4A |
WEDNESDAY EDITION
| JUNE 3, 2020
Siuslaw News
P.O. Box 10
Florence, OR 97439
NED HICKSON , EDITOR
| 541-902-3520 | NHICKSON @ THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM
Opinion
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Letters to the Editor policy
LETTERS
Memories of Florence
The Ned Hickson editorial May
30 (“Appreciating Our ‘Dune To
Shining Sea’ Inheritance”) brought
back memories of when I first came
to Florence and The Sportsman
was on Bay Street. It was where I
bought my first air of caulk boots
from Mr. Pinkney.
Also on Bay Street were the jail
and city courthouse where I got my
first driver’s license.
On Saturday night, Bay Street
was filled with fishermen, mill-
workers and loggers.
I remember what past Oregon
Governor Tom McCall said to tour-
ists: “Come enjoy the beaches, the
rivers and lakes. Then go home.”
When I see Florence today, I see
some of them did not go home.
Florence does not look like Wil-
bur Ternyik and Paul Coine helped
build it. They were the ones that
got both jetties put in and the river
dredged. At one time, there were
barges loaded with lumber and oth-
er things for export — which is why
the bridge was built to be opened:
to let those boats pass through.
—Virgil Bechtold
Florence
Watch for cyclists
With the weather getting less
rainy, perhaps you could write an
article on biking safety. It’s easy to
forget to be watchful, either while
biking or driving a motor vehicle.
I recently saw the body of a bi-
cyclist killed at the corner of high-
ways 101 and 126, and noted the
new green stripes on Highway 101
a few weeks later.
When I was young, I was hit
twice from behind by oblivious car
drivers at intersections. I once al-
most pulled my car out in front of a
wrong-way cyclist while waiting to
make a right turn in traffi c.
Seeing the cyclist just to the right
of my car when I made a last sec-
ond check to the right was a scary
adrenaline rush.
I took an AARP driver’s safe-
ty class last year and many of us
thought “yeild” signs were still yel-
low. Signs and rules have changed,
and a reminder of newer signage
and updated rules might help pre-
vent collisions.
And don’t forget to mention
keeping an eye out for motorcy-
clists.
—Button Watkins
Florence
Respect, look out
for our elders
June is Elder Abuse Awareness
Month. Senior & Disability Ser-
vices, a division of Lane Council
of Governments, is proud to host a
COVID-19 Scams, Fraud and Elder
Abuse Virtual Training to all Lane
County community members.
As Oregonians, we believe in jus-
tice for all, yet we fail to live up to
this promise when we allow seniors
in our society to be abused or ne-
glected.
Older adults are vital, contribut-
ing members of society and their
maltreatment diminishes all of us.
Together, we continue to confront
and address the social issues of el-
der abuse and fi nd solutions. All
abuse threatens the well-being of
our community.
Older adults are more likely
to experience social isolation —
which increases the likelihood of
abuse and neglect in the midst of
a global pandemic. We can design
stronger societal supports to keep
our community connected and
protected from abuse by focusing
on root causes.
Older adults who are social-
ly connected and protected from
harm are less likely to be hospital-
ized, less likely to go into nursing
homes, and more likely to live in-
dependently in their community.
We must create healthier and saf-
er environments for older adults in
Lane County.
—Emily Ann Farrell, JD
Director, Senior and Disability
Services Lane Council of Govern-
ments
It’s hard to act when no one agrees on the truth
(Editor’s Note: Viewpoint sub-
missions on this and other topics are
always welcome as part of our goal to
encourage community discussion and
exchange of perspectives.)
I
was glad to have a chance to ask
for help recently in approaching
the Florence City Council about the
facts of Climate Change and how it
is impacting all our lives.
Unfortunately, the person I asked
said he didn’t think, if he were to
reach out, that I would get the re-
sults I sought.
I asked him to explain.
He cited his background in
engineering and mentioned his
brothers have worked for NASA,
and that they all agree that climate
change is some kind of a left-wing
political attempt at grabbing power,
attention and resources.
The conversation was taking
place in the Let’s Talk About Flor-
ence Oregon Facebook group, and
I was intrigued. So, I pursued more
information and asked this man
how he explains the warming and
acidifying oceans, and how he in-
terprets NASA’s observations from
space that — during recent COVID
inspired inactivity — the Himalayas
and China were visible from space
for the first time in years (and the
bottom of Lake Michigan was also
observed).
The person I was communicat-
ing with was Jay Bozievich, and I’m
sure he gotten busy with his duties
as a commissioner for Lane County,
because I never heard another word
from him about it.
So I want to ask:
Are these people lying?
Is NASA lying?
Was Mark Wiegardt, owner of
Whiskey Creek Oyster Hatchery in
Tillamook, lying when he presented
his story about how acidification of
the sea has impacted his livelihood
at the Coastal Caucus last summer?
Guest Viewpoint
By Ivy Medow
Florence
Was Laura Anderson, the owner
of Local Ocean Seafood in Newport,
lying when she spoke on the same
panel about how her business has
been impacted by Climate Change?
Is Al Pazar, owner of the Krab
Kettle on Highway 101 here in Flor-
ence, trying to “make a power grab”
in working collaboratively with oth-
ers to compile and present research
gathered on his research vessel Pa-
cific Surveyor?
The report “The Oregon Coordi-
nating Council on Ocean Acidifi-
cation and Hypoxia” was presented
to the Legislature and Ocean Policy
Advisory Council in 2018.
Did you know that 174 people
have signed a petition prepared by
local climate activist Mike Allen?
The petition simply asks the Flor-
ence City Council to take climate
change seriously.
Those signators’ reasons for sign-
ing range from concerns about pub-
lic health and fears about the viabil-
ity of the earth if we keep on doing
the same old thing, to preserving the
dunes and other natural treasures
which underpin the livelihood of
this town.
If the city council were to ac-
knowledge the situation, they could
join other Oregon towns to cre-
ate new and unique opportunities
for developing solutions. Our best
practices might impact towns in
other parts of the region or the na-
tion.
It’s worth noting that with 184 sig-
natures from the public — 10 more
than Mike Allen’s petition — the city
council planned to consider what
actions to take to restrict individu-
als’ ability to help indigent panhan-
dlers.
That conversation’s been tabled
for now, and as the town re-opens,
reconvenes and springs back to life,
it seems like a good time to prior-
itize all of what Florence is con-
cerned about.
Including the climate.
The time for action is now.
The Siuslaw News welcomes letters to the edi-
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WHERE TO WRITE
Pres. Donald Trump
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, D.C. 20500
Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
FAX: 202-456-2461
TTY/TDD Comments:
202-456-6213
www.whitehouse.gov
Oregon Gov.
Kate Brown
160 State Capitol
900 Court St.
Salem, Ore. 97301-4047
Governor’s Citizens’ Rep.
Message Line:
503-378-4582
www.oregon.gov/gov
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden
221 Dirksen Senate Office
Bldg
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-5244
541-431-0229
www.wyden.senate.gov
U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley
313 Hart Senate Office Bldg
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-3753
FAX: 202-228-3997
541-465-6750
www.merkley.senate.gov
U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio
(4th Dist.)
2134 Rayburn HOB
Washington, DC 20515
202-225-6416
541-269-2609
541-465-6732
www.defazio.house.gov
State Sen. Arnie Roblan
(Dist. 5)
900 Court St. NE - S-417
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1705
FAX: 503-986-1080
Email: Sen.ArnieRoblan@
oregonlegislature.gov
State Rep.
Caddy McKeown
(Dist. 9)
900 Court St. NE
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1409
Email: rep.caddymckeown
@oregonlegislature.gov
West Lane County
Commissioner
Jay Bozievich
125 E. Eighth St.
Eugene, OR 97401
541-682-4203
FAX: 541-682-4616
Email: Jay.Bozievich@
co.lane.or.us