Regarding “The Hills Are Alive With the Sound of Trees — For Now” (EW, 5/28) and “Timber Sale Protest” (5/28), I’ve got to hand it to our tireless forest defenders. Why, when our nation and the world are holding their collective breath, is the local BLM office pushing forward with its Thurston Hills clearcut sale yet again?
Dealing with bad timber sale proposals in Oregon sometimes feels like a game of “whack-a-mole”: Even with constant vigilance, one after another ill-conceived plan pops up. It’s a shame, during our current national crises, to see some of our land managers are behaving more like corporate raiders than as guardians of the public trust.
Beyond the brazen gall of it, if you heard a lot about this proposal last year and thought the public outcry and the courts had finally struck it down, well, welcome to the whack-a-mole. The BLM is back with almost exactly the same proposal — with all its fire-inducing management practices and destruction of recreational values — and is hoping to implement it while everyone is justifiably looking the other way. The management plan admits that demolishing healthy forest and replacing it with young plantations increases the fire risk to Springfield residents — what madness would lead a public land manager to even consider an action like this? We can contact Rep. Peter DeFazio and the Lane County Board of County Commissioners with our concerns and also submit written protests directly to the Springfield BLM office.
Rebecca White
Eugene
A Note From the Publisher
Dear Readers,
The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.
That’s because of you!
Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.
Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.
We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.
And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.
None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.
As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.
Thank you for standing with us!
Publisher
Eugene Weekly
P.S. If you’d like to talk about supporting EW, I’d love to hear from you!
jody@eugeneweekly.com
(541) 484-0519
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