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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 3, 2016)
The Valley’s #1 News Source Since 1937 Illinois Valley News Wednesday, August 3, 2016, 1 Section, Volume 79 No. 20 $1.00 Published Weekly Cave Junction, Oregon 97523 Parking 2 charged in murder still the same at Selmac By Dan Klapheke IVN Staff Writer Visitors to Lake Selmac are noticing an increase in tickets and enforcement of the park’s $5 day use fee, but it’s not due to a new law or measure; it’s been that way. Sarah Wright, director of Josephine County Parks, said the perceived increased enforcement comes from a parks effort to have more visitors comply with the rules. “We’ve had day fees since 2006,” Wright said. “The difference is we are trying to get more people to comply with them.” Lake Selmac is actually owned by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), but Josephine County Parks has a longstanding agreement with the government to use and manage the land how it chooses. “Lake Selmac is a man-built lake, and the entire lake itself is a Josephine County Park,” Wright said. “Even though it’s owned by BLM, we have a long- term agreement and it’s ours to manage.” But some who frequent the lake aren’t happy with the stricter change. Lanna Crowell moved to the Valley in the mid-90s and said she remembers parking along the road by the lake and walking her dog. She still uses the lake, but has seen the day use parking fee go from nothing to what it is today. “We have a lot of get togethers there, potlucks by the lake,” Crowell said. “But now they charge you $5 to park there and I just don’t think it’s right. According to Crowell, she and friends were having a get together by the lake and they parked along what they believed to be a public road July 3. Eventually, a park representative approached the group and asked them to pay the $5 day use parking fee, or else they would be fined a $250 ticket. “They could at least pick up the trash if we’re gonna pay that amount of money,” Crowell said. According to Wright, once visitors are on the Lake Selmac parking property, which includes the surrounding land and roads, they’re required to pay the parking fee even if they’re not in a parking area. The exception is for visitors not driving in, like walkers and bike riders, and the Lake Selmac Resort parking area. “Once you get to that split when you’re coming from Selma, anywhere you pull off on any side of road is our property,” Wright said. Specifically, the referred split is when Lakeshore Drive turns into Reeves Creek, and any road surrounding the Lake Selmac itself. An alternative to the $5 day use parking fee is a $30 parking pass for a year, and Wright said volunteers receive year passes for free. For more information contact the Josephine County Parks Department at (541) 474-5285. (Photo by Dan Mancuso, Illinois Valley News) William “Anthony” Roberts is all smiles while installing a new sign at the restaurant he and his wife owned in Cave Junction April 24, 2011. By Dan Klapheke IVN Staff Writer Oregon State Police (OSP) arrested two suspects in connection to the murder of a Cave Junction man Saturday, July 30. William A. Roberts, 39, of Cave Junction, was found dead in his truck along Redwood Highway after what appeared to be a single- vehicle wreck the morning (Photo by IVFD Media Dept) Roberts’ vehicle was found around 6:30 a.m. Wednes- day July 27. of Wednesday, July 27. The owner of the property the vehicle was found on said he thought he heard the wreck at 1:45 a.m. but checked and saw nothing, and OSP responded to the scene at 6:30 a.m. However, it was discovered upon arrival what appeared to be a gunshot wound to the back of Roberts’ head, and his wallet and cellphone were missing. OSP took the wreckage in for forensics and an investigation began. OSP were led to Renee Edrington, 39, and Kyle Forester, 29, both of Cave Junction, and OSP and SWAT team executed a warrant on the suspects’ residence at 4:45 a.m. Saturday, July 30. Edrington was waiting outside with a handgun and advanced the officers, who used less lethal impact rounds to subdue Edrington. Forester was taken in without trouble. According to police reports, it is believed Edrington and Forester were in confrontation with Roberts the early hours of July 27 and were following him when they fired at his truck. A bullet found its way into the back of Roberts’ head, and he veered off the road and wrecked in the trees. OSP believe Edrington and Forester returned to the wreck and took Roberts’ wallet and cellphone. Angela Graves, a Roberts’ family representative, spoke on behalf of the grieving family. “Anthony will be remembered for the amazing man he was and the many lives he touched through his friendship,” Graves said. “While the family is grateful for the outpouring of love and support from the community during this painful time, Jenessa and Heather ask that everyone respect their need for privacy at this time. Anthony’s tragic and untimely death should be a reminder that no one is promised a tomorrow. Jenessa would like to thank the Oregon State Police and all other agencies involved in the speedy closure to this case.” The investigation is ongoing, and OSP said more information will be released when appropriate. Oregon timber harvest decreases in 2015 Caroline Griffith IVN Contributing Writer (Photo by Laura Mancuso, Illinois Valley News) Loggers are currently working on a hillside off Bear Creek Rd. For the first time in two years, Oregon’s annual timber harvest fell below 4 billion board feet. According to the Oregon Department of Forestry’s annual timber harvest report, there was an approximate decrease in harvest of eight percent from 2014-2015. The reductions occurred on both federal and private forestlands, even though logging on state- owned lands increased. According to the report, the decline in timber harvest was largely driven by the slowdown in exports to Asia. Along with the downturn in log exports, the expiration of the Softwood Lumber Agreement led to an increase in imports of lumber from Canada, affecting demand for Oregon logs. Also, an active fire season, along with a wet and warmer than usual winter, created issues for logging and hauling. According to Dave Schott of the Southern Oregon Timber Industries Association, the downturn in local logging is mainly driven by economics. “Right now Canadians can ship lumber across the border duty-free,” said Schott, “making it cheaper to use than U.S. lumber.” This, coupled with the fact that the U.S. dollar is currently stronger than the Canadian dollar, means that countries like China and Japan are now also using more Canadian logs than U.S. logs. Demand for Oregon timber, says Schott, “has dwindled to a mere trickle.” Schott also pointed out that although housing starts are up nationally, a lot of those buildings are multi-family housing like duplexes and apartment buildings, which use less wood than a comparable amount of single- family homes. In Schott’s opinion, the downturn in timber harvesting affects more than just the economy. On federally owned forestlands in Oregon, currently only 1.5 percent of annual growth is being harvested. This unchecked growth, coupled with climate change and drought, leads to an increase in catastrophic fires, according to Schott. “Our forests are so unhealthy right now,” he said. Local logger, Robert Webb, of Y Knot Log said that his business has been largely unaffected by last year’s decline. Webb does the majority of his logging on private land and says that many small operations do the same because of the red-tape involved in getting logging contracts on federal lands. Environmental surveys are required before logging can begin on federal lands, and, according to Webb, this hassle keeps loggers from seeking out federal contracts. “You can’t do any federal logging without a big fight.” Despite Schott’s assertion that demand is down for Oregon logs, Webb says that the price he gets at the sawmill “hasn’t dropped hardly at all.” He does, however, admit that the prices of certain woods, particularly sugar pine and ponderosa pine, have declined to the point where they are not even worth cutting. This validates Schott’s argument that economics are at the heart of last year’s decrease in timber harvests. As he said, “If you can’t make much money on your timber, you are going to just let it grow until you can.”
