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Illinois Valley News
Wednesday, June 21, 2023, 1 Section, Volume LXXXVI No. 24
The paper of record for Josephine County
Law enforcement situation ‘dangerous’
Siege Schatza
IVN Contributing Writer
It has been abnormal as of
late for Board of Josephine County
Commissioners’ meetings to be
brief, with such critical matters as
deciding on a newspaper of record,
drastic budget cuts and defunding
the Oregon State University
Extension Service drawing large
crowds and lengthy debates in recent
months.
However, the June 14 BCC
weekly business session was indeed
concise and featured an abbreviated
agenda, running just over half an
hour.
The primary topic of
discussion was the upcoming vote
on a new service district to fund the
JoCo Sheriff’s Office and why it has
become necessary to put it on the
November ballot.
Merlin resident Bill Hunker
kicked off the debate during requests
and comments from citizens,
downplaying what he called the
county’s insistence that “we must
act immediately or the sky will fall.”
“There used to be a sign in my
grandfather’s print shop that read,
‘Failure to plan on your part does
not constitute an emergency on
my part,’” Hunker quipped. “With
the current push for an additional
funding stream of 99 cents per
thousand the sheriff is attempting
to more than double his general
funding to $1.92 per thousand. I
followed the budgeting process
with the sheriff’s office since 2012 :
never once has there been a clearly
delineated plan for what the public
will be getting for their money. The
latest 99 cents per thousand pitch
is not predicated on any actual plan
but rather on the fear that the public
never votes yes on anything over a
dollar.”
Commissioner Dan DeYoung
pushed back on Hunker’s assertion
that Sheriff Dave Daniel has
not clearly communicated how
taxpayers’ money is spent: “There’s
a little bit more to it than just
stepping up to the microphone and
saying, ‘I don’t understand what it
goes for,’ because I think you really
do: It all goes to patrol,” remarked
DeYoung.
“The reason we have a jail
levy and we have to come up every
few years is because the people
won’t pass solid funding and stable
funding,” DeYoung added. “I hear
it all the time: ‘I pay my taxes; I
should have full police protection.’
Well, guess what? Your taxes don’t
pay for full police protection.”
DeYoung mourned what could
have been when he recounted the
“remarkably shot down” seasonal
sales tax that was defeated by voters
last November, with over 80%
voting against it.
“Now we’re back to the table
again with just the taxpayers and
just the people and landowners
in Josephine County covering
the bill while people traveling in
and out of here with California
plates, Washington plates and
Arizona plates aren’t paying a
dime, although they’re using those
facilities and they expect those
facilities when they come here.
Gateway project is back!
They expect law enforcement; they
expect to be protected while they’re
visiting our county. And I think it’s
our obligation to try to meet that for
them.”
DeYoung also reminded the
audience that the reason “the sky
didn’t fall” as it pertains to law
enforcement after the sales tax failed
was because an American Rescue
Plan Act grant of $5.8 million was
discovered that bought another year
of law enforcement services before
drastic cuts would be required.
“I think it’s high time we bail
ourselves out,” DeYoung concluded.
“We’re behind our sheriff 100%
of the way and that’s why we’ve
referred it to the voter.”
SEE LE ON A-9
Council
green
lights
library
Gwen Barringer
IVN Contributing Writer
(Top photos by Shannon Beach and bottom by Linda Corey for the Illinois Valley News)
The Illinois River Valley Arts Council reported having a terrific event at Siskiyou Field Institute Saturday, June 10. It was
a good turnout and folks enjoyed dancing to Danielle Kelly’s band and Broadway Phil and The Shouters. The Arts Council
displayed art gates from the 2023 Gateway Project and folks were wowed by the imaginative gates. From left top clockwise
gate artists - Alan Laurie, Amy Lusson, Jessica Courts, Deborah Dawson, Mya Hiler, 12, and Jennifer Folkertf & her
daughter Olivia Howard.
Condor enthusiasts can get update at Hathkapasuta
Annette McGee Rasch
IVN Senior Contributing
Writer
Those following the
progress of the eight California
condors released by the Yurok
Tribe in the Redwood National
and State Park last year can talk
to a condor exert at the annual
Hathkapasuta River Celebration.
The event will be held - rain
or shine - at the Illinois River
Forks State Park from 11 a.m. to
6 p.m. this Saturday, June 24.
Hathkapasuta, a free
family-friendly festival, offers
arts and crafts activities for
children, the All Species Parade,
the crowd-pleasing Recycled-
Raft Race and a wide array
of nature and natural history
displays, as well as vendors
offering their wares..
Live music by the Frankie
Hernandez Band and Sunrise
and the Starseed Experience
promise to get people dancing;
and several food vendors will
be on site. The Illinois Valley
Arts Council craft booth and the
Wildlife Images Bus with live
animals are just two of many
popular attractions for kids.
“Each booth has a
conservation and education
theme related to the river, fish,
animals, the forest, or will have
a Native American focus,” said
co-organizer Suzanne Vautier.
“We’re all about helping
people explore our region’s
interconnected natural resources
and inspiring them to care for
the environment that we share
with so many unique lifeforms.”
One highlight will be the
Yurok Tribe’s California condor
booth where Chris West, the
senior wildlife biologist who
oversees the Yurok’s condor
program, and some of his staff,
will be on hand to talk about
the tribe’s ongoing efforts to
repopulate the region with the
critically endangered birds
- who with a nearly ten-foot
wingspan, are the largest
flighted land birds in North
America.
With only a few dozen
condors hanging onto survival
in the 1980s, a highly-
cooperative breeding program
was launched that brought
zoos, government agencies,
universities, tribes and nonprofit
organizations together to save
the species from extinction.
Now, there are over 500 condors
alive - with more than 300
flying free in western United
States and Mexico!
But the birds still face
major challenges. Condors
were recently in the national
news because 21 birds from the
Arizona-Utah condor population
died from the Highly Pathogenic
Avian Influenza virus.
“HPAI is definitely in our
region as well. It has shown up
in turkey vultures and common
ravens and there have been
confirmed deaths,” West said.
Spearheading the Northern
California Condor Restoration
Program, the Yurok Tribe
released eight condors in 2022
and these birds were all recently
captured for their annual health
checks. Thankfully they’re all
healthy.
However as HPAI is
“highly contagious” the Yurok
Tribe has been fundraising
to facilitate construction of
isolation pens “in case any of
our birds catch it. We need a
safe space to quarantine the
birds and provide good medical
care and we just don’t have the
space for that right now.”
SEE CONDOR ON A-9
The Cave Junction City Council
held their monthly meeting June
12 at City Hall. While the majority
of the meeting consisted of general
community updates, the public hearing
surrounding the ongoing library
renovation project led to a decision that
may complicate the renovation process.
Mayor Meadow Martell and
Councilors Ethan Lane, Tina Casey
Jones, Jean Ann Miles, and Jesse Dugas
were all in attendance along with city
recorder Rebecca Patton. Joining them
were city planner Lisa Richardson
and contract planner Rowan Fairfield.
Public Works Director Alex Ponder was
unable to attend this month’s meeting,
which meant that his department’s
usual update was missed.
Council liaison updates were brief
but informative. Councilor Jones gave
an update on the Parks and Recreation
board meeting, announcing that the
expected date for the long-awaited
spray pad to go to bid was June 19.
The board’s eventual goal is to have
the spray pad up and running by Labor
Day weekend. Unfortunately, due to
budget constraints she explained that
the ADA-approved portion of the
playground would be filled in with the
foam flooring they had been interested
in using, while the areas beneath the
swings and other areas will continue to
be filled with standard bark chips.
Councilor Miles informed
attendees that she had recently attended
a Broadband Listening Session meant
to call attention to the internet needs
of rural communities. Miles noted that
she and her husband were the only
individuals from Josephine County in
attendance, but mentioned that several
residents of the Applegate area had
attended to voice their concerns.
When the time came for the
public hearing regarding the library
renovation, contract planner Rowan
Fairfield began by giving a brief
presentation that served to reassure the
council that the renovations fell well
within the parameters of all relevant
city codes. With that said, there was a
small hitch in the plans related to trash
and parking.
SEE COUNCIL ON A -9