NEWS BRIEFS
growth timber would be protected
legislatively.” And he says the plan would
protect the Rogue River wilderness and
Devil’s Staircase.
DeFazio adds, “Yes, the plan would
involve harvesting timber, but it is focused
on younger stands and harvests in a
sustainable way to maintain forest health and
protect the most sensitive areas.”
The conservation groups, which include
Cascadia Wildlands and the Sierra Club in
addition to Oregon Wild, say the problem
with federal lands logging-based plans is that
they depend on “support from national
taxpayers for significant portions of their
local operating expenses.” The groups say
unsustainable logging levels have led to
“threats to clean water and watersheds, wild
salmon and birds and still did not result in
sustainable funding for counties.”
The conservation groups’ “Shared
Responsibility” plan calls for the federal
government to transfer the 2.6 million acres
of BLM lands to the Forest Service and the
Fish and Wildlife Service for administrative
savings.
It also calls for Oregon to adopt an
increase in the Oregon Forest Products
Harvest Tax on private timberland owners,
and for the counties to make modest increases
in property taxes and utilize a portion of
presently unutilized existing taxing authority.
LeGue says, “Our new plan keeps the
trees standing and creates a new paradigm
where all levels of government chip in to
fund the counties.”
The federal lands issue as it affects Lane
County will be discussed at an upcoming
series of talks with Lane County
Commissioner Rob Handy, public interest
forester Roy Keene, and Architecture Week
editor-in-chief Kevin Matthews at 6 pm Feb.
6, March 5, April 2, May 7 and June 4 at
Cozmic Pizza.
— Camilla Mortensen
BEER CAN
BE BEAUTIFUL
Several years ago, entrepreneur Ginger
Johnson said to herself, “Self, it’s time to
find out what beer is about.” Now, after
delving into the intricacies of the beer
industry, Johnson owns and operates
Women Enjoying Beer, a business that
works to help breweries market to the
female craft beer enthusiast. Women
Enjoying Beer is based in Ashland, but
Johnson is excited to appear in Eugene
this week for Brew Fest, KLCC’s annual
beer-tasting benefit.
Johnson began her beer journey by
asking herself why so few women are
into beer, and then began countering
years of gender imbalance in the beer
industry by producing qualitative research
into the female beer drinker’s psyche. “I
want to explore the enormous opportunity
the grossly under-tapped female market
share has to offer,” Johnson says, “I’m
learning way more about women and beer
than I thought I’d ever know.”
Johnson has found that women most
appreciate the social component of beer
drinking, that they want to be educated
about the brews they choose and that
they’re looking for a good value. She has
facilitated events that pair beers with
chocolates, “Swig and Stitch” gatherings
that combine beer tasting with sewing
demonstrations and even “Raft and Craft”
trips that allow consumers to quench both
their thirst for adventure and good beer
while white-water rafting.
On Friday, Feb. 3, Johnson will be
hosting a meet and greet in the tasting
room at Oakshire Brewery, and she will
be at the KLCC Microbrew Festival all
weekend, Feb. 10-11 at the Fairgrounds.
IT’S ABOUT TIME
BY DAVID WAGNER
H
ow many times do I get
reminded that every year is
different from the year before?
This year is proving to be a strange
one, leap year and politics aside. Momentous
times are heralded as we enter the Year of the
Water Dragon.
Here we are in rainfall recovery, finally
catching up on years of below average rainfall.
But now we gripe because so much fell all at once
that our streams and rivers overflow their banks.
The botanical world forges ahead serenely, the buds
swelling and bursting. The spring beauty (Cardamine
RED EARED SLIDER,
nuttallii) traditionally has its first bloom on Feb. 16, Lincoln TRACHEMYS SCRIPTAALBUS
Constance’s birthday. Growing up in Eugene, he and his
family would go out searching to see if they could find one of these little pink flowers
blooming on his day. He went on to become one of the most prominent botanists of the
20th century at UC-Berkeley. I always do a Lincoln Constance Memorial Flower Hunt on
his birthday. If not the spring beauty, our other harbinger, the osoberry, is usually out.
The animals are doing strange things, too. Last month I mentioned that few
members of our fauna hibernate. Seeing a red eared slider out sunning himself on the
third of January taught me a new word: brumation. These reptiles do not hibernate,
they brumate: coming out when there is a sudden warm spell but burrowing back into
the mud when it gets cold again. Makes me think, I should brumate the rest of this
winter.
David Wagner is a botanist who has worked in Eugene for more than 30 years. The 2012 Willamette Valley Nature
Calendar is the last one he will make. A few are still available; contact him directly at fernzenmosses@me.com
CONTINUED P. 8
WALSH THROWS
IN FOR COMMISH
Kieran Walsh says he’s running for the South Eugene
District Lane County Commission position against
popular current Commissioner Pete Sorenson “because
I just care about my community.”
He says he believes the timber-money funded open
meetings civil lawsuit against Sorenson means the
commissioner has “lost credibility” and that is part of
what inspired him to enter the race. Most recently a
Washington County prosecutor found there was not
enough evidence for criminal charges against Sorenson,
as well as Rob Handy and former commissioner Bill
Fleenor, in regard to the open meetings issue. This is the
third investigation into Sorenson that has resulted in a
finding of no wrongdoing. Sorenson has said his votes on
strong progressive issues, including forest issues, have
“infuriated really powerful interests.”
Walsh says another issue is the conservative/liberal
split on the county board. He says he will be able to get
along with other commissioners on the Lane County
board because he is good at listening to others. Of
Sorenson he says, “By his own admission, he can’t talk
to the other commissioners.”
Also, he adds, “People running against each other is
healthy, it promotes dialogue.”
Walsh, a property manager who has served as a CASA
(Court Appointed Special Advocates) volunteer and who
is on the board of Sponsors Inc., says he is more of a
“John Q. Public” who is also very good at procuring
things for cheap. Criticizing county spending is one of
the reasons he got into the race. “One of my friends said,
‘Look, don’t complain about it, do something,’” he says.
Walsh is also a longtime soccer coach who has taken
youth teams overseas to “expose kids to other cultures.”
Walsh says specifically to save money, all the cities
and towns in Lane County should make all their purchases
from a central purchasing office to keep costs down. “If
I can do it,” he says, “one single guy out of my house,”
then government agencies should be able to do it too.
Getting needed items for a low cost is something he has
done as a volunteer for CASA and Sponsors, he says.
He also says he’d like to see the county make more
use of volunteers. “We can’t hire, so we need volunteers.”
Walsh says county funding issues could be improved
by moving away from a timber-based economy, including
Congressman Peter DeFazio’s possible forest trust plan,
and aiding small businesses “right here in our own
community.” He cites towns like Flint and Detroit that
were dependent on one industry and when that industry
was failing, the town failed too. “We need to go after
Washington, they owe us the money,” he says, adding,
“This impacts the security of the county.”
— Camilla Mortensen
PHOTO BY TODD COOPER
WWW.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM • BLOGS.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM
EUGENE WEEKLY FEBRUARY 2, 2012 7