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Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, Ore. Wednesday, July 26, 2017
Letters to the editor
Illinois Valley News welcomes letters
to the editor.
Please e-mail them to
dan@illinois-valley-news.com.
POLICY ON LETTERS:
‘Illinois Valley News’ encourages letters
to the editor provided they are legible
and not libelous or scurrilous. All letters
must be signed, including name, address
and telephone number. The latter need
not be published, but will be used to
verify authenticity. The “News” reserves
the right to edit letters. Letters are used
at the discretion of the publisher.
***
(Editor’s Note: Views and commen-
tary, including statements made as
fact are strictly those of the letter
writers.)
Reader responds to BLM
Pickett West Forest
Management Project
Environmental Assessment (EA)
As a PhD watershed scientist,
I find that the “Finding of No
Significant Impact” requires the
reader to suspend rational thought.
These public resources are worth
VASTLY more in the standing
condition. The planning area for
this project represents the last of
the great forests of southwestern
Oregon.
Since much of the Pickett-
West lands are within Josephine
and Jackson counties, and counties
purportedly receive payments for
logging from the Fed, it’s clear that
BLM has a fiduciary obligation to
consider the economic impacts of
any BLM logging proposal on the
economic status of the county in
which logging is conducted.
I request that BLM staff
provide diligence to the public
you serve, who does, after all,
own this land. Please give a series
of presentations to the interested
public regarding the impacts
of Pickett West on the public
water supply. Please speak with
both County Commissions, City
Councils where cities receive
water from BLM lands, contact
all the Watershed Councils and
SWCD groups, Garden Clubs
and Winery Associations. Please
explain in detail HOW the Pickett
West sale will benefit the public
water supply, the lifeblood of our
regional economy.
This Economic Analysis is
required under NEPA, to analyze
for impacts to the public water
supply, in which the Federal
government has invested millions
of dollars. This potential for
economic conflicts among federal
investments was a substantial
justification for Congress passing
the Environmental Protection Act.
I request that BLM present
this analysis on hydrologic impacts
to the public water supply, for
clearer public scrutiny, before
approving the Pickett West
plan. After all, the economic
infrastructure of Josephine and
Jackson counties depends now on
the water supply now provided by
the watersheds in question. Before
approving Pickett West, we, the
residents of these counties, need to
see and hear the detailed analysis
of how this project will benefit or
impact the public water supply.
The BLM Pickett West
EA and Draft Finding of No
Significant Impact are not
in compliance with National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA),
the Endangered Species Act, the
Clean Water Act, the Oregon and
California Lands Act and the
1995 and 2016 BLM Resource
Management Plans.
The residents of the Josephine
County have recently identified
several County Economic
Development Plans. We need to
see how BLM plan affects the
value of our public lands, with
respect to our projected regional
Tourism Economy. How will
this extent of logging affect our
climate?
As written, Pickett West
represents corporate theft of
public resources. These public
resources are not available for
cents on the dollar, to provide
short term corporate profit at the
public expense. Your children and
their generation will thank us for
keeping these forests standing.
Thank you,
Christine
Perala Gardiner PhD
Cave Junction, Oregon
Reader says Humphres
is a good guy
With regard to the many
recent articles concerning the I.V.
Fire District Board, I wish to pint
out only one thing: I have known
Ron Humphfres for over 25 years
as a fellow firefighter, building
contractor and friend. I would
never doubt his fairness, good
intentions, regard for others and
most certainly, never his honesty.
Thank you,
David Mac Kechnie
Cave Junction
A fire safe community
is on us.
Many thanks, from the onset,
to our I.V. News team, to Laura and
Dan Mancuso with their coverage
on news, event and activities, that
are, in my mind, lead matters of
interest and of concern to our I.V.
Community.
The main reason for my
writing is to fix our efforts,
awareness, on Public Safety,
through neighborhood watch and
emergency preparedness.
Our Valley – comprises 12%
of the County’s population, and
covers a 1/3 of the land mass,
about 550 sq. miles, from Hays
Hill to the California border. This
also comprises our (geographically
large) I.V. Fire District with its 44
personnel (aprox.), a dozen CERT
members, and help on wild fires by
ODF.
This season, so far, is
advancing to be an exceptionally
‘fire prone’ one. The levy
resources, voted in on May, won’t
materialize until the end of this
year, including Sheriff Deputies.
The crime trend is not leveling off.
Compounding issues with mental
health and drug addiction, mix
that with a large influx of cannabis
migrant workers and the summer
bash party activities. Well, you get
the picture.
Chief Dennis Hoke is on the
edge of his seat, as am I in the Ken
Rose area. We nearly lost many
of our homes in 2015 when the
Krauss Fire occurred in August.
The offset to this disastrous
scenario is on all of us. Until our
services are better manned and
equipped. The neighborhood watch
network we are building is moving
too slowly, and now we need to
send out an alert, to all our Cave
Junction and Rural neighborhoods
– to join in. We need one person,
a representative from every
neighborhood. If it’s not you, find
someone who can help, connect
your neighbors and neighborhoods.
We are meeting weekly for
the Community Watch program
to network, to share resources,
and to help support your
neighborhood to: form a watch,
craft an emergency phone tree,
support a look-out person or fire
watch, establish safety zones and
evacuation planning. We have
a new immediate alert system,
utilizing smart phones, to relay
information, in real time, on fire
and crime incidences. You can
be a part of this system for the
safety of your neighborhood.
See the add in the “Save The
Date” section titled ILLINOIS
VALLEY COMMUNITY WATCH
MEETING. Be safe, be smart, be
connected. Guenter – 541-415-
1929.
Guenter Ambron
Cave Junction
Obituaries
The family of longtime Selma residents Richard and
Nancy Dueker would like to invite all who knew them to
a memorial service at the Cave Junction Immanuel United
Methodist Church Friday, Aug. 4 at 11 a.m., followed by
a potluck. Pictures and stories are welcome at the service.
A private burial will take place at the National Veteran’s
Cemetery in Eagle Point, Oregon.
~ Correction ~
The article about the Fire District Board has an
significant error. The paragraph that states “..until funds from
the levy..” This is incorrect. No levy money would be used
it should have read “…until funds from the semiannual tax
allotment…” The I.V. News regrets the error.
I llINoIs V alley F uNeral D Irectors
www.since1928Hull.com
541-592-4110
Save the date
July 27
Dale and Sharon Hopper will
play the Concerts in the Park. FREE
ADMISSION! Sponsored by the I,V,
Chamber of Commerce. 6 to 8 p.m.
Thursday Evening at Jubilee Park,
CJ.
Community Libraries, 209 W Palmer
St, C.J.
Continuing
Concerts in the Park - Summer
2017 FREE ADMISSION! Spon-
sored by the I.V. Chamber of Com-
merce 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday Evenings
at Jubilee Park, CJ:
Aug 3, Kelly Thibodeaux &
Etouffee – rhythm and blues and
Southern rock;
Aug 10, Fire Your Boss – post-
Apocalyptic folk core.
Please bring your own seating.
Nachos, Hot Dogs and more avail-
able at Softball Concession Stand.
Summer Reading Program sign
ups are still happening at the Illinois
Valley Library! Our free program
runs through Saturday, Aug. 5. Join
us on Saturdays from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
for crafts sponsored by Illinois River
Valley Arts Council. For more infor-
mation contact Roberta Lee at 541-
592-4778. I.V. Branch, Josephine
*Illinois Valley Community
Watch Meeting every Monday from
5 - 6 p.m. at Wild River Pizza, 249
Redwood Hwy. – Cave Junction. A
Public Safety Outreach Campaign
effort with all I.V. Neighborhood
Watch Groups – representatives, in-
cluding businesses and churches, and
Aug. 3
I.V. by Candlelight Walk after
Concerts in the Park , meet at the
stage at 8 p.m. Bring your candles
and show community support for
public safety.
Illinois
Valley
News
Published weekly by
W.H. Alltheway, LLC
Daniel J. Mancuso, Publisher
POSTMASTER: Please send
address changes to P.O. Box 1370,
Cave Junction, OR 97523
Illinois Valley News is published at
221 S. Redwood Hwy.,
Cave Junction, OR 97523
Telephone (541) 592-2541
Since 1937 periodicals postage
paid at Cave Junction, OR 97523
P.O. Box 1370 USPS 258-820
support for anyone wishing to start a
neighborhood watch. Includes a 2-
way hand held radio program briefing
from 4:20 - 4:50 p.m. Contact Guent-
er - 541-415-1929 / ivwatch541@
gmail.com.
*The I.V. Senior Thrift Store:
Join the crew and make new friends.
You don’t need to be a senior citizen
to volunteer at the store. Call us at
541-592-6630. Open Monday – Sat-
urday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
*The C.J. Substation hours are
changed. Open hours are now Mon-
day and Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The phone number for the substation
is 541-592-5151.
Volunteers are needed to ex-
pand support service hours to the
public. Applications are avail-
able at the substation or on-line
at
http://www.co.josephine.or.us/
Files/Volunteer%20Application.
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
One year in Josephine
County - $35
One year in Jackson and
Douglas counties - $36
One year in all other
Oregon counties and
out-of-state - $43.00
Illinois Valley News does not refund subscriptions.
Remainder of subscription will be donated to the
charity of your choice.
Mar%202014.pdf.”
*Cave Junction Patrol, LLC is
looking for volunteers. CJ Patrol is a
private citizen volunteer orgnaniza-
tion dedicated to effectively address-
ing heretofore-unchecked property
crime in our city and neighborhoods.
The primary mission of CJ Patrol is
to prevent, interrupt, report and de-
crease property crime in the city of
Cave Junction. Call 541-592-9665 or
visit cjpatrol.org.
*Committee Meeting STATE
OF JEFFERSON Josephine County
1st Thursday of each month at 5:30
p.m. Black Forest Restaurant, Grants
Pass and 3rd Thursday of each month
at 6 p.m., Wild River Pizza in Cave
Junction.
*Come join the Cave Junction
Lions Club at River Valley Restaur-
rant, at 6 p.m. on the 2nd and 4th
News - Dan Mancuso
dan@illinois-valley-news.com
Editor -Laura Mancuso
laura@illinois-valley-news.com
Classified Ads -Laura Mancuso
laura@illinois-valley-news.com
Circulation - Laura Mancuso
laura@illinois-valley-news.com
Advertising / Composition -
Dan Mancuso
dan@illinois-valley-news.com
Mailroom - Millie Watkins
Thursday of each month. We are a
co-ed club and are always looking
for community minded people that
are dedicated, hard working, whether
physically limited or not and most of
all, like to have fun.
We host the Classic Car Show
in late June and Turkey Bingo in ear-
ly November. So if you like to have
fun and like to help make great things
happen, to provide glasses, hearing
aids, scholarships and support for our
community and so much more.
Come by and see what we do
or give us a call, 541-592-9243 Nina
Horsley, vice president or 541-295-
7579 Sherry Overstreet, president.
*Second and fourth Mondays
of the month, 7 p.m. in the Council
Chambers of City Hall, 222 W. Lister
Street, Cave Junction, Oregon, the
Common Council of the City of Cave
Junction will meet in a regular ses-
sion.
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POLICY ON LETTERS:
‘Illinois Valley News’ encour-
ages letters to the editor pro-
vided they are legible and not
libelous or scurrilous. All let-
ters must be signed, including
name, address and telephone
number. The latter need not be
published, but will be used to
verify authenticity. The ‘News’
reserves the right to edit letters.
Letters are used at the discre-
tion of the publisher.