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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 21, 2013)
The Valley’s #1 News Source Since 1937 T his edition is for Laura Mancuso 75c illinois-valley-news.com Wednesday, August 21, 2013, 1 Section, 12 Pages, Volume 76 No. 24 Published Weekly Cave Junction, Oregon 97523 Smoke impacts animals the same as humans By Annette McGee Rasch IVN Contributing Writer The clearer air of late is good news for us humans and our pets and livestock who are just as susceptible to smoke as we are. “Wildfire smoke can ir- ritate the eyes and respiratory tract, reduce lung function and aggravate heart and lung disease, just like in humans,” said Dr. Ron Dickey, with the Rogue River Veterinary Hos- pital. “We all have the same physiology. If air is unhealthy for humans, it’s just as harmful on animals. Though birds are much more sensitive.” High concentrations of particulates found in wild- fire smoke can cause persis- tent cough, increased nasal discharge, wheezing and in- creased physical effort in breathing. These particulates can alter immune systems and reduce the lungs’ ability to re- move foreign materials, such as pollen, bacteria or other substances outdoor animals are typically exposed to, ac- cording to Dickey. See Smoke on A-10 (Photo by Dan Mancuso, Illinois Valley News) Smoke filled the Valley Saturday, August 17. Fire experts believe this will be a continual problem until the fall rains come. Quirky Labrador has fire managers on close watch By Annette McGee Rasch IVN Contributing Writer The 2,023 acre Labrador Fire is an anomaly, according to fire manag- ers who note that while the wildfire has not grown much, it is still zero percent contained, as abundant snags in deep dangerous terrain are keeping firefight- ers away from the fire-line. “Our concern is that we just don’t know what this fire can do yet,” said Public Information Officer Bob Gale. “Our motto remains keeping this fire as small as possible for as long as pos- sible.” As of last weekend, the fire “burned itself into a hole,” due to natu- ral barriers and fuels already consumed by the 2002 Biscuit Fire. With warming weather conditions, though, infra-red technology indicates increased interior heat within the fire. Also, isolated heat pockets have persisted around the fire’s perimeter. Firefighters are paying close at- tention, as the inevitable “weather test” on the fire, located thirteen miles northwest of Cave Junction, may come soon. Lightening strikes from storms predicted for this week could cause trouble. Even without lightening, me- teorologists say history indicates how higher winds, hotter weather and lower humidity levels could awaken the fire. “What happens this week may well indicate how things will go for the rest of the fire season,” said Public Information Officer Tim Johnson. “It’s paramount that crews remain vigilant and ready to respond to any flare-ups and also ready to deal with any pos- sible new fire starts from predicted lightning.” All 13 of the new fires started by lightening two weeks ago are now con- tained or extinguished. One new development is the ar- rival of the nine-member King’s Peak Wildland Fire Module from Utah. This self-contained unit, stationed near the Oak Flat community, is monitoring the fire up close, ready to spring into ac- tion. “These are rugged and capable individuals,” Gale said. “They’re spe- cifically trained to patrol and monitor unpredictable fires and can take initial attack action, call in air support, ground troops or whatever else is needed.” See Fire on A-10 Josephine County funds Valley clean-up efforts By Annette McGee Rasch IVN Contributing Writer Many have had the experience of playing on public lands and coming away disgusted or dis-heartened after encountering nasty heaps of garbage in the forest. Valley residents willing to organize teams of volunteers to tackle illegal dump sites can get funding from the Josephine County Solid Waste Agency to pay for disposal of garbage, old tires, appliances and furniture. “People are already contributing to the fund that pays for these clean-up efforts, through their garbage collection fees,” said Cave Junction’s Wastewater Treatment Facil- ity Manager Mike Bollweg, who serves on the agency’s board. Bollweg has organized clean-ups focusing on removal of discarded tires from the Valley’s water ways and hopes to create an annual event where people can get rid of tires for free. “People often dump tires because disposal costs money,” Bollweg said. “This contributes to the degradation of the whole region.” Another stream clean-up event is planned before winter, in conjunction with IV Soil and Water Commission. “We’re trying to address rural dumping is- sues and we’re really supported in the agency to get this work done,” said Bollweg, who also put numerous homeless people to work clean- ing up an encampment they had inhabited near Brooks Creek. Bollweg also commends Cave Junction Mayor Carl Jacobsen for supporting these proj- ects. “The mayor has been great. He always helps out and goes the extra mile to get some- thing good happening for the community,” he said. “The city’s staff gets involved. City Recorder Ryan Nolan and Mike Griess, who works at the wastewater plant, were both out there bucking tires.” Another recent effort to remove an un- sightly mess on BLM land near Logan Cut Drive was organized by Julie Lockman, with the Clean Forest Project, and community vol- unteer Greg Walter. In 2001, an inter-governmental agreement between the City of Grants Pass and Josephine County established the Josephine County Solid Waste Agency. Then, in 2005, the City of Cave Junction joined the agency that shares respon- sibility to provide solid waste management to the county. The agency oversees agreements with Southern Oregon Sanitation and Republic Services (formerly Allied Waste) on behalf of all three jurisdictions, sets rates, and allocates funds from the Environmental Program Fee — which amounts to $5 per ton of garbage col- lected in the county. In 2013, about $240,000 was collected by these fees. Waste haulers are limited in how much profit they can clear. If profits exceed thirteen percent, that additional money is split with the agency. “The haulers need to be regulated,” Boll- weg said. The agency also provides remediation on contaminated sites — both on public or private lands, according to Terry Haugen, Director of Public Works for the City of Grants Pass. Hau- gen also serves as Operation Officer for the solid waste agency. “There’s many clean-ups that need to be done,” Haugen said. “If we can get volunteers together to accomplish these projects, that’s great.” See Waste on A-10 Robinson elected to head Oregon GOP By Judy Hoyle IVN Contributing Writer Cave Junction resident Arthur Brouhard “Art” Robin- son, was elected chairman of the Oregon Republican Party on Saturday, August 10. Robinson, 71, earned a Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of California, San Diego, in 1968 and was immediately appointed to its faculty, a rare feat. He resigned in 1972 and was a co-founder along with Linus Pauling and Keene Dimick of the Institute of Orthomolecular Medicine in 1973. He later moved to Cave Junction and founded the Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine (OISM) here in 1980. The 501c3 non-profit’s mission is “research, develop- ment and public education on the biochemistry of molecular clocks and the degenerative diseases of aging, elementary science education, the effects of environment on health and welfare and disaster prepared- ness.” In addition to serving as president of OISM, Robin- son edits the newsletter “Ac- cess to Energy” and publishes the “Robinson Self-Teaching Home School Curriculum.” Robinson opposes abor- tion and supports gun rights, cutting taxes, increasing bor- der security and building new power plants. He supports ending the Federal Reserve System, balancing the federal budget and strong national defense but with a more re- strained foreign policy than currently exists. He unsuccessfully ran against Peter DeFazio (D- Ore.) for U.S. Representative, Oregon District 4 in 2010 and 2012. Both men oppose bail- outs to Wall Street banks and support defunding earmarks and ending special-interest influence in Washington. Rob- inson, an outspoken skeptic of man-made climate change, gained support from libertar- ians like former Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) and tea party activ- ists in his bid for the seat. In the state Republican Party election in February, Su- zanne Gallagher was elected to a two-year term, defeating Robinson and John Lee Jr. chairman of the Clackamas County GOP. As reported by Portland newspaper, The Oregonian, Chairwoman Suzanne Galla- gher stepped down just ahead of a recall vote brought by party officials accusing her of mismanaging the party and its finances since her election. “The events in the last couple of months are a testi- mony to why Republicans are not seen in a good light,” Gal- lagher said in a statement re- garding her resignation. “The actions of some members have demonstrated the character flaws perceived by the public as uncaring, angry and antago- nistic.” Party leaders worked quickly to switch the recall ef- fort into an election for a new chair, which Robinson ulti- mately won on the third bal- lot in a 55-52 vote over party vice-chair Bill Currier. The party is in the process of planning for the November 2014 election. The chair is re- sponsible for helping Repub- licans win races for governor and other statewide elections, as well as Congressional seats. Robinson will work to help elect Oregon State District 4 Rep. Dennis Richardson (R- Central Point) to the position of governor. The party hasn’t won a statewide race in a decade, controls just one of five con- gressional seats, (Greg Walden, R-Medford) and is the minor- ity party in both the Oregon House and Senate. Just under a third of Oregon’s 2.2 million registered voters are Republi- can, outnumbered 190,000 by Democrats. Art Robinson
