All over Eugene, leaves recently shed
by trees are getting a second chance at life
thanks to a city recycling program that has
been in place since the late 1960s. \
The city of Eugene Public Works col-
lects leaves from all parts of Eugene twice
each year between early November and
mid-January to keep the leaves from clog-
ging storm drains. Eric Johnson, surface
operations manager for Eugene Public
Works, said the city collects about 16,000
cubic yards of leaves every leaf season.
Last year, about a quarter of them went to
private properties. The rest were divided
among local recyclers, community gardens
and processing for use as compost in parks.
“We never deliver leaves to our land-
fill,” Johnson said.
Some of this year’s collected leaves
have already found a home at West
University Park. The park, located at the
corner of East 14th Avene and Hilyard
Street, was shut down about 10 years ago
because of criminal activity. Now, on a dif-
ferent plot of land that is more visible to
the street, members of West University
Neighbors (WUN) are planning to re-open
the park, says WUN Secretary Eugene
Drix.
Progress on the park has been slower
than expected, leaving the plot as a patch
of grassless soil for the upcoming rainy
winter months, so the WUN arranged for
14 truckloads of leaves to be dumped on
the park site. The leaves are expected to cut
down on the worst of the muddiness and to
serve as mulch to fertilize the soil for fu-
ture plants, Drix says.
“Leaves are rich in minerals, so when
they do break down, they provide a great
source of minerals to the soil,” says Anne
Donohue, compost specialist for the city of
Eugene.
Donohue said two things that help
leaves decompose faster are shredding
them into smaller pieces and adding mate-
rials containing nitrogen to the compost
pile. Sources of nitrogen include coffee
grounds, alfalfa pellets and grass clippings.
Donohue added that though some peo-
ple worry that leaves will make their com-
post piles too acidic, leaves are actually
MOONWATER
REMEMBERED
Former longtime Eugene singer and
musician June (Moonwater) Pierce died
Oct. 26 and will be remembered in a cele-
bration of life at dusk Sunday, Nov. 25 at
Spencer Creek Grange on Lorane
Highway. A potluck is planned.
Moonwater was born in Brooklyn in
1944, lived in California and Oregon and
died of a stroke at age 63. She is survived
by two daughters, three sons, two sisters,
two brothers, 12 grandchildren and one
great-grandchild. A memorial fund has
• A Medal of Valor award for k il l i n g a m e n t al l y il l t ee na g er ? The Register-
Guard reported the story Sunday in a follow-up to the shooting of Ryan
Salisbury last November. The award makes no sense. Why would the Oregon
Peace Officers Association honor officer Shawn Trotter for actions “above
and beyond the call of duty to protect the public”? Is this award supposed
to make Trotter feel better or somehow portray this tragedy as a positive
response worthy of emulation? All it does is make police officers and their
professional organization appear clueless and insensitive .
• As Duck watchers lose one football star after another with s e a so n- e nd i ng
l eg in j ur i es , they must be wondering: Is this just the bad luck of a violent
sport or is something else at play? Is the Autzen turf too grabby? Are the
players’ strengthening or stretching programs all wrong? Could Duck prac-
tices be too physical? Is the new high-octane Duck offense especially hard
on players’ legs? Could those fancy Nike shoes be part of the problem?
Wouldn’t that be ironic!
• Do you hear the word “passengers” in any of the hot debate about the
120-mile r a il r o a d l i n e fr o m E u ge n e t o Co q ui ll e on the coast? Owned by a
Florida hedge fund, the line was shut down in September for safety reasons
confirmed by the Federal Railways Administration. The shutdown also has
nearly shut down at least four major employers on the south coast that
move lumber, wood chips and steel. With a nod to the grim forecasts of the
latest climate change science , why don’t we use this breakdown to start
talking about moving passengers, too? With repair costs estimated at $23
million, how much more will it cost to put on passenger cars, perhaps
adding a short bus connection up to Florence? Plenty, but our Congressman
Peter DeFazio is chair of the House Transportation Sub-committee and he
would rather fund trains than wars. This could be the time.
• We wandered down to
the H o li da y Ma r k e t this
weekend at the fair-
grounds and saw people
in the booths actually
dancing for joy and hug-
ging each other and
their customers. The
first weekend of the
market is a big reunion
for people associated
with the event, and the
energy is infectious. And
whoever’s in charge of
Gary Brittain and the Fianacats onstage Saturday
the live music has booked
some great talent. Let’s
pack the market this year. It’s free, it’s fun. What’s not to love?
COURTESY OF HOLIDAY MARKET
EVA SYLWESTER
PARKING
THE LEAVES
less acidic than some commonly com-
posted food items, like apples and oranges,
and that the bacteria in the compost pile
buffer the acidity. For more tips on com-
posting, Donohue recommends the web-
site eugenerecycles.org
Johnson said many people choose to
compost their own leaves. Residents can
request extra leaves for their yards by visit-
ing eugene-or.gov/leaf or calling 682-
4800. A schedule for leaf collection is also
available at the website.
“The sooner the better to get your re-
quest in because it is pretty popular,”
Johnson said.
Leaf pickup in unincorporated Santa
Clara/River Road and Springfield areas is
handled through Lane County Public
Works. Information is available at
lanecounty.org/PW/Leaf.htm
— Eva Sylwester
• We’re besieged with letters complaining about ¡A s k a Me x i ca n !, our new
syndicated column by Gustavo Arellano. Most of these letters came in too
late for this issue since we are going to press a day early. Look for them
next week. Meanwhile, a lively interview with Arellano can be found in Utne
magazine. Go to utne.com and search for “Gustavo.” In the introduction to
the Q&A, interviewer Steven Robert Allen of Alibi newspaper writes, “I
couldn’t help but think that if we ran his column an angry mob would storm
our offices … After my initial horror subsided, however, I realized that
beneath Arellano’s offensive stereotypes and penchant for vulgarity lurked
a smart, subversive social critic.”
“From day one,” Allen writes, “his column has embraced the full, terrify-
ing scope of the immigration debate, ramming into it head-on, sometimes
with what seems like reckless abandon.”
In the interview, Arellano says he has critics and fans among both
Latinos and Anglos. “What we tried to do from the start was just slam peo-
ple and challenge everything they believe about Mexicans. That’s why we
run that logo. Of course it’s a racist logo. But it’s the Mexican that has been
perpetuated by American culture for the past 150 years. … There is a lot of
racism out there, and stereotyping continues. As a child of Mexican immi-
grants, I’m not going to stand idly by and let people perpetuate those
stereotypes. I’m going to go after them with everything I have.”
• Overheard: a conversation between two women waiting in the long line to
use the H u l t C e nt er w o me n’ s ba t hr oo ms during the intermission of Evita
Saturday: “Why haven’t they added more toilets for women here?” one
asked. “Nothing’s going to change until we get more women architects,”
another responded.
SLANT includes short opinion pieces, observations and rumor-chasing notes compiled by the EW staff. Heard
any good rumors lately? Contact Ted Taylor at 484-0519, editor@eugeneweekly.com
NOVEMBER 21, 2007 11