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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (June 13, 2019)
letters DON’T FORGET THE WHIT Your summer guide of events (EW, 6/6) missed a crucial community event: the Whiteaker Community Market. The Whiteaker Community Market is 11 am to 4 pm every Sunday in Scobert Park (4th and Blair). With a mission to cul- tivate a gathering place that is inclusive, diverse and vibrant, the market supports emerging local makers and growers, with a different theme every week, musical guests and free yoga at 11 am! This is my first year at the White- aker Community Market and it is truly unique. With more than 80 vendors (but only 30 booths per week), no week is the same; the array of vendors is ever changing, but it stays small enough to build community. I’ve learned so much sharing my art, Oregon Alphabet Soup Maps, with the community, and it is lovely to see kids playing in the park, musicians playing mu- sic and people getting to know each other. The Whiteaker Community Market should have been front and center in your guide to the summer. Alex Dreher Eugene EAT YOUR VEGGIES With summer upon us, I wanted to call attention to, and thank you for, printing the April 18 article written by Camilla Mortensen titled “Earth Day Cometh.” I am a single mother of a very hyper four-year-old girl, and getting her to eat fruits and veggies isn’t the easi- est. When we can go to the gardens and she gets to work and see the food grow- ing herself, getting her to eat healthy is a breeze. Thank you for getting the word out so other parents of picky eaters can have a chance to teach and show their children that gardening and having fruits and veggies can be fun. Jordan Hubbard Eugene BLM MANDATE hear ye, hear ye !! LEGAL NOTICES Place your legal notices in the Eugene Weekly! FAST, EFFICIENT SERVICE call: 541.484.0519 email: offi ce@eugeneweekly.com fax: 541.484.4044 Eugene Weekly qualifi es for posting legal ads 4 J U N E 1 3 , 2 0 1 9 The Bureau of Land Management is proposing a timber sale in the Shotgun area northeast of Eugene. Right now we all have the opportunity to tell them which of their alternatives we prefer. A few of my concerns: The BLM claims to harvest trees at a sustainable rate, but many of their tree plantations are lagging behind the growth rate pre- dicted by their sustainability model. In these times of climate change, optimis- tic predictions of growth are foolish. The BLM’s sustainability model does not address carbon sequestration. As carbon dioxide in the atmosphere in- creases it traps heat around the earth’s surface. The value of our forests comes from the capacity of trees to keep car- bon out of the atmosphere. When a stand of mature trees is cut, the amount of carbon sequestration it had been providing is lost totally. The immature trees that replace it will not store as much carbon for many years to come. Not including carbon sequestration in any model of sustainability is outmoded and irresponsible. Every year we anxiously watch the news as millions of acres of forest are destroyed by wildfires. Today our woods are full of fuels: fallen trees, branches on the ground, dead branches on lower tree trunks. Part of the BLM’s job is to protect the forest. Failure to remove fuels and thin dense stands of trees is indefensible. The BLM is mandated to do more than sell timber. We must encourage them to update their sustainability model and manage the forest for health and fire prevention. Jean Guidry Springfield GETTING KIDS ENGAGED I would like to call attention to the lack of public attendance to communi- ty meetings. It is a social dilemma that needs to be resolved. The current youth already pay little to no attention to the happenings in the community, which no one seems to be distressed by. If children grow up not caring about what goes on in their com- munity, our future begins to look very bleak. The city and state need to put some kind of effort in addressing this issue. The solution may be incorporating so- cial media to a larger degree and/or creating programs to implement in K-12 schools. Getting children interested in social issues at a young age could make them carry that intrigue into adulthood, when it really matters. I have two teen- age sisters who completely glaze over if I try to bring up politics or social issues, even when it directly affects them and their lives. It may seem ludicrous, but if we can manage to make getting involved in the community fun, people would actually begin to pay more attention. We need to change this dynamic where people run from the word “legis- lature.” Mayor Lucy Vinis, Mayor Christine Lundberg and Gov. Kate Brown, please do something about this. It may resem- ble a small issue now, but down the road it could be a catastrophic problem. Andrea McIntyre Springfield SHARE THE WEED Cannabis: Some oppose it, but most support it. It’s something that most are familiar with, but only in recent years has cannabis gained any admirable rec- ognition from legislators. The state of Oregon has one of the best climates for growing weed in the country; isn’t it only right to share it with others? While cannabis hasn’t been recreationally legal for long, it seems like something such as exporting it to other states where it’s legal should al- ready be in place. Oregon has an abundant amount of weed, with the supply surpassing the demand. This ultimately leads to the guaranteed destruction of unused can- nabis, valuable revenue and perhaps even much needed jobs. Allowing the exportation of cannabis would create more jobs and generate more revenue, both of which every state could benefit from. Don’t forget the fa- mous childhood saying: “Sharing is car- ing.” Trenton Taylor Eugene EDUCATING EMPATHY In 2008, President Obama described the state of the world: “I’m talking about a moral deficit. I’m talking about an empathy deficit. I’m talking about an inability to recognize ourselves in one another; to understand that we are our brother’s keeper; we are our sister’s keeper; that, in the words of Dr. King, we are all tied together in a single garment of destiny.” The present looks much worse. Local educator Paul Bodin has spo- ken eloquently about an empathy core curriculum and how we can help foster not only an empathic national culture but a planetary one as well. As preschool educators, my wife and I have fostered an empathy curriculum for our in home preschool since 1990. The early years enable educators to give children a solid foundation of see- ing things from another point view, de- veloping problem solving skills along with independent thinking, and most importantly nurturing a “kind heart.” Our emerging global culture hungers for creative thinkers who are inspired by compassion and love for all peoples. Further progress for our planet will not come from dazzling technologies or threatening, bullying behaviors. The true superheroes of the present and the future are and will be the empathic serv- ers of humanity. Christopher & Deb Michaels Eugene THANKS, BUT YOU DROVE? At Tacovore on Sunday, I had a mar- garita — a really good margarita. I’m not much of a drinker, so after bussing my glass I walked off, leaving my wallet on the table. My gal friend dropped me off to walk the couple blocks to my home near Morse Ranch. At home, I discovered my wal- let was missing. I called and gin- gerly drove to Tacovore. No wallet. I went home and called to cancel my debit cards. An hour later, I got a call that my wal- let was at Friendly Foods. I walked down and wondered what I would find. Every- thing was there: money ($50) cards — everything! Whoever found it and took it to my favorite grocery: Thank you. That’s Eugene! Sarah Adkison Eugene E U G E N E W E E K LY . C O M
