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About Sandy post. (Sandy, Oregon) 1938-current | View Entire Issue (June 3, 1982)
Section SANDY. OREGON THURSDAY. JUNE 3 1982 The S^ndy Post Area News People Home & Garden F eatures Man indicted, 497,000 board feet stolen by MICHAEL P. JONES Post Correspondent A federal grand jury has indicted a former Sleepy Hollow resident for stealing 497.000 board feet of timber from federal lands near Brightwood and Zigzag Tim McCoy Henderson. 4«. of Gresham, is accused of three counts of theft of government property and four counts of damaging federal pro perty by conducting unauthorized logging operations The logging operations allegedly occurred on sites along Lolo Pass Road and South Boulder Creek, and were conducted under the auspices of Henderson and his wife Darlene s company. Henderson Forest Pro ducts. The initial investigation against Henderson began in September 1980 after Joel Holtrop. a forester with the U S Forest Service stationed at the Zigzag Ranger District, received complaints from residents living along Lolo Pass Road. Holtrop said residents were con cerned with a logging operation that Henderson was conducting on private land in the area, which they believed was in violation of the state s forest standards and prac tices act He said they were also concerned because of the site's close proxim ity to the National Forest boundary Upon visiting the site Holtrop said he discovered that Henderson had logged public land administered by the Forest Service. The National Forest land was next to land he logg ed legally Kathy Willis who. along with her husband Phil, owns the “ Cold Spr ings Homestead.“ which is located a half mile from the logging operation, said that residents had complained for some time before action was taken She said it got to the point where “ people w ere th re a te n in g to sabotage the logging equipment just to put a stop to it.“ Later, after Federal Bureau of In vestigation, Forest Service and Clackamas County sheriff vehicles were seen in the area, she said people believed the logging operation would finally cease, but quickly learned otherwise. “ We thought that he'd be stopped,“ said Willis, “ but the very next day he was s till logging '* John McCormick, a special agent with the Mt Hood National Forest, said during the course of the in vestigation of the Lolo Pass incident another illegal logging operation of Henderson's was discovered on South Boulder Creek, near Brightwood. At this site it was discovered that Henderson had ille g a lly logged tim ber from lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management and Clackamas County, as well as from land owned by Rogers Construction Company of Portland. It is alleged that Henderson logged the South Boulder site between November 1979 and m id-April 1980, months before he began harvesting in the Lolo Pass area In the indictment handed down on May 12, Henderson is charged with entering into a tim ber-harvestir contract with Cascade Timber Com pany of Tacoma. Wash., in which he was to be paid $150 per 1000 board feet of exportable Douglas A ir, which was to be logged from an L-shaped parcel of private property along South Boulder Creek This parcel abuts both public and other private lands Part of this parcel Henderson had just recently purchased from Colum- bia Tree Farm The other portion was owned by Cascade Timber Com pany The in d ic tm e n t alleges that Henderson la te r expanded his harvesting operations onto the other parcels of land Henderson is charged with stealing 327,000 board feet of timber from BLM land adjacent to Boulder Creek. At the Lolo Pass site it is alleged Organizer explains goals of m ountain group by MICHAEL P. JONES Pont Correspondent In an interview last week Wes Post, one of the organizers of the Sane Economic Development Association, attempted to clarify some of the con fusion surrounding the newly-formed group Post said SEDA was formed two weeks ago in response to the Clackamas County planning staff's proposal to “ down zone" properties outside of the urban growth boun dary He said in some cases this meant property that was currently zoned for one house per two or five acres, was re zoned one per 20 or one per 40 acres. The Hood Hideaway development along Salmon River Road near Welches, said Post, is a good exam ple of the impact of the “ down zon ing.” He said half the development, which has already been sold, is zoned one unit per two acres. If the “ down zoning" is approved by the planning commission and the board of county commissioners in the coming hear ings, the remaining land w ill ba zon ed one unit per 20 acres Post said he feels the proposed “ down zoning" is a violation of the rights of people who had purchased property He said this why SEDA was formed, to fight for people's rights and make them aware of what was happening to their land. “ We a re not d e v e lo p m e n t oriented," said Post. “ What we’re concerned about is fairness. "People who bought property should be allowed to do what they originally intended when they bought it,” said Post. Post praised the 1976 Mt. Hood Community Plan, which he called “ a guideline for the rest of the state, which didn't have a comprehensive plan.” He said during the years the plan was being drawn up the people w ork Developer displeased with Mt. Hood plan’s down zoning by MICHAEL P. JONES Post Correspondent The Clackamas County planning staff attempted to make a few last minute clarifications in the proposed revisions of the Mt Hood community plan Thursday evening prior to the changes going before the public at three scheduled hearings. Assistant Planning Director Ardis Stevenson told the small group of residents in attendance at this final citizens informational meeting the proposed changes in the plan were the result of a directive made by the s ta te L and C o n se rv a tio n and D e v e lo p m e n t C o m m is s io n on December 4. She said that a fte r the E n vironmental Committee On Suitabili ty took issue with the county’s pro posed development of the Cedar Ridge area, a yet undeveloped 600 acre wooded section of the Hoodland Service D istrict that they claim includes wetlands, they were directed to go back and look at the area The planning staff is to determine if the wetlands do exist, and if so, they are to determine how to protect the area. In addition, Stevenson said LCDC directed the county to identify lands outside of the Hoodland Service D istrict that were not zoned for agricultural and forest uses and write an exception for each in dividual parcel Stevenson said that in 1979 when the staff zoned the area, she feels the designations “ best reflected the 1976 Mt Hood Plan “ She said LCDC disagreed and feels the 1976 plan did not adequately reflect the rural zoning intended, and that is the reason certain parcels had to be re zoned from one unit per five acres to either one per 20 or one per 40 acres Planning Director Dominic Man cini said if property owners are con cerned with the staff's proposed "down zoning" of their land, they must present exceptions to the designations as well as “ compelling reasons and facts" for a change at the coming hearings Mancini said it w ill be up to the pro perty owner to present the burden of proof as to why their land should not be down zoned for agriculture or forest uses, and to show that it is already committed for other uses To prove such commitment they must show such things as the existing use of their land, as well as the use of adjacent properties, and show that they are not related to agriculture or forestry They must show that public services, such as public water and sewers are available, and that the characteristics of the area reflect a non-farm, non-forest use. The proposed down zoning, said Mancini, would protect wetlands out side the designated urban areas of the service district, He said although the county does not have to identify specific wetland sites, as in the Cedar Ridge area, that they would be adequately protected by both the zoning and development ordinances as well as the new down zoning. Carl Bright, the developer of Rippl ing River, saying that he represents a number of people through the Sane Econmic Development Organization, blamed the re-zoning on ECOS and its wetlands arguement. “ Is everyone under water up here,” asked Bright. “ Is there that much wetland up here? I t ’s a joke.” Bright said that the proposed down zoning would effect about 900 in dividual parcels that were zoned one unit per five acres in the 1976 plan. That plan had taken a number of years of citizen involvement to draft. “ The ink had hardly dried on the document and here we are again," said Bright. “ Is this LCDC’s recommendation that we go back and review this because ECOS told them to,” asked Bright. “ Is this how we got here?" Please turn to Page 7. ed “ hand in glove” with both the county planning department and Cor nell, Howard, Mayes and Merry field, a private planning firm hired to assist with the Mt. Hood plan. The staff condensed the 1976 plan down to 12 pages, and claim the Mt. Hood corridor is covered by the coun ty ’s comprehensive plan. Post said that this is “ a big m istake." “ This local area is unique,” said Post. “ They (the planning staff) can’t put a blanket over it like Oregon City and Canby.” Post cites both t.ie condensing of the plan and the state Land Conser vation and Development demands on the county as being the cause of the proposed "down zoning.” The LCDC instructed the county in December to provide better land-use zoning in order to protects lands out side the service district that should be designated for agricultural or forest uses. Post said that the Mt. Hood cor rid o r is more of a residential- recreational area than a tim ber area and that the zoning should reflect this. He also said the county’s zoning ef forts to place most of the develop ment into one area is a mistake because it only increases the density in the corridor. Post said people against high- density proposal should be against the down zoning proposed by the county. SEDA, said Post, cu2rently has on ly a nucleus of members, who com prise an organizing committee. Neil Sullivan of Welches is the organiza tion’s secretary-treasurer, and he is also chairperson. Currently SEDA has about 20 potential members with 10 to 12 already committed to join, said Post. He said that non-profit and incor poration papers were filed Monday, May 24, by the group's land-use at torney, Diane Spies of Portland Post said that one of SEDA’s first priorities is to gain an extension of time from the county, before the pro poses revisions of the area’s plans are presented at the public hearings scheduled for June 14 and July 7. SEDA's attorney has sent a letter to the commissioners requesting a six-month extension so a thorough analysis of the re-zoned land in the corridor can be studied. The county has not yet responded to the group's request. “ We need more tim e ," said Post, “ because we keep uncovering more and more people who are being af fected (by the down zoning) and are not aware of it.” Post said SEDA is creating an awareness among property owners in the corridor “ that their rights are being taken away from them.” SEDA, said Post, w ill provide an alternative to the county’s proposed revisions to the the 1976 area plan. “ They (the county) have not made a proposal that protects us,” said Post. “ They’ve made us a proposal that gives LCDC everything they want. “ Justice is not being done when LCDC takes away people’s rights," said Post that Henderson entered into a con tract with the same Washinton tim ber company, which advanced him $50,000 toward the market price of the timber and agreed to credit his account at the rate of $100 per 1000 board feet of exportable Douglas fir The indictment contends that in September 1980 Henderson logged onto Forest Service-administered land and illegally removed 170,000 board feet of timber. If convicted, Henderson could face up to a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment for each of the seven counts and a fine of $10.000 Henderson was arraigned on May 24 in Federal district court on the charges He reappeared Thursday, May 27, for a hearing concerning his ability to pay an attorney Based on his current financial status, a court-appointed attorney was assigned to him. Accident claims tw o lives A single car accident near Zigzag Thursday evening. May 27, took the lives of a Mt Hood resident and a Newberg resident Lyle McCuistion, community ser vice officer for the Clackamas Coun ty sheriff’s office, said at 6:40 p m i 1980 Honda tw o -d o o r heading towards Highway 26 on Lolo Pass Road ran off the roadway and struck a tree 400 feet south of the Sandy River bridge. Assistant Fire Chief Lane Winter- mute of the Hoodland Rural Fire Department said that when rescue personnel reached the scene they found the vehicle upside down Both occupants were trapped inside. The victim s were transported to Gresham Community Hospital by Alpine Ambiance where they were both pronounced dead Killed was 29-year-old Loren Frank Hiltbrunner of 20180 Lolo Pass Road in Zigzag. Hiltbruner was employed at Ixilo Pass Lumber Company, where he worked as a m ill worker and horse- logger in the fa m ily -o p e ra te d business. Also killed was the driver, R Scott Colclesser, 29, of Newberg The cause of the accident is cur rently under investigation by Deputy Fred Winther of the sheriff’s office SUHS students prepared for forestry jobs by STEPHEN WYNNE For The Post The buzz of chain saws and the crash of falling tim ber are fa m ilia r sounds in the forests that surround Sandy, and they are heard fre quently by students in Sandy Union High School’s forestry class. This year students have been busy cutting alder for firewood and planting douglas fir seedlings. The forestry program at SUHS consists of a series of classes in forestry that “ give the students a start in learning what i t ’s like to work in the woods,” said Alan L ’Hommedieu, forestry instructor. He added that “ the forestry pro gram is designed to train people for entry level jobs in logging, m ill work and forestry management ” Safety is emphasized in the pro gram. The students also compete with other schools state-wide in forestry competitions The Forestry Club is an option for the most-involved students. Some of the “ fun activities” they participated in included the annual Al right: Forestry Instructor Alan L ’Hommedieu and students Gary Maser. John Cox and Alien Browning unload equipment for the cut. Above: Gary Blaser makes chips fly while "bucking” alder for firewood. cross-country ski trip, and a trip this year to the Redwood Forest in Northern California. L ’Hommedieu said, "You can’t get people to work unless you have so m e th in g fun to get them started.” The trip to the Redwood Forest was funded mostly by the cutting of firewood, according to L ’Hom medieu The site of the forestry lab is about four miles northeast of San dy on Coalman Road. The 80-acre property was donated by Lydia Koennecke to SUHS in 1964 for forestry purposes In May of last year the high school began p a rticip a tio n in Publishers Paper’s “ management assistance program,” which is a free service to small woodland owners designed to promote pro per fo re s try management of private land. Publishers Paper supplied about 4,000 f i r seedlings, and two foresters to provide advice on plan ting. According to L'Hommedieu, the seedlings w ill be harvested and sold as Christmas trees in the years to come as part of an effort to make the forestry lab self- sufficient. The management plan specifies a ro ta tio n o f p la n tin g and harvesting trees that w ill add to the self-sufficiency by making the over all harvest more efficient “ The forestry program has grown quite a bit, and each year more students have been involved in the management of the forestry lab,” L'Hommedieu said. He added that because of the economy, which has caused high unemployment in the area of Photos by Stephen Wynne forestry, it is harder to get pimple interested. However, L'Hommedieu said, “ Oregon’s forests w ill always need management."
