Choose with Intent
BY MARY O’BRIEN
THOUGHTS & WORDS CREATE OUR EXPERIENCES
CONSCIOUS LANGUAGE PLAYSHOP
Choking on 5
with Marcella Vonn Harting
a master teacher of language systems
Eugene resists adopting key
land use plan.
T
his week I remembered how, as a child, I had
tried to “stay within the lines” when I colored
with crayons. I was particularly proud of myself
one afternoon: I was supposed to be taking a nap, but
instead, I was coloring in a drawing of a monkey, on the sly.
(My childhood rebellions were not spectacular.) Even though
the room’s shades had been pulled down to dim the room, I was staying
within the lines. However, in post-“nap” bright light, I found to my horror
that I had colored the monkey purple, instead of brown.
That memory returned last week as I was coloring within lines traced
from three maps of Eugene — one 25 years old; the second 11 years old; the
third 2003. The first map was fragile: It had been painstakingly hand-drawn
in color on parchment. It was Eugene’s first survey of its areas that still con-
tained remnants of native plant communities, such as oak savannah, cedar
stands, or wetland prairie; and still could support native salmon, butterflies,
frogs, or other Oregon originals.
I traced these lines onto mylar placed over the 2003 map of such sites.
Then I copied lines of such sites that been considered for conservation
practices under Oregon’s “Goal 5” in 1992.
Goal 5 requires each Oregon city and county to identify areas of natural
heritage within its boundaries, and to develop measures that will insure
their continuance. Other goals include regularly designating 20 years’
worth of land on which to construct new houses and industrial facilities.
Eugene has readily complied with these goals. We have choked, however, on
meeting Goal 5: It means sharing with other species.
Back at the map, I colored red the natural areas that were lost in Eugene
between 1978 and 1992 to human commerce and developments; and orange
the areas that were lost between 1992 and 2003. There was lots of coloring
to do, because during Eugene’s 25-year process of not deciding on any form
of care for most of the identified sites, they have shrunk to 9 percent of
Eugene. I longed for the simpler horror of coloring a monkey purple.
Sat., June 7, One day Playshop 9am-5pm • Downtown Athletic Club
CONSCIOUS LANGUAGE MATERIALS AND PLAY BOOK INCLUDED
Join us on this fun and exciting journey towards mastery of conscious language
Patty Curtis • 541-484-1407 • newlifeess@nu-world.com
NOW ACCEPTING NEW PATIENTS
Oregon Family Dental, PC
John J. Park, DDS
“Providing quality care
with a gentle touch.”
344-7900 • 11th & Chambers • Eugene
L
ater in the week, on another matter of losing ground, I wrote e-mails
to each Oregon senator. I was asking them to oppose HB 3013, a
gravel mining industry bill that would grease the skids for more
destruction of our best, remaining farm soil for gravel. The average piece of
food on a U.S. plate travels 1,200 miles. Cannibalizing the last of our local,
sediment-rich farm soil for river-side gravel to build more roads seems par-
ticularly insane, given that more than enough gravel can be gotten from
plentiful upland basalt sites.
Then there was the matter of writing comments to Lane Council of
Governments, opposing some of their proposed amendments to the Metro
Plan. For instance, one would drop current language about caring for multi-
ple forest values (e.g., wildlife habitat, clean water, open space) for those
forests immediately outside Eugene’s urban growth boundary. The pro-
posed new language would state that the highest value of these boundary
forests is “harvest” — i.e., logging. Another would drop all time require-
ments for considering conservation practices on sites identified within
Eugene or Springfield as containing wildlife habitat.
Sometimes despair waits close by for me: We humans seem so unwilling
to be plain citizens, rather than relentless liquidators, of Earth’s communi-
ties.
Animal House
25th Anniversary Celebration - J uly 5th, Cottage Grove
Noon - The Parade
2:30 & 5:00 PM - Animal House - The Movie
4:00 PM - TOGA TOGA!
The World’s Largest Toga Party Begins!
Your Chance to be in the Guinness Book of Records
8:30PM - THE KINGSMEN - Louie Louie!
Tickets - Convention & Visitors Association of Lane
County - Eugene, The Bookmine - C ottage Grove or on-lline
at www.animalhousecelebration.com or Ticketweb.com
Toga Party - $ 15.00 Movie $5.00
B
ut then this morning, I walked on the newly completed portion of
the Amazon bike trail that passes through the West Eugene
Wetlands. The wetlands, still free of a roaring, elevated, five-lane
West Eugene Highway, spread out in the distance for what is surely the
most open, expansive landscape in all of Eugene. Red-winged blackbirds
were singing; turkey vultures were strutting around an inviting breakfast of
smelly, dead fish; and native flowers and grasses were blooming in bands,
each species thriving in a differently colored level above receded wetlands
water.
How can I despair when a red-winged blackbird sings, all purpose and
will, in lands that others before me conserved for the benefit of all? I can
only be grateful that there are birds and citizens who know that much
depends on standing up publicly for more than one’s own “rights” to
destroy.
Mary O’Brien has worked as a public interest scientist for the past 22 years. She can be reached at
mob@efn.org
!
e
Fre ission
Adm
The Growers Festival
For those who love the garden and the arts!
NW Ha
rmonic
a
Island Park, Springfield
Champ
ionship
s
September 12-14
Show & Sales by the Northwest’s finest
nurseries
Show & Sales by some of America’s best Garden
Artisans
Wine, Micro-Brew and Specialty Food Sampling
Live Entertainment Featuring: Bobby Simms,
Annie Rapid, Tony Graham and Bonnie Bailiff
The Event Managers, LLC
www.theeventmanagers.com
541-767-0459
JUNE 5, 2003 9