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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 28, 2014)
Medical marijuana dispensaries in Oregon are rallying to support the measure on the November ballot that would legalize, regulate and tax marijuana use by adults in the state. Lane County dispensaries are sending representatives north to a kick-off event for the group Dispensaries for Measure 91 at 5:30 pm Thursday, Aug. 28, at Opal 28, 510 NE 28th Ave. in Portland. See voteyeson91.com to get involved. Why are dispensaries supporting “competition” from legalized pot? We figure it’s because established medical pot operations are ready and eager to expand into non-medical pot, plus Measure 91 specifically supports the continuation of the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program. OMMP patients will continue to pay their annual fees but will not pay the taxes that will be imposed on non-OMMP patients. Meanwhile, some 300 medical marijuana growers gathered in Portland Aug. 22 to talk about lobbying the Legislature for regulations and protections for their farming. Growers are concerned about ambiguous laws that make them vulnerable to being shut down and having their equipment and medicine confiscated. The annual Labor Day Picnic in celebration and support of unions will be from 1 to 4 pm Monday, Labor Day, at Lively Park behind SPLASH at 6100 Thurston Rd. in Springfield. The event is hosted by Lane County Central Labor Council and its affiliated organizations and will feature speeches by Reps. John Lively and Phil Barnhart and Sens. Lee Beyer and Floyd Prozanski. Barbeque foods will be provided but guests are asked to bring side dishes. Call 736-9041 or email pineojensen@gmail.com. Mountain Rose Herbs is planning its next event in the Free Herbalism Project with a free evening of herbal education from 5 to 9 pm Friday, Aug. 29, at Mount Pisgah Arboretum. One of the speakers will be Michigan herbalist Jim McDonald talking on “Aphrodisiacs and Energetics.” Botanist Heron Brae will talk on “Wild Plants for Food and Medicine in the Seasonal Cycles.” See mountainroseherbs.com or call (800) 879- 3337, ext. 183. Eugene Sudbury School was burglarized the night of Aug. 24 and about $5,000 worth of art supplies, computer equipment, books, toys and games were stolen. A pressure washer was also taken. Sudbury is an independent K-12 alternative school at 2370 Parliament St. in southwest Eugene. “It’s such a devastating loss to our program to have some of these unique educational resources taken,” said Director Demian Schwartz in a press release. “Especially in that we serve some really high-needs students and low- income families who only thrive in our setting.” An account has been set up at gofundme.com/EugeneSudbury to try to replace the stolen items before the students return for school next week. The American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) of Eugene has changed its name to Lane Youth Soccer Association (LYSA), breaking away from the California-based AYSO after 47 years. Sounds like the Eugene group was feeling overly restricted. No word on whether the Springfield AYSO will also go independent. “In reality, nothing on the field has changed,” says Joel Andersen of LYSA in a prepared statement. The new website for the group is laneyouthsoccer.org and Andersen can be reached at 521-8100. 4J SCHOOL BOARD PLANS TO TIGHTEN CURRICULUM ADOPTION PROCEDURES With the new school year kicking off Sept. 3, Eugene School Board 4J wants to reformat its current curriculum adoption process. After three years of using College Pre- paratory Mathematics (CPM) in the district, the board has not yet actually voted on the official adoption or rejection of the controversial middle school and high school CPM curriculum. Part of this revamp includes reconvening the Instructional Policy Council, which according to board members has not met for years and once played a role in choosing district curriculum. CPM, called “one of the leading high school math programs nationally” by 4J Superintendent Sheldon Ber- man while criticized by the 118-member Facebook group “CPM Math in Eugene,” was phased in during the 2011- 2012 school year. Parents and teachers took issue with the implementation of CPM when the district spent $469,404 in bond and general funds without officially adopting the curriculum, in addition to other reasons. The district has delayed adopting CPM, although all 4J high schools except Sheldon will use CPM through the CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF OREGON WILDERNESS From old-growth forests to dynamic desert landscapes, Oregon’s legacy of diverse ecosystems lives on through its protected wilderness areas. That’s exactly what Oregonians will celebrate Sept. 3 for the 50-year anniversary of the Wil- derness Act, which protects around 2.5 million acres across 48 sites in Oregon and 110 million acres total nationwide. While observances will be happening all over the U.S., the weeklong celebration in Eugene will be classic Oregon fare: talks, hikes and beer. Wilderness areas “provide Americans with their natu- ral heritage that we all associate with wild open spaces and beautiful landscapes,” says Chandra LeGue of Oregon Wild. “That’s something that’s always been a part of the American psyche.” Designated wilderness areas allow hunting, fishing, hik- ing and other recreational activities but differ from national parks and state forests in that they aren’t developed. Gener- ally there are no roads, bathrooms or buildings. This makes for ideal habitat for endangered species like salmon and marbled murrelet, as well as for undisturbed for- ests and prairies. It also ensures clean drinking water such as level of Algebra 2 this year, according to a memo that 4J Director of Secondary Education Randy Bernstein sent to board members. The memo says, “At Sheldon High School, all teach- ers will use CPM if required to do so. However, if given the choice in 2014-15, some would continue to use CPM as their core curriculum while most would use their for- mer curriculum, perhaps supplementing it with … CPM.” Parent Abby Gershenzon says that she and her daugh- ter were “extremely unhappy” to find out that South Eugene High School added another grade of CPM this school year. She and other parents say they have recently written to school board members and principals about CPM with no response. 4J Communications Coordinator Kerry Delf says that the Instructional Policy Council, which used to bring curriculum decisions to the board and consisted of par- ents, teachers, administrators and board members, hasn’t met in years because limited funds kept the district from adopting new math curriculum more recently. She says the board plans to “review and update all its curriculum adoption procedures.” 4J School Board Chair Mary Walston says of the IPC, “The committee wasn’t as vibrant as it should have been. It’s nobody’s fault; it just happened.” Board members and Delf say the board will continue to discuss the matter of CPM throughout the school year. — Amy Schneider Eugene’s water source, the McKenzie River. According to Oregon Wild, protected wilderness areas cover a quarter of the meandering McKenzie. The Omnibus Public Land Management Act, signed by President Obama in 2009, added thousands of acres to ex- isting wilderness areas. Most recently, groups like Oregon Wild, Oregon Natural Desert Association and the Sierra Club’s local Many Rivers Group have worked towards get- ting Congress to add Devil’s Staircase Wilderness, Wild Rogue Wilderness and Crater Lake Wilderness to Oregon’s protected areas. LeGue says that the 50th anniversary of the act is the perfect opportunity for people to learn more about the indi- vidual importance of these proposed wilderness areas, and to appreciate the ones we already have. The Obsidians, a local group of outdoor enthusiasts, will lead hikes through the Mount Jefferson, Three Sisters and Waldo Lake wildernesses and more throughout the week of Aug. 30. The week will also include an Oregon Wild film screening, guest speakers and a happy hour at Ninkasi host- ed by conservation organizations. To pre-register for the Obsidian hikes, go to obsidians. org. For more information on Wilderness Celebration activi- ties, go to wkly.ws/1t1. — Anna V. Smith Arriving By Bike hosts its fifth annual Cycling Celebration from 1 to 4 pm Saturday, Aug. 30, at 2705 Willamette. Falling Sky Brewing will provide the new Mash Transit Ale created by Falling Sky to celebrate LTD’s national award for “Best Transit District.” Pedal Powered Music will provide the music. Other businesses participating include Cascadian Courier Collective, J-Tea bike cart, Grey Matter Jugglers, Open Air Cinema and Vanilla Jill’s Frozen Yogurt bike cart. Contact Paul Moore at 954-3843 or paul@arrivingbybike.com. A presentation on Oregon public benefit companies by Ed Gerdes, vice president and general counsel at Cafe Yumm! will be at the Greenlane Sustainable Business Network’s monthly meeting at 11:30 am Wednesday, Sept. 3, at the Eugene Hilton. Lunch available for purchase. A free workshop titled “Organize to Optimize Your Small Business” will be at 6 pm Thursday, Sept. 4, at the Eugene Public Library. Productivity consultant Jan Lehman will share practical ways to optimize time, space and effort. Sponsored by LCC Small Business Development Center and SCORE. Call 682-5450. HELLS CANYON WILDERNESS PHOTO: TRASK BEDORTHA 6 A ugust 28, 2014 • eugeneweekly.com
