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About Sandy post. (Sandy, Oregon) 1938-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 12, 1981)
Section SANDY. OREGON THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 1981 The Srfndy Post A rea News People Home & Garden Features Tire dumping a problem in National Forest b> MICHAEL H JONES Man is creating a new mountains in the Mt. Hood National Forest Unlike nature's ingredients of rock, sand and soil, these mountains are made of rubber Specifically, rubber tires, off everything from the family automobile to huge truck tires off diesels It is difficult to estimate how many tires are dumped each year in the National Forest, but some estimates from Forest Service personnel and private timber companies claim as many as a thousand Unfortunately, due to the lack of money and man power to dispose of tires properly, the years of discards just seem to grow, creating mountains One dump site up Lolo Pass off a Forest Service road sports a stack of over 200 tires. Behind it is the beautiful backdrop of Mt Hood Just down the road there is another moun tain of tires At another site up Wildcat Moun tain, just beyond the National Forest boundaries, a dump site just recently discovered extends 20 by 30 feet and is 10 feet high Behind the pile is a “ No Trespassing" sign Last year Carla Jones, a Forest Service employee in charge of firewood permits and cutting patrols, discovered 140 tires thrown out along a road, also on Wildcat Mountain It was done by someone in a four-wheel drive vehicle Jones said that the tires had been dumped on a weekend while it was snowing Some were so large that it took two people to roll them over to check for identification One tire turned out to be a Government Ser vice Administration tire. John McCormick, a special agent working with the Forest Service out of the supervisor's office of the Mt. Hood National Forest, said that the number of dumps are increasing each year He said that mounds of discarded tires can be found in every ranger district as well as on Bureau of Ixind Management property and on land owned by private timber companies Chuck Luthy, a mechanic with the Publisher's Paper Estacada office, said that he has often been dispatch ed to deal with the problem of discarded tires on their land He said that a recent dump contained 300 to 400 tire s Luthy said that it is literally im possible to halt the tire dumps on Publisher's land He said that they tried putting up gates in the more popular dumping areas, only to have them either pulled down by four wheel drives, or cut-up with a blowtorch. To avoid future problems in one area, Luthy took a backhoe and dug a trench across the road in order to create an effective barrier “ If we ever want to get back up there, we'll have to fill the holes back in," said Luthy “ This area has just been replanted so we won't be getting back in there for at least 20 years.” At another dump site, located near Eagle Fern Park, Luthy said that tires are the least of their worries “ We’ve got everything at this site," said Luthy "You name it, it's there Car bodies, old appliances, dead animals and food garbage." Luthy said that since this site is on a large sidehill, that the discarded items have been left there until the company decides what to do with them. He said that “ most likely the mess will be just left there because it is too expensive (to move), and laws do not permit burning the tires “ The Department of Environmen tal Quality doesn't allow burning tires because it puts out a real bad stink," said Luthy “ It not only looks bad. but it puts a lot of pollutants into the a ir.” Luthy, however, claimed that blocking the roads is the most effec tive way to stop the illegal dumpings despite the complaints of a few fishermen “ Ever since we blocked off those roads,“ said Luthy, “ we haven't seen too many trucks loaded down with tires go up the mountain." McCormick said that most illegal dumpers operate at night He said that when Forest Service personnel observe a truck loaded with tires, they follow it Barely, however, do they catch them dumping "Tailing is just a way to prevent them from dumping," said McCormick “ As long as we stay with them, they’ll just return to town." McCormick said that three extra people are needed to work on this problem if the tire dumpings are to be stopped He said that the problem is magnified even more because of the vast road system in the forest. When one area is being watched, they find another area to dump at McCormick said that the situation has worsened over recent years due to the increased dumping fees for tires at the landfills He said that passenger tires are disposed of at prices starting around $1 and that large truck tires can cost as much as 130 per tire. McCormick said that tire dealers, re-cappers, and gas stations, will often sell to haulers, who w ill charge them as little as 50 to 75 cents each for hauling away their tires. “ In one situation," said McCor Hoodland Chamber speaker to discuss new legislation “ Unity Yields Profits," or what happens when the business com munity unites to deal with govern ment, is the subject of the presenta tion to be made by Thomas C. < Tom) D onaca, g e n e ra l counsel fo r Associated Oregon Indqptries, before the Hoodland Chamber of Commerce Nov 17 at 11:30 at the Bed Lion at Bowman's Donaca w ill review activities of the record long regular session of the 61st Oregon Legislative Assembly as they affect business, citing specific examples in a number of subject areas affecting the state's economic vitality He also outlines an action program for future relations between business and government, stressing the roles of individuals and groups in the pro cess that creates laws and regula tions. Tom Itonaca mick, "we had a couple of enterpris ing young fellows who went to a re cap factory and picked up a load They charged them $3 a tire and dumped it in the National Forest in stead of disposing it in a landfill " McCormick said that local re cappers have been cooperative in his office's investigation, “ bacause they don’t need this type of publicity." He said that the Forest Service “ already have identified a number of people who are dumping but haven't moved against them because of the current problems with firewood thieves," which has taken priority McCormick said that the Forest Service would proceed actively with prosecution but added that the cost of prosecuting and the priority that the U S Attorney gives these cases w ill be the determining factor as to what w ill happen It is estimated that the Mt Hood National Forest Service w ill spend about $8,000 to clean up the tire dumps that it currently is aware of If the dumps are not cleaned up. future logging operations in the area could be affected, especially with the steel belted tires. “ The tire s may e v e n tu a lly breakdown, but the steel radials w ill be there forever," said McCormick " I t will become a tangle-some mess If you hold a timber sale in the area, it will get caught up in the logging equipment and shut the operation down " Rhododendron veteran has no regrets about army career by SCOTT NEWTON Jack Baker of Bhododendron remembers Armistice Day in 1944 The IV Armored Corps was cross ing the Moselle Biver in eastern France, and had been eating hard ra tions since the Normandy Invasion, or for about five months, when a ship ment of green onions arrived “ We had bakeries with us." Baker said. “ So we sat down and had onion sandwiches, with artillary shells go ing over our heads “ That’s one Armistice Day I won’t forget ’’ He also remembers the first A r mistice Day, having been eight when World War I was over The announce ment was made a few days early, with the church bells ringing and whistles blowing “ The word got out early, and it was a mistake," Baker pointed out “ Peo ple got all excited But, I guess when you get that close a day or two doesn’t make too much difference “ Then they came along on the 11th of November and announced that the firing would stop at 11 o'clock in the morning and so forth So, everybody celebrated again.” The celebrating was pretty sub dued, though, as a flu epidemic had closed schools, among other things Baker remembers the lists of the dead from the epidemic being published in the newspapers right along with the lists of the dead from the war. Veterans Day is not a particularly special day for Baker and his wife, Beth, although his 30 years in the a r my have been far from uneventful Thirty-four mov«*« from the time they were married they finally land ed in Bhododendron, in a comfor table house by a stream, where they've lived since 1968 All in all, it added up," Baker said about all their moving "In the army they say three moves equals one fire (as far as losing possessions)." Baker, who worked at the U S. Bank of Portland in 1931, was a reserve commissioned officer in the calvary He served in this capacity r à . * X 7 « « jL* ^¡^■■1 because he felt it was his civic duty In 1941, before the bombing of Pearl Harbor, he was placed on ac tive duty, where he served in the IV Armored Division, and was later transfered to the IV Armored Corps, which was changed to the XX Corps in 1941 It was there, as a staff officer (he retired a colonel), that he met General George Patton “ I wasn't one of his buddies,” Baker said "He was in and out of our headquarters I was in and out of his “ I ’d see him often, when we were going to and from the front we'd pass each other, and naturally, salute But we never engaged in any long, deep conversations or anything like that “ I ’ll never forget the first time I saw him It was in England We had just arrived and were getting our headquarters established, and I got called to go into the war room I went in, they had the section chiefs in there, and I signed in, and I turned around and here's th is ta ll, m agnificently dressed man, built like this.” He made a " V " with his hands He had broad shoulders, narrow hips, wore riding boots that glisten ed, and wore a short jacket " I knew right away who he was," Baker said He was introduced, and noticed diamonds on his fingers He was quite flamboyant, Mrs Baker pointed out. “ Anybody can be as flamboyant as he wants as long as he can back it up," Mr Baker said, laughing "Then, he started to talk in a high, squeaky voice He didn't have a com manding voice,” Baker continued "But he hadn't uttered but about three sentences and he had the atten tion of everybody. We forgot what his voice sounded like "The first thing he said was. All right now. you gentlemen, I'm com manding the Third Army and you are part of that arm y.’ "And he says, That's the damn secret Let the first ones to find out about it be the God damn Germans, and they’ll rise up in their foxholes and say,’ There’s that son-of a-bitch Patton and his God damn Third Ar my again.' “ When he took off like that he had everybody's attention from that point on “ His speeches were quite colorful, and he didn't care who was there, nurses or anybody else, he just let er go " Jack and Beth Raker Baker felt the movie about Patton was fairly accurate “ He felt so strongly about the m ilitary profes sion, and he read so extensively, that he might have read himself right into the act," Baker said about the Nor mandy invasion Someone on Patton's staff told Raker that Patton carried a book with him to Normandy about early British and French battles there “ He said. Well, those roads are still there The terrain hasn't chang ed.’ So he was studying that, even though it was ancient history ’’ Baker's acquaintance with Patton wasn't his only brush with history He was also in St Martin. Austria, where World War II ended, and w here the A m e ric a n s found themselves guardians of the lipizzan horses, which had been trained at the Biding School in Vienna for 225 years The Spanish Riding School is the oldest equestrian school in the world The lipizzans are the lone sur viving descendants of a proud race of Spanish horses "The Spanish Biding School was concentrated right there, right in our headquarters " I didn't realize we’d hit the Spanish Biding School We moved in there, I think it was in the afternoon, in St Martin, and the next day I was coming out of the mess hall, which in cidentally was a beer hall that we converted to a mess, and I went around the corner and looked up and here was this magnificent white horse “ On his back was sitting this figure, very erect, shiny jack boots, emaculate white trousers, a dark jacket and this side-wise hat. “ I couldn't believe my eyes " Both Baker and his wife marveled at what beautiful animals the horses are, "They put out instructions that those horses, and the men taking care of them and so forth, were not to be fooled with in any way, shape or form They were to be left strictly alone " In letters home, Baker was not allowed to let on to where he was at, but he did get one clue by the censors They had both read “ Imperial Tw ilight," a book by Bertita Parting about the fall of the Hapsburg regime in Austria, and the Spanish Biding School So when Baker wrote back from St. Martin he told Beth that her “ favorite horses are grazing on the hillside outside of headquarters " Baker’s responsibility as a staff of ficer was to keep in contact with the troops, making sure they were doing what they were supposed to be doing, as well as finding out what they need ed and getting it for them Personal contact was necessary as radio messages could be intercepted “ It was a good job in that I could go just as far forward as I wanted at any time, and could turn around and come back at any time. “ That was very nice, and I was always lucky I arrived just after something happened or left just before it happened Not meaning too, but it just worked out that way “ I was able to see quite a bit, and get a much broader view than most people do, because they were way out front We usually had about three divisions abreast, and I was moving back and forth. One day checking one unit, one day another “ And of course we had situation maps back at headquarters We could see exactly what was happen ing It got a little harry sometimes " After the war Baker was one of 1,000 senior officers designated as logisticians. Mrs Baker likens that to “ being a walking computer ” Logisticians were responsible for c o m p u tin g a ll re q u ire m e n ts necessary to complete any certain m ilita ry action That included troops, food, gasoline and medical supplies. “ If you were short something, you'd never hear the end of It," Baker said, admitting it was a “ tremendous responsibility ’’ Baker had left the service in January of 1946. but was offered a commission in the regular army as an officer, and took it. “ We handled about $2 billion a year Two billion dollars was quite a bit of money in those days," he said “ That was interesting We had to appear before congressional commit- tes, and had to formulate and defend the budget Once the budget was ap proved it was our responsibility to allocate the funds for the functions for which they were appropriated. “ Very exacting duty," he said " I had a lot of lost weekends, believe me “ Some people liked it," Baker said about Washington, “ but most of us considered it,the least desirable duty we could have." Mrs Baker found it “a fascinating citv ” "The women all liked it,” he said “ The women think it ’s great." Mrs Bakei pointed out that there are a lot of things to see, such as museums The Bakers left Washington for Hawaii, where Baker was group commander The National Cemetery opened during the time he was in command It was located in the Punch Bowl, an extinct volcanic crater overlooking the city of Honolulu There was some controver sy about building the cemetery there, as pagen rights allegedly had once been practiced in the Punch Bowl Easters and Memorials Days were quite hectic for Baker because of the activities held at the cemetery He reports that the school children would make leis on Memorial Days, and that there would be two or three of them on each of the 12,000 to 13,000 graves “ It made it very colorful, and fragrant," he said. “ It was a very pleasant tour over there, naturally. You feel a little rock happy though, because it ’s con fining “ You go out for a drive, and you go 125 miles, and you’re on your second lap “ Fortunately, we were over there before the great building boom took place " After the tour in Hawaii Baker went to the War College in Carlisle, Penn. The Carlisle Barracks date back to before the Revolutionary War The War College lists among its graduates people like General John P e rs h in g , P re s id e n t D w ig h t Eisenhower and General Omar Bradley. “ I didn’t do quite as well as they did," Baker joked The War College was once an In dian School, and Jim Thorpe is the Carlisle town hero. Baker said that he feels very fo r tunate to have been selected to go, and added. “ It was about the most pleasant year I had in the army, to teil the truth.” After War College it was back to Washington, D C. This time Baker served as deputy chief of the army foreign aid division He points out that it is the state department that decides which coun try gets what. It was their job to make sure that each country got what it had coming By turning over equipment to other countries, the United States Army received compensation, and thus was able to update its equipment. Still, Baker viewed the job with mixed emotions "W e gave a lot of equipment to countries that were not capable of handling it They didn't know what a magneto, or a ca r He went to Washington D C., where he was deputy budget and fiscal of fleer for the quarterm aster general 4 buretor, was They didn’t even understand batteries very well. They knew about putting gasoline in the tank If the battery ran down they’d wonder hy They didn’t know enough to put water in them ” He said that, being that many of the countries that received equip ment didn’t have manpower with the experience to even do basic repairs, one can imagine how poorly main tained much of that equipment was. After four years in Washington, Baker was transfered to Fort Richardson, which is about eight miles outside of Anchorage, Alaska. His duties called for him to travel over much of the state A petroleum pipeline which has since been sold by the General Services Administra tion, was considered essential to the defense of Alaska “ I learned more about pipelines than I thought I ’d ever have to know," Baker said “We liked the winters quite w ell," Baker said “ The summers were something else." The mosquitos, the rainy early summer weather, and the fact that it was hard to sleep when the sun shone all day, were a few of the drawbacks to living in Alaska “ In the wintertime, unless is was actually snowing, the weather was very good. The days were a little short It might not get light until 10:30, and it started to get dark about 1:30, but other than that it was all rig h t “ But you could see Especially if the moon was shining If it was clear, you could see for miles at nigh, " The Bakers have one son, Dwight, who now manages three stores that sell fireplaces and accessories He lives in Olympia He took flight training his senior year, through BOTC, at the Universi ty of Arizona In the service he was eventually promoted to captain, and was made a flight instructor, “ but he had no desire to stay in ," Baker said “ He said it'd changed too much. And, he was quite disgusted with a lot of the things that happened in Korea, “ He was up on the DMZ (demilitarized zone), and was sup posed to be in direct support of the DMZ, and they had an alert It's estimated it'd take the enemy 20 minutes to get there, and he said they weren’t ready to go for two hours. “ He was fed up He didn’t go for that at a ll," Baker said Baker feels the drug problem has affected the different branches of the service, and added, “ The intelligence level of the troops is nothing like it has been in the past. I don't think that’ll be corrected till we once more go to the draft.” He feels a good cross section is needed, and said that that had much to do with the success the United States had in World War II. “ Eventually the best troops (in the German a r m y ) got all chewed up and H itler didn't have much left Along towards the end of the w ar we were picking up old men and 14-year-old boys They were very happy to quit I don't blame them " Times have changed the arm y in the past 30 to 40 years, but Baker doesn't seem to have any regrets About his decision to make the arm y a career, Baker said, " I ’ve never been too sorry about It. We had a pretty good life ” See related slery ea page fear
