Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (June 21, 2017)
Page A-10 MINER ... Continued from A-1 “We hold there is no local jurisdiction to regulate this particular activity, and that a developmental permit is not appropriate or requisite here,” Hare said. John West and his business partner in the Brimstone Natural Resource Company want to use excavators and dump trucks above the high water mark of Brimstone Creek to mine for what he believes is $250,000 worth of placer gold on a patented mining claim. The site is less than 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) from the site of another controversial Brimstone mining project. It’s another 4 miles (6.4 kilometers) to the Sunny Valley Sand & Gravel site east of Interstate 5 on Placer Road, where residents fought a plan to mine millions of cubic yards of gravel. Both projects were approved by the county after a long legal process that included appeals to the state’s Land Use Board of Appeals. “They got it right,” West said of Friday’s decision. “They followed the law.” Disagreeing was Steve Rouse of the group Rogue Advocates, Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, Ore. Wednesday, June 21, 2017 which has fought every Sunny Valley mining project in recent years. He said rules adopted more than a decade ago direct the county to regulate mining in riparian corridors. “We’re sorting through this very unusual set of events with our attorneys, and we will pursue this by all means necessary to make sure county and state laws are complied with,” Rouse said. Residents from the dozen or so households on Brimstone Road were also unhappy with commissioners. They are concerned about noise, safety and truck traffic. The victory for Southern Oregon miners came days after they suffered a defeat in Salem. The Oregon House gave final legislative approval to a bill that would ban suction dredges on most waterways in the area. Wild-salmon advocates say the process damages spawning grounds and rearing habitat. Miners contend that current laws already protect salmon habitat and that no peer-reviewed study on suction dredging proves it’s ruinous. “A certain amount of mining activity has to be, or should be allowed, before you get into this whole bureaucratic hassle,” said Tom Kitchar of Cave Junction. HIKER ... Continued from A-1 (Photo by Dan Mancuso, Illinois Valley News) Perennial class favorite Mr. Ryan Lathen readies to address the Class of 2017 Wednesday, June 7. IVFD ... Continued from A-1 Dickson is well- known within the area for her community service.She founded the “To Catch a Thief Illinois Valley” Facebook page back in 2008, was on the board of the Illinois Valley Safe House Alliance, was part of one of the Ford Foundation cohorts that helped put in the disc golf course at Forks Park, was one of the founding membersof the Valley Girls Quilt Show and is also on the scholarship screening committee for the Illinois Valley High School’s Alumni Association. Reflecting back, her favorite part of being on the IVFD’s Board of Directors was getting to know the staff and volunteers and learning more about what the fire service is and what they do. “I would like to thank the public for supporting the levy to hire the four new firefighters,” Dickson said in her final statement, “They will put them to good use and the citizens of the Illinois Valley will benefit greatly from that.” So Denberg headed back the way he came, toward Babyfoot Lake, OK with cutting his trip early with an out and back. But by then, the Chetco was too high to ford safely. Monday afternoon came, and Matt’s friends grew worried. By Tuesday, June 15, Josephine County Search and Rescue had planes searching for Denberg along the Leach Memorial Loop. Denberg had heard the planes, and tried to wave them down with his orange bag. “Because of the canyon, they could not see him,” McGloon said. By Wednesday, the U.S. Coast Guard had mobilized and McGloon was flying along the loop, which she was familiar with after going to a recent presentation on hiking in the Kalmiopsis in Grants Pass. She took the helicopter toward Bailey Mountain, and from there down to the Chetco. “We had him in seven minutes,” she said. “He was waving a white piece of tyvek.” Then pilots let down a 300 foot rope with a radio so Denberg could confirm his identity and that he needed help. “These guys were amazing. The hilo didn’t move. We confirmed it was him and he was happy to see us. They found a spot and they lowered the basket and got him and all his stuff. They got that done in two minutes,” McGloon explained. Denberg, a Eugene resident, is in good condition. “He was in good spirits,” McGloon added. She emphasizes the importance of using a good signal when trying to get found. “A cellphone, the flash of your camera; you don’t think of that stuff when you’re stressed.” With unseasonably high streams, and the potential of marine storms to bring them even higher, hikers and backpackers need to take careful diligence in planning ahead. “He was testing the water level with a stick,” McGloon said. “It didn’t go down much.”
