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About Sandy post. (Sandy, Oregon) 1938-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 10, 1981)
„ ... V W - Section " » SANDY. OREGON. THURSOAY DECEMBER 10. 1981 .. . _ ----- ■—.................. ~ «ft _ Heople Home & Garden Features .AXCci NCWS One can still cut own tree in Zigzag district 1 The Sindy Post by M IC H A EL P JONES Pest Cerrespoodent Christmas is near and todays com mercial Christmas tree farms are busily harvesting trees round the clock with helicopters and mechaniz ed bailers, to be sold on the commer ria l market anywhere from 17 50 to 635 But to some people, it wouldn t be Christmas if they didn't cut their own tree from the slopes of Mt Hood. Cutting your own t*hnstmas tree has been a tradition for the last five years in the Zigzag Ranger District, ever since the special area was established in the lx>k> Pass area near the Bonneville Power Ad ministration transmission lines Last ye ar, out of the 9,604 Christmas trees cut in the Mt Hood National Forest, 7.000 of them were taken from the lx>4o Pass area Even more trees are expected to be cut this year The Zigzag area is the most popular area for Christmas tree cut ting, according to the district’s infor mation officer, Herb Evans The cost is 62 for a permit, a few hours of tune, and. of course, the required spirit of Christmas Evans said that the reaon the Zigzag area is more popular than other areas in the National Forest is that it is better publicized and has Last weekend alone, over 500 per sons inquired about getting a Christmas tree permit, and 200 of them already have gone out and cut a tree The tree cutting area is located at the top Lolo Pass at the 3,500-foot level, which means the weather could be either “rain or snow ” Evans said that last Sunday cutters were greeted by both snow and rain He advised that all vehicles going into the area be equipped with chains or other traction devices Evans also warned tree cutters that under no circumstances should they attempt to travel the powerline road. Past experience has shown that too many unsuspecting persons, at tempting to drive closer to their tree, found that getting stuck just wasn't worth the time or the tow fee re quired to get out before nightfall “ People should play it safe and stay on the roads," said Evans. "The access up there is narrow and turn around points are rare .” Evans said that cutters should br ing their own cutting tools, dress ade qualely for the weather, and be sure to take along a rope to tie the tree down In addition, he recommends that those trees being transported on the tops of cars or in the open bed of a pickup, where the tree will be expos ed to wind, bring a blanket or tarp to cover it. “Trees get windbum," said Evens “When this happens, the needles dry out more quickly and fall off. ” At the top of the Lolo Pass cutting area Evans says cutters can select from Noble fir and some Silver fir At the bottom of the area is Douglas fir or Hemlock The Forest Service is recommen ding that people cut Douglas or Noble fir The Silver fir is difficult to find and the Hemlock is not recommend ed because it will last only three days in a house before the needles start falling off. This next weekend. Christmas tree cutting will be done on a reservation system only Evans said that on these two weekends they will allow ISO to 200 persons into the area during the (Ceatinued on Page 2» Top trainer in Boring for weekend by GWEN BOGH Post Correspondent , , - Photo by Scott Newton Pictured above is Kid Kadoodle, the host of the Kid Kadoodle Use Your Noodle Super Safety Show, which was presented to Firwood Grade School students last week. The players are members of Storefront Theater in Portland. Good Citizen awards were also given. See page five, Forest will close to wood cutters December 31 hy M IC H A EL P. JONES Post Correspondent The Mt. Hood National Forest of ficially closes for firewood cutting on Dec. 31, and with only a few weeks left, people are scrambling to get enough fuel in for the winter Zigzag and Hood River are open for cutting but persons must have, in their possession, a current wood per mit and a map of designated cutting a re a s . B a rlo w , B ear Sp ring s, Estacada, Clackamas, and Columbia Gorge Ranger Districts are closed for the rest of the season Herb Evans, information officer at the Zigzag Ranger Station, stressed that although the area is still open for firewood cutting, that wood is scarce and difficult to find, in spite of the estimated 30 million board feet of timber that blew down during the last wind storm. But neither the scarcity of wood, rain and even snow has stopped the flow of wood being taken down off the mountain. The ranger station is still being swamped with telephone calls about woodcutting. “ We gave out, in the course of the season, 18,000 maps to the Zigzag District,” said Evans. “ We figure that's plenty of wood for this district for one year." Evans said that firewood patrols are still in effect in not only the Zigzag and Hood River Districts, but also in the other closed areas, due to timber thefts. He said that until the areas "get a good snow or the roads get too w et," that people will be out in the woods cutting firewood, legally or illegally. Fores! Service officials maintain that the scarcity of wood in such districts as Zigzag, has created many problems related to timber thefts and illegally cutting firewood. Zigzag is prim arily an area where wood can only be found by scavaging Often times, the wood is too far from access roads and has to be hand carried to the individual's vehicles, making the already strenuous job even more backbreaking Some people, however, both com mercial cutters and those cutting tor their own personal use, attempt to make the job easier by falling snags near the road If apprehended, they can look forward to a stiff fine and even jail time Evans questions whether people know what kind of wood they can get from the forest this time of year He said that the wood is extremely wet, and dry wood is very rare. He said that people should think about the money they will put out for gas, tra f fic problems, the time and the work involved, before they come up to get wet wood. “ If someone is out there cutting firewood to burn this year, they will have a problem," said Evans “ It's gonna be soaked " The season will reopen April of next year, but there is speculation that the firewood permits will no longer be free Forest Service of ficials in Washington, D C., are pro posing that a new policy be im plemented which would require per mits to be purchased for either 65 or 610 Officials say that this would help pay the costs of administering the program. A professional tra in e r fro m California who conducts clinics for advanced riders was at Windfall Stables in Boring recently. Tommy Lowe, recognized as one of the top trainers in the United States, spent last Saturday and Sunday training 25 students ranging from 6 to 60 years, the techniques of horse man- ship. Two months a /o Connie Tore, c »ner it Windfall Stables, arranged to have Lowe •ome here to teach for a weekend She had learned about Lowe at the Oregon State F a ir last summer Lowe judged the "Hunter Jumper" division at the fair. Tore was so impressed by Lowe's abilities she decided that he should come to her stables. With Lowe being in the "public eye” she didn't have to worry about his qualifications. He is highly recommended “When you’re hiring someone you want to be sure it’s worth their (the riders’ ) tim e," said Tore. At Windfall Stables, Lowe trained three groups These groups were tra in e d in tw o-h ou r sessions. Students were pleased as well as im pressed by this man’s talents. Tore said that lx>we was "really sharp about picking out the problem areas of students and pointing out areas they needed improvement on.'* She also said he had very good rap port with everyone. Several prominent personalities have bren trained by Lowe, including Mohammed All and Charles Bron son. Some of his students have become Medal Finalists in the American Horseman Show Associa tion. SUHS buses keep rolling, traveled 240,000 miles last year by SCOTT NEW TON It would drive some people nuts to be responsible for a large school bus and forty or fifty energetic high school students every school day It doesn’t seem to bother Bob M ar shall “ I love it," he said. “ I like be ing around the kids ” This is the first year he’s driven for the Sandy Union High School district, although he’s had his chauffeur’s license for eight years He drives the Government ('amp route, the district's longest He covers right at 100 miles a day in the two trips, the first of which begins at 5:45 a m Marshall’s days begin between 4 to 4:30 a m., when he drives from his home in the Brightwood area to the district 's bus barn, where he takes an o ile r. smaller bus up the mountain Friday he took this reporter on his rout* On the way up the mountain Marshall talked about his other avocation, making jewelry Business isn't bad. he said. although it isn’t booming either Unicorns, butterflies and frogs are the most popular items Frogs are especially popular this season, he said, with mothers buying them for daughters, who aren’t to take them off until they’ve kissed a prince Marshall married Anita Singleton Tuesday, and for their honeymoon they plan on going to Newport, where they’ll spend at least part of their tim e in a booth selling Talking about his job, Marshall said that the thing that bothers him most is the way people whiz by when the bus is stopped and the red lights are on He is surprised that the public is not more aware, as the law requir ing traffic to stop for school buses with lights on has been in effect several years At about 6:30 the first students got on the bus. with one young man slipp ing on the ice as he left the house As more students get on the bus. and become aware that The Post is doing a story on Marshall and the bus » system, they begin pointing out M ar shall’s past errors, and fabricate a few for good measure Marshall responds by promising to handdeliver copies of the article to their parents, especially to the parents of the one that is so handy with rubber bands If the students are a little rowdy, it’s worth considering that some of them will have been on the bus nearly an hour and a half before school even starts. At Welches Marshall leaves the older, smaller bus fo ra larger, newer one It is cold, but it does have a radio, which Marshall turns on, although not as loudly as is re quested AU in all, buses in the school district traveled 240,000 miles last year, which includes trips to ac tivities as well as the bus routes Marshall takes the smaller bus up the mountain, in pari, to save money on gasoline The district spent a total of 653.125 on gas last year, and another 68,600 on tires The district spent 6269.418 for tra n s p o rta tio n , which included salaries, repairs, fuel and a replace ment bus The district receives basic school support from the state of about 50 percent for transportation, excluding bus replacement value, which is depreciated The district is making the change from gasoline to diesel buses, which will save money, hut it takes time to change over The district has one diesel bus. another is due in March, and the board of education approved the ordering of another in October. At that October board meeting Joan Hay, business manager, said that five buses in the fleet have traveled over too 000 miles, and that two more were rapidly approaching that mark S till, Jim H o ffm e is te r, shop foreman, feels that the fleet is in good shape He said that the stale inspectors have been out, viewed his files, and were nappy He keeps a binder that he can take to board meetings, if necessary, to show expenses or. each individual bus. wasn't. Two permanent employees, in “ If something goes out unsafe and cluding Hoffmeister, work in the something happens, it’s my neck ” Donna Stahinecker, who is the shop. Also, a GET A employee works there. district's dispatcher and is in charge The fleet is comprised of buses of hiring, routing and training, also made by General Motors, except for feels that the district’s system is in three Fords, and an International good condition They’ll have to meet that will be retired soon One of the the s ta te ’s stand ardizatio n re reasons behind having a fleet com quirements in March. prised of buses of the same make is “ I think we should come out really m ore efficient and less costly well. I ’ve got to study over the maintenance requirements material and see just what areas, if There are 18 buses in the fleet, if any, that we need to rectify. one counts the one that is in town but “ Hopefully, we’ll come out 100 per not yet in the possession of the cent good ’’ district Stahinecker has been working for The busy season is just beginning the district as a d riv e r since for Hoffmeister He said that they'll February of 1970, and started as be down at four in the morning or dispatcher about a year and a half earlier chaining up the buses before ago the drivers leave. All bus drivers in the state must And, they’ll be nights, he reports, have not only a chauffeur's license, when he’ll be up at midnight check but an Oregon school bus license, mg roads which includes 10 hours of behind Hoffmeister apparently takes his thewheel training, and 10 hours of job seriously. He said, “ I can’t check classroom tra in in g on respon each individual one There’s no way sibilities. maintaining discipline and you can keep track of everything. But basic mechanics, among other I get quite uptight if 1 find something things Also, all drivers must carry a that should have been checked that current first aid card. Stahinecker is certified with the state Department of Education to teach the bus drivers course. The on ly thing she doesn't teach is first aid. Stahinecker drives the McCabe route, which goes up Firwood, onto Music Camp, down “that horrible hill on Keisecker," out Pagh to McCabe and onto the freeway. “ I ’ve gone down that steep MU sideways,’’ she said “ I just left tracks all the way down And I though. ’Mmm, got to keep the front end ahead of the back ' “ And the kids say, ‘Oh. let’s do this a g a in '” There are 13 full-time drivers working for the district. Eleven drive re g u la r routes, one d riv e s a wheelchair van and another drives activities buses regularly Dorothy Marschman, a driver in the Bull Hun area, has been working for the school district the longest She’s been employed here since I9M Stahinecker said that a lot of peo pie could drive a bus, but that getting along with students and keeping discipline is something else "That takes a certain kind of per son." site said.
