mountain National Monument campaign. Even with enthusiastic support from Inte- rior Secretary Bruce Babbitt, the Sis- kiyous were again second in line and not able to get the support of outgo- ing President Clinton. He created the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monu- ment instead. At least the Siskiyous were getting some name recognition. It was obvious then that more public and local support was needed to protect such a large landscape, however, due to Secretary Babbitt’s support the Siskiyous were granted a two year moratorium on new mining claims. Siskiyou Project performed a field survey of mining damage on the area’s rivers and streams documenting SI S Part 20-Solutions-The Environmental Years in Takilma-continued LIT Y Accepting New Patients Siskiyou Community Health Center welcomes its newest providers, Abhilash Makkar, FNP and Elbert Collins, MD. We provide personalized, patient-centered care to help manage our patients’ individual and family wellness needs through all stages of life. Our goal is to provide a medical home that focuses on high quality primary and preventive care services for the whole family. Abhilash Makkar, FNP Elbert Collins, MD Family medicine specializing in chronic disease management such as hyper- tension, dyslipidemia, thyroid problems, diabetes and asthma. He performs skin biopsies, nail removal, skin tag removal, laceration repair and Cryosurgery. Specializing in women’s health care and offers gynecology care and birth control options not previously available in Cave Junction, including implants and IUDs. An Affordable Solution for Quality Health Care 25647 Redwood Hwy. Cave Junction • 541-592-4111 www.siskiyouhealthcenter.com
