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Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, Ore. Wednesday, November 22, 2017
Christmas tree permits are available for Southwestern Oregon public lands
For many families, venturing out onto
public lands to cut a Christmas tree is an
annual holiday tradition!
Beginning Nov. 15, 2017, tree permits
will be available at locations across Southwest
Oregon, including at Forest Service and
Bureau of Land Management Offices, and
multiple local vendors. Permits allow the
cutting of personal-use trees for Christmas and
other holiday events, and a permit is required
for each individual tree visitors wish to take
home. Please contact your local Forest Service
or BLM office, as permits may be available
sooner than the official date indicated above.
Permits for Christmas trees on the
Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest and
Medford and Coos Bay BLM districts are
$5 per tree, and are non-refundable. (While
not required, exact change when paying is
preferable!) There is a limit of five tree permits
per household, and the permits may be used
only on those lands open to Christmas tree
harvesting that are administered by the Rogue
River-Siskiyou National Forest, and the
Medford and Coos Bay BLM districts. Maps
that identify these areas will be provided at the
time of permit purchase.
The Christmas tree permit tag is validated
after harvesting your tree simply by cutting out
the date on the tree tag and securely attaching
it to the cut tree in a visible location before
transporting it.
Christmas tree harvest is not allowed in:
•Designated Federal Wilderness Areas or
Wild and Scenic River Corridors;
•Federally managed campgrounds;
•Developed recreation areas;
•National Monuments (including the
Cascade Siskiyou National Monument);
•Research Natural Areas or Areas of
Critical Environmental Concern;
•Within fences or posted tree plantations;
•Areas currently closed for public health
and safety;
•Within 200 feet of State highways; or
•On private lands.
This emphasizes the importance of
keeping the agency-provided tree permit map
with you, as well as a Forest or BLM map, and
a familiarity of your location prior to cutting.
Know Before You Go:
Traveling safely on public lands is very
important! Please keep in mind that many
roads on public lands administered by the
Forest Service and BLM are not plowed in
the winter and can present some situations
that may become dangerous if you are not
properly prepared or familiar with your
location. Specifically, the Bear Camp Road is
not maintained from Nov. 5 through Memorial
Day weekend. The agencies ask that you use
extreme caution before considering the areas
accessed via this route for your Christmas tree
cutting outing, as roads may be unpassable and
weather conditions can change quickly.
For all outdoor activities this time of
year, be prepared for winter weather:
•Check weather conditions prior to
departure.
•Check road conditions prior to
departure.
•Always travel with a full tank of gas.
•Travel with adequate supplies such as
warm clothing, blankets/sleeping bags, high
energy food, water, warm beverages, first aid
kit, flashlight, whistle, mirror, shovel, chains,
and maps.
•Always let someone know where you
plan to harvest your tree and your expected
return time.
•Consider going with others who are
familiar to the area, particularly if you are
unfamiliar with the area in which you will be
traveling or have not harvested a Christmas
tree before.
Visitors to public lands should not
hesitate to contact the office nearest to them
with questions:
•Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest
•Medford District BLM: 541-618-2200
Happy tree hunting from the RRSNF and
the Medford and Coos Bay districts!
Senior SPoTLiGHT
SPonSoreD BY i.V. Wellness resources
Vision Changes
Food & Friends Menu
FRIDAY – NOV 24
CLOSED fOR
THANkSgIVINg
MONDAY – NOV 27
ROAST PORk W/ gRAVy
WEDNESDAY- NOV 29
BEEf TAMALE PIE
Food & Friends Dining is
now located at the
I.V. Senior Center,
520 River St.
Call 541-955-8839
Changes that occur with aging can impact how well we
see in dimly lit or darkened settings. There are also eye
conditions that are more common with age- such as cata-
racts, glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration- that
may contribute to the problem. If you notice reduced night
vision, it’s worth mentioning to you eye specialist.
With aging, the lens of the eye loses elasticity. The
eye’s ability to adjust the shape of the lens also changes.
The result is difficulty focusing on near objects requiring
the use of “cheaters” and magnifying glasses.
The loss of elasticity also contributes to impaired depth
perception and makes us more prone to falls and accidents,
and increases confusion and disorientation in unfamiliar
settings. The normally clear lens of the eye becomes less
transparent with age. As this happens, light becomes more
scattered and therefore less precisely focused when it
reaches the retina. The lens also becomes discolored, ap-
pearing yellowish in the early stages of cataract formation.
This alters our color perception and reduces our enjoyment
of all that is around us. Light passing through an early
cataract scatters so that some of the light rays become
focused in front of the retina, making the eye functionally
FREE ADS
If you are a senior and
want to place a FREE AD
for a living or health care
need call Laura Mancuso
541-592-2541 or email
laura@illinois-valley-
news.com.
CHAIR FITNESS
Classes FREE at
Healthy U, TUESDAYS
& THURSDAYS from 1
- 1:45 p.m. 535 E. River
St., Cave Junction Call
541-592-4888 or visit
www.healthyucenter.org.
near-sighted. These changes can cause blurred vision, glare
and halos around car headlights.
Personally, I find it’s worse on wet pavement and try
not to drive at night after the rain. With cataracts that have
advanced, the lens may become dark brown in color, fur-
ther impairing light passage. The added discoloration and
clouding reduces how well you see in dim light or dark-
ened settings.
Surgery to remove cataracts can improve vision and
resolve these symptoms. Aging also affects the size of the
pupil, which acts as a window for light to enter the eye.
Normally, pupil diameter expands in darker settings in
order to gather as much light as possible and ratchets down
to a smaller opening in bright light. As the eye ages, pupil
diameter becomes smaller, so less light enters the eye. The
eye also takes longer to accommodate to changes which
further impacts our ability to adapt to any change in light,
such as going from bright sun into a shaded area.
MayoClinic HealthLetter, February, 2014
You can contact I.V. Wellness Resources at 541-592-
9781 or www.ivwellnessresources@gmail.com and please
like our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ivwellness-
resources.
HEATING
SPAY AND NEUTER
ASSISTANCE
FUND
For financial assis-
Josephine County
tance with heating
www.jocospayneuter.org
your home - electric or
wood - call UCAN at
541-244-0685
541-956-4050
+++ NOTICE +++
Holiday Schedules
Southern Oregon Sanitation would like to express our
thanks to our many patrons and wish you the best
throughout the holidays and into the new year.
COLLECTIONS NOTICE:
Routes will be running as normal. If your
collection day is Thanksgiving Day,
please be sure to set your cart
out the night before as we
may be running earlier than
normal.
Have a pleasant
Thanksgiving!
or order off tHe menu
At tHe
IV GrAnGe
FIRST THREE SUNDAYS OF THE MONTH: 8 AM - 12 PM
Refer to our website for varying schedules of holiday hours
for the office, transfer stations and recycling depots.
www.sosanitation.com
Excavation
Cat Rental
Backhoe Rental
Dump Trucks
Road Construction
Demolition Work
A LL you cAn eAt breAkfAst
3763 Holland Loop
541-659-3781 or 541-415-1819
Fill Dirt
CALL
Rock Deliveries
Crushed Shale
541-479-2424 Greenhouse Pads
Building Sites
Utility Work
NOW!
CCB#33187
CARING CALLER
Are you isolated in your
home and need a phone
friend to call you with
daily or weekly phone
calls? Call Laura 541-
592-9781 to sign up or to
volunteer.