NEWS BRIEFS
HOUSE TARGETS
PREDATORS
A bill that would allow hunters to trophy
hunt cougars passed in the Oregon House
with a 45-14 vote on April 20. House Bill
2337 would allow counties to decide which
ways cougars could be hunted.
Sally Mackler of Predator Defense says
county officials are often not well-versed
in the issues related to cougars. She says
that if this bill passes it would go against
the will of Oregon voters who have twice
voted down efforts to reinstate sport hound
hunting of cougars, a practice which was
banned by voters in 1994.
The Oregon House currently is divided
evenly, 30 Democrats and 30 Republicans.
Of the Eugene area Democrats, Nancy
Nathanson, Phil Barnhart and Paul Holvey
voted against the bill and Val Hoyle voted
for the cougar bill, as did Terry Beyer of
Springfield.
LIGHTEN UP
The Register-Guard should give the editorials attacking county commissioners Rob Handy and
Pete Sorenson a rest. If I want to know more about how public officials threaten our way of life
by meeting in private, I’ll tune into the Glenn Beck show. — Rafael Aldave, Eugene
Mackler points out that hound hunting
of cougars is already allowed to address
livestock and property damage, as well as
public safety concerns. It’s important, she
says, that people recognize the difference
between sport hounding of animals for a
trophy versus using hounds to track and
remove a specific cougar that has caused
problems. “Sport trophy hounding is a
whole different animal,” she says.
Most trophy hunting occurs in areas
where there is little to no cougar-human
conflict, Mackler says, and the bill won’t
save Oregonians any money. And she adds
that studies out of Washington state have
shown that “in areas that have been heavily
hunted, conflicts increase,” due to “a
disruption on the social system of these
animals.” Hunters go for the trophy
animals and kill the dominant cougars,
leaving juvenile cougars to move in.
She says “Ninety percent of the
complaints when checked out turned out
not be cougars at all.” The eyewitness
reports usually turn out to be sightings of
coyotes, foxes and orange tabby cats.
The bill moves next to the Senate. The
Oregon House also passed a HB 3562,
which would allow endangered wolves
threatening the life of a human to be shot
and killed. Josh Laughlin of Cascadia
Wildlands says that was already allowed
under the Oregon Wolf Management Plan.
He calls the bill, which was introduced at
the request of the Oregon Cattlemen’s
Association, an effort to vilify the
predators.
Mackler says when it comes to cougar
issues, “There is some responsibility that
should be put on farmers and ranchers to
protect their livestock.”
— Camilla Mortensen
CORRECTIONS/
CLARIFICATIONS
An April 14 news brief incorrectly
reported a bill number regarding creating a
UO police force. The correct bill number
was SB 116, which the city of Eugene
opposed. The city supported SB 405.
slant
• Look for our endorsements next week on candidates and issues on the May 17
Special Election ballot. Ballots should arriving in mailboxes early next week. Which
way will the election go for the temporary income tax? We haven’t see any scientific
polling data. We predict a very close election and that means victory will go to
whichever camp gets more people to actually vote.
What’s disturbing in this election is that the opposition to the tax is organized
and funded by out-of-state, anti-government interests and a lot of distortions and
outright lies are being foisted on the public. See Alan Pittman’s news story this week
checking the facts of the tax measure campaign rhetoric.
• A police memorial service with full honors for EPD officer Chris Kilcullen will be
held at 2 pm Friday, April 29, in the Matthew Knight Arena. This is a time for our
community to come together and remember an exceptional police officer. We hear
from many directions that Kilcullen was a thoughtful and compassionate public
servant with a high level of personal integrity. His death is a great tragedy, and once
again we are reminded that there’s no effective gun control in Oregon to prevent the
mentally ill with tendencies toward violence from wielding deadly weapons. The
police could provide a strong voice for gun control in the name of officer and public
safety. The best memorial for Kilcullen would be preventing this tragedy from
happening again. The 12th annual Million Mom March to Prevent Gun Violence will
begin at 2 pm Sunday, May 8, Mother's Day, at the EWEB Plaza fountain.
• Springfield City Councilor Dave Ralston is at it again, making more ignorant,
bigoted statements about Latinos and this time focusing on funding for Centro
LatinoAmericano. His views might be his own, but as an elected official he represents
the entire city. Why hasn’t the Springfield mayor and council removed him from his
committee assignments? By allowing him to continue as a city councilor, Springfield
residents are prolonging what we thought was the city’s fading reputation as
“Springtucky.” Big Springfield employers like RiverBend, Symantec and Royal
Caribbean need to speak out that they value diversity to distance themselves from
the racism. Find a link to KVAL’s bizarre interview with Ralston at blogs.eugeneweekly.
com/camilla
ACTIVIST ALERT
• The local Sierra Club will give a free screening of the film Gasland at 7
pm Thursday, April 28, at the Eugene Garden Club, 1645 High St. The
controversial film looks at hydraulic fracturing methods developed by
Halliburton. Screenings in other states have been monitored by Homeland
Security agents.
• Author and cancer activist Sandra Steingraber will speak at 7 pm
Thursday, April 28, at the UO’s Robinson Theatre. $11, $9 students. See
story last week.
• The Oregon Board of Forestry will address state forest issues and
landowner charges for wildfire protection when it meets from 8 am to 2 pm
on April 29 at ODF headquarters, Building C, 2600 State St., in Salem. The
afternoon has been set aside for the second phase of a workshop on board
policies governing the use of pesticides in forest management.
Representatives of the Pitchfork Rebellion and Oregon Toxics Alliance will
speak before the board. Also on the agenda is the new draft Elliott State
Forest Management Plan. More information at http://wkly.ws/120
• Canvassing in north Eugene in support of the temporary income tax
on the May ballot will begin with a gathering at 10 am Saturday, April 30, at
Cascade Middle School, 1525 Echo Hollow Road. To phone, write a letter,
endorse, or donate, visit www.StrongSchoolsEugene.org
10 APRIL 28, 2011
EUGENE WEEKLY
• It turns out burning logging slash and other wood fiber in a furnace to generate
electrical power is a dirty business no matter how “advanced” the pollution controls
might be. The smokestack might look clean but it’s the stuff you can’t see that kills
you. And despite our already polluted air, the advice of local medical experts and
serious environmental problems with other biomass plants around the country, the
Lane Regional Air Protection Agency in 2009 violated its primary reason for being
and granted a permit for Seneca Sustainable Energy to build a huge biomass burner
in west Eugene. The R-G editorial board endorsed this asthma-exacerbating atrocity
that will pump up to 17 tons of toxins into our air each year; but progressive county
commissioners fought it, adding fuel to the timber industry’s campaign to discredit
the commissioners.
Now the plant off Highway 99 is fired up and running and we hear that Seneca
will be celebrating with a so-far unpublicized grand opening and ribbon cutting at 10
am Thursday, May 5. Will LRAPA Director Merlyn Hough and other local officials be
there to make laudatory speeches and smile for the cameras? Or will we see gas
masks and protest signs along Highway 99?
• Remember when you read Greg Mortenson’s Three Cups of Tea and then joined the
mob at Mac Court in May 2009 to hear him speak? Now he’s the subject of
investigations and detailed stories about his alleged mishandling of facts and funds
for his school building projects in Pakistan and Afghanistan. We heard him speak
early in his adventure when he was pleading with Congress to fund teachers in those
schools for $10 a month. It’s hard to tell if the current allegations are true, and if they
are we don’t excuse him, but this guy has been building remote schools under
daunting circumstances. Compare him to the hedge fund bandits, still mostly faceless,
who brought down our economy. Compare him to the military-industrial complex
flying deadly drones into those tribal societies. Bring me my third cup of tea, please.
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
• An Earth Day/Arbor Day celebration and tree planting will be from 10
am to 2:30 pm Saturday, April 30, at 2nd and Broadway in downtown
Veneta, sponsored by the Veneta Parks Board. Lots of family activities
planned, along with the dedication of downtown improvement projects.
• Local sustainability activist Jan Spencer is on a speaking tour, titled
“Creating A Safer, More Secure and Healthier Neighborhood” this month
through early June. His next free talk will be at 7 pm Wednesday, May 4, at
Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, 255 Maxwell. A half-day seminar will be
from 1 to 5 pm Saturday, May 7, at the Unitarian Church, 477 E. 40th Ave.
Next will be at 7 pm Tuesday, May 10 at the United Lutheran Church, 2230
Washington St. Next will be at 7 pm Wednesday, May 18 at Temple Beth
Israel, 1175 E. 29th Ave. Call Spencer at 686-6761 or see the full schedule is
at www.suburbanpermaculture.org
• The Al-Nakba Awareness Project will show historic footage of the
original Nakba (dispossession to create Israel in 1948), along with Reel Bad
Arabs, a documentary on the role of Hollywood in dehumanizing Arabs and
Muslims, at 7 pm Wednesday, May 4, at Harris Hall, 8th & Oak, Eugene. See
www.al-nakba-history.com
• Colin Goddard, survivor of the VA Tech massacre, is on a national tour
and will speak and show a video Living for 32 at 7 pm Thursday, May 5, at
PLC 180 on the UO campus. Sponsored by the Survival Center.
LANE AREA
SPRAY SCHEDULE
• ODOT: highway spraying in District 5
(Lane County) was delayed, now to begin May
2, depending on weather (see “update” in
Notices/ODOT/2011). Call District 5 at 744-
8080 or (888) 996-8080 for herbicide
application information. ODOT spraying may
have already started in other parts of Oregon.
• Eastern Lane County: Seneca Jones
(461-6245, 607-7299) will ground spray
roadsides with Milestone VM, Forestry
Garlon XRT, and LV6 2,4-D herbicides
starting May 15 (#771-00297); and Strata
Forestry (726-0845) will ground spray for
Giustina Resources (485-1500) with Westar
and Oust herbicides near Noisy Creek and
Dexter Reservoir starting immediately
(#771-00309).
Compiled by Jan Wroncy, Forestland Dwellers: 342-
8332, www.forestlanddwellers.org
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