YOUR HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER SINCE 1937
Illinois Valley News
Wednesday, February 8, 2017, 1 Section, Volume LXXIX No. 47
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Published weekly for the residents of the Illinois Valley
Car collides with bus
JoCo Search
and Rescue
wants you
Jason McMillen
IVN Contributing Writer
The Josephine County Sheriff’s Office Search
and Rescue Division (SAR) will be starting its annual
Search and Rescue Academy Feb. 16. However, any
attendees should RSVP by Feb. 10 at 5 p.m. and there
are many other dates of training staggered throughout
the coming months, so those who are interested should
contact the organization for further details. The training
program will require a fee of $50 and is payable by
cash or check.
There are around 70 members currently active in
the Josephine County SAR with the youngest member
being 23 and the eldest 84. “If somebody wants to
get involved with SAR we can find a spot to get them
into. If you’re willing to learn we can train you in
areas where we could use assistance,” stated Deputy
Cory Krauss. SAR is an all-volunteer force with the
exception of Krauss and does not offer pay for time or
services.
“I can get 10 to 15 volunteers for a search
during a week day. I can get maybe up to 20 on the
weekends,” Krauss said, “If it’s a general SAR callout
we get everybody here but if it goes into a specialty-
team-type-mission where we’re dealing with rope
rescue or high angle or snow events or the dive team
we have a limited number of personnel.” Krauss noted
that the positions they are most in need of are SAR
divers who are interested in expanding their dive
training outside of recreational alone and those who
can perform their duties on horseback. Those who
want to join SAR as horseback personnel must own
their own horse and pass a standardized test from the
State of Oregon. The test will certify the horse and
rider as a team.
“We also have a very active K9 program but
they’re all privately owned by their handlers,” Krauss
added. “As long as the dog has never been through any
kind of handler protection or guard dog training then
the dog is welcome to come on and do training.” When
the dog is ready for testing a K9 master instructor is
brought in and administers a test which is recognized
by the Oregon State Sheriff’s Association.
“We get a lot more searches than rescues,”
Krauss stated before defining rescue as, “a known
incident at a known area with a known number of
victims.” In most circumstances SAR searches for
people who follow their GPS out into the wilderness
without realizing it or for hunters that went looking
for animals or mushrooms but ended up getting lost
in the process. It is vital to SAR’s operation to obtain
information as to where a person’s last known location
was, or, as a last resort, they can ask a cellphone
provider to disclose their last known GPS coordinate.
“You should always tell a trusted family member
or friend where you’re going and when you plan to be
back and what route you’re going on,” Krauss advised,
“It’s also important that you bring some supplies with
you.”
The only equipment necessary for starting the
academy is proper clothing and shoes, plus pen and
paper. The academy provides the trainee with a three-
ring binder that includes a list, among other things, of
what equipment SAR personnel will need to eventually
have. In 2016 there were 35 searches and four rescues
along with numerous other types of nonstandard
scenarios. Those that are curious may attend an open
house Feb. 11 between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. at 2050
Tech Way in Grants Pass. Those who attend will have
a chance to check out some of SAR’s equipment,
vehicles, and, of course, will meet its dedicated
volunteers. The event will have free hot dogs.
(Courtesy photo for the Illinois Valley News)
Rural Metro Fire and American Medical Response - JOCO responded to an auto vs. school bus collision
on Redwood Hwy. at the base of Hayes Hill. All four occupants in the car were transported with injuries
ranging from mild to serious. The most serious was transported to a trauma center in Medford. The bus
was only occupied by the driver and one student at time of impact, however both were transported as well.
The cause of the crash is being handled by Oregon State Police.
‘Not an emergency,
this is catastrophic’
By Dan Mancuso
IVN Staff
Josephine County Commissioners
have been warning about a fiscal
financial cliff and according to Sheriff
Dave Daniel the ETA is July 1. In
a meeting Feb. 2, Daniel met with
Commissioners Simon Hare, Lily
Morgan, Dan DeYoung and County
Legal Wally Hicks. In that meeting
Daniel laid out what his next budget will
look like and asked for one quarter of
the approximately 4.5 million in reserves
to get through the next six months of
current staffing levels.
Without the Secure Rural School
payment for 2018, the sheriff’s office
will be operating with 2.1 million less
than it did in year 2016-2017. “The
reduction in fiscal year 2017-2018
means patrols will drop to eight hours a
day, five days a week. The city of Cave
Junction will lose its contract and no one
will be detained at the county jail. The
only jail beds with heads in them will
(Photo by Dan Mancuso, Illinois Valley News)
Dan DeYoung (left), Wally Hicks, Dave Daniel and Arthur O’Hare in a
meeting Thursday, Feb. 2 at the Josephine County Building.
be the beds the county contracts out to
the state and federal government,” said
Daniel.
To offset the budge short fall Daniel
floated a new levy, for jail services only.
The initial details are for a five year 84
cents per thousand of assessed property
value. By law the levy dollars can only
be used for jail services. Daniel also
asked the commissioners to reduce the
amount that goes to the Internal Services
Fund (ISF) to be reduced by half to 4.5
percent.
SEE SHERIFF ON A-12
Cave Junction Parks and Recreation Plan gets a boost
Judy Hoyle
IVN Contributing Writer
A Cave Junction Parks and
Recreation Plan is one of the goals
created by the I.V. 20/20 Vision &
Strategic Plan. This strategic plan was
developed last year by the Illinois
Valley Community Development
Organization (IVCanDO) utilizing
input from the community.
Funding for the recreation
plan has been awarded to IVCanDo
by the City of Cave Junction
($1,500), Josephine County Board of
Commissioners ($3,000), Ford Family
Foundation ($5,000) and the Oregon
Parks and Recreation Department’s
Local Government Grant Program
utilizing lottery funds ($40,000).
A kick-off event took place last
week at the Kerby Belt Building when
a team from the University of Oregon
met with the 20/20 Vision Parks and
Recreation Advisory Committee.
Committee members include
high school students, school
coaches, community members and
organization representatives: Cave
Junction Mayor Daniel Dalegowski;
Principals Tanner Smith (IVHS),
Scott Polen (LBMS) and David Regal
(Evergreen); Amelia Benson (I.V.
Senior Center); and Jenna Larkin (I.V.
Boys & Girls Club).
The committee chair is
Roger Brandt, who is also chair of
IVCanDO. Brandt described the
wide ranging scope of the project to
include Jubilee Park, Old Stage Park
and renovation of the city swimming
pool.
“The plan can consider any
facilities that contribute to the
community’s recreation resources.”
Brandt continued, “For example,
Little League and the Soccer Club
use fields at Evergreen, Lorna Byrne,
and the high school for practice.
Improving school recreation resources
also benefits after school programs
sponsored by community residents.
The schools could also be, and should
be, included in the plan. Anything
that might contribute to the recreation
opportunities in Cave Junction could
be included in the plan.”
Brandt also pointed out that
the Cave Junction recreation plan
could allow consideration of how
the city could connect to recreation
resources on adjacent public lands.
Such developments could enhance
tourism opportunities as well as
improve transportation options within
the Valley.
“There isn’t any land within
city limits suitable for hiking or
mountain biking trails but something
like this would be possible on Forest
Service or BLM land. The plan
might look at existing trails in the
immediate vicinity of Cave Junction
and determine how a Cave Junction
resident might walk or ride a bike to
get to these trails,” Brandt explained.
“Here is an example: Finch Road
in Kerby connects to roads that go
over Tennessee Pass and/or Free and
Easy Pass into the Josephine Creek
watershed where there are multiple
mountain biking opportunities. A
bike and pedestrian walkway along
Highway 199 from Cave Junction
to Finch Road would provide a safe
route for mountain bikers to access
backcountry biking opportunities
and also provide a safer way to walk
or ride between Cave Junction and
Kerby.”
At the meeting Amelia Benson
stated that the I.V. Senior Center
Board of Directors is very interested
in seeing the city pool become
operational again, as did IVHS coach
Bruce Reece due to the obvious
recreation opportunities that both
seniors and students could enjoy.
Reece also pointed out the
possibility of developing a swim team
and reminded the meeting attendees
that the IVHS wrestling team leaders
have expressed interest in using the
pool building now, even though the
pool itself is not functional.
The team from the University
of Oregon which led the kickoff
planning session is based at the
Community Service Center (CSC),
an interdisciplinary organization
designed to assist Oregon
communities by providing planning
and technical assistance to help solve
local issues and improve the quality
of life for Oregon residents.
The team of students is under
the direction of University of Oregon
(U of O) professor Bethany Steiner
and will link the skills, expertise, and
innovation from U of O to address
both economic development and
environmental needs for the Illinois
Valley as well as help connect the
community to more state and federal
resources.
There will be several
opportunities for community
members to provide input for the
recreation plan through surveys and
public meetings over the next two to
three months.
Outreach events under
consideration include the first day
of Little League and the Easter Egg
Hunt at Jubilee Park.