Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 11, 2011)
NEWS BRIEFS “This is a big deal because it restores unions’ rights to communicate with members by email, even work email,” says Prozanski. “It’s a great decision, long overdue, and upholds the decision made after the original hearing on R-G ULPs (unlawful labor practices) back in 2001. (That decision, released spring 2002, was appealed numerous times.) Hooray for free speech!” The court’s decision, in part, was based on the fact that the R-G management did not enforce its Communication Systems Policy banning non-work email. No employee had been reprimanded for sending out party invitations, birth announcements or other personal emails. The policy was only enforced for union communications. Is it all over? “This should be the end of it, assuming the R-G follows through with what they’re supposed to do,” says Prozanski. “Also, my understanding is that this went just one step shy of the Supreme Court. After the Federal Appeals Court decision, the R-G could’ve appealed to the Supreme Court, but did not.” R-G Editor and Publisher Tony Baker did not respond to a request for comment by press time. — Ted Taylor KEEP CARBON, SAVE TREES With its 50-percent ratio of carbon emit- ted to carbon sequestered, Oregon is beating the national and global ratios at 15 percent and is a creating a prime place to bank on carbon reserves, says professor David Turner from OSU’s Department of Forest Ecosys- tems and Society. Turner was part of a recent study that confirmed that the amount of car- bon being sequestered in Oregon’s federal forests is substantial compared to the amount released in the atmosphere. So with thousands of acres of state forests in addition to federal forestland, why isn’t the state banking on these potentially profitable carbon reserves? “Right now is a critical time to position Oregon to take advantage of up-and- coming carbon markets,” Kate Ritley, executive director of Cascadia Wildlands, says. Carbon sequestration could be some forests' (like the Elliott State Forest) only hope against logging, according to Cascadia Wildlands campaign director Josh Laughlin. Any profits from the Elliott go to the Common School Fund to contribute to Oregon’s public schools. “The Elliott State Forest has an unmatched ability to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere,” he says. “The state of Oregon must leverage the ability of this priceless forest to store carbon for dollars instead of clearcutting vast tracts of rainforest and exacerbating the climate crisis,” he adds. But the state isn’t jumping on board yet, preferring to cut down trees to fund public schools. “Although the state has indicated interest in the carbon market potential of state forests, their actions are in direct opposition to their words,” Ritley says, adding that her organization is fighting a new management plan that would increase logging in the Elliott, releasing even more carbon. Ritley added that California is only a year or two away from taking its carbon market live. It’s expected to become the biggest in the country and to generate more than $10 billion within five years, linking with several carbon markets in Canada. The longer Ore- gon waits to expand its carbon market, the more potential revenue is lost, Ritley said. “It is appalling that a state so green as Oregon is proposing to ramp up clearcutting of older public rainforest on the Elliott State Forest,” Laughlin said. “These forests must be safeguarded for the clean water they provide, the pure air we breathe, the climate they stabilize and for the essential habitat they offer for critters on the brink of extinction.” The Cascadia Forest Defenders have been focused on the Elliott for a campaign to stop the increased clearcut logging that would take place under the new plan. The campaign has included recent tree sits, a lockdown by the Trans and Womyn’s Action Camp at the ODF office in Molalla and on Aug. 8 the group supported Barbara Shamet and Wolfgang Schwarz, whose farm in Alleghany, Ore., borders the Elliott, in talking to loggers about the clearcutting 1,000 feet south of their property. The landowners say they plan to fight the timber sale, which Shamet says took place in a “closed door process.” — Kendall Fields EAST SIDE ALLIANCE Some Eugeneans got excited when Michelle Obama’s motorcade pulled through town on Aug. 8. Others got excited when the chair of the White House’s Coun- cil on Environmental Quality landed in GOLF COURSE SPRAYED WITH CHEMICALS A recent spraying of fungicides, herbicides and insecticides at Laurelwood, a city of Eugene-owned golf course that’s been open since 1929, is the source of dismay to its neighbors as well as Oregon Toxics Alliance. According to Lisa Arkin of OTA, portions of the course that were sprayed include areas near park WWW.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM • BLOGS.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM benches and water fountains where children and course users could be exposed. She says neighbors did not see any signs posted 24 hours in advance warning of the toxic sprays, per city policy. OTA has been working to reduce the amount of pesticide the public is exposed to, especially children, through its Safe Public Places campaign promoting the reduction of toxic chemicals through the use of Integrated Pest Management. Arkin and several neighborhood leaders met with Craig Smith, recreation services director for Eugene and contract manager of Laurelwood, to discuss the pesticide spraying after concerned neighbors and Laurelwood users brought it to OTA’s attention. Images from OTA’s presentation at the Aug. 3 meeting show evidence of pesticides sprayed along water drainages leading to Amazon Creek, over standing water, along pathways and near tee-off areas. The stormwater runoff from such sprays can spread toxic chemicals beyond the areas sprayed and affect birds, fish and amphibians. Spraying near waterways violates the city’s IPM policy, Arkin says. The chemicals used include glyphosate, which OTA says is a human hormone disruptor, has caused liver damage in lab experiments, is a neurotoxin linked to lowering children’s IQ and has been linked to multiple myoeloma. The chemical insecticide, which OTA says is a carcinogen and hormone disruptor that is acutely toxic to honeybees and lethal to many other beneficial insects as well as harmful to salmon, was also used. According to the spray application report for Laurelwood, dated June 13, at least 10 different chemicals were used. Smith says ironically the current managers of the course have been working to reduce the amounts of chemicals used at Laurelwood. He says contrary to OTA’s claim that Laurelwood is a dispersed natural area — which “include natural areas and future developed parks in Eugene’s Parks and Open Space system which are not associated with either Eugene’s Ridgeline, Waterways, or the West Eugene Wetlands,” according to the city’s website — “It’s actually a golf course.” The golf course managers, Will Benson and Todd Matthews, had agreed to get the course certified as an environmentally friendly Audubon Signature Program by June 30, 2012, but Smith says economic conditions have not allowed them stay on track to do that. He says the recent spray incident is “not an indicator of what these guys are doing up there.” Smith says there was no water in the ditches at the time of the spray and the ditches were a new addition to the course. He says that ensuring Laurelwood follows IPM is his responsibility, and he has been working with the contractors since the issue arose on IPM and posting notifications. Arkin says Laurelwood isn’t the only public park that has had pesticides used where children and pets might come into contact with them. She says Hendricks Park also recently sprayed pesticides on its pathways during times park users could come into contact with them. — Camilla Mortensen EUGENE WEEKLY AUGUST 11, 2011 7
