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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (March 31, 2016)
NEWS POLLUTION UPDATE BY AMY SCHNEIDER UO SEMINAR ON DE-EXTINCTION BRINGS DINO RESEARCHER TO EUGENE A ttention, dinosaur fans: Paleontologist Jack Horner says it might be possible to make a living dinosaur, and he’s coming to Eugene April 6 to explain how it’s done as part of a University of Oregon seminar series on “de-extinction.” Horner, a paleontology professor at Montana State Uni- versity, spends most of his time digging up and studying dinosaurs — he’s best known as the inspiration for Dr. Alan Grant, a paleontologist from Jurassic Park played by Sam Neill. In 2009, Horner wrote the book How to Build a Dinosaur, in which he describes how to turn a chicken into a dinosaur. Because birds evolved from dinosaurs, bird genes contain ancestral information and codes that can be reverse-engineered to bring back dinosaur-like character- istics, including long tails, short arms and snouts instead of beaks. At the UO, Horner plans “to talk about our efforts to bring dinosaurs back, and the current dinochicken proj- ect,” he writes EW from Montana. By tweaking a chick- en’s genes, he says, we can “learn what characteristics are turned on or off by switching genes on or off.” Horner’s “chickenosaurus” project is an example of de- extinction, a new field of study that focuses on using what we know about genetics to bring back extinct species. Another facet of de-extinction explores the idea of us- ing preserved DNA and cloning to resurrect species that no longer exist, such as the woolly mammoth. “The possibilities and the moral and practical im- plications of this exciting new field are just now be- ing explored, making this field ripe for talks on the cutting edge of science,” says Christine O’Connor, a graduate student in the UO’s Institute of Ecology and Evolution who helped organize the seminar with other evolutionary biology and ecology graduate stu- dents. The next speaker in the series is Hank Greely, a professor at Stanford Law School — on April 27, he’ll discuss the ethics of resurrecting species that succumbed to extinction. On May 4, Hendrik Poin- ar, a Canadian anthropologist and geneticist, rounds out the series with a presentation on bringing woolly mammoths back to life. Horner says in his talk, he’ll also bring up the pos- sibility of creating a mythical creature: “I’ll explain in detail how we could make a living unicorn,” he says. But, he adds, “I’m not going to give it away before my talk.” Jack Horner speaks 7 pm Wednesday, April 6, at 150 Columbia Hall on the UO campus. The talk is free and open to the public. ■ The Graduate Evolutionary Biology & Ecology Students present an educational seminar series Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) assessed a civil penalty of $6,400 against BJB Milling & Lumber, LLC on March 22 for BJB’s failure to follow through on a commitment to construct a bioswale to address elevated levels of total suspended solids (TSS) in stormwater discharged from its Eugene facility. BJB identified an alternative means of addressing TSS levels toward the end of last year. BJB’s Eugene facility is located at 101 Iowa Street, and BJB is owned by Jolly Investments, LLC (which is operated by Springfield accountant James Youel). DEQ is currently accepting comments on erosion control plans for two Eugene construction projects: Sterling Woods 2nd Addition (comments due April 4) and Stone Bridge Apartments (comments due April 6). Visit goo.gl/Yp4iAK for more information on commenting. Doug Quirke/Oregon Clean Water Action Project LANE COUNTY AREA SPRAY SCHEDULE • ODOT will soon be spraying roadsides. Call Jim Gamble at ODOT District 5 at 744-8080 or call (888) 996-8080 for herbicide application information. Hwy. 101 north of Dunes City and Florence was recently sprayed. • Rosboro LLC, 736-2100, plans to spray their roadsides in Lane County with triclopyr, aminopyralid, glyphosate, metsulfuron methyl, Dyne-Amic, Induce, Syl-Tac and/or R-11, See ODF notification 2016-781-03793, call Dan Menk at 935- 2283 with questions. • Oregon Department of Forestry Western Lane District plans to spray their roadsides with glyphosate, sulfometuron methyl, triclopyr, Milestone VM Plus, imazapyr, sulfometuron methyl, Herbimax, MSO Concentrate and/or LI-700. See ODF notification 2016-781-03649, call Dan Menk at 935-2283 with questions. • Giustina Land and Timber Company, 345-2301, plans to spray 35.6 acres between Marlow and Hamm roads with glyphosate, hexazinone, sulfometuron methyl, clopyralid, atrazine and/or Dyne-Amic. See ODF notification number 2016- 781-03424, call Brian Peterson at 935-2283 with questions. Compiled by Jan Wroncy and Gary Hale, ForestlandDwellers.org, 342-8332. of BARGAINS the MONTH FREE and Open to the Public! ® 4 99 -1 00 sale price mail-in rebate* 3 99 FINAL PRICE Only 4.99 each light 29 99 1.5-Cu.-Ft. Moisture Control ® Garden Soil YOUR CHOICE L 205 577 B48 While supplies last. *$1 mail-in rebate. Limit 2 rebates. 6-Pk. Solar Path Light Customer responsible for taxes and fees. Choose bronze or stainless steel finish. 5 lumens. T 185 129, 131 B4 While supplies last. 6 99 -3 00 sale price HOT DEAL! 16 mail-in rebate* 3 99 99 FINAL PRICE 50-Lb. Dry Dog Food 32-Oz. Weed B Gon ® Concentrate Lawn Weed Killer L 187 421 B12 H 169 090 1 While supplies last. While supplies last. *$3 mail-in rebate. Limit 2 rebates. Customer responsible for taxes and fees. Dr. Jack Horner 06 April How to Make Living Dinosaurs and Unicorns 7PM • 150 Columbia Hall University of Oregon SAVE 35% or more 9 3/ Hank Greely 27 April De-extinction: How, Why, and Whether 7PM • 182 Lillis Hall University of Oregon Dr. Hendrik Poinar 04 May Bring Back the Woolly Mammoth! 7PM • 182 Lillis Hall University of Oregon 9 99 HOT DEAL! YOUR CHOICE 99 Choose black, brown or red. L 200 424, 425, 426; 192 210, 5-Lb. Organic Vegetable Garden Weed Preventer or 5.625-Lb. Garden Weed Preventer 212, 213; 186 457, 458, 459; 201 763, 764, 765 While supplies last. L 590 065; 689 867 B4 While supplies last. YOUR CHOICE 2-Cu.-Ft. Colored Mulch April 2016 Eugene True Value Hardware 2825 Willamette Eugene, OR (541) 342-5191 www.truevalue.com/Eugene Sale ends 4/30/2016 ©2016 True Value ® Company. All rights reserved. Find the right products for your project and expert advice at True Value ® . eugeneweekly.com • March 31, 2016 9