Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (March 23, 2017)
NEWS B Y H E N RY H O U S TO N POLLUTION UPDATE VISCO Warned for Water & Solid Waste Violations The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) sent VISCO, Inc., a warning letter on March 10 for Clean Water Act violations at its Awbrey Lane facility. DEQ inspected VISCO’s facility on Feb. 9 and observed that VISCO was failing to clean up sand blasting material, leaving it exposed to precipitation and therefore vulnerable to ending up in local waterways. DEQ also noted that VISCO was in violation of employee education and monitoring requirements of its Clean Water Act permit and warned VISCO for violating solid waste laws via unauthorized land disposal of waste sand blasting material. Doug Quirke/Oregon Clean Water Action Project LANE COUNTY AREA SPRAY SCHEDULE CITY WIDE MECHA ORGANIZER MIGUEL PEREZ SANCHEZ AND CARLOS GARCIA ADDRESS SPRINGFIELD MAYOR CHRISTINE LUNDBERG PHOTO: HENRY HOUSTON SPRINGFIELD ISSUES PROCLAMATION FOR INDIGENOUS PEOPLES’ DAY Mayor’s last-minute change from a resolution surprises community members fter nearly six months of discussion, Springfield will join dozens of cities nationwide, including Eugene, to recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day on the second Monday of October. Springfield Mayor Christine Lundberg issued a proclamation at the beginning of the March 20 City Council meeting to recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day. The wording commits the city to protecting the dignity of all people who live and work in Springfield and aims to uphold the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous People. For some advocates, though, the proclamation was seen as just words and no action. Community members who at- tended the meeting and expected the council to vote on a full council resolution say they were surprised when they picked up the city council agenda. A proclamation is what the mayor issues without a council vote, legislative and public affairs manager Niel Laudati says. Those pursuing Indig- enous Peoples’ Day origi- nally requested a resolution, but Lundberg instead decided to place it on the March 20 agenda as a proclamation, Laudati says. “I felt that I could do more as a proclamation,” Lundberg tells EW. Putting it on the agenda as a proclamation changed the tone of those who spoke during the city council meeting from celebratory to critical. “I just want to stay firm that the indigenous community is asking for a resolution,” says Ada Ball, a Siletz and Klamath tribal member. “A proclamation is very nice, but now is not the time for statements. A resolution is action.” The issued proclamation also did not mention Christo- pher Columbus in its text. Indigenous Peoples’ Day — usu- ally observed on the same day as Columbus Day — trans- forms a celebration of colonialism into a reflection upon the ongoing struggles of indigenous peoples and a celebration of their cultures and values. A “It wasn’t just my opinion to remove the paragraph about Columbus Day. It was an informal discussion with coun- cilors,” Lundberg says. “So I very adamantly wanted to do the positive, which is to recognize indigenous people, than make a negative statement and make someone feel slighted in some way.” The fact that Springfield’s councilors did not vote on a resolution worries Phil Carrasco, co-founder of Grupo La- tino de Acción Directa. Carrasco says that since white su- premacist narratives have permeated down to the local level from the Trump administration, it is important for local gov- ernments to confront racism. “The importance in passing a resolution is that it estab- lishes language that points to potential future actions on be- half of this city government on Kalapuya land,” he says. “Government to govern- ment.” Discussion of the procla- mation began when Leilani Sabzalian and Ball brought about 40 youths from Spring- field’s Chifin Native Youth Center to the Sept. 20, 2016, Springfield City Council meeting to express support for formally recognizing In- digenous Peoples’ Day in Springfield. Because only 15 minutes is allotted for business from the public, and a public hearing was not scheduled, only a few were able to speak. Afterwards, Springfield city officials worked with Sabzalian and Ball and the city’s Committee for Diversity and Inclusion to provide a recommendation for the council. That resulted in the proclamation, though it was originally slated as a resolution requiring a vote. Wording of the proclamation came from the Committee for Diversity and Inclusion; it was inspired by other procla- mations and resolutions, Lundberg says. Springfield does not officially recognize Columbus Day and neither does the state of Oregon, though it is a federally recognized holiday. Those pursuing Indigenous Peoples’ Day originally requested a resolution. • Giustina Land & Timber Co, 541-345-2301, plans to hire Northwest Reforestation Services LLC, 541-520-6215, to ground spray 54.2 acres on three units south of Fox Hollow Road; 162.1 acres on three units near Camas Swale; 50.6 acres near Bennett Creek; and 5.1 acres near Jones Creek with clopyralid, sulfometuron methyl, atrazine, hexazinone, Forest Crop Oil and/or Crop Oil Concentrate. See ODF notifications 2017-781-02786 and 2017-781- 02857, call Brian Peterson at 541-935-2283 with questions. • Giustina also plans to hire the same company to ground spray 88.9 acres on four units near Marcola and Dexter with clopyralid, sulfometuron methyl, atrazine, hexazinone, Forest Crop Oil and/or Crop Oil Concentrate. See ODF notifications 2017-771-02851 and 2017-771-02785, call Tim Meehan at 541-726- 3588 with questions. • Giustina plans to hire Western Helicopter Services Inc., 503-538-9469, to aerially spray 31.7 acres near High Pass Road and Owens Creek with 2,4-D with amine, atrazine, hexazinone, sulfometuron methyl, clopyralid and/or Crop Oil Concentrate. See ODF notification 2017-781-02880, call Robin Biesecker at 541-935-2283 with questions. • Weyerhaeuser Company, 541-746-2511, plans to aerially spray 303.2 acres on seven units near Fish Creek, Low Pass Summit, High Pass Road and Lobster Creek with clopyralid, glyphosate, hexazinone, sulfometuron methyl, Crosshair, Grounded and/or Foam Buster. See ODF notification 2017-781-02868, call Robin Biesecker at 541-935-2283 with questions. • Weyerhaeuser also plans to aerially spray 65.2 acres south of Overholser Road with glyphosate, 2,4-D with amine, 2,4-D with ester, atrazine, sulfometuron methyl, metsulfuron methyl, clopyralid, hexazinone, Crosshair, Foam Buster, Induce, Grounded, Insist 90, MSO Concentrate, No Foam, Odor Mask and/or High- Light Blue. See ODF notification 2017-781-03150, call Brian Peterson at 541-935-2283 with questions. • M Three Timber, 541-767-3785, plans to spray 59.3 acres south of Lynx Hollow Road with clopyralid, hexazinone and/or sulfometuron methyl. See ODF notification 2017-781-03370, call Brian Peterson at 541-935-2283 with questions. • David Nowak, 541-521-9933, plans to hire Northwest Reforestation Services, 541-520-6215, to spray 66.3 acres near McBeth Road with Polaris SP, Polaris AC, Garlon 4 Ultra, Westar, Velpar DF, Oust XP and/or MSO Concentrate. See ODF notification 2017- 781-01693, call Brian Peterson at 541-935-2283 with questions. Compiled by Gary Hale, Forestland Dwellers: 541-342-8332, for- estlanddwellers.org eugeneweekly.com • March 23, 2017 7
