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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (July 5, 2017)
Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, Ore. Wednesday, July 5, 2017 Page A-3 BLM timber sale comment period open Judy Hoyle IVN Contributing Writer The deadline for public comments on a proposed Bureau of Land Management (BLM) timber sale is fast approaching. The Pickett West Forest Management Project will impact over 17,000 acres in Josephine County. Within the project area, 6,000 acres of low elevation forests will be intensively logged throughout the Rogue, Illinois and Applegate river watersheds according to KS Wild spokesperson Jeanine Moy. “Pickett West is not a light- touch restoration or thinning project. Rather, it’s an old-school timber ‘grab’ that will harm wildlife and watersheds,” Moy asserts. “Native forests on public lands will lose much of their canopy without protections for old-growth or riparian areas.” Moy explains that KS Wild supports thinning of small trees near homes and communities to create defensible space for wildfire. However, the group is concerned that the only two alternatives being considered, Alternative 2 and Alternative 3, will actually increase fire hazard by removing large fire- resilient trees and will impact aquatic life by cutting the size of streamside forest buffers in half. “We’re disappointed that the BLM has done away with the Applegate Adaptive Management Area and that BLM timber planners have not substantively involved community members in project planning,” Moy said. “Their decision to abandon collaborative forest restoration efforts in favor of maximizing timber-volume is shortsighted and does a disservice to communities that depend on healthy public lands.” Selma residents Mary and Orville Camp are also seeking others willing to sign petitions and write letters. Mary Camp stated, “We in the Deer Creek Association are extremely concerned this project will have significant and severe consequences for these last remaining natural ecosystems. Pickett West will support the corporate timber industry at the expense of everyone else.” She cited the negative effects the project will have on local property values and quality of life, water, wildlife habitat, recreation and tourism. “We’re one of the last places in Oregon that has real biodiversity,” she said. “We need to leave old growth intact. If you clear cut, you’ll have a desert and no more jobs.” Ernie Niemi, president of Natural Resource Economics Inc. further explained the harmfulness of the proposal, “In the Draft Resource Management Plan, the BLM showed that climate costs would be twice the value of the logs, but then it inexplicably dismissed this finding and proposed to increase logging. Now that research shows the costs are at least 60 times the value of the logs, any future proposal to increase logging would be reckless.” In addition to the value of intact forests for providing carbon sequestration to slow climate change, Deer Creek Grange News: by Darlene Anderson On Friday and Saturday, June 23 and 24 the heat was blistering over 109 degrees in Selma. This unusual heat wave did not hinder the determination of Deer Creek Grange members to have their new metal roof installed on the kitchen/dining room. At 6:30 a.m. each day the Deer Creek Grange members were on the roof removing the old metal sheeting and the shingles that were found underneath it. The old rusted sheet metal roof and the shingles underneath it were removed to allow Danny Hertler and Kurt Hertler to install the new green metal roofing. Marty Hertler provided lumber needed to repair rafters and used his bucket truck to repair the high trim boards. Deer Creek Grange is thankful to the Hertler boys for all their hard work. Deer Creek Grange received a matching grant from Oregon State Grange to help fund the new roof, porch repair and exterior paint for the building in January 2016. We were delayed in beginning the construction throughout the summer of 2016 because our contractors were busy with their own businesses and unable to fit us in their schedule. When we finally had the materials delivered, it began to rain and did not stop until late May 2017 preventing the roof replacement. One week before the project was to begin this month, it was discovered that someone had attempted to steal the roofing material. The steel binding around the sheeting was cleanly cut through and it is believed that the metal would have been taken at that time except that it was 26 feet long and Art’s Red Garter Homestyle DINNER SPECIALS Mon - Sat 5-9 PM in Lounge KARAOKE Wednesdays @ 9 very heavy. It is believed that the would-be thieves were planning to return later in the night with a longer trailer and more help. Grange members had to load the material onto a 16 feet trailer and walk behind it to hold up the sheeting to prevent it from dragging during the rescue process. The very next week grange members had to again walk behind the trailer to return the material to the site. The new metal roof is 95 percent completed and the members will begin phase two of their grant project with the removal and reconstruction of the existing porch which is scheduled during July. Once the porch is completed the hall will be painted and an Open House will be held for the public. Niemi also pointed out that logging doesn’t pencil out for taxpayers. “The analysis focuses on the BLM’s recent proposal to log more than 8,000 acres per year, receiving timber-sale revenues of about $6,400 per acre,” he wrote. “The costs, though, will total more than $370,000 per acre. Revenue from timber sales on public forests in western Oregon covers less than 2 percent of the costs.” Niemi concluded, “Their analysis ignores new ecological science and relies on old ideas and/or partial truths. The result is the BLM’s proposed actions will achieve the opposite of their intended objectives ‘to produce wood volume, improve stand resiliency, enhance or maintain northern spotted owl habitat, and reduce the long-term risk of catastrophic wildfire.’” Mary Camp also complained that the BLM released the 477 page Environmental Assessment (EA) June 1 and only gave the public 45 days to read and comment. “They’ve done a great job of keeping people in the dark,” she said. “I hope anyone who cares about this will call the BLM at 541-471- 6520 and ask for an extension of the comment period beyond July 17.” Camp also suggested anyone wanting an armchair tour of the sites, visit Luke Rudiger’s pictorial blog at www.SiskiyouCrest.org. Local activist Terry Davis will be at the Cave Junction Farmers’ Market on the lawn area July 7 and 14 with petitions and sample letters. For more information about the Pickett West Forest Management Project, visit the BLM’s national ePlanning website at http://tinyurl. com/ BLMePlanning-PickettWest. Comments may be submitted electronically to: www.blm_or_ pwest@blm.gov or hardcopies may be mailed to: Don Ferguson, Public Information Specialist, BLM Grants Pass Field Office, 2164 NE Spalding Avenue, Grants Pass, Oregon 97526. BLM officials failed to respond to questions before press deadline. The Archive Zone: by Hillary Mohr from the Illinois Valley News archives No matter the day, month or year, it never fails; someone is either sitting, walking, laying or stumbling in the middle of the road. With that being said, please enjoy a knee slappin’ laughin’ time with this week’s Police Blotter Archive Zone. The Date: May 23, 2012. Location: Cave Junction and the Illinois Valley. Friday, May 11 *Police arrested a woman in the 200 block of W. River Street on charges of assault IV and unlawful use of mace, after receiving calls of a man being assaulted. Saturday, May 12 *Someone harassed a caller from the 200 block of W. Watkins, threatening to beat him up, This has been an ongoing occurrence. Messages were left for the caller, who later asked for information on a stalking order. *A man was heard yelling while he walked past a residence in the 4700 block of Lakeshore Drive. A second caller said a man with gray hair was sitting on the white line and may have been drinking. Units in the area checked from Lakeshore to Dryden, but couldn’t find the man. Sunday, May 13 *A man with red hair and a sailor’s outfit was standing in the middle of the road in the 18400 block of Redwood Hwy. Cars were going around the man as he was walking. Units checked the area and were unable to find him. Then, they checked a local bar, but couldn’t find him there either. *Neighbors who had been evicted from a residence on S. Junction Avenue were still doing “crazy stuff.” The caller noticed a strong gasoline smell when going into her yard, and the two neighbors, a male and a female, were still acting weird. Tuesday, Jan. 25 (Courtesy photo for the Illinois Valley News) Kris Sherman, Clifford Tucker, Pat- rick Anderson, Jacob Yost and Jack Anderson on the roof removing the old materials and David Anderson waiting to move the debris with his backhoe. hOLUS bOLUS F r i d a y, J u l y 7 @ 5:30 from Taylor’s Country Store *Someone reported harassment during an ongoing property line dispute in the 23800 block of Redwood Hwy. The argument came to a head today, where the victim reported that his neighbor sprayed him with a garden hose. Charges were referred to the district attorney’s office. *A woman called in a possible assault in the 300 block of Caves Hwy. saying someone threw something at her, causing her nose to bleed. She said people were stalking her so she couldn’t get home. People also were hiding behind the corner. She first requested an ambulance for her nose, but then refused medical. Medics on scene said she appeared to be “on something.” She was not a danger to herself or others and was advised to return to her residence for the evening. KARAOKE w/ Steve - OH Dale Hopper Friday, July 7 @ 9 p.m Friday, July7 Saturday the 8th @ 6 p.m. Saturday Pool Tourney @ 7 Every Wednesday Open MIC Night 6 - 8 p.m. J Barley Fridays @ 6 p.m. Selma Center Drive - In Movies Free pool on Sundays Sportsman Tavern The Labyrinth rated PG $5 per person/$20 per car - Gates Open @ 8:30pm - Movie Starts @ 9:30pm reasonable $ concessions 18255 Redwood Hwy The Rockets Friday, July 7 8 - midnight $5 donation @ McGrew’s!
