LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
dizziness, blurred vision, dry or red eyes,
discharge during urination, stomach pains,
kidney stones, erectile dysfunction, hair
loss, sore throat, swollen glands, weight
loss/gain, headaches, diarrhea, bloody
nose, swollen gums, dry mouth, tiredness,
shortness of breath, ear aches, ulcers, con-
stipation, anxiety, decrease in sex drive
and sore joints.
Oh, and by the way, by taking this
“medicine‚” you will increase your
chances of having a heart attack by as
much as 70 percent. Some “medicine” will
increase suicidal feelings and depression,
especially if you are a young person.
Seriously, taking the medicine you were
told would make you feel better, might
actually play an integral role in killing
you. Too bad that hadn’t been mentioned
in those really bright and cheery commer-
cials. Right?
Good idea for a New Year’s resolution:
Just say no to pharmaceuticals!
Ray Cole
Eugene
PETE ON PETE
On Nov. 2, voters in Oregon’s Fourth
Congressional
District
returned
Congressman Peter DeFazio to Congress
by an overwhelming majority, with more
than 60 percent of the vote.
Because of his years of service and expe-
rience, DeFazio is becoming a national
leader. He already has important positions on
the Transportation Committee, the
Resources Committee, and is ranking
Democrat on the Water and Power
Subcommittee. DeFazio is a consistent fight-
er for the rights of the people, especially
those who don’t have big-money lobbyists
working for them in Washington, D.C.
Peter and I worked together for former
Congressman Jim Weaver, before Peter
left to pursue his own political career by
serving four years as Lane County
Commissioner. During this time, I saw for
myself the hard work and dedication Peter
has for public service.
Peter makes it a point to stay connected
with the people he serves. He has held
more Town Hall meetings with con-
stituents over the last 10 years then any
other Oregon congressman. Working
closely with local officials, he has also
been instrumental in fighting for and
securing funding for all the ports in his
district. He has also fought for and secured
funding for Oregon’s transportation needs,
and higher education, bringing needed
federal funds to the UO.
One of Peter’s most significant accom-
plishments was sponsoring and fighting
for a law which reimbursed Lane County
for the federal forest land resources in our
midst. Because of his important role in this
success, Peter was present along with me
in the White House Oval Office when this
bill was signed into law.
We are privileged to have Peter DeFazio
as our congressman. A fighter for the com-
mon man and woman, who isn’t afraid to say
what he thinks. By continuing to reelect him
to Congress by such overwhelming numbers,
the people can rest assured that they have
elected one of the best.
Peter Sorenson
Lane County Commissioner
GUILTY GIVING
The “giving season” is one of the best
times of year. Part of its appeal is that it
draws out the philanthropist in people.
That said, I’d like to suggest that charities
out there throttle back on the guilt trip a
little.
I have volunteered for many projects
around town, and make donations when I
can. I’m up at 4:30 in the morning for my
caregiving job (which, due to state bureau-
cracy, may or may not actually pay any-
time soon). Additionally, there are the
demands of my own small family. In a per-
fect world, I would have the energy and
funds for all worthwhile causes — but I,
too, have very finite resources, and occa-
sionally not even that.
So to those who see this season as an
opportunity to ramp up their reproachful
stares, consider this: Not everybody who
slips by the Salvation Army pot or the
Giving Tree is a selfish wanker. Many
people are just plain give’d out!
Shari Harbarger
Springfield
A Year along the Coast Fork
By Kurt Kamin
WI N T E R : BP A Mi ti g at i on s i te
S PR I NG : B u f o rd P a rk ’ s S ou th M ea d o w
Our ranks have thinned from 10 to five, though there’s enough work for 100 or
more. The task is grueling, but the weather ideal; a fragrant breeze scatters cotton-
wood fluff about the meadow, and swelling cumulous clouds drift slowly through the
soft, blue sky. A somber call from a gliding hawk pierces the shrieks and chatter of
excited jays and robins.
We’ve been at this for several weeks, swinging heavy grub hoes to chop away thick-
ly rooted sod from around the base of South Meadow saplings. These maples and ash
trees will fare better for the effort, freed of the competition from invasive grasses and
strangling blackberries. Exposing the rich soil in a six-foot diameter around each plant
requires many swings of our sharp tools, and we must aim carefully to avoid slicing a
tree trunk or an unfortunate foot.
Sodbusting is only half the chore, and we complete it by covering the bared, satu-
rated soil with a thin layer of cardboard and a thick mound of shredded bark or straw.
This, too, is exhausting, shoveling bark from trailer to wheelbarrow and pushing the
heavy loads across rough terrain. When August heat-waves arrive, the moisture barrier
we’ve created for these trees will aid their survival. Today, their waxy green leaves and
shoots seem vigorous and eternal, but insects, deer and drought will quickly thin their
ranks.
S UM ME R: R e s to r e d S ou t h M ea d o w S i de Ch an ne l
Four new crew members, with two departed, to water thirsty roots and root out
eager weeds. The morning sun has us sweating already as we make our slow proces-
sion through the length of the reclaimed channel. This serpentine ditch was dug last
autumn, and stretches for nearly a mile between its two Coast Fork ends. Here we
planted thousands of shrubs and forbs into soil and sand and cobble, and all require
PHOTO BY JASON BALZAR
A cold, insistent rain has drenched us to the core on this January day along the
Willamette’s Coast Fork. Although our fingers are numbed and muscles strained from
strenuous labor, we’ve enjoyed the camaraderie and are pleased with what our 10-per-
son stewardship crew has accomplished here.
Friends of Buford Park & Mt. Pisgah has added thousands of trees and shrubs to
this 44-acre field. The tender roots of native maples, ash and ponderosa pines now lie
nestled in fertile mud that for many years nourished only oats and exotic weeds.
Orderly clusters of young Oregon grapes and Nootka roses are visible among mean-
dering rows of blue plastic tubes, which we’ve carefully placed around most of the
young plants. These unnatural cylinders seem terribly out of place here, but they’ll
shield emergent leaves from summer’s drying winds and the mouths of hungry deer.
In dwindling light we trudge east across the swale among previous years’ plantings.
The fattened trunks of some saplings have burst open their protective tubes. Slender
branches of cottonwood and willow, cascara and cherry, bear robust buds that suggest
our hard work will soon be rewarded.
Mulching trees along a reconnected side channel of the Coast Fork.
assistance before October rain or winter floods arrive.
Equipped with hoses and asparagus forks, we navigate steep banks and gentle
slopes to supply a five-gallon drink for each young transplant. Groupings of grapes,
spireas and snowberries have grown obscured and entangled by dense stands of
thorny thistles, blackberries and wild cucumber vines. With diligence we pry and pull
out undesirables, enabling the natives to freely photosynthesize.
Spiders, grasshoppers and tiny moths flee our activity, while ladybugs crawl about
in apparent indifference. Perhaps they welcome the liquid we’ve pumped from the
river into our slow-draining buckets. Though we wisely don’t drink it, an occasional
dousing provides sweet relief.
A U T UM N : F B P Na t i ve Pl a nt Nu r s e ry
A cool morning fog clings to the air, diffusing the light and obscuring our view of
Mt. Pisgah. Multi-hued leaves, some crisp and bronzed, cling to their host branches,
while others waft like butterflies into our botanical enclosure.
Many hands have assembled this nursery of native plants, through painstaking
work, planning and persistence. Where large herds of cattle only recently trampled, a
welcoming garden has sprouted from the alluvial earth. Potted oaks, alders, ninebarks
and dogwoods stand silently in rows within the new shadehouse. Checkered plots of
camas, lupine, brome and sun-bleached cow parsnips sway gently as if offering their
seeds to us. In future years we’ll disperse these seeds and plants throughout Buford
Park and the Coast Fork floodplain, where they’ll feed and shelter indigenous wildlife
and nurture human souls.
Kurt Kamin is a writer and conservationist living in Eugene. For more information about Friends of Buford Park and
Mt. Pisgah and the organization’s stewardship activities, visit www.bufordpark.org
DECEMBER 30, 2004 9