PAID SUPPLEMENT
Photograph by John Bauguess
No Voice
When a mine starts up in a community in Lane
County (and it’s not that unusual thanks to out-of-
date zoning laws) neighbors are usually given a say
in how the mine operates through a process called
site review. This process gives neighbors the ability
to negotiate such things as how late a quarry can
operate at night, how much prior notice must be
given before blasting occurs or how many trucks a
day may rumble past their houses. As Dexter resident
Arlen Markus so aptly put it, it amounts to “a say in
how our community is destroyed.”
Initially, Lane County fined Lost Creek Rock
Products for mining without a site review. The fines
were appealed, and the case went before a hearings
official. Dexter residents were allowed to testify but
had no legal say in the case. After a confusing ruling
by the official that required a site review for mining
activity occurring within the 200-foot buffer zone but
exempted mining imposed on the butte and its
immediate surrounds, Dexter residents asked their
elected officials to appeal the decision to the state
Land Use Board of Appeals or to Circuit Court. But
the right-wing majority on the Lane County Board of
Commissioners, including the neighbors’ own
representative, Faye Stewart, voted against this
request.
Before the majority voted to block the appeal, Tea
Party Libertarian and West Lane Commissioner Jay
Bozievich chided the Dexter community, saying, “I
believe that the hearings official has given you half a
loaf right now,” and that this is more than the
community deserves. He said Dexter should be
happy with what it got. However, since the three
mining advocates on the board believe that Lane
County should take no enforcement action when
trucks and mining machinery cut through the 200-
foot buffer, the stark reality is that Dexter got nothing
at all.
That’s not entirely true. Dexter got a harsh lesson
in how Oregon’s land use planning goals can be
subverted by big business interests. The first goal of
Oregon’s land use program is “citizen involvement.”
Dexter’s involvement has been to watch as Lost
Creek Rock Products reaps huge profits by crushing
a community heritage into a commodity. Neighbors
have been awarded front-row seats to silently witness
the removal of a historic landmark and cultural icon.
As soon as neighbors learned that Parvin Butte
had been purchased from the railroad for $361,000,
they explored the possibility of buying the property
from the new owners. Demers and the McDougals
said they’d let it go for $30 million.
Dexter-Lost Valley neighbors and their supporters
are committed to demanding justice. Even if Parvin
Butte is fully removed from Lane County, they will
fight on, directing their energies to changing the
political landscape until laws are drafted to ensure
that communities are granted the legal right to defend
themselves against callous corporate interests.
“Silent Witness: Parvin Butte, OR”
To help tell the story of Parvin Butte, the
community of Dexter-Lost Valley is fighting
the devastating mine with art. Artists have
come forward to bear witness to an
environmental issue in Lane County’s own
backyard, the mining of Dexter’s Parvin
Butte, a historical natural resource.
May 14, 6pm - 8pm: Opening reception, photographs by John Bauguess
and Pete Helzer
May 16, 6pm - 8pm: Jazz musicians Don Latarski and Friends
May 18, 7pm - 9pm: Closing reception and poetry reading by
Cecelia Hagen, Carter McKenzie, Ingrid Wendt,
Ralph Salisbury, Erik Muller and Anita Sullivan
Volunteer
We need your help and expertise in this important
effort to save this beautiful historic landmark.
We are currently seeking volunteers to help by
supporting the community’s participation in the
decision-making process with Lane County and
with Dexter-Lost Valley Community Association
fundraising efforts to pay for legal services and
expert witnesses needed to address the adverse
impacts of this proposal.
DLVCA PO BOX 89 DEXTER, OR 97431
Donate
Visit us online to donate by PayPal or donations can
be sent directly by mail to the Dexter-Lost Valley
Community Association (DLVCA).
Please make checks payable to DLVCA.
Join us!
Maude Kerns Art Center
1910 East 15th Eugene
541 345-1571
find out more
Visit Maude Kerns Art Center May 14-18, and see
for yourself the photographs of John Bauguess and
Pete Helzer. Find us online at saveparvinbutte.org
for more information and updates about the battle
for Parvin Butte. Share the site with your friends
save
PARVIN
Butte
saveparvinbutte.org