NEWS BRIEFS
CONTINUED FROM P.7
The April 10 PARC meeting at the grange is open to the
public. Owen says those wishing to carpool from Eugene
can contact him at greenlion@pitchforkrebellion.com
“We need to make them know we are not giving up on
this,” King says. For more information on the PARC study
go to http://wkly.ws/18i
— Camilla Mortensen
PRINCETON PHYSICIST
ON CLIMATE CHANGE
Perhaps one day the question posed by physicist Robert
Socolow, “What would we do if we took climate change
seriously?” will seem as absurd and archaic as “What would
we do if we took the idea the planets revolved around the sun
seriously?” For now Socolow, a professor of mechanical and
aerospace engineering at Princeton University, has a lot of
work to do.
At 5 pm Monday,
April 9, Socolow will
speak at the UO’s
Knight
Library
Browsing
Room,
laying out his plan to
slow global warming
under the assumption
that the world will
someday begin to
accept climate change
as a real threat.
Socolow is also
co-director of the
Carbon Mitigation
Initiative
with
biologist
Stephen
Pacala, for which the
two
Princeton
professors created the
Stabilization Wedge Game — an educational tool that
demonstrates how global warming can be thwarted, or at
least significantly curbed, with present-day CO2-reducing
technologies.
So why is everyone from fellow Princeton physicist
Freeman Dyson to Michelle Bachmann to the guy sitting next
to you at the bar casting a skeptical eye on climate science?
“It’s so counterintuitive that we can change this great big
planet with our own actions,” says Socolow. “We need to
learn how to fit on the planet, respect other species and share
the space.” Just as Darwin was scorned for categorizing
humans as part of the animal kingdom and Galileo spent the
remainder of his life under house arrest for revealing his
discovery that the Earth was not at the center of the universe,
Socolow points out that history has not been kind to scientific
discoveries that paint man’s role in the world in an incendiary
light.
“When we do accept, OK, we are able to change the
planet, then we have to make some pretty substantial
changes.” And recycling and biking to work, although
helpful, are quick fixes, he says.
Socolow’s approach is three-pronged: frame the problem
honestly, propagate planetary thinking and enlarge the system
boundary. To greatly simplify, admitting there is a problem is
the first step. The second step is acceptance that the
developing world will ultimately decide the state of the planet
we live on. Finally, picture the future of humanity collectively
through prospicience, the art of foresight.
So what can the average person do in the face of this
environmental juggernaut? “Pay attention,” says Socolow.
“Don’t be afraid of the subject. The number one problem at
the moment is people don’t want to talk about it anymore
because it’s divisive.”
Climate change has become an increasingly controversial
topic. In 2008, GOP presidential candidate John McCain said
that climate change was real and that humankind was
substantially responsible. Fast-forward to the 2012 GOP
primary race and you have a smorgasbord of candidates who
have called man-made global warming “a beautifully
concocted scheme” (Rick Santorum), “voodoo nonsense”
(Michele Bachmann) and a “hoax” (Ron Paul).
“In this country we are turning our backs on reason,”
Socolow says. “There is so much rejection of science as a
way of knowing. I hope my talk will make people think about
the place of science in understanding the human condition.”
— Alexandra Notman
assistance in planting urban trees.
The areas for planting have been determined based on
need considered by organization leaders. They take into
account canopy levels as well as the lack of tree canopy in
lower-income areas, says Erik Burke, Eugene director of
Friends of Trees.
“We try to focus on the areas that have the greatest need,”
he says.
Trees can provide shade that reduces the costs of cooling
buildings in the summer and other benefits.
At the moment, areas with a strong volunteer base are
able to get greater attention, but Burke says the organization
is planning to expand that base throughout Eugene and
Springfield.
Last year Eugene Tree Foundation, which had been
around for 14 years, became a Friends of Trees branch. The
Portland-based organization has been planting trees in that
city since the early ’90s.
This Saturday’s event will be the first use of bicycles for
bringing the trees and tools for planting by the Eugene
chapter. The technique has been used in Portland for some
time, but it will be a new way of operating down here.
“We’re just going to try it with a couple teams to learn
how to do it and then next year try and have our first all-bike
planting,” says Burke.
After all the trees are planted, Northwest Natural will be
providing barbeque and refreshments for all those involved
at Jefferson Park.
— Ted Shorack
GO PLANT A
TREE BY BIKE
Eugene City Council and mayoral candidates, both
opposed and unopposed, will appear at City Club of Eugene
at 11:50 am Friday, April 6, at the Hilton Vistas Ballroom,
12th floor.
Invited are Mayor Kitty Piercy and her two opponents in
the May 15 primary, Kevin Prociw and Jon Walrod. Ward 1
Councilor George Brown is unchallenged. Ward 2 Councilor
Betty Taylor is invited, along with her opponents Jim Ray and
Juan Carlos Valle. Ward 3 Councilor Andrea Ortiz and Ward
8 Councilor Chris Pryor are both unopposed.
Community members are encouraged to bring questions
and concerns for candidates to address.
North county commissioner candidates Rob Handy and
Pat Farr will be speaking in a special City Club candidates
forum at 7 pm Thursday, April 12, at Trinity United Methodist
Church, 440 Maxwell Road. City Club will resume its regular
Friday meetings with Rep. Peter DeFazio talking about
“Congress, Timber and Transportation” Friday, April 13. See
www.cityclubofeugene.org
Fallen trees and branches are splattered all over Lane
County thanks to the March snowstorm and rains, but more
trees are on the way, via bicycle. Friends of Trees is planning
on putting nearly 100 trees in the ground this Arbor Day,
April 7.
The Friends of Trees event is a collaboration with the city
of Eugene and Jefferson Westside neighbors as well as
EWEB and Northwest Natural. After meeting at Jefferson
Park, teams will be sent out to plant at the park and around
the nearby neighborhood. There will also be some going into
the ground near the Lane County Fairgrounds.
Mayor Kitty Piercy will be giving a speech before the
planting commences and the city of Eugene will be yet again
awarded a “Tree City USA” award, which is sponsored by
the Arbor Day Foundation and allows for greater national
IT’S ABOUT TIME
BY DAVID WAGNER
W
CANDIDATES
AT CITY CLUB
LIGHTEN UP
Those who deny that human activity is the cause of
climate change are right. The real culprits are the
dinosaurs who squatted in Texas ages ago.
hen the snowstorm blew in on March 21, it was deja vu all over again. I
wanted to gather specimens for my annual moss class and I was stuck inside.
On March 11 last year I got stuck in snow on the road up to Roman Nose while
hunting class material. It’s an object lesson that global warming means climate change,
not just warmer and drier. Drowning worms in gutters give witness to near record rainfall.
So, when can we safely plant out tomatoes and peppers? The old calendars are not
going be reliable; we have to feel the air and plant when it feels right.
Although the daffodils were momentarily flattened, and plum trees all over town
came down or lost branches, the woodland plants are slogging on. Spring beauty and
osoberry are passing peak bloom while wild cucumber is reaching out to snag
overhead branches with grasping tendrils. Bleeding heart should be blooming in the next
NORTHERN SHOVELER
three weeks.
Sunny days being so rare, I love hearing the chickadees singing their breeding territory song,
“chick a dee dee – please come to me.”
Down by the ponds the ducks seem to be getting more restless. The grebes and cormorants dive if they think I am
looking at them. The shovelers are as shy as ever. Unlike the mallards that come close to beg for food, shovelers
paddle away when I show up. The shovelers seem to say, “Stay away, I will be leaving soon.” I am going to miss them.
Near Creswell, Gabrielson Logging, (541) 514-
8353, has been hired by Rolland Richards, (541)
895-4470, to spray Garlon 4, Triclopyr Ester on 20
acres in Section 19 of Township 19 South, Range 03
West, in a site prep operation. See ODF notice
2012-781-00219.
David Wagner is a botanist who has lived in Eugene for more than 30 years. He teaches moss classes and leads nature walks. He may be reached at fernzen-
mosses@me.com
Compiled by Jan Wroncy, Forestland Dwellers: 342-8332, www.for-
estlanddwellers.org
8 APRIL 5, 2012
EUGENE WEEKLY
BY R A FA E L A L DAV E
LANE AREA SPRAY SCHEDULE
WWW.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM • BLOGS.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM