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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 23, 2014)
LET TERS PAINS OF DISPLACEMENT The most world-respected literary personage from our area is Ken Kesey. He is principally known for his novel One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1962). It develops a common theme where individual and group clash, both losing. In this case, we like to give the edge to the skill of the fi rst- person artist who renders us the depiction. The seed for this novel is a script Kesey typed up in late 1956 for submission to UO’s Glenn Starlin, then teaching Kesey’s class in “Radio and TV Writing.” Kesey’s paper is entitled “Sunset at Celilo.” It was prompted by the imminence of the U.S. government’s closing of the fl oodgates in The Dalles Dam, “almost completed.” On March 10, 1957, it took only four and a half hours to drown Celilo Village; with this in mind, Kesey graduated June 9. For 20,000 years, perhaps, native peoples had perched on the rocky platforms of Celilo Falls to catch plump but exhausted returning salmon on the upward jump. The enormity of this silencing angered Kesey, as it has angered a fairly large group of Northwest writers. Although the fl esh-and-blood author is no longer with us, his paper-and-ink teller resounds the violation, the pain of such peremptory cultural displacement. It has been translated across the globe. In the upper left-hand corner of his paper VIEWPOINT Kesey typed his address, “1795 Columbia,” one of the post-war military barracks the UO now has posted for demolition. In England, such places get blue plaques. At the foot of his essay Kesey appended a hopeful note to his professor: “It hasn’t all happened yet.” In 1975 he asked this town to save the Armory at 7th and Oak, to no avail — a building warm with memories of his growing up; in 1986, The Mayfl ower Theatre at 11th and Alder — to the same end. At this very moment, he is probably hanging out with Rodney Dangerfi eld. His paper is part of the UO’s Special Collections (Ax279, Box 15, Folder 4). Michael Powell Eugene LAST HOPE FOR CIVIC I am insulted and outraged that the Eugene School Board threw out the offer from Friends of Civic Stadium. Having played football on Civic’s turf and been a spectator at many baseball games, my future access to this property grows dim. My last hope is the city’s offer. I am insulted because the Friends of Civic Stadium Board represented the community’s interest. This unpaid board has worked tirelessly to keep the stadium and its 10-acre parcel for community use. For fi ve years they have worked long hours against a huge corporation. That corporation has access to attorneys, designers, builders and money. It is an unfair fi ght. As a longtime member of this community, the School Board’s decision was an insult. I am outraged and this is why: Since the building of Civic Stadium, it and its adjoining property have been continuously used for recreational pursuits and the public has had access to the property. It’s comparable to our free beaches, where thanks to the Beach Bill of 1967, our beaches are still publicly accessible. But in that case the people and a strong governor stood up to halt private ownership. So, yes, I am outraged that a large corporation oozing with money has the ability to take from me, and our community, free access to a dearly beloved treasure. Joe R. Blakely Eugene USES FOR THE STADIUM I hope it’s not too late for the 4J School Board to fi nd the part of its brain where imagination and creativity reside, because Civic Stadium could continue to be a wonderful and more varied South Eugene community resource. Imagine a neighborhood venue for concerts and plays as well as sporting events. Hey guys, Eugene is “Track Town,” right? People pay real money to watch excellent athletes. How about promoting excellent baseball and soccer and other sports culminating in playoff games generating revenue? Outdoor concert venues such as the Cuthbert and now the problematic Emerald Meadows are limited. We have local musicians who desperately need an outdoor venue for orchestral as well as rock concerts that could also generate revenue. We have many theatrical companies and school drama classes that could perform Shakespeare in the Park-like plays. Hey, musicians, and hey, you bar owners and theater companies, how about organizing yourselves and passing the hat at performances. Let’s get off our butts and do it to support the Friends of Civic Stadium proposal. See wkly.ws/1oa and tell 4J to do the right thing at 4J.lane.edu. As for the YMCA, the Y management and directors made no attempt to engage us members about their plans except as cheerleaders. Many members support the purchase for a new facility because they oppose a Fred Meyer purchase. Members should be concerned about whether the Y will realize their highly speculative revenue forecast. Estimates, projections and budgets are routinely exceeded. Is the YMCA risking its fi nancial health? What will be the effect on the membership and our fees and dues? Con- trary to the hype, the Y buildings are not de- crepit. Why tear down perfectly good build- BY A NDY STA HL O&C Land Exchange WHAT HAPPENS IF BIG TIMBER GETS THE OLD GROWTH? W hen I pointed out to EW (12/5/13 news story) that Sen. Ron Wyden’s recently released O&C forestlands bill (SB 1784) includes a “land exchange” loophole (Sec. 117) big enough to drive public wilderness and old-growth forests into private hands, Seneca Sawmill’s general manager Todd Payne objected [Letters 1/16]. Payne says that Seneca “does not consume old-growth timber in any of its manufacturing facilities,” and my “implication” that it does “is just a continuation of the ‘fear-based’ messaging by environmental organizations as they know they can’t stand behind the truth.” Wow, strong words. But, I never said that Seneca uses old-growth timber in its own mills. I said that Wyden’s bill would allow Seneca to “get” old growth under the guise of consolidating the O&C checkerboard lands. I can only speculate as to what Seneca might do with its newly acquired big trees. Perhaps Seneca would deed these irreplaceable ancient forests to the Nature Conservancy and take a tax write-off for its charitable contribution? That would sure be nice, but not likely. Or maybe Seneca would log the old growth and sell the big trees to some other mill that does process large logs? Indeed, that’s what Seneca (and every other “small” log company) now does when old-growth timber comes into its possession. And there’s a pretty penny to be made, too, from these big logs. Clear, vertical-grain Douglas fi r is a premium product used 4 January 23, 2014 • eugeneweekly.com for construction in the fi nest homes. Woodworking Network points out “the raw log cost is tremendous” for knot-free Douglas fi r, which means tremendous profi ts for old-growth forest owners. In 1995, Seneca’s owner Aaron Jones proposed the Umpqua Land Exchange, which would have done precisely what Wyden’s bill now allows — the exchange of private clearcuts for public old growth. Seneca’s lobbyist persuaded Congress to spend $6 million to justify and promote the Umpqua exchange. The project died stillborn in 2004 when the money ran out. Wyden’s O&C bill revives the Umpqua Land Exchange and, in fact, expands its scope to all 2.6 million O&C acres. Nothing would be off limits from exchange, including the proposed Devil’s Staircase wilderness, ancient forests and streams used for domestic water supplies. The bill includes no safeguards or public process; exchanges would be backroom deals between the interior secretary du jour and private timberland owners. The only “public interest” criterion an exchange would have to meet is that it “improves effi ciency.” Of course, with the O&C checkerboard ownership pattern, any exchange could be justifi ed as “improving effi ciency.” If effi ciency is all that matters, why not just sell the public’s O&C lands to the highest bidder? That’s the fi rst choice of timber industry and the Association of O&C Counties. But no legislator would support a western Oregon-wide sale of federal land. What timber interests can’t get through the front door of a land sale, they’ll try to sneak through the back door of a land exchange. Of course, it’s possible that I’m wrong, that I’m just a “fear-based” environmentalist. Maybe Seneca doesn’t want to exchange its cut-over land for federal timber. If so, I invite Payne and Aaron Jones to join me in asking Wyden to delete the land exchange provision from his O&C bill. Existing federal law already allows for land exchanges, done through an open and public process that protects our land, air, water, fi sh, wildlife and recreation. Why Wyden would propose a secret process that provides none of these protections is beyond me. If he can be persuaded to dump this ill-conceived exchange provision, the balance of his O&C lands solution could get the fair hearing it merits. Andy Stahl, a forester, is executive director of Forest Service Em- ployees for Envi- ronmental Ethics.
