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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 1, 2011)
NEWS BRIEFS wolves are removed from an ecosystem it causes a “trophic cascade” of impacts, scientists say. Fahy says the hunting “isn’t wildlife management; this isn’t based on science.” He adds that this is about people with a siege mentality trying to “show the environmentalists who is in charge.” Now it’s time to show those people who’s really in charge. For more information on the boycott and to find out how you can save the wolves go to www.predatordefense. org — Kendall Fields LNG PROJECTS RETURN IT’S ABOUT TIME BY DAVID WAGNER S eptember is our best month for hiking in the mountains. The late snow means the high meadows will still have a nice array of wildflowers. Hiking by moonlight on open trails above timberline is a real delight. It can provide an early start for a long day of tramping. The best time is the three days after full moon, when the moon is still very bright and still high in the sky before dawn. I learned about a new garden pest this summer: the assassin bug. I should be happy it is in my garden because it is a predator that hunts the vegetable pests. Its dark side is that it is a blood sucker, like ticks and mosquitoes. Baby assassin bugs, RUBUS BIFRONS called nymphs, are under a quarter of an inch long. I caught one WILD BLACKBERRY on my wrist when I felt a stinging. Wiping it off left a blood smear. A few days later the site turned into a swollen, itchy welt. One got me under my ear lobe. Because I scratched too much, the welt made my lobe swell up and get red and hot. How we gardeners suffer! Fruit canning has been delayed this year. Peaches are barely reaching their peak. Blackberries have come on late this year, just like everything else. Their season will extend far into the month. We like them because they are so tasty, easy to pick, and free. They make a good jelly by adding crabapples (for pectin) to the pot when making juice. David Wagner is botanist who lives and works in Eugene. He teaches moss classes and leads nature walks. He may be reached at fernzenmosses@me.com Oregon continues to fight proposals for liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals on its coastlines and associated pipelines through its pristine forests and under rivers. Landowners and conservationists have argued not only that LNG import terminals are not needed and harm the environment, but also that using eminent domain to grab lands for pipelines is not needed. There are two current LNG terminal and pipeline projects in Oregon. A third, Bradwood Landing, went under last year when the company proposing the terminal, Northern Star, when bankrupt. But Oregon Business reports that a consultant in Seaside, John Dunzer of Columbia Bioenergy LLC, is attempting to resurrect the terminal on the Columbia River and use it to import LNG from Alaska as part of an “alternative energy farm.” Dunzer tells Oregon Business that his proposal is smaller than the previous attempt and would not require dredging. He says he “scaled down the project to ‘go around the local people’ and ‘avoid public hearings.’” Brett VandenHeuvel of Columbia Riverkeeper, which successfully fought Northern Star’s Bradwood Landing, says, “LNG is very unpopular in Oregon. The public had made clear that they don’t want LNG at Bradwood or anywhere else in the state.” LNG opponents predicted that proposed LNG import terminals would be “flipped” and become LNG export terminals, a charge the companies denied. According to a recent press release, the company behind the proposed Jordan Cove LNG terminal will be participating in the “World LNG Series,” an Asia Pacific summit being held Sept. 19-21 in Singapore. The release says that Joe B’Oris, vice president commercial of the Jordan Cove Energy Project, will be presenting on the project that he says “provides the most cost-effective method for delivering LNG from North America to the Pacific Basin.” The press release says, “economics could allow U.S. producers to double or triple their net by exporting to Asia rather than selling domestically.” LNG opponents also predict exports will result in increased natural gas prices for Americans. Much of the natural gas to be exported will be the result of the controversial practice of “fracking,” or hydraulic fracturing. Fracking involves injecting chemicals and water into rock as it is drilled, and environmentalists say the practice contaminates groundwater, and some have speculated it is linked to recent earthquakes in the Eastern U.S. — Camilla Mortensen CIVIL RIGHT TO FOOD CHOICE Healthy, sustainable food and the ability to farm organically are civil rights, according to the Eugene’s Civil Liberties Defense Center. The group’s second annual Harvest Feast from 5:30 to 9:30 pm Thursday, Sept. 1, at the Mount Pisgah Arboretum will inform guests about the connection between civil liberties and food while raising money to defend local farmers and other civil rights. George Kimbrell, staff attorney at the Center for Food Safety, will be a guest speaker at the event. He says he will talk Alison Shiboski Custom Work Now Open Specializing in helping you obtain your OMMP card! 343-4972 GET LEGAL NOW! 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