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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (July 7, 2011)
NEWS BRIEFS going after Oregon’s wolf population that would have undermined the state wolf plan. Legislators did pass a bill that would compensate ranchers for livestock lost to wolves and created a $100,000 fund for counties to deal with attacks on livestock by wolves. Also in the $100,000 range was the money that legislators approved to keep California sea lions away from Oregon salmon during fishing season. Salmon might fare better this year when it comes to predators — bald eagles apparently pre- vented 7,000 Caspian terns from nesting and reproducing this year, according to Bird Research Northwest. Terns (rather than dams) have been blamed for declines in salmon populations. Finally, also on the greener side, Oregon’s landmark bottle bill was updated, adding new beverage containers and opening the possibility of higher deposits. Mandatory inspections of boats for invasive species were approved and, with the exception of the spiny dogfish, it will be illegal to sell or possess shark fins (and thus make shark fin soup) after Jan. 1, 2012. — Camilla Mortensen bogus for failing to consider urban sprawl. The Leadership in Energy and Environ- mental Design (LEED) program of the U.S. Green Building Council gives ratings up to Platinum level for “green building.” The city of Eugene increasingly uses the LEED ratings to gauge the environmental impact of new government buildings and in granting tax breaks under its MUPTE exemptions for new multiple-unit housing. But the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRCD) faults the ratings for giving top “green” awards to car dependent locations where the energy used in driving eclipses the energy saved by the energy efficient construction. NRDC Director of Sustainable Com- munities & Smart Growth Kaid Benfield cites research demonstrating that “a home in an urban location will save more energy than one located in an outlying area, even if the suburban house has advanced green building features and the occupants drive hybrid cars.” Benfield writes on his blog, “even an ordinary building in a highly accessible, urban location is better for the environment than most anything that goes up in a greenfield.” Benfield cites a top LEED award two years ago to Arbor South Architecture’s SAGE home in Eugene as a bad example. He faults the home for its car dependence, located on a dead-end street in North Eugene far from a bus stop and stores. Benfield has been working with the LEED program for years to reform its ratings to give more weight to less car dependent and more walkable, bikeable and busable locations. But he said the LEED group is only “inching in that direction” with a pilot program. Last month the widely respected Victoria Transport Policy Institute weighed in with a report adding to the pressure for LEED reform. The report detailed how new LEED transportation standards could work and called for building locations in bikeable, walkable neighborhoods with nearby stores and frequent transit services and for separately charging for worker and resident parking. — Alan Pittman IS LEED BOGUS? A green building rating system widely used in Eugene for government buildings and in awarding tax breaks is under fire as LANE COUNTY SPRAY SCHEDULE • Western Lane County: Seneca Jones Timber Co. plans to do aerial applications of Glyphosate, Imazapyr, Metsulfuron Methyl and MSO on 144 acres in five locations in T19S 08W Sec 20 and T20S 06W Sec22 near Gillespie Corners. See notice 2011- 781-00500. Compiled by Jan Wroncy, Forestland Dwellers: 342-8332, www.forestlanddwellers.org The Draft 2012-2015 Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) is now available for public review. ODOT Offices S kinny Dip Year Round Willamettans Family Nudist Resort • Full Service RV & Tent Sites • Laundry facilities • Year round pool-hot tub-sauna • Tennis-Volleyball-shuffl eboard courts • Cabin Rentals • Day visitors welcome • Wi-fi • Pet-friendly & dog park, too! Join us setting the noon Saturday, July 9 OPEN HOUSE: Saturday, July 23 Call for FREE fi rst time visitor pass 541-933-2809 Visit willamettans.com for event schedule Coburg Fire Station Ke$ha "Skinny Dip" Resort Record Public review opportunities are: Ever since singing sensation Ke$ha put feathers in her hair, a trend has emerged across and country and here in Eugene that has left fishing shop shelves empty and fly fisherfolks pissed off. Fashion-crazed women (and some guys) are running off with all of the feathers. But instead of being attached to a lure, these feathers are being woven into hair or are dangling from earrings. The real issue is where all of these feathers, called “hackle,” are coming from. You can’t have a feather without a bird — or in this case, a rooster. These roosters are bred to create the perfect long, thin, flexible feathers with a black-speckled pattern called “grizzly” that fly-tying fishers — and now trendsetters — lust after. And it’s not as easy as just plucking one of these beautiful feathers and letting the rooster go back on its merry way. After living a year of a life that may not even go beyond a cage, these roosters are skinned for their pelts — particularly the “saddle hackle” that adorns their backsides. And much to the roosters’ dismay, this feathery trend doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. Gwynne McLaughlin, owner of Studio Mantra Hair Salon, where hot pink grizzly feathers are the most popular, says more than 100 women — and a few men with longer hair — have requested these feather extensions since last spring. These feathers “are a unique way to add flair to your hair without a big com- mitment,” she adds. So, what about the roosters’ commitment? “Animals are killed for our food all the time,” McLaughlin says. “That bothers some people and not others.” Lin Silvan, founder and executive director of Eugene’s Veg Education Network (EVEN), which works to promote education about the vegan lifestyle, said, “Animals are not here for us to eat or wear or use. If one must spend time preening, braid your hair with beads or ribbons and let the birds keep their feathers.” Studio Mantra, along with many other salons, uses feathers from Whiting Farms in Colorado, one of the largest producers of hackle for the fly fishing industry, and coincidentally for the feathery realm of the fashion industry. According to company reports, Whiting Farms harvests more than 1,500 roosters per week — most roosters don’t survive the process. Silvan points out that this cruel practice is self-serving, inflicting pain on an animal purely for vanity’s sake. “The important thing to remember is that we can choose” whether or not to use these feathers, Silvan says. “It takes the same amount of energy to choose compassion as it does to choose cruelty.” — Kendall Fields Marcola, Oregon • “ Where all you have to wear is a smile” FEATHERS: HAIR COOL OR HAIR CRUEL? WWW.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM • BLOGS.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM EUGENE WEEKLY JULY 7, 2011 11
