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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 23, 2015)
3C THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, JANUARY 23, 2015 Monarch butterfly protections could restrict GMOs Federal of¿cials say threatened status may be warranted AN ANALYSIS By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI EO Media Group Federal regulators think mon- arch butterflies may be a threat- ened species, which could even- tually provide biotechnology critics with a new justification for restricting genetically engineered crops. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently said the butter- fly may warrant listing under the Endangered Species Act, finding that environmental groups have furnished “substantial” data that indicates federal protection for the insect may be necessary. Environmentalists claim that widespread adoption of “Round- up Ready” biotech crops resistant to glyphosate herbicides has in- creased usage of these chemicals, depleting the monarch’s milkweed habitat and drastically reducing its populations. The Endangered Species Act is a “very powerful” tool that envi- ronmentalists hope to use against glyphosate and, by proxy, herbi- cide-tolerant biotech crops, said Jay Vroom, executive director of Croplife America, an agribusiness group. “It’s a real concern, without a doubt,” he said. “To single out the GE resistance and glyphosate technology is suspect and does not comport with scientific trends.” The petition to list monarch butterflies as threatened is a new tactic in a broader campaign to discourage the cultivation of ge- netically modified organisms, said Damien Schiff, an attorney spe- cializing in property rights and environmental law. In the past, pesticide opponents have successfully used the Endan- gered Species Act to require the federal government to increase its scrutiny of various chemicals and limit their uses, he said. “This is an element of the same general strategy,” Schiff said. If environmentalists succeed in obtaining a listing for the monarch butterfly, it would implicate the spraying of glyphosate and other herbicides on biotech crops across the large geographic area occu- pied by the species, Schiff said. Monarch butterflies in the Mid- west — where they’re most popu- lous — overwinter in mountainous areas of Mexico, while those in the West overwinter on the California Coast. “That raises the possibility of a huge critical habitat designation,” Schiff said. Biotech critics were dealt a ma- jor legal setback in 2013, when the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decided that the USDA lacked au- thority to regulate genetically en- Courtesy of Elizabeth A. Sellers, USGS The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently said the monarch butterfly may warrant listing under the Endangered Species Act. gineered crops that are not plant pests. That opinion undermined the effectiveness of lawsuits chal- lenging USDA’s environmental analysis of transgenic crops. Such cases had previously hindered the commercialization of “Roundup Ready” alfalfa and sugar beets. Biotech critics have since shift- ed their approach. Recent efforts, for example, have focused on en- couraging states and local govern- ments to label or restrict geneti- cally engineered crops. Environmental groups say their ESA listing petition is motivated by a desire to halt the steep de- cline in monarch populations rath- er than an anti-biotech agenda. Over the past two decades, the number of monarchs has dropped from roughly 1 billion to less than 35 million, their petition claims. Even so, the environmental groups believe the main hazard facing the insect is the loss of summer breeding habitat due to GMO-related glyphosate appli- cations, said Tierra Curry, senior scientist with the Center for Bio- logical Diversity, one of the peti- tioners. “We think one of the largest threats right now is increased pes- ticide use,” she said. Defenders of pesticides and biotechnology discount this ar- gument, pointing out that farm- Wintertime at Proxy Falls By ZACH URNESS Statesman Journal MCKENZIE BRIDGE — Take a hike on Proxy Falls Trail during summer or au- tumn, and there’s a good chance you’ll have compa- ny. The two waterfalls on this easy hike off McKenzie Pass Highway are among the most frequently photo- graphed in Oregon and often draw a crowd on weekends. Come back in winter, though, when the highway is closed to vehicles and the preferred mode of transpor- tation is skis or snowshoes, and it’s a far different expe- rience. The journey to Proxy Falls is longer, colder and sometimes requires a bit of route-finding during winter. But it’s also more re- warding, offering the chance to travel a high- way that becomes a tunnel through snowy forest and experience Upper Proxy Falls (126 feet) and Lower Proxy Falls (226 feet) orna- mented by icicles. The route, which in- cludes stretches of highway and trail, is seven miles out and back with 1,100 feet of climb. On the right day — after a fresh dose of snow — a winter trip to Proxy Falls Trail is far better than any- thing you’d experience in summer. AP Photo/Statesman-Journal, Zach Urness Waiting for snow One of my favorite activ- ities during winter is a sport known as “Winter Waterfall Hunting.” The idea is pretty simple: Visit as many waterfalls as possible covered with ice and snow during the year’s coldest months. The spray of a winter waterfall is so refreshing it clears all the cobwebs from your brain. It makes a fun scavenger hunt when com- bined with snowshoeing, skiing or snowmobiling, IF YOU GO ... Proxy Falls in Winter General location: East of McKenzie Bridge, southeast of Santiam Junction Elevation: 2,100 (trailhead) to 3,200 (waterfalls) Information: McKenzie Bridge Ranger District, Oakridge, (541) 822-3381 Activity: Snowshoe, cross country ski or hike Distance: 7 miles out and back Elevation climb: 1,100 feet Route: 2.6 miles up closed McKenzie Pass Highway 242, 1.8 miles on Proxy Falls Trail, 2.6 miles back down McKenzie Pass Highway. Directions: From Eugene, follow Highway 126 east, past McKenzie Bridge and Paradise Campground, and turn right onto McKenzie Pass Highway 242. Follow to the gate and park on the right. (You can also take Highway 22 east of Salem and head south on Highway 126 to the same place. The route from Eugene is about 10 minutes quicker). Trailhead coordinates: N44 10.062 W121 57.966 The journey Ice covers part of the Upper Proxy Falls, located near McKenzie Bridge, about 60 miles east of Eugene, Jan. 1. AP Photo/Statesman-Journal, Zach Urness Hikers make their way up Highway 242, which is closed during the winter, to the Proxy Falls trail, near McKenzie Bridge. and for photographers, it creates unique scenes. The problem last sea- son and the beginning of this year has been crum- my snow conditions. Proxy Falls — along with many of Oregon’s great waterfalls — sits at the 3,100- to 3,200- foot range, which these past few seasons has been too low for consistent snow. I planned winter trips to Proxy Falls multiple times last year, only to can- cel them when the weath- er brought rain instead of snow. And so, when a system of mid-elevation snow finally arrived at the end of Decem- ber, I decided to spend New Year’s Day fulfilling my resolution to see Proxy Falls encased by snow and ice on the first day of the year. ers have removed milkweed from their fields prior to the advent of biotechnology or glyphosate. “We’ve been controlling milk- weed a lot longer than Roundup has been available,” said Vroom of Croplife America. The petitioners argue that un- like older herbicides, glyphosate kills the perennial plant’s roots and prevents it from regenerating. The chemical is also much more prevalent now that major com- modity crops can withstand it, they say. “We do see a very strong cor- relation,” said Sarina Jepsen, en- dangered species program director for the Xerces Society, another pe- titioner. “I just don’t think farmers were (previously) as effectively controlling milkweed.” If the species is listed, a possi- ble remedy could involve farmers setting aside reserves free of bio- tech crops resistant to glyphosate, allowing milkweed to recover, she said. The USFWS is unlikely to take drastic measures, said Curry. “I don’t think the Service is going to come out and tell people they can’t grow Roundup Ready crops.” Possible restrictions would also not be immediate — the agency probably won’t decide whether or not to list the monarch until 2016, and then require another year to finalize the rules, she said. The pesticide industry does not believe a listing is justified and plans to oppose the listing peti- tion, said Vroom. “This is another marathon journey.” The trip to Proxy Falls during winter is simple enough. From Highway 126 — coming from either Santiam Junction or Eugene — sim- ply turn onto Highway 242 and follow it until you hit the snow gate. There’s a small parking area on the side of the road. The trick once you arrive is deciding what equipment to bring. The snow gate’s el- evation is 2,100 feet, but the waterfalls are at 3,200 feet, which means you’re likely to pick up a fair amount of snow during the trip. When snowpack is min- imal and there’s a good path, all you really need are waterproof boots. In deep- er snow — when there’s significant coverage at the gate — snowshoes or skis are best. “Many times the snow line is not all the way down to the gate, which makes it more like a hike,” said Ty- son Cross, winter recreation programs manager with Willamette National Forest. My day started with plenty of snow, so I tossed on snowshoes right away and kept them on the entire time. From the gate, the route follows the highway for 2.6 miles before you arrive at Proxy Falls Trailhead, marked by signs and a re- stroom. The loop trail branches off to both the left and right. I headed left, the quickest route to the waterfalls, and started breaking trail among forest and lava fields. The trail isn’t marked by blue diamonds, so if you’re the first one out after a big snow dump, as I was, stay- ing on the correct route is a challenge. I was also glad to have snowshoes, since there were many downed trees that would have been a ma- jor hassle in skis. At the first junction (0.4 miles from the Proxy Trail- head), stay left to visit Up- per Proxy Falls, a 126-foot cascade. Fed by a spring, this waterfall doesn’t thun- der but rather slides down mossy tiers into a pool be- low. Back to the junction, I headed right and reached a viewpoint of Lower Proxy Falls, a more dramatic 226 feet. It fans out in summer, but was a thin string of sil- ver covered in icicles on my trip. I made my way carefully down to the base of the falls — the creek had a mostly frozen top — and snapped some pictures, enjoying a winter waterfall that eluded me for over a year. The cool spray, drifting off icicles into a forest of white was so refreshing that it didn’t take long for my brain to feel clean and cob- web-free. f o t s Be Read about the W inners Readersʼ Choice Voted by YOU! January 29th, 2015 w w w .coa stw eek en d .com
