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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 17, 2011)
NEWS BRIEFS choose to join an ongoing forum on issues such as transportation, green building and energy efficiency. Deep Green is presented by Eugene’s Green Building, Waste Prevention and Sustainability Programs and it will be followed at 7:30 pm by a discussion with Briggs. Admission is a suggested $5 donation at the door, but no one will be turned away. The film and its maker will also be at the Public Interest Environmental Law Conference the first week of March at the UO Law School (see www.pielc.org). — Chelsea Fryhoff CALL FOR LAWSUIT APPEAL Signing statements are beginning to circulate around Lane County calling on county government to mount a legal challenge to the lawsuit ruling targeting county commissioners. The statements read: “We, the undersigned citizens of Lane County, Oregon, respectfully request that the Government of Lane County immediately agrees to pay all costs involved in a full appeal of Judge Gillespie’s 2011 decision against Commissioners Sorenson, Handy, and other Lane County officials.” Alternatively, there is a statement that replaces “respectfully request” with “respectfully demand.” “A signing statement is different, and in some ways more powerful than a petition, in that signers do not have to be registered voters or of ‘legal’ age,” says Scott Landfield of Tsunami Books who is helping distribute the statements at his store on Willamette near 25th Avenue. Landfield says members of the South Eugene High School Democrats have already asked for and received this statement. “Three years ago a signing statement led to an eventual vote that defeated the $40 million to $80 million urban renewal giveaway of downtown Eugene,” he says. — Ted Taylor BARNHART SEES PAINFUL CUTS AHEAD Rep. Phil Barnhart of Eugene is now hanging his hat in Salem and will be there for the next five months, but says he plans to hold town hall meetings at home, “mostly on Saturdays.” Barnhart, a Democrat, has been assigned to three committees in the new “bipartisan” Legislature where neither party has a majority. When the Democrats were in the leadership position he was chair of the key House Revenue Committee, but he now co-chairs the panel with Rep. Vicki Berger. He is also serving on the House Rules and Tax Credits committees. “The state currently has a $3.5 billion deficit, which equals approximately one- quarter of the overall budget,” he says in his first legislative report. Last summer at a Bus Project public meeting he predicted the state would see a $2.5 billion deficit in the 2011-13 biennium, “but the number could easily be higher.” “The Legislature must take the next steps to cope with the deficit and continue essential programs in the state,” he says this week. “We will pass the budget that will change the way we do business and will reduce basic programs our citizens need. I expect to vote for budget bills I greatly dislike because the alternatives are worse.” The lawmaker says he is focusing on economic development and job growth. “I am working on a plan to enable us to move the management of existing state funds to invest in new ventures and help promote the growth of local business and agriculture,” he says. Barnhart can be reached at (800) 332- 2313 or email rep.philbarnhart@state.or.us — Ted Taylor A scene from Witness by Neil Ever and Chad A. Stevens screening at the Wild and Senic Film Festival WILD AND SCENIC FILMS On Tuesday, Feb. 22, conservation group Cascadia Wildlands will host Patagonia’s fourth annual Wild and Scenic Film Festival at the UO campus. The festival hopes to yield donations to support the preservation of species at risk in the Cascade region, and in doing so it will continue to fulfill the group’s mission to “educate, agitate, and inspire a movement to protect and restore Cascadia’s wild ecosystems.” Co-sponsored by the UO Outdoor Program, Ninkasi, Tactics and Backcountry Gear, Cascadia Wildlands hopes to draw a large crowd of folks hungry to view the nine films that adorn the evening’s bill. Wild and Scenic intends to be a smorgasbord of projects, from displaying films that provide commentary on the state of global outdoors, to showing human-nature interactions with didactic stories and stunning footage. Among said stories is Skier’s Journey: Kashmir, which documents a pair of skiers and their experience in search of a spot to ski in the Himalayas. Another attraction is The Greatest Migration, a 20-minute piece made by local filmmaker and outdoor adventurer Trip Jennings, which documents the daunting WWW.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM • BLOGS.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM migratory habits of Snake River salmon as they struggle to survive an onslaught of dams and hazards along the path to their spawning grounds, some 7,000 feet above sea level. The film aids Oregonians — residents who need to be especially conscious of salmon — in thinking closely about human impact on local river systems. “We want to pack the house, connect with the community and provide them with an affordable night of cutting edge-film that isn’t Hollywood,” said Cascadia Wildlands Campaign Director Josh Laughlin. “It’s not a large fundraiser for us, rather a community—builder where we can show off some powerful film and introduce community members to the conservation work of Cascadia Wildlands.” “It’s a compelling mix of thrilling backcountry adventure and powerful campaigns working to safeguard the Earth,” said Laughlin. The films will be shown from 7 to 10 pm in 180 PLC at the UO campus. Tickets are $7 for the general public. More information on the festival at www.cascwild.org — Andy Valentine EUGENE WEEKLY FEBRUARY 17, 2011 9
