letters
TO THE EDITOR
Again, ESSN urges you to vote yes on
Measures 66 and 67.
John Evans, co-chair
Eugene-Springfi eld Solidarity
Network/Jobs with Justice
NO TO COYOTE DERBY
As conservationist and biologist, I stand
with people opposed to predator-killing
contests, like the “coyote derby” described
in “Whack off Ears for New Year” (News
Briefs, 1/14). There’s nothing emotional
about countless documented studies
showing that the response of coyotes to
human persecution is to quickly recover
and increase — not decrease — their
populations with youngsters who are more
likely to kill livestock. So it is the hunters
of predators like coyotes (and derbies like
these), with their fear and deep hatred of
predators, that create problems.
Obviously, though, participants in these
hunts are not driven by tears over the death
of a ewe. Coyotes are mostly scapegoats,
responsible for an insignifi cant number
of livestock deaths (especially when their
numbers aren’t artifi cially increased by
hunters) when compared to domestic
dogs, weather or disease. The intense,
ancestral hostility to coyotes and other
predators is based on absolutely nothing
— coyotes can’t even be considered
competition for “game” species, since
they are mainly scavengers who help
keep rodent populations down. Coyotes
don’t kill people, and there are federal and
state programs designed specifi cally to
compensate ranchers for any loses.
Besides there being no scientifi c
basis for predator hunts, the exchange
of bloody ears or paws for prizes strikes
most civilized folks as backward and
barbaric. Slaughters like these ought to be
outlawed.
Eileen Stark
Portland
GET THE FACTS
A wonderful improvement to the
Eugene community should soon be
realized. A piece of Willamette riverfront
property that has been inaccessible to the
public for 70 years will become the home
to one of Oregon’s premier employers,
Oregon Research Institute. In place of an
old gravel quarry and utility storage lot
and broken asphalt bike path will stand a
beautiful environmentally green building
that employees and the public will
appreciate and enjoy. Please visit www.
ori.org and get the facts, because the facts
matter!
Dawn Branham
Eugene
YES TO SAVING SCHOOLS
Yes, Oregon needs to keep our
children’s schools funded. We do not want
to lose more teachers. Let’s keep what few
services we have left from earlier budget
cuts. Save education and our teachers’
jobs.
Yes, Oregon’s colleges and universities
need more funding from the state. Let’s not
burden students with even higher tuition.
Save the affordability of higher education
to the middle class.
Yes, Oregon’s human services provide
jobs for thousands of people. These service
providers help many families, children and
older folks in distress. Save the quality of
life in our communities for everyone.
Yes, Oregon needs to maintain genuine
public safety. We need adequate funding
for our courts, police and prisons. Let’s
not release criminals prematurely, because
of too few public safety jobs.
Yes, Oregon voters, vote yes on
Measures 66 and 67.
Jane Renfro Smith
Eugene
PREVENT JOB LOSS
Measures 66 and 67 will not cost jobs.
In fact, they will help prevent job cuts
that directly effect our most vulnerable
citizens. In an open letter to Oregonians,
36 Oregon economists, including Nobel
Prize winner Joseph Stiglitz, agree that
during a recession, a targeted tax on the
wealthy will help keep dollars in the state
and prevent job losses.
According to the Council on State
Taxation, Oregon has the third lowest
business tax burden in the country. If
Ballot Measure 67 passes, we will have
the fi fth lowest business tax burden. If
Measure 67 does not pass, our education
and public safety institutions will suffer.
Businesses will be unlikely to move to a
state that does not have a highly educated
workforce.
During a recession state spending
increases because more people need
unemployment benefi ts, public health care
and other vital services the state provides.
Join me in preserving Oregon’s
economy, schools and public services.
Vote yes on Measures 66 and 67.
Brett Moser
Eugene
DUCKS IN A ROW
What to do with the old eyesore — avoid
greatness while shooting for perfect?
As a lifetime resident of Eugene and
a graduate of the UO, I have seen many
projects come and go here, some nice,
some not. What bothers me about current
events regarding the Riverfront Research
Park is that there is a chance to bring in a
bundle of government money to develop
something beautiful in place of what has
been an eyesore for a long time, and will
continue to be so for years to come if the
UO’s conditional use permit is successfully
blocked.
Let’s face it, no one else has anything
lined up. EWEB’s attention and money
is focused elsewhere. After a long, fi ts-
and-starts process, ORI and EPIC have
all ducks in a row to build a very nice
LEED Silver or Gold certifi ed building
and grounds, minimal parking lot space
with lots of trees and an upgrade to the
bike path system. All this in place of a
gravel and blackberry-fi lled dump with
no lighting, an awful section of bike path
and people sleeping in it. Maybe the ORI/
EPIC project will even give EWEB a little
push forward on cleaning up their dump.
The plan espoused by Connecting
Eugene looks OK on paper, if a bit
grandiose, but where’s the funding?
Shall we keep the existing eyesore for
another 10 years while we fi ght it out? I
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Lane County Public Health
Wants You to Know ...
It’s still fl u season ..... and it’s never been
easier to get the H1N1 vaccine.
DON’T DELAY! GET YOUR H1N1 FLU
SHOT TODAY!
Contact your health care provider, a pharmacy
near you, or one of these community sites:
In Eugene/Springfi eld:
• Lane County Public Health, 541-682-4041 (FREE!)
• Eugene Urgent Care, 541-636-3473
• The Travel Clinic, 541-343-6028
• Peace Health RiverBend Hospital - Urgent Care,
541-222-6005
• Cascade Health, 541-228-3095
• UO Health Center (students, faculty & staff only),
541-346-4444
In Cottage Grove:
• Cottage Grove Community Hospital,
541-942-6614
• Prime Med Medical Clinic, 541-942-7000
In Junction City:
• Junction City Medical Clinic, 541-998-6750
In Florence:
• Peace Health Siuslaw locations, 541-907-6057
In Blue River:
• McKenzie River Clinic, 541-822-3341
For a complete list of providers visit:
www.lanecounty.org
To fi nd the site nearest you visit:
www.google.com/fl ushot
or call 1-800-978-3040
EUGENE WEEKLY JANUARY 21, 2010 5