cording to Brandon
Trelstad, OSU cam-
pus sustainability co-
ordinator.
This year’s elec-
tion had a higher than
usual turnout. A total
of 3,532 students
voted; about 2,100
students participated
in ASOSU elections
each of the previous
three years.
“I think that
means this is a voter
turnout
issue,”
Trelstad said. “At
OSU it’s not common
to have a question
like this on the ballot.
Usually students are
just voting for candidates to fill various positions
on campus. To have a measure on the ballot, I be-
lieve, increased voter turnout.”
To get the proposal on the ballot, students be-
longing to an ASOSU environmental affairs
taskforce gathered 1,700 signatures, 700 more
than needed, Trelstad said.
The Oregon State Board of Higher Education
will consider the fee proposal at its June 8 meet-
ing at Oregon Institute of Technology’s campus
in Clackamas, according to Diane Saunders,
spokesperson for the board of higher education.
If approved, the fee will be capped at $8.50
per term but could be less if a plan to let faculty,
staff and alumni contribute also goes through,
Trelstad said. “The fee collection could begin in
the fall 2007, and it should be in October some-
time when we start buying the renewable pro-
duction.”
— Bryan Andersen
HOUNDING
COUGARS
TO DEATH?
The Oregon House recently passed a bill that
allows the Oregon Department of Fish and
Wildlife (ODFW) to manage local cougar popu-
lations through appointing hunters using hounds.
House Bill 2971 has stirred up debate not
only because it permits hounding, but also be-
cause it allows the use of bait to hunt bears.
Exactly what qualifies as bait isn’t specified. The
bill is now in the Senate.
According to animal welfare and conserva-
tion groups, the bill is an attempt to roll back
Measure 18, an initiative passed by Oregon vot-
ers in 1994 that bans hounding and bear-baiting.
“Legislators should respect the will of voters,
who overwhelmingly supported Measure 18,”
stated a letter signed by 17 top wildlife officials
sent to Oregon lawmakers last month. “Voters
passed the ban not only because they believe
hounding is unsportsmanlike but because they
support conserving a diversity of wildlife in the
state.”
In 1996, 57 percent of Oregon voters re-
jected a measure to overturn the bear and
cougar initiative.
Supporters of the bill
say there is a growth in the cougar population
that has led to increased conflicts with humans,
pets and livestock. They say it gives ODFW the
tools it needs to manage cougar populations, and
many argue that hounding is the most effective
way to hunt.
The ODFW estimates that the cougar popula-
tion has nearly doubled in the last decade. Under
the current cougar management plan, the ODFW
strives to maintain the cougar population at
3,000.
Lynn Sadler, president and CEO of the
Mountain Lion Foundation, opposes the bill,
claiming it is designed to appease hunters. “What
it really proposes is randomly shooting cougars
whether or not they have been involved in con-
flicts with humans or livestock,” Sadler said.
“The bill provides additional recreational oppor-
tunities for hunters and does not target cougars
that pose a threat.”
According to Sadler, the assertion that
cougar numbers have increased is based on
speculation because there is no scientifically
accurate method to count them.
Sadler has been touring Oregon over the last
few days. If you missed her free presentation and
training for volunteers in the Eugene area, you
can still catch her at 7 pm Thursday, May 24 at
the First United Methodist Church in Portland.
— Erin Rokita
• Springfield is tossing a big wrench into a decades-old and somewhat
workable joint planning process with the city of Eugene. House Bill 3337,
pushed by Springfield city government and business interests, would allow
Springfield to control its own urban growth boundary, and it would also force
Eugene to do an expensive and premature buildable lands inventory (BLI).
This is an outrageous insult to Eugene, and it’s a blatant power play by the
Chamber of Commerce and Home Builders Association to override state and
local land-use planning for the purposes of profits. Is this what the people of
Springfield want? City planning dictated by developers?
This bill sailed through the House earlier on a 50-5 vote, and we hope it
gets shredded in the Senate, but even Democrats and the governor can’t
seem to see the bill’s flaws and implications. On the table are compromise
amendments and splitting the issues. What are the flaws? The forced invento-
ry could be an unfunded mandate, for starters, and doing it early means there
might be no technical grants available to help with the cost. Separating the
UGB is an even bigger fiasco. If Eugene and Springfield dissolve the Metro
Plan and can’t plan their city boundaries together, there’s not much point in
the Eugene-Springfield Transportation System plan (TransPlan) or the
Metropolitan Planning Committee or the Joint Planning Commissions
Committee or even the Lane Council of Governments. Or maybe that is the
point. Regardless, this bill sets a dangerous precedent for other cities in
Oregon that are trying to think beyond their city limits on how they deal with
regional issues. And the split could be in conflict with state and federal laws
and could endanger federal highway funds for Springfield.
The politics involved in this issue are fascinating. Backroom deals involving
the chair of the Senate Environmental and Natural Resources Committee are
rumored. Floyd Prozanski sits on that committee, but he is not the chair. He’s
reportedly squabbling with Terry Beyer, who introduced the bill in the House,
and Beyer has sworn to not compromise. Strategies are being hashed out that
might negate or sidetrack the legislation. The Chamber of Commerce is urg-
ing its members to support the bill. Eugene’s city attorney has been asked to
look into whether or not the Legislature can legally dictate local policy, partic-
ularly if it discriminates against only one jurisdiction. As we near press time,
Prozanski was working on an amendment that would keep the UGB intact but
require Eugene to do the lands inventory, but the intact bill is now headed for
the Senate floor. Eugene city councilors were trying to delay Senate action
until they can weigh in on amendments. Meanwhile, Eugene and Sprngfield
are more than a decade behind on completing their Goal 5-mandated invento-
ry of natural resource lands. It’s a big mess.
In the end, what Springfield is attempting might make sense for Springfield
in the short term, but in the long haul Springfield will find itself with higher
taxes to pay for sprawl, more traffic and even more livability issues associated
with planning in a vacuum. Livability, more than buildable land, is the key to
economic vitality.
• The West Eugene Collaborative (aka WE Group) held its first public meet-
ings over the weekend (see news brief last week) and saw a good turnout rep-
resenting a broad collection of businesses, environmental interests and gov-
ernment agencies. The group is addressing current and predicted transporta-
tion issues in west Eugene. This process is an follow-up to the collaboration
and assessment that helped resolve the West Eugene Parkway conundrum
last year. The same two facilitators from the Osprey Group, Dennis Donald and
John Huyler, were on hand to guide the discussions. This is democracy in
action: tackling complex issues by drawing on the knowledge and talents of
local stakeholders. Information about the WE Group, minutes of previous
meetings and notifications of future public sessions are available at
www.orconsensus.pdx.edu/WestEugeneForum.php The site includes email
addresses for members of the public to weigh in.
• Residents across the Willamette from Mount Pisgah are hearing beeping
sounds at night coming from the park. The sounds begin at dusk and last
well into the night. Staff at the Arboretum have no explanation for the sound
but say they have had several phone calls about the phenomenon.
• David Kelly isn’t running for public office (at least not that we are aware)
but the insightful and outspoken former Eugene city councilor is still plugged
into the politics and culture of Eugene and Lane County. His “Eugene Scene”
radio interview show is now thankfully two hours later at 9:30 am Saturdays
on KOPT (1600 AM). It’s unnatural to have eyes and ears open early Saturday
mornings. He also joins Brian Shaw in a live KOPT call-in show from 8:25 am
to 9 am Thursdays.
MAY 24, 2007 9