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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (April 1, 2004)
HELICOPTER SPRAYING BEGINS THIS WEEK Private timberland owners Giustina and Transition Management Inc. are planning to begin aerial and ground herbicide spraying this week west of Creswell, weather permit- ting, but only a handful of residents in the area appears to know about it. “There’s no legal requirement for [resi- dential] notification of spraying,” says Lynn Bowers, a resident of rural Fox Hollow Road. “The first thing you will know about it is see- ing the helicopter coming overhead.” Bowers says she’s been outraged about local forest practices for a long time, but her anger and tears weren’t accomplishing any- thing so she chose “steely resolve” instead, and became a self-described forest activist. She is busy calling landowners and govern- ment agencies, writing letters and driving her battered Toyota sedan around tacking up signs on phone poles and trees. One sign reads “Dudes: Poison Spray? No Way Hose- A. Zip it up and Fagedabouwdit!” Bowers is concerned about the aerial spraying of Oust, Transline, Lv6 and other chemicals near upper Lynx Hollow Road, and the possibility the sprays could drift or otherwise migrate to local water supplies in the area, including the town of Creswell two miles away. Written plans, maps and notifications for the spraying were submitted early in March to the state Department of Forestry by Giustina Land & Timber Co. of Eugene. Western Helicopter Services of Newberg is listed as the spray operator. One document declares that Hill Creek and “domestic water systems and areas of open water greater than one-quarter acre at the time of this application will be buffered by leaving a minimum of 60 feet of un- sprayed vegeta- tion.” Robin Winfree, who lives in the area, says she’s concerned for organic grow- ers, open springs used by residents and a horse-breeding ranch in the area. Winfree says Giustina is “not willing to ne- gotiate” with local residents as Roseboro Lumber has. Giustina head forester Cary Hart did not return a phone call by press time. Bowers says local residents have worked out an agreement with Roseboro to delay spraying for at least two to three years and use herbicides only as a “last resort.” Oust is a general herbicide manufactured by DuPont. It’s absorbed by both the roots and foliage of plants and is used in reforesta- tion before planting to kill broadleaf plants and grasses. Oust drift from helicopter spray- ing on 34,000 acres of burned-over BLM rangeland was blamed for major agriculture losses in Idaho in 2002, allegedly tainting soil and damaging crops on 100,000 acres, ac- cording to a story in High Country News (7/10/02). The Oust label says the product kills plants for one year, but Idaho farmers claim their land will be unusable for certain crops for up to six years. Bowers says she spoke with a pilot from Western Helicopter Services who told her he was very careful, and assured her, “Don’t worry, ma’am, we won’t drift on you.” For more information contact daleo@efn.org — TJT KUCINICH: OREGON CRUCIAL TO ELECTIONS Despite sparse media coverage, Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich has been picking up delegates. In recent primaries, he won 16 percent of the primary vote in Maine, 17 percent in Minnesota, about 26 percent in Alaska and 31 percent in Hawaii. John Kerry already has enough delegates to be the 2004 Democratic candidate, but Kucinich has pledged to stay in the race until the Democratic con- vention in July to be a progres- sive voice for millions of Americans who have not yet voted in primaries. Kucinich, in Eugene over the past weekend, sees independent-spirited Oregon as a crucial state. “New Hampshire and Iowa had key roles in selecting the candidate,” he says, “and now Oregon can Other central issues for Kucinich are uni- put its stamp on the direction of the versal health care, the repealing of the USA Democratic Party.” Kucinich says that by PATRIOT Act, and U.S. withdrawal from voting for him in the May primary, NAFTA and WTO. These trade agreements Oregonians can show the were founded to provide cheap labor, Democratic Party that it must lis- according to Kucinich, and have ten to progressive voters, in- cost three million American clude their views in its party workers their jobs during the platform, and thus give peo- past three years. ple a stronger reason to vote In an interview with EW, for Kerry and other Kucinich said all these issues Democrats in November. are vitally important in Oregon, where National Guard units are Kucinich spoke Sunday, being sent to Iraq, where the state March 28, at LCC where an enthusi- astic crowd of more than 800 Dennis Kucinich health plan is foundering because of funding cuts, where many communities op- clapped, shouted, and stood up cheering over pose the PATRIOT Act, and where many and over. Kucinich outlined his plan to bring workers have lost their jobs. He identified U.S. troops home from Iraq quickly. This in- other important Oregon issues as better fund- cludes asking the U.N. to handle the transition ing for education, and protection of air, water, to Iraqi self-governance, to deploy U.N. peace- and the natural world. keeping forces and manage Iraqi oil assets and Responding to a question about how he reconstruction contracts in the interim. The stays positive and focused on his goals, U.S. must pay for what it blew up, pay repara- Kucinich replied, “I’m not coming from a tions to families of killed and injured Iraqi place of anger. There are so many forces in civilians, help support the U.N. peacekeepers, our society simultaneously, so the question is and stop privatizing Iraqi industries. Lynn Bowers • Sounds like a couple of young bucks have been tooling around Ward 2 pulling Betty Taylor yard signs out of the ground and hauling them off. Betty’s re-election campaign manager Kate O’Donnell tells us about 100 signs are missing, or about half the total. Was this just a prank by some vandals who don’t like Betty or thought they were doing her challenger Maurie Denner a favor? It was an idiotic idea. The signs will be quickly re- placed, and they are worth enough to make this theft a Class C felony with a potential penalty of five years in prison and a $100,000 fine. Witnesses have described in detail the culprits and their vehicles (a maroon pick-up and a green hatchback) and a $200 re- ward has been offered for their arrest and conviction. Contact the campaign at 344- 1946. • The lawn sign caper reminds us of the reported snatching of stacks of EW papers from red boxes following publication of our cover story March 18 on the sheriff’s deputies’ wild party. No more witnesses have come forward so we counted pa- pers left over last week when new papers were delivered. No noticeable drop in our return rate in downtown Eugene, Andrea but many Springfield boxes and racks were cleaned out. Ortiz Popular issue northeast of the river, for whatever reason. Only about 200 papers were left out of nearly 6,000 delivered. We’re keeping a stack of this collector’s edition in our offices. Come get ’em. 8 APRIL 1, 2004 • Andrea Ortiz is challenging incumbent Scott Meisner in Ward 7 and Andrea has been a bit of an enigma regarding her views on environmental and land use issues. She appears to be getting her environmental ducks in a row. She says she supports fully funding Eugene’s Toxics Right to Know program. She will continue to be active in fighting industrial pollution and cleaning up the rail yards in her ward. She is opposed to the West Eugene Parkway out of concern for wetlands, and favors alternative transportation. She wants enhanced pro- tections for Eugene’s municipal watersheds and calls for restoring natural areas in Alton Baker Park. She wants to maintain our existing urban growth boundary. She favors an in- crease in recycling, expanding system development charges and “development of a city- wide plan to reduce contamination in our streams and rivers by limiting pesticide use.” These positions, complementing her background in local education and human rights, make her a viable candidate. Scott started off well, but he’s been slipping. The Oregon League of Conservation Voters gave him a 10 percent rating for the past two years, down from 78 percent several years ago. • The Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce has predictably endorsed pro-sprawl candi- dates for upcoming council and mayor races. The chamber just doesn’t get it. Unfettered growth might generate short-term profits and jobs for construction industries, but it’s un- sustainable and in the long run damaging to our economy. Our future prosperity is linked more to quality of life than to concrete. And by taking these narrow stands, the chamber is alienating a big chunk of what should be its constituency and membership — small busi- nesses that place high value on the livability and unique character of our community.
