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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (July 17, 2014)
ACTIVIST LERT • The Eugene Toxics Board meets at 3:30 pm Thursday, July 17, at the Eugene Emergency Services Center, 1705 W. 2nd Ave. Fire Conference Room. On the agenda is an Envision Eugene overview and other items. Call 682-7118 or email joann.c.eppli@ci.eugene.or.us for more information. ALEX DANIELL WORKING AT OPPORTUNITY VILLAGE, A TRANSITIONAL COMMUNITY SIMILAR TO THE NIGHTENGALE HEALTH SANCTUARY PHOTO: CAMILLA MORTENSEN UNHOUSED SANCTUARY FINDS A HOME The Nightingale Health Sanctuary Steering Commit- tee has found a 1.1-acre lot on which they will start the Nightingale Health Sanctuary, a self-governing commu- nity of homeless people intended to promote health and recovery. Steering committee member Mary Broadhurst asked that the location not be disclosed because the group is still doing neighborhood outreach. Residents will start out living in tents. Organizers hope to build Conestoga huts — semi-permanent 6-by- 1-foot structures — and then move on to micro-housing. The site will eventually be similar to the transitional tiny house community, Opportunity Village Eugene, says Michael Carrigan, a steering committee member and community organizer for Community Alliance of Lane County. Land use laws limit the starting capacity to six resi- dents, but the steering committee hopes to increase that number over time, Broadhurst says. Tenants will sign a community agreement prior to moving onto the site. The contract obligates them to attend weekly meetings and work at least 13 hours per week on the maintenance or operation of the site, and it prohibits violence and alcohol, among other stipulations. Tenants who don’t follow the rules will be asked to leave either temporarily or permanently. BEE-KILLING PESTICIDES LINKED TO BIRD DECLINES The latest in a number of recent studies looking at the impact of neonicotinoid pesticides has shown declining bird popula- tions in areas where the pesticides are used in high concentra- tions. Neonics have already been associated with bee die-offs, and a new study published in Nature found that common bird populations such as barn swallows and starlings decreased 3.5 percent each year in areas associated with neonics use. “It clearly demonstrates that neonicotinoid pesticides are af- fecting the entire food chain,” says Jonathan Evans, toxics and endangered species campaign director for the Center for Bio- logical Diversity. “The cascading impacts of these pesticides are poisoning the food chain and causing ripples of impacts in higher level species like bird species that eat a lot of these insects.” According to the study, the decline began during the mid- 1990s, the same time that imidacloprid, of the neonicotinoid pesticide class, was introduced to the Netherlands. It goes on to explore other factors the researchers examined such as land-use changes to explain the population decline, though no other fac- tors were supportive of their data. The study suggested “further legislation should take into account the potential cascading ef- fects of neonicotinoids on ecosystems.” An anonymous donor pledged $400,000 to fund the sanctuary in April following the city’s closure of Who- ville — a homeless camp of between 20 and 40 people that was located on the intersection of Broadway and Hilyard Streets for eight months. The community will be a more positive and healing- oriented environment than Whoville, Broadhurst says, be- cause they will be able to kick people off the land who do not comply with rules. Community volunteers will teach yoga, cooking and peer-to-peer mediation, among other activities, to site resi- dents. Long-term goals include a two-day per week health clinic, gardens and an emergency overnight shelter where people stop in only to sleep. The committee announced plans for the project at the July 9 Whiteaker Community Council meeting. Reactions from the approximately 40 people attending ranged from the notion that it could be an asset to the neighborhood, to concern about the site bringing more drug use or otherwise unpleasant behavior to the area. Nathan “Red” Showers, steering committee member and former Whoville organizer, says he and other former Whoville residents will live at the new site. He says many of them are willing to embrace a more structured environ- ment. There are a lot of homeless people in the area who have substance abuse issues or disabilities, he says, who could benefit from living somewhere like Nightingale Health Sanctuary. “That is our plan — to help those kind of people get back on their feet. And the elderly that need just a place to stay and put their stuff,” he says. — Missy Corr In a statement by Bayer CropScience, producer of neonic- otinoids and specifically imidacloprid, the company said the study “provides no substantiated evidence of the alleged in- direct effects of imidacloprid on insectivorous birds” and that this class of pesticides is “safe to the environment when used responsibly.” Imidacloprid was one of the neonics sprayed on linden trees in a recent Eugene bee die-off. “There is a wealth of peer-reviewed science that shows the negative effect on pollinators and other non-target species,” Evans says. “Clearly all of these products are toxic and de- signed to kill, and it’s a question of whether their impacts are worth overlooking in terms of their benefits to society. In terms of neonics, they are devastating the same agricultural sector that they are ostensibly benefiting by destroying the pollinator species that is the backbone of our agricultural system.” The European Union recently put a two-year moratorium in place on neonicotonoids until further research on the impact may be completed. “In the United States, I’m not sure why, but our pesticides really get the benefit of the doubt and are innocent until proven guilty,” says Aimee Code, pesticides program coordinator for the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. “We don’t have a smoking gun, but we have significant scientific evidence that shows us there is a serious problem that needs response. And we can’t wait until we get every last bit of data in before we act.” — Anna V. Smith • Two benefits for CAHOOTS and LCC Student Nurses’ Association are this week. The first is an event from noon to 10 pm Thursday, July 17, at Ninkasi, 272 Van Buren, and the next is a showing of Alien Boy: The Life and Death of James Chasse at 8 pm Friday, July 18, at Wandering Goat, 268 Madison St. $5 suggested donation. • An all-day block party benefit for the nonprofit Community Supported Shelters will be from 8 am to 8 pm Saturday, July 19, at 12th and Grant in Eugene. Local businesses will be holding sales, live entertainment is planned and a raffle prize is a Mazda Miata. CSS serves basic shelter needs, such as building Conestoga huts and supporting legal rest-stop camps. See communitysupportedsshelters.org. • The Little Dog Corner park will have its grand opening celebration from 1 to 3 pm Saturday, July 19, at the southeast corner of the Amazon Dog Park along the bike path. The new half-acre, fenced park with its shade shelter, water source and small pool is open for dogs under 25 pounds. All construction and maintenance has been funded through community member donations. The park was inspired by the mauling death of a small dog by a large dog in the off-leash area five years ago. • Umpqua Watersheds is planning River Appreciation Day from 11 am to 5 pm Saturday, July 19, at the Elkton Community Education Center, 15850 Hwy. 38 West in Elkton. Live music during the day and a barn dance to follow. Call 672-7065 for more information. • Occupy Medical, normally providing free medical services in the Park Blocks downtown, will be heading to the coast this weekend. The bus will be open from noon to 4 pm Sunday, July 20, at the St. Vincent de Paul parking lot in Florence. The weekend visit is sponsored by the Florence chapter of Healthcare for All Oregon. The bus will return to the Park Blocks Sunday, July 27. Occupy Medical is a group of health care professionals and support personnel who believe health care is a basic human right that must be made accessible to everyone regardless of ability to pay. See hcao. org or call 997-2997. • Skateboard and electric bike regulations are on the agenda of the Eugene City Council public hearing at 7:30 pm Monday, July 21, at Harris Hall, 125 E. 8th Ave. One proposed new law would allow electric bikes to be ridden on off- street paths with the motor engaged. The other law would modify rules for skateboards downtown. Call 682-5471 for more information or see eugene- or.gov/bikeskatelaws. • A public hearing on Eugene’s proposed paid sick leave ordinance will also be on the agenda at the City Council meeting at 7:30 pm Monday, July 21. Those wishing to speak should sign up at 7 pm. See everybodybenefitseugene.org or call 868- 7924 for more information. • A public hearing on the city’s draft of the Climate Recovery Ordinance will be at 7:30 pm Monday, July 21, at Harris Hall, 124 E. 8th Ave. Time is allotted for public testimony. The City Council will vote on the ordinance (with no public comment) at the meeting at 7:30 pm Monday, July 28, also at Harris Hall. Call (512) 712-0068 or email ebrown@ourchildrenstrust.org for information on public comments. eugeneweekly.com • July 17, 2014 7
