V.
Teach your children w e ll
The lim e is now We must respond
quickly and work together before it's too
late, if It's not already Destruction of
catastrophic proportions is occunng rigr»t
now around the world Sound like
ArmageddonDepends on what your
version of it is
We y e running out of trees, fish,
countless plant and animal species, fresh
water, clean air. and time
The period for action isn't twenty years
from now or ten or even five, we need to
respond now and rescue our national
treasures from irreversible and
irreparable damage
We can see evidence of mass degradation
right here ,n Clatsop County in our Coast
Range mountains we have already lost the
landscape and biodiversity which existed
here originally and i t ’s harvest time again
To the mult i-b i I lion dollar corporation
whose only interest is the revenue
generated from high volume harvesting,
the short term prospects look promising
For the small towns in Clatsop County
however, the future looks grim We can
expect frequent use of herbicides which
may leach into our water systems,
unsightly clear-cuts damaging to our
tourism industry and personal aesthetic
values, and severe deterioration of w ater
sheds which further threaten already
dwindling salmon populations A portion
of Elk Creek, located behind Cannon Beach,
for example, Is already suffering rapid
degradation
It is tim e we began to adress and
acknowledge global ecosystems as an
equal, rather than inferior, form of life It
is these complex and intricate systems
which sustain human existance Without
them, we can not hope to remain
inhabitants of this planet
It can be overwhelming to consider all of
the destruction and loss of life taking
place around the world today
Unfortunatly, w ith f ive b illio n people
already inhabiting the planet and an
estimated eleven b illio n predicted by
2050, we may be in for more of the same
and worse
Present conditions of forest systems
exemplify the heavy strain humans put
upon all biological systems Our only
chance for survival, now and in the future,
is to establish a new relationship w ith our
forests - giving back instead of always
taking The way to begin achieving this
new style of giving back is by trying to
learn and understand these delicate living
systems
It w ill be of no benefit if we learn of
their richness, complexity, and
significance after they're gone - and they
almost are
The timber industry, for instance, would
bem fit greatly from a transition to
sustainable foresty rather than the current
method of indiscrim inate ciearcutting
Through in-depth study and understanding
of forests and their needs for diversity, a
healthier, more e fficie n t system would
result, as w ell as industry longevity
Right now, timber workers are losing, or
have lost, their jobs, not because of the
spotted owl but because of corporate
misuse and misunderstanding of the forest
Current logging practices are extracting
trees so fast that soon the timber workers
won t have anything le ft to cut Mass raw
tim ber exportation and mechanization
make the situation yet more tenuous More
often than not, the large corporate timber
industries exploit workers for short term
financial gam
Right now, our planet is talking to us
and she s te llin g us to slow down, use the
eyes we have to see, and look Presently,
scientists, politicians, ex-tim ber workers,
foresters, fishermen, business owners,
jounalists, aerial photographers and many
others are advising the public to pay
attention to what's happening to our
natural living systems
It is v ita l that we be aware of the status
of these habitats because we are the
consumers of these precious resources, if
we don t question what we use and how
we re using it, we won t know what's being
taken and how
It doesn t have to be too late, not if we
pull together and respond to this c ris is
collectively As individuals there are a
number of different ways in which to give
it back Here are a few w rite a le tte r to
your congressperson -- use your voice,
join an environmental advocacy group,
educate yourself - - the inform ation is out
there, teach your children new, less
excessive and wasteful ways to consume
- - it's their future after all, when
shopping for food or other products, think
about where the packaging came from and
where it w ill go when you are finished
w ith it. buy recycled paper products if you
must use them, use reusable bags such as
canvas to avoid use of paper, think of
other ways that may suit your needs and
the needs of the environment Most
im portantly, go out as soon as you are
able, w ith your children and teach yourself
and them about the forest - listen, look,
smell, touch - do it tomorrow
Finally we must come out of the denial
that we have in fin ite natural resources to
sustain us through the rest of time, this
kind of longevity requires forsight and
planning The task before us is an
extremely d iffic u lt one w ith many
variables However, we need to put our
individual differences aside and.come
together on this front If we love our
children and the planet, we must express
this by putting a stop to the personal
habits and exploitive uses destroying our
life support system
This is a tremendous challenge and may
seem overwhelming, but think about what
it w ill be like for our children in twenty
years if we don't tackle it now We must
leave the same legacy of prosperity and
health which was endowed to us
- a concerned Clatsop citizen
I Hove a Vie»
I ponder the g re a t
gape wound.
See the b r ig h t w h ite
-alm ost gleam
o f fr e s h ly cu t
b u tt ends and s tu rp s .
Recall the w h ite bone heaps
o f A f r ic a ’ s
sla u g h te re d .
I have a view .
I am the beat o f
raven black wings
overhead.
Looking fo r ro o s ts high
m the green canopy
now vanished in
a g re a t inward
c o lla p s e .
I am the eyes o f w itn e s s ,
the animate body
Whose memories fe e l
s till,
the cool rad ia nce ,
the tenderness o f the s o f t
fungal strewn
bed o f l i f e .
I am neighbor
to t h is
e a rth
wound,
Whose home at n ig h t
r a t t le s and shakes
w ith the comings and goings
o f g re a t, dark
s ilh o u e tte s .
Angry and A g ita te d .
I am the one
Whose eyes burn
w ith a b r ig h t b lin d n e s s .
I am the one
w ith a
view .
September 2, 1993
(ed - Yep)
c o r o m l c » c u lp f u r o • c e r a m i c g a r d e n a r t
bony showman
37109 »cap creek rood
corvatti Oregon 97330
503*745*5244
STEEL TEETH MORNING MISTS
Steel teeth rend the
hush of morning mists.
Sky sentinels crash down
among soft fern shoals . . . immobile.
Mighty spruce who embraced
celestial blues and who rode the gales;
Strong emerald giants, nature’s majesty.
Sanctuary to intricate interminglings
and benedictions of the life force.
The steady howl of steel and fire
knows no quarter—offers no quarter.
The mind behind the trigger
insentient to the ancient lifeweb pulse
Spurred on by a culture that
staggers blindly through misty
remnants of desolate imagination.
August 20, 1993
Poetry on tîm page by
R W SchmeeT, vrmen
from Lmcoto City
urna un twa mäwbül iiß 7