Saturday, September 26, 2020
OPINION
East Oregonian
A5
Library staff suggest good reads for everyone
ERIN
MCCUSKER
LIBRARIES PROVIDE —
COUNT Y WIDE
N
eed a book to read? Area library
directors and staff have suggestions
for all.
Even though libraries have been closed
or offering limited services during the pan-
demic, they are still getting new books and
checking them out to library customers at
curbside. Whether you love mystery, fan-
tasy, nonfiction or romance, your library
has something for everyone’s tastes.
One of the services a library provides
is called readers’ advisory. According to
Diana Tixier Herald, readers’ advisory is,
“the act of putting people together with the
books they love.”
There is nothing better than sinking into
a book that takes you away to a wonderful
place, familiar or a whole new experience.
The staff at your libraries get to know a
variety of books and audiobooks for all
ages. Read on for suggestions from them.
“The Bright Lands” by John Fram,
suggested by Kristin Williams of the Ath-
ena Public Library. This book has charac-
ters that are simultaneously sympathetic
and repellent, a setting that glistens with
Texas heat, and football — that fall tradi-
tion we’re all missing. It’s gritty and har-
rowing, sometimes confusing but definitely
holds your attention right to the bloody,
collection of essays will find the reader
laughing one moment and wiping away a
tear the next. Each piece is a gem.
“Germs vs Soap” by Didi Dragon,
suggested by Annette Kubishta of the
Helix Public Library. Released in June
2020, this book is timely and helps adults
explain to children the importance of
handwashing. In its fun format it teaches
how germs absolutely do not like soap and
“THERE IS NOTHING BETTER THAN SINKING INTO
A BOOK THAT TAKES YOU AWAY TO A WONDERFUL
PLACE, FAMILIAR OR A WHOLE NEW EXPERIENCE.”
disturbing finale. This book is Friday Night
Lights, but with murder. Want more after
you finish this one? Try “Valentine” by
Elizabeth Wetmore.
“One Long River of Song” by Brian
Doyle, suggested by Kathleen Schmidtgall
of Weston Public Library. The late Brian
Doyle possessed an amazing talent for cap-
turing the human condition in a way that
has the reader nodding in agreement. This
how kids can make sure the germs don’t
spread.
“Midnight Sun” by Stephenie Meyer,
suggested by Cecili Longhorn of the Stan-
field Public Library. If you want a whole
new look at “The Twilight Saga” series,
check out “Midnight Sun” — you will get
a great glimpse of the story from Edward’s
point of view. My favorite thing about this
book is that you get to hear more about his
family and where they came from. You
must check it out!
“The Witch Elm” by Tana French,
suggested by Jennifer Costley of the Pend-
leton Public Library. The last mystery
to be released by the “Dublin Murders”
author, “The Witch Elm” is unpredictable,
disturbing and uncomfortable. When you
close the book, you’ll wonder if you regret
reading it, and then stay up all night think-
ing about whether or not it should have
ended differently.
“From Blood and Ash” by Jennifer
L. Armentrout, suggested by Susie Sotelo
of the Umatilla Public Library. Vampires,
werewolves, deities, oh my! Captivating,
steamy and action-packed, From “Blood
and Ash” is a perfect introduction to
Sci-Fi/fantasy/romance. You won’t be able
to put it down!
For contact information for the 12 pub-
lic libraries in Umatilla County, visit www.
ucsld.org/our-libraries.
———
Erin McCusker is the district director of
the Umatilla County Special Library Dis-
trict. Reach her at 541-276-6449 or direc-
tor@ucsld.org.
One practical option to minimize destructive wildfires
WES
MELO
OTHER VIEWS
e are in the heart of wildfire sea-
son and daily news reports sum-
marize destructive wildfires
throughout the western states.
Many of us who are not personally
affected by an evacuation, or worse, the
loss of one’s home, are living with the
health hazard of breathing smoke day after
day.
Most western lands are “fire prone” and
in many circumstances have become heav-
ily overgrown since fire suppression over
many decades has interrupted fire’s natural
action of reducing fuels.
Fire is a natural disturbance that occurs
in most wildlands of the West and has
influenced plants and animals for millen-
nium, long before man came on the scene.
Think through how fire occurred in nature
W
before human intervention. Science con-
firms combustion requires heat, oxygen
and fuel, and requires a source of ignition.
Once fire ignites, natural conditions such
as temperature, humidity, wind, terrain, as
well as fuel conditions and volume, influ-
ence fire behavior.
Burning will continue until a change in
one or more of those factors interrupts the
combustion process. Wind — even minor
breezes — and thermals from fire can
carry embers long distances, depositing
them on additional combustible material
and extending the burn. Fire usually stops
when it burns into areas without enough
fuel to support combustion, fuels get wet
from precipitation, and/or external tem-
peratures will no longer support fire.
Significant changes to ecosystems occur
when human activity interrupts natural
cycles, including wildfire, enabling sub-
stantial fuels to accumulate before ignition.
Fire exclusion has led to major changes
from historical wildland ecologies in many
wildlands of the west. If we hope to reduce
the damages currently occurring from cat-
astrophic wildfires, active management of
fire-prone wildlands is critical to mimic
the outcome of natural, low intensity fire
activity.
Natural fire ignition occurs mostly
through lightning strikes igniting combus-
tible materials. Studies indicate that before
humans intervened, wildland fires gener-
ally reoccurred between five to 50 years
in most fire-prone wildlands, significantly
minimizing major fuel buildup while less-
ening damage to fire resistant vegeta-
tion. Unlike past centuries, human activ-
ity is now a major source of wildland fire
ignition.
Where there is heavy fuel buildup, once
ignition occurs (regardless of the source)
wildfires can be devastating, resulting
in wildlife death, harming water quality,
damaging soils, destroying fire resistant
species and creating severe smoke con-
ditions that are especially dangerous for
humans with respiratory conditions. Wild-
fires also endanger the safety and lives of
firefighters and civilians, and in the past
several years, have destroyed thousands of
homes.
Many recent fires in California were
reportedly mostly caused by multiple
lightning storms and are an example of
what happens when excessive fuels and
weather conditions create severe wildfire
conditions.
Since humans interrupted the natural
cleansing process of wildfires, it is time for
proactive wildland management to aggres-
sively focus work on controlling fuels to
minimize further severe destructive fire
behavior. Fuels management must focus
on thinning, prescribed burning and in
some cases understory removal, mowing or
mulching to reduce fuel loads.
Given the scientific understanding of
combustion, that is really the only practi-
cal option we have if we hope to minimize
destructive wildfires.
———
Wes Melo is the vice-chairman of Com-
munities for Healthy Forests, a nonprofit
founded in Roseburg to inform the pub-
lic and policy makers with facts support-
ing the need to restore and manage forest
lands. He is a 1966 graduate of the Uni-
versity of California-Berkeley with a bach-
elors of science degree in forestry.
Elephants, birds – and a
really big tiger
stupendous sustained roar, then turned and
with a bound or two and a soaring leap, dis-
appeared into the bush.
DR. ANDREW
I imagine that driver could have smelled
CLARK
a fresh breakfast of spotted deer on that
A SLICE OF LIFE
tiger’s breath. I’d read about tiger roars and
I’ve heard lots of lion roars, but I had no
ave you ever had an adventure
idea that any animal was capable of such a
with a wild tiger? A really close
sound. It was paralyzing. Having vented his
adventure?
frustration, the tiger was nowhere to be seen
The last column was about birdwatch-
again. The Gypsy came tearing up beside us
ing on elephant back and this column is a
with everyone talking at once, and I’m sure
continuation.
this episode will become family legends for
The next morning we were out for
all of us.
another birding/tigering adventure in a
This all took less than 10 seconds, and
Maruti Gypsy pickup, the Indian heir to the
not one of the humans involved reacted at
Suzuki Samurai — a small, light four-wheel all. We were transfixed and dumbstruck.
drive. You stand in the
The immediate was rivet-
with everyone immo-
open back section hold-
“I IMAGINE THAT ing,
bilized and absolutely
ing extended rollbars with
silent in the shock of what
nice views all around. The
DRIVER COULD
was happening. The after-
drivers are very savvy
HAVE SMELLED A math was a combination
about tigers and we soon
stunning and hilarious.
found fresh pugmarks in
FRESH BREAKFAST of
The potential could have
the dust so we followed
those tracks.
OF SPOTTED DEER been disastrous beyond
Bingo! A full-adult
imagination had that tiger
ON THAT TIGER’S jumped into the vehicle
male tiger sauntering
along the dusty road,
on top of all those women,
BREATH.”
going home after the
men, and children.
night’s hunt. What an
When we were living
utterly magnificent animal and much bigger in East Africa Serengeti country there was
than I had imagined — an adult male Ben-
a tale about a leopard who became tired of
gal Tiger can weigh more than 600 pounds.
all the attention during his nap time so he
He left the road to walk through the open
dropped from his tree branch through the
forest, so we drove alongside and watched
open roof hatch into a vehicle of tourists and
him for about one-quarter mile until he
expressed his irritation, leaving them with
crossed the road in front of us and went into a lot of scratches, bites, blood, excitement,
some thick lantana bushes.
and memories. Had the tiger done the same
And here is where the real adventure
it would have been much more serious, see-
ing as a tiger is nearly five times the size of
begins.
Shortly after that point was another
a leopard and, in their normal hunting strat-
egies, one strike of a forefoot breaks the
Maruti Gypsy that had run out of fuel, so
necks of their prey. They are tremendously
all the people had transferred into a third
strong.
Gypsy — about 12 men, women and chil-
dren stood in the back of that little open
After this episode we spent five days in
vehicle, excited to see a tiger. We knew
the steep, rugged hill country of northern
exactly where one was, so we turned around India, birdwatching. The birds were exotic
and led them to that enormous, beautiful,
and wonderful, the air was pure and sweet
wonderful beast lying in the lantana brush
and a pleasure to breathe — like Eastern
only about 20 to 30 feet from the road. We
Oregon — and from a high ridge we had
gestured that the tiger was right there, and
horizon-to-horizon views of the Himalayas
moved forward 20 to 30 yards so they could to the northeast. Wonderous views of that
come up and see him.
immense, beautiful, and utterly terrifying
I had no idea how athletic tigers are. As
range of jagged, forbidding mountains.
those people stood there in that little open
And then we returned to Delhi for our
vehicle, totally exposed, suddenly that enor- son’s wonderful and joyous Hindu wedding.
mous tiger burst out of the brush with a
———
snarl, charged the vehicle in a couple of
Dr. Andrew Clark is a livestock vet-
erinarian with both domestic and inter-
bounds to about 4 feet away, stood glaring
national work experience who lives in
the driver straight in the eye — their faces
Pendleton.
only a few feet from each other — gave a
H
Special section highlights
hometown sports
ANDREW
CUTLER
FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK
P
rep sports is about as American as
you can get.
For the last two seasons — spring
and autumn — area high school athletes
have been blockaded from participat-
ing in any kind of extracurricular activity
because of the COVID-19 virus.
For a lot of us the virus really hit home
when we suddenly realized that those Fri-
day night lights, we are so accustomed to,
were extinguished.
There isn’t that much economic impact
to a prep sports blackout — there are no
million-dollar contracts at stake — but the
loss of high school and college sports is
felt in a different, and I believe, more poi-
gnant way regarding our overall morale.
Spring means for many track and field,
golf, baseball and softball. Autumn trans-
lates into football, soccer, cross country
and volleyball. Those sports are part of the
normal fabric of our lives, as intricate as
social media or an iPhone.
Now, all of that has been put on hold
and shuffled around.
In the Oregon School Activities Asso-
ciation’s recently adopted school activi-
ties calendar, all official sports seasons for
the winter, fall and spring (in that order)
have been moved to 2021 — from January
through June — and condensed into sev-
en-week regular seasons, with a “culmi-
nating week” to follow the purely regional
competition.
With no high school sports to focus on
for a while, we wanted to do something to
put it back in the spotlight.
Next week, we will publish a special
section called “Sidelined.” The section
focuses on high school athletes and how
they are coping with the unique — to say
the least — high school sports seasons that
evaporated.
I believe “Sidelined” presents a precise
review of how deep the COVID-19 virus
has hurt communities across the county,
state and nation. The virus, really, has just
about touched every part of our lives in
one way or another. A year ago, a shut-
tered high school or college sports season
would have seemed the stuff of science fic-
tion. But here we are.
I believe “Sidelined” is a great way to
look at a different aspect of the damage of
the virus. A lot of sports fans take those
Friday night lights for granted. We’ve
grown accustomed to them. To see them
go dark suddenly is a shock.
Yet, it can be no less of a shock for the
hundreds of high school athletes out there
who have had things turned upside down.
Sports in small towns across the county
and Eastern Oregon take their hometown
sports seriously. So, do we. That’s why I
think “Sidelined” will be a great read. I
hope you do too.
———
Andrew Cutler is the publisher/editor of
the East Oregonian.