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THE ASTORIAN • TuESdAy, OcTObER 22, 2019
OPINION
editor@dailyastorian.com
KARI BORGEN
Publisher
DERRICK DePLEDGE
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GUEST COLUMN
Oregon’s forest laws are outdated
By KATE CRUMP,
MICHA ELIZABETH GROSS
and VIK ANANTHA
O
regon’s outdated forest laws are
failing our communities and our
environment. They threaten our
water and degrade our land, exacerbat-
ing both droughts and floods. They pol-
lute our drinking water with mud and
toxic chemicals. They endanger salmon
and wildlife habitat.
Appeals to the state Department of
Forestry have fallen on deaf ears and
Oregon politicians have turned a blind
eye, while at the same time filling their
campaign coffers with more campaign
cash from the logging industry per cap-
ita than any other state.
That’s why we signed on as the chief
petitioners for initiative petitions 35, 36
and 37.
We hope to qualify these initia-
tives for the November 2020 ballot so
that we can bring protections for riv-
ers and streams in Oregon’s forests up
to the level of neighboring states to bet-
ter safeguard clean water and rural
communities.
Logging corporations in Oregon have
insulated themselves from any modern-
ization of our forestry rules and made it
so the only viable option to save our for-
est waters is to take a vote of the people
through the ballot measure process.
We know we need to cut through the
political money and influence that have
paralyzed the state and give a voice to
the hundreds of thousands of Orego-
nians who are sick and tired of the status
quo. However, even this ultimate exer-
cise in democracy isn’t beyond the reach
of the timber industry.
Last month, on the final day of the
initiative review process, Oregon Sec-
retary of State Bev Clarno and Dep-
uty Secretary of State Rich Vial rejected
these three ballot measures and denied
Oregonians the right to vote on these
critical issues. Independent election
experts have called the decision unprec-
edented and the lack of a legal justifica-
tion from the attorney general’s office
highly unusual.
Tony Schick/Oregon Public Broadcasting
The forest surrounding Jetty Creek, the water supply for Rockaway Beach, has been logged heavily.
It must be noted that Secretary
Clarno and Deputy Vial — like many
other government representatives —
have taken tens of thousands of dol-
lars in campaign contributions from the
timber industry during their political
careers. Emphasizing this point, a press
release from Clarno and Vial declares
that the “Oregon Forest Council” man-
ages logging in Oregon. The Oregon
Forest Council does not exist. However,
the Oregon Forest & Industries Coun-
cil is a lobbying group that has given
money to both politicians and opposes
our initiatives.
What the secretary of state’s office
doesn’t realize is that we are used to
fighting entrenched interests and long
odds in an effort to protect Oregon’s
communities and wildlife from the
excesses of the logging industry. We’re
tired of this blatant corruption, but we
are not giving up the fight.
Earlier this month, we filed a com-
plaint in Marion County Circuit Court
to have Clarno and Vial’s decision
reversed. We’re doing that on our own
behalf, and on behalf of the countless
future community members who come
forward with a proposal to place before
the voters. Whether we agree with them
or not, Oregonians should not be sub-
ject to secretive decisions lacking legal
justification that deny them access to the
ballot.
Moreover, we have refiled these mea-
sures (now initiative petitions 45, 46
and 47) with the supposed offending
passages removed. We turned in spon-
sorship signatures to restart the ballot
title process to get us back on track for
the November 2020 election. The log-
ging industry and the politicians in their
pocket should take note that we col-
lected these signatures faster than any
other ballot measure this year. People in
Oregon are fed up and ready for change.
The great part is that Oregonians
understand that we don’t have to make
the false choice between logging and
protecting our forest waters. Every-
body uses wood products and no one is
talking about shutting down all logging
in the state. Rather, we are simply ask-
ing that we catch up with our neighbors
and do a better job of logging in a sus-
tainable way that adequately protects
drinking water and doesn’t put commu-
nities at risk.
In Rockaway Beach, where one of
us lives, we watched as about 90% of
the forestland from which our drink-
ing water flows was clearcut. Cannon
Beach, Yachats, Newport, Arch Cape,
Wheeler and other communities have
watched in alarm as their forested water-
sheds have been clearcut and sprayed
with toxic chemicals.
It’s not just folks on the coast and
coast range that are worried. Seventy
percent of Oregon’s residents and com-
munities draw their drinking water from
rivers and streams that begin in a for-
est. With the effects of climate change
becoming more real by the day, now
is the moment to ensure our forested
waters are resilient and protected for
future generations.
Kate Crump is a fishing guide who
lives in Rockaway Beach. Micha Eliz-
abeth Gross runs Myrtle Glen Farm in
Coos County. Vik Anantha is an Oregon
State University graduate who lives in
Sellwood.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Hard work
he Norriston Heights state forests tim-
ber sale has been in the news lately,
with the topic of concern being logging vs.
water quality.
I can assure you that no one in natu-
ral resource management wants to dam-
age or pollute drinking water. The founda-
tion of the Oregon Forest Practices Act and
state forest management rules are to pro-
tect water quality.
The protection of the watershed not
only assures clean drinking water for peo-
ple, but also clean water for the various
aquatic species and wildlife that live in
the streams and forests. Planning a timber
harvest includes review from a long list
of biologists, experts, specialists and the
public.
Long before any harvest occurs, review
is done for many resources, which includes
water rights and water intake locations.
Hundreds of hours get put into planning
and reviewing a sale before it gets sold. All
of these efforts and investment by depart-
ment staff will be put on hold now.
I assume the residents concerned about
their water source don’t have their water
intake registered with the state of Oregon?
Are they required to register their water
source? How far away do these residents
live from the harvest, and where is their
water intake in relation to where they live?
Please remember that forest manage-
ment in Oregon is centered around water
protection. Let’s give the Oregon Depart-
ment of Forestry some credit for all the
hard work that they do.
JENNIFER JOHNSON
Forester
Astoria
T
Disappointed
am disappointed the Oregon Depart-
ment of Forestry felt forced to shelve
a timber sale that would have provided
$600,000 for our community because of
pressure from a handful of homeowners,
many of whom are vacation homeowners,
and unlikely to utilize services funded by
timber sales.
I understand why people want to move
here, however it’s unfortunate they haven’t
invested time to understand the benefits
forest management provides economically,
and through production of renewable prod-
ucts, wildlife habitat and clean water.
I grew up in Astoria, and am raising my
I
family here. I see the cycle of stewardship
ODF provides through sustainable man-
agement of forests in Clatsop and Tilla-
mook counties: harvests from my child-
hood are now thriving forests today. ODF
foresters are professionals who live among
us, and have a decadeslong track record of
conducting harvests and protecting water
quality.
It is my understanding that ODF lis-
tened to concerns of Norriston Heights res-
idents, and modified their harvest accord-
ingly. Unfortunately, the homeowners
refused to settle for anything but aban-
donment of the sale, costing our county
money, and lost opportunities for jobs and
income derived from logging, transporta-
tion, millwork and reforestation services.
I am proud of the people who work
every day in the woods, dedicating their
professional lives to stewardship of our
natural resources. It’s a shame they aban-
doned a good project.
ODF has a responsibility to keep our
state forests working for everyone. I truly
hope shelving crucial sales like this one
does not set a precedent in our county.
MAGGIE READ
Astoria
Shoreside power
he Astoria City Council plans to
approve a lease to grant American
Cruise Lines the use of the east portion
of the 17th Street Dock (“Astoria reaches
deal with river cruise lines on 17th Street
Dock,” The Astorian, Oct. 10). Ameri-
can Cruise Lines proposes extending the
dock to accommodate two cruise ships
simultaneously.
The city is moving too fast on this
lease, allowing just two weeks for citizens
to express opinions about a proposal made
public only a few weeks ago.
While berthed at the 17th Street Dock,
these ships continuously operate their
main engines in order to provide electrical
power, producing not only air pollution,
but also considerable noise pollution, par-
ticularly noticeable in the neighborhoods
to the south, such as my neighborhood on
Irving Avenue.
This air and noise pollution occurs
near the heart of the city, alongside the
Riverwalk. While the noise of one ship
is annoying, especially while trying to
sleep, doubling that noise may well be
intolerable.
Many cities on the West Coast require
T
cruise ships to plug into what is called
“shoreside power.” The Coast Guard cur-
rently uses shoreside power at the 17th
Street Dock, but there are no power termi-
nals for cruise ships at the dock.
I have urged the City Council to not
allow two cruise ships at the 17th Street
Dock at the same time until there is infra-
structure that allows cruise ships to plug
into shoreside power. I hope others will
join me in opposing an open-ended lease.
FRED WHITE
Astoria
Miracle
I
am writing about your recent article
about Astoria Police Chief Geoff Spal-
ding convening a meeting of local polit-
ical leaders in regard to the creation of a
county-level position to coordinate the
patchwork of efforts addressing the vari-
ous aspects of the “homelessness problem”
(“Homeless liaison could coordinate coun-
ty’s approach,” The Astorian, Oct. 12).
I hesitate to use this word, but to my
mind, Chief Spalding’s — and others’
— insight about the need for this type of
coordination is nothing short of a “mir-
acle,” which is a term used to describe a
“highly improbable or extraordinary event,
development, or accomplishment that
brings very welcome consequences.”
Two years ago, then-Mayor Arline
LaMear formed the mayor’s Homelessness
Solutions Task Force, with Chief Spalding
as its chairman. Many of us interested in
the issues of homelessness viewed HOST
with skepticism, and in its first year our
pessimism seemed to be borne out.
However, somehow in its second
year of existence, HOST has been trans-
formed under Chief Spalding’s leadership
into a potential catalyst for genuine prog-
ress, with this suggestion about a coun-
ty-level coordinator appearing to me as a
“game-changing” opportunity.
I know this transformation in HOST is
due to the work, cooperation and input of
many people, but I want especially to sin-
gle out Chief Spalding for what I know
must be his singular contribution.
My previous admiration for him as an
effective and congenial administrator has
now become awe at what a single, com-
mitted individual can accomplish with
patience, dedication and good will.
BARRY PLOTKIN
Astoria
Cruel
would imagine that in Clatsop County
quite a few men and women served in
Iraq. Those who did will remember the
help and support given by the Kurds. Ten
thousand of them died for us.
Now President Donald Trump, in his
brilliance and humanity, has ordered our
troops home, and the Kurds and their fam-
ilies, men, women and children are being
murdered by the Turks.
This move is un-American and cruel.
It is not the America I love. We are losing
our souls.
Write to the president.
MARY TANGUAY WEBB
Astoria
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