BY KITTY PIERCY
Connect to Oceans
Protection of our state’s resources
shouldn’t stop at the shoreline
O
ne of the reasons I love serving the city of
Eugene and the state of Oregon is the
dedication of so many to preserving our
most spectacular natural resources. We act locally
to ensure these protections. Surely one of the
most important is our beaches. Every year,
Eugeneans flock to Strawberry Hill, Heceta Head and
the Oregon Dunes to stroll, boat, fish and tidepool with
their friends and families. Oregon would not be the same
without these special places. The world depends on their survival.
As we approach Earth Day, I urge each of you to remember former Gov.
Oswald West’s move, almost 100 years ago, to create strong protections for
Oregon’s beaches. I think we can all agree it was done with much foresight and
planning for the future. That bold stroke ensured preservation of our beaches’
natural beauty and heritage for generations to come. Now there are efforts
underway to protect the waters that flow into the cliffs and rockpiles around
Astoria Canyon and the rocky reefs off Cape Blanco. As interconnected ele-
ments that contribute to the survival and health of Oregon’s ecosystem, our
ocean and its beaches depend on each other.
We in Oregon see sea otters
only in aquariums.
Our ocean is not inexhaustible. We’ve seen the rich array of Oregon’s ocean
creatures seriously decline over time. More than 150 years ago, fur traders
exterminated sea otters from our coast. While California and Washington resi-
dents still witness sea otters living in their natural habitat, we in Oregon see
them only in aquariums. Oregon’s groundfish industry has lost more than half
its income to declining fish stocks since the early 1990s. Beach and fishing clo-
sures have become all too commonplace.
One solution proposed by the nonprofit group Oregon Ocean and Gov.
Kulongoski is the implementation of marine reserves in our state waters —
areas where fish, wildlife and plants can thrive untouched by invasive trawls,
traps, nets and lines. It seems unworthy of us that Oregon, a pioneer in the cre-
ation of state parks along its coastline, is the only state on the West Coast with-
out any marine reserves. California has just adopted a marine habitat protec-
tion plan in waters off their central coast between San Jose and Santa Barbara
that would put in place a network of marine protected areas across 200 square
miles of ocean.
Studies have shown that these marine reserves are particularly valuable in
promoting stable, healthy fisheries. With a large host of plants and animals liv-
ing in a pristine area, fish have a chance to recover, growing big and fertile.
Scientists have found that fish in marine reserves will double their population
size and grow 30 percent larger than fish outside of reserves. When these net-
works of marine reserves are carefully placed, they can help the areas in
between the reserves, since healthy fish “spill over” into areas that are valuable
to our state’s fisheries.
What made the creation of California’s marine protected areas so unique
was the high level of public involvement. The state brought together an enor-
mous, diverse group of people — divers, fishers, local residents, business repre-
sentatives and scientists with decades of experience studying California’s
coastal waters — to design a proposal for the Fish & Game Commission. This
process underscores the importance of taking into account all of the ways
Oregonians use the ocean — from fishing and boating to research and surfing.
Educating the public is essential in order to ensure that our state’s ocean
conservation efforts are well-understood and inclusive. I want you to know that
a great opportunity for each of you to learn more about the science of marine
reserves and the threats facing Oregon’s ocean is the screening of the film
Common Ground: Oregon’s Ocean, playing Tuesday, April 24, in Lillis 182 at the
UO. The short, free documentary will be followed by a panel discussion with sci-
entists, fishermen, conservationists, policy makers and the audience. Put it on
your list of really important “to dos.”
We in Oregon led the nation in creating public beaches and ocean state
parks. We should show this same foresight by creating “underwater parks”
through marine reserves. We mayors across Oregon need to join with our com-
munities and band together to create a strong voice in support of this state,
national and, yes, world resource. One great way to celebrate Earth Day is to
view next week’s film and talk about how marine reserves make us responsible
stewards of our ocean’s wealth for this and future generations. Oh, heck, do
more than view. Get inspired, and like Eugeneans always do, take action.
Kitty Piercy is the mayor of Eugene. For more info on the oceans, visit www.oceansonline.org
4
APRIL 19, 2007
TO THE EDITOR
HOPE AND SKEPTICISM
I am ever hopeful for the sake of all the
life and places I hold sacred that our society
will soon embark on a new “green” paradigm
shift. However, I hold on to much skepticism
that big business and the good ol’ boy net-
works will never let go of the current “use it
all for our immediate gratification” para-
digm. You may have noticed that all the ex-
tractive industries, corporate America and
even government agencies are trying to
“greenwash” themselves to try to convince
the average citizen that they now care so
much for the health of the biosphere and
planet.
Now, it is up to you to look at these public
relations campaigns and the “technological
fixes” critically and choose the products,
companies and politicians that are bringing
about real change and real solutions.
Just because a corporation, a not-for-
profit or government agency uses images of
whales or forests in ads and commercials or
states its products are organic doesn’t make
the group “green” or remotely sustainable.
If it’s just playing a public relations game,
call the group on it publicly and remove your
support from such an entity.
So, again it’s up to you. When a critical
mass of people anywhere set their minds to
real change, embrace and support real solu-
tions, then we will start to realize a paradigm
shift that truly heals the biosphere.
Shannon Wilson
Eugene
SHORT-SIGHTED POLICIES
Today I drove 26 miles from Marcola to
downtown Eugene to spend my birthday
money. I wanted to buy some beads and visit
the library. I try hard to support local, inde-
pendent businesses. But it is becoming in-
creasingly difficult to justify trips to down-
town Eugene. There isn’t much there to begin
with, and to have to pay for parking so that I
can spend my money seems ridiculous. But
today I put money in the meter, which had a
limit of 30 minutes, and went shopping.
Seems pretty ridiculous, too, limiting people
to 30 minutes when there is so much talk
about getting people to visit this area. Yeah, I
know about the parking garage, but I choose
not to go there. After all, the streets were
opened for us shoppers, weren’t they? Well,
my shopping trip took 32 minutes, and I had a
ticket on my window. Welcome to Eugene!
I realize it was my responsibility to get
back to my car in 30 minutes. But sometimes
you have to wait a little longer than you antic-
ipate when paying. Sometimes the service in
a restaurant is slower than it should be.
Sometimes you have to wait for a traffic light.
On I went to the Eugene Public Library, for
which I gladly pay a fee of $80 per year be-
cause I am an out of towner. Again I fed the
meter my quarters, and it seemed ridiculous,
again, to have to pay for parking to go to a li-
brary and to put a limit on the time you can
visit there.
I surely would like to see downtown
Eugene thrive with local businesses, but I be-
lieve that the city’s short-sighted policies are
killing it. I, for one, will limit my visits to this
area to those only absolutely necessary. I will
go where the parking is free and I am not pun-
ished for staying two minutes past my time
because I am actually buying something.
Ellen Furstner
Marcola
THE MAN ON HIGH
Before President Bush gave the order to
attack Iraq he professed that he had prayed
after 9/11 and that “There is a higher father
that I appeal to.” It is apparent that this
“higher father” must have been Ares, the
Greek god of savage war. After the Amish
community had five of their young daughters
abducted, bound and shot in the head while at
school, they set up a charitable fund for the
family of the murderer and told the world
“We must not think evil of this man.” This is
the “higher father” that we must urge our
president to listen to before he launches a pre-
emptive strike against Iran.
From Feb. 17 to 25, a 13-member delega-