BLM’s ‘Notice of Intent’
Oregon’s forests and protected wildlife urgently need our rapid response to the BLM’s “Notice of Intent” released on Feb. 19. Essentially, the plan is to log approximately 2.5 million acres in Oregon and Washington, at the rate of one billion board feet per year, four times current levels. BLM has offered no public meetings for discussion of this plan.
But we do have until March 23 to submit comments online.
Learn about the BLM’s Notice of Intent via the project’s name: “Northwestern and Coastal and Southwestern Oregon Resource Management Plan Revision”. Click on “Participate Now” to submit comments.
Or email: BLM_OR_Revision_Scoping@blm.gov.
Our forests are the lungs of our region. The Department of the Interior and the timber industry have prioritized the bottom line over the air we all breathe.
I know we are all overwhelmed by the dire news coming at us from all directions. But please, take a breath or two, then take a minute to look into this matter and to respond on behalf of our precious evergreen Oregon.
Stacie Smith
Eugene
Springfielders Support Rodley
I am proud to support Kori Rodley for state representative in House District 7. As a two-term Springfield city councilor, Rodley has helped expand housing options, supported code updates that encourage ADUs and missing middle homes, strengthened local businesses and backed investments in public safety and infrastructure. She has been a reliable voice for families, small businesses and the long-term health of our community.
Rodley is a tireless advocate who brings practical, grounded common sense to the challenges facing our district. She listens closely, does her homework and consistently shows up prepared to solve problems. Her record of service shows she already understands how to navigate complex issues and deliver results, which is exactly the kind of experience we need in Salem as our Springfield community continues to grow.
Rodley’s work and character have earned broad support from leaders and labor organizations who know what it takes to deliver for working people, including Rep. Val Hoyle, the Oregon Nurses Association, Western States Carpenters, the International Association of Firefighters and UFCW.
I encourage my neighbors in Springfield to join me in voting for Kori Rodley in the Democratic primary on May 19.
Chris Wig
Springfield
Heather Buch Deserves Re-election
I’m a long time Lane County resident who believes our community deserves leaders who prioritize people over political gamesmanship.
I have been deeply dismayed by Commissioner David Loveall’s treatment of county workers and even more so by his refusal to take accountability. It’s disappointing to see the national administration’s culture of disrespect reflected locally.
Commissioner Buch has delivered results for our community. She’s worked to expand health care access for Lane County residents, led much needed wildfire recovery efforts, and championed initiatives to address our housing affordability crisis. These are real accomplishments that have made a tangible difference in people’s lives.
Her opponent, Jake Pelroy, built his career running a political consulting firm known for the kind of negative campaigning that has eroded public trust in our institutions. His client list includes some of the most divisive figures, including David Loveall, and organizations in Oregon politics. We’ve all seen the divisive campaigns his firm produces — now he wants to bring that approach to Lane County government.
We need leaders who focus on solving problems, not creating division.
Buch has earned another term through her dedication to public service and her commitment to putting Lane County families first. I hope you’ll vote for her this May.
Milagra Tyler
Eugene
You Had us at Same-Day Delivery
Alan Cohen’s letter (March 5) about Amazon.com had us at “same-day delivery.” We’ve failed the marshmallow test for grown-ups known as Amazon Prime, but we still usually have to wait a day or two for all the stuff we can’t live without. Be the change you wish to see — we’re being the consumer demand that will bring Amazon.com to Eugene. But of course it’s already here — just look in the back of literally any mail delivery truck.
Olaf Sweetman
Eugene
Love Loveall?
AnotherEW issue continuing the publication’s polemic against County Commissioner Dave Loveall (Slant, March 5). Since I’ve known for many years how fair, balanced and totally unbiased EW is, I assume you’ll offer Loveall space to respond in detail to the accusations and allegations against him.
Looking forward to seeing that.
Jerry Ritter
Springfield
On Measure 20-373
Oregon law 537.110 states: “All water within the state from all sources of water supply belongs to the public.”
I support Measure 20-373, Lane County Watersheds Bill of Rights, because the current minimum standards and lack of accountability are insufficient to protect our water and the ecosystem that supports it. Water is not a commodity, as it is treated by current law, but a living system. Our health and well-being are directly related to the health of that ecosystem.
The purpose of Measure 20-373 is to stop bad actors who pollute our rivers and the watersheds that feed them because it is cheaper for them to do so than implement environmentally sound practices — though it is 27 times more expensive to deal with a drinking water contamination problem than to implement strategies for protection. What will be the cost and who will bear it, as degradation of our watersheds continues? The JH Baxter timber processing plant stands as a potent example of what happens when corporate profit takes priority over the massive impacts their pollution can have on land, water and public health. Current law allows corporate bad actors like Baxter to let taxpayers pick up the tab for their legacy of polluted soil, water and damaged public health. The status quo is not good enough. I urge you to vote “yes” on Measure 20-373! Let’s protect our water and the health and well-being of our community.
Sue Pileggi
Eugene
ONLINE EXTRA LETTERS
Watersheds and Pesticides
“A loss of 16.9 million IQ points due to exposure to organophosphates, the most common pesticides used in agriculture.” David Bellinger, Ph.D., Professor of Neurology and Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health.
“Parkinson’s cases doubled in the last 25 years. One causative trigger is pesticide exposure.” Dr. Kellyann Niotis, Neurodegenerative disease researcher.
“Pesticide exposure is one of the leading reasons for acute leukemia.” Pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11016626/.
“We test for pesticides, herbicides and disinfection by products quarterly,” stated EWEB when asked about testing the water EWEB supplies to 200,000 households. “The pesticide results are non-detectable.”
Non-detectable does not mean safe. “One of the commonest misconceptions perpetuated by the chemical industry is that there’s a safe level of a carcinogen — that a little bit won’t hurt you.” Ruth Shearer, Ph.D., molecular geneticist. A Bitter Fog, Carol Van Strum. Exactly where and when are these water samples taken to measure levels of these toxic substances that have never been deemed “safe” by toxicologists? Timber corporations spray pesticides (herbicides, fungicides, rodenticides) over clear-cut forest lands in spring and fall for about four years. Accurate measurements depend on the location of the sampling (upstream or downstream of the sprayed area) as well as the timing of the sampling. If the samples are taken weeks after the spray event, rainfall may have washed the toxic chemicals downstream, making levels appear minimal or “non-detectable.”
Vote YES on 20-373 — Protect Lane County Watersheds.
Barbara Davis
Waldport
Springfield District Basics
How to make sense about what has been going on with the Springfield School Board and district?
Here’s my take.
1. Springfield had a hero teacher, Mikell Harshbarger, who insisted on saying, “The emperor has no clothes.” Harshbarger is a dedicated veteran teacher. For years, he has watched his profession and his students’ education hijacked by the standardized testing juggernaut. He has watched the tested subjects — reading and math — suck all of the oxygen out of the school day. Social studies, civics, science and art have been pushed to the sidelines.
2. Harshbarger dared to say to the Springfield Board and the Oregon Department of Education that the Springfield District was not accurate in reporting that Springfield had an up-to-date science curriculum and that students were being taught science according to state standards. Then he faced being singled out by district personnel. He did not give up.
3. Longtime Springfield School Board member Jonathan Light has been a lonely voice who dared to say, “The emperor has no clothes.” A veteran music teacher who values the arts and humanities, he has also watched the hijacking done by excessive testing. He, too, dared to question and he, too, has faced punishment. He did not give up.
4. Amber Langworthy was elected to the school board. Her campaign platform questioned the sidelining of non-tested subjects.
5. The district’s continued efforts to punish those who questioned the domination by standardized testing finally went too far.
6. Parents and longtime community education activists mounted online petitions demanding a well-rounded education and regularly packed the school board meetings. Their message? The emperor has no clothes.
Roscoe Caron
Eugene
War Porn Nation
Turn on almost any news channel and you’ll see the same thing: endless loops of bombs falling, rockets streaking and ships exploding. The footage plays again and again like a highlight reel.
But this isn’t a video game. Beneath every explosion are human beings — families, neighborhoods and sometimes children in places like schools that become “collateral damage.”
Now, during the latest escalation with Iran, the spectacle is everywhere. Anchors narrate strikes as if calling a sporting event, while leaders boast about how much destruction we can deliver.
When war becomes entertainment, something has gone terribly wrong with a nation’s conscience.
A country that cheers the spectacle of killing on a screen is no longer defending freedom — it is feeding a national addiction to war.
“One Nation Under the God of War”
This is the reality of war!