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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