LET TERS
cause cancer and a host of other maladies
that have been plaguing society for
decades, right? I am sure that full-page ad
is not cheap, so it is clear that your need for
the almighty dollar gets in the way of your
basic sense of right and wrong. Make the
right choice and get rid of the cancer. It is
the right thing to do.
John Carlson
Eugene
NULLIFY O&C ACT
The BLM “Resource Management
Plan” would increase logging on our public
federal forests in western Oregon by 37
percent. I witness private forests being
destroyed and turned into tree farms daily.
They are devoid of biodiversity and sprayed
with poisons. The Pacific Northwest has
some of the best forests on Earth for carbon
sequestration, an important function as the
global warming crisis threatens all life.
This plan would cut stream buffers in
half and is exactly the opposite direction
of where we should be going. The vast
majority of Oregonians want our forests
protected. Lane County commissioners
voted to take over $80,000 of our tax
money to sue the state of Oregon to
increase logging on our federal forests here
in Oregon.
They are meeting with Gov. Kate
Brown and are basing the suit on the
O&C Act from 1937. Our forests have
been severely depleted since then, forest
biology has advanced significantly and
we know deforestation contributes to the
global warming crisis.
The O&C Act needs to be nullified and
the best science applied to increase forest
health, not an increase to logging industry
wealth.
Pam Driscoll
Dexter
CLIMATE SOLUTIONS
People in Eugene care deeply about
sustainability, and Josh Skov has the
SHE WHO WATCHES
LAND HARBORS IRREPLACEABLE
INDIGENOUS HISTORY
ld Hazeldell Quarry, an investment of Ed King (King Estate Winery),
has applied to Lane County to change the zoning of a place in Oakridge
known as “TV Butte.” The area, which is outside Oakridge’s urban
growth boundary, is currently zoned F1 and F2 forestlands. If the
zone change is granted, the property would be open to quarry mining.
TV Butte is the center of an irreplaceable and endangered piece of local pioneer
and Indigenous history.
At 7 pm April 19, the first public comment took place at the Lane County
Customer Service building in Eugene. The Lane County Planning Commission
was overwhelmed with the opposition that filled the room. Representatives of the
project included Kuper Consulting, a geological survey company established in
Montana; noise control and economic teams hired by Old Hazeldell were given 45
minutes to present to the planning commission.
The archaeological and cultural “expert” was conveniently unavailable.
Linda McMahon, resident of Oakridge, requested and was granted 45 minutes
equal time to present a rebuttal. Once the presenters were finished, at 9:40 pm, public
comment officially began. A passionate and bold opposition presented itself from
the residents of Oakridge. Many valid concerns were raised from environmental
damages to water, land and wildlife to historical and cultural desecration.
Residents of Oakridge did not have time to complete public comment, so the
45-minute presentation granted to McMahon and citizens will
continue at the next meeting May 10 at 5:30 pm, same location.
In a time when immigrant lifestyles were obliterating ancient
Indigenous cultures in the Oregon territory, our Molalla family
from Oakridge area, rather than defer to conflict, did our best
to cooperate with our new neighbors despite the devastating
circumstances.
There were no great Indian wars on the Upper
Willamette, unlike the Southern and Eastern parts of
the Oregon Territory. This is of extreme historical
significance.
The following excerpt is from Scott McAleer’s
U.S. Forest Service report, “Charlie Tufti and the
Molalla of the Middle Fork”:
“Kwis-Kwis became an orphan because of
the diseases that wiped out much of the Indian
6
A pril 28, 2016 • eugeneweekly.com
Josh knows how to work with staff and
executive leaders to navigate budget
constraints, balance diverse goals and meet
the ongoing day-to-day challenges cities
face.
No other candidate for Ward 1 has the
experience wrestling with these issues and
can be as effective in finding long-term,
comprehensive solutions. I’m eager to cast
my vote for Josh Skov and urge others to
do the same.
Babe O’Sullivan
Eugene
SUSTAIN-A-BULLSHIT
Recently, Bernie Sanders claimed
that Hillary Clinton is not qualified to be
president. While I am not a supporter of the
Clintons (none of the above is my choice),
I think Hillary is qualified to be the
spokesperson for the National Insecurity
State. She has decades of experience
promoting wars, global domination and
corporate corruption.
BY K AYL A GODOWA-T UF TI
Save TV Butte
O
proven track record to carry this important
work forward as the councilor for Ward
1. As the former sustainability manager
for the city, I worked with Josh while he
chaired the Sustainability Commission. He
understands that true sustainability means
building a healthy and prosperous future
for everyone in the community.
That’s a tall order, and Josh has
experience finding solutions that advance
not only environmental health but social
equity and economic prosperity as well.
He built his career as a sustainability
professional working with Eugene and
other cities to get on-the-ground results
in confronting climate change, protecting
vital ecosystems and building renewal
energy solutions. Through his participation
with Envision Eugene and as a member
of the city’s Budget Committee, he’s
brought the sustainability lens to a broad
set of community issues such as land use,
transportation, downtown development
and other important local services.
population. He had an artificially flattened head, which signified that he was an
offspring of a noble family, and he may have been a chief’s son.
His aunt attempted to take on the responsibility of providing for the child’s care,
but she had a family of her own and the burden became too cumbersome.
In desperation, she took him to Fred Warner, a friendly settler who bought Kwis-
Kwis for a pumpkin and a pan of flour. The Warners renamed him Charlie Tufti.”
Charlie Tufti was our great-great grandpa, one of the last of the Chakgeenkni-Tufti
Molalla Band of the Oakridge area. Our head woman was Indian Mary, known for
her beaded and tanned deerskin gloves. Our head man was Old Mose, documented to
have led a band of approximately 20 Molalla people in to the late 1800s, periodically
residing at the Dunning’s Ranch in Hazeldell, post pioneer settlement.
The oldest living descendant of Charlie Tufti is George Aguilar Sr., who
celebrated his 86th birthday this year. Born Feb. 22 of 1930 in The Dalles, Aguilar
resides on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation in Central Oregon.
In 2005, When the River Ran Wild! was published. It was authored by Aguilar
and is a thorough documentation of the life and work of Charlie Tufti among other
Warm Springs tribal historical and cultural personalities:
“On April 21 1884, Charlie Tufti was awarded legal claim to public domain
at the General Land Office in Roseburg. The land on the deed was as follows:
160 acres of township number 21, on the south range R3E, Section 1421 of the
Willamette Meridian.”
Another Molalla named Jim Chuck Chuck also managed to homestead land in
Big Prairie, later called Hazeldell, and today known as Oakridge.
In order to homestead an applicant had to be white. Therefore it was illegal for
an Indian to own land outside the reservation.
Feb. 22 of 1889, Tufti sold the property to A.C. McClane for $640, 25 cents per
acre. Tufti married Lucy, a prominent Wasco leader from the Warm Springs Indian
Reservation, and moved thereafter.
There are seven known Indian graves documented in the TV Butte area. Tufti
had two wives and children who died of tuberculosis. It is absolutely probable there
are more that were not documented due to dangers of grave robbers. Indigenous
people of this area were always buried with their finest possessions.
Warm Springs Tribal Code chapter 490 — Protection and Management of
Archaeological, Historical and Cultural Resources states: “These cultural sites and
materials include those associated with traditional foods, other natural resources, other
sacred sites as designated by the Tribes, habitations and historical events and personalities.
It is recognized that these are an invaluable, irreplaceable and endangered tribal resource.”
Go to Save TV Butte on Facebook for more information: facebook.com/groups/
NoOldHazeldell. The next opportunity for comment is 5:30 pm May 10 at the Lane
County Customer Service Building, 3050 N. Delta Hwy. in Eugene. If you cannot
attend the meeting, I strongly encourage submitting written comment to the Lane
County Planning Commission and the Lane County Board of Commissioners.
Kayla Godowa-Tufti is a member of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs of Oregon and descendant of the Klamath
Tribes, an Indigenous rights/water advocate and freelance journalist residing in Kalapuya Territory.