Pet Issues
Two subjects that you might consider for the next Pet Issue (EW 8/13). 1) Pet waste. I walk the trail along West and East Amazon parkways. There is never a time I don’t see multiple green poop bags by the “responsible” dog owners. Do they think someone has the job of picking up their dog’s shit? Mowers turn those bags into hundreds of small plastic pieces.
2) Violent dogs. The attack on the 76-year-old outside the Abilities Diner was horrible and preventable. The dog owner(s) need severe penalties (jail time). Maybe have them watch as their dog is euthanized due to their stupidity. An innocent victim and an innocent dog both with bad outcomes.
Don French
Eugene
I See You — Voting
I see you are reading my letter to the editor in the Eugene Weekly newspaper — yes I can see your eyes on this day Sept. 3. I want you to know that you have only 62 days until Nov. 3, to fill out your ballot and vote in the midterm election — that is the good news.
The bad news is Eugene has a dismal record when it comes to voter participation. Step back in time because on May 23, 2024 an article in the Weekly reported the staggering statistic that only 27 percent of voters in Eugene turned out and voted in the primary election.
That means 73 percent of Eugene citizens who received ballots did not vote and trashed their ballot — that is shameful! No doubt that is a statistic that could represent the entire state of Oregon’s voting record.
During World War II, 420,000 Americans died fighting against German Nazis just so you can vote in a free and fair election. Please be a proud American and make sure you vote.
The only way to stop Donald Trump and his corrupt administration along with the MAGA cult is to vote. Do not wait until the last minute to fill out your ballot and mail it in — better yet walk, ride a bike, drive, hitchhike, take Uber or Lyft or take the bus to the nearest Ballot Drop Box and deposit your ballot.
Do not forget what Trump did on Jan. 6. He will pull every illegal string to prevent us from voting and the only one to stop him is your vote.
Frank Harper
Springfield
Response to Not OK
As I read Patricia Wack’s letter from the August 20 edition, I felt an absolute agreement with the comments she presented. I moved to Eugene 10 years ago and have observed the same issues, flaws in my mind, of how many who are all too willing to hold one group to the rules and then make excuses for others to not follow the rules.
Too often people forget that when we follow community rules, we make our community more safe, secure and pleasant for all. Rules are there for the community. When you don’t follow them, you are working against community and for yourself. That’s not OK culture.
Liam Morris
Eugene
Preserve Mature Trees
To the people responsible for the removal of the magnificent elder walnut tree at the church on Elmira Road — I hope you realize what a disappointment this is to your fellow community members; I wish you had gotten the opinion of qualified tree risk professionals instead of opting for the lowest bidder who would come in to poach the walnut wood.
The fact that they smashed the shipping container you intended to protect from the tree while removing it is poetic justice.
I won’t name the church, nor the company who performed the work — they know who they are. And I understand that the tree had a previous limb failure, but any actual arborist worth their salt would have seen the value of this tree as outweighing the risks, and would recommend hazard mitigation instead of removal.
The loss of this tree feels like a betrayal to our community.
Can we please educate ourselves about the innumerable benefits of mature trees? Can we quell our fear of nature and learn to work with her instead of against her?
Rebecca Snowdale
Eugene
Swim in Springfield
Eugene Parks and Rec must generate revenue with swimming lessons, mother baby water classes (helping to reduce drowning statistics in this country), families enjoying other activities, seniors working on fitness and others enjoying themselves “all together at the same time.”
It may interest Bill Epting (“Open the Pools” August 20) to know that the plight of the lap swimmer in Eugene via Eugene Parks and Rec pools is grim in the summer (particularly at Sheldon and Echo Hollow) precisely due to the situations you criticize.
As a lap swimmer in Eugene since 2008, when it comes to accommodations for serious lap swimming during the summer, times are limited. Lap swim etiquette is understood by few. There are times of the year where you simply have to recognize what kind of patron you are and accept circumstances.
Lap swimmers will have more access when school resumes. Just like in January, with the “resolutioners,” that populate the lanes to limit us year-round swimmers during these times; yet that too ends in about 30 days.
Perhaps Mr. Epting wishes for a private type of swimming opportunity in a club or other kinds of facilities (which do exist in Eugene)? I don’t like the situation during times of the year to lap swim in Eugene, but it’s what we have. I am grateful to Sheldon and Echo Hollow (despite the annual shutdowns to put lipstick on these two beloved pigs we hold dear — albeit Eugene needing a new aquatic center).
Perhaps Mr. Epting should consider Springfield.
Kathleen Walters
Eugene
No Denaming
In regard to Westmoreland Elementary School in west Eugene, I spent six formative years there — 1954-1960 — with wonderful teachers, making lifelong friends. There weren’t any pictures on the walls of general William Westmoreland nor did we even know who he was. “The name Westmoreland is a geographical descriptor originating from Old English, which translates to ‘the land of the people living west of the moors.’”
This name was a popular nomenclature in many areas of American cities. Eugene being one.
Anyway, why should we now try to scour our culture clean by renaming buildings or removing statues? Leave the generals and political or popular leaders’ honoraries in situ. They should be in our faces every day so we can use their “horrorifics” as a teaching opportunity. School teachers should teach the truth, not what some “want” to be “their truths.” Expose all our leaders — good, bad, ugly — in a non biased way. Maybe we’ll start to think first before erecting expensive monuments to the people only one faction in our culture deems as honest or acceptable.
Am I “woke”? Damn right. I’d rather live life with my eyes open and my knowledge of history complete than depending on who’s in power, to be fed lies, fear and chaos.
I always hated Kool-Aid. Yuck.
Annette K. Hepner
Eugene
ONLINE EXTRA LETTERS
Stop the Burn
Sent to Commissioner Ryan Ceniga at noon, August 31.
Hello, my wife and I live in Santa Clara area of Eugene, in your district. We live just off East Beacon Drive, across the road from a large commercial filbert orchard. Today, like other times occurring about twice a year, they are burning, and the smoke is thick in our neighborhood and the air quality is awful. The wind is blowing out of the north, so blows the smoke right into our neighborhood. We are senior citizens, and this air quality is really bad for us.
As I’ve done in the past, I contacted LRAPA, who said they don’t have jurisdiction over agricultural land, but looked at their satellite imagery and said, “Oh yes, that is a big fire!,” then directed us to call the Department of Agriculture. They told me they only regulate field burning, and directed me to contact DEQ. Their website directed me back to LRAPA! But I did submit an email complaint to DEQ. Both the Department of Ag and LRAPA told me that burning today is definitely not recommended.
Ryan, I cannot believe this orchard is burning! It’s dry as hell out here and the wind is blowing directly into the residential area. This has got to stop!
Will you help us cut the red tape and fix this problem?
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Peter Chabarek
Eugene
Editor’s Note: In addition to the burn, smoke was blowing in from wildfires near Mount Hood that day, leading to poor air quality that day.
No on Data Centers, Senator
U.S. bill HR 655 passed by the House of Representative sits in the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources where Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden serves.
HR 655 would transfer 150 acres around Crow Creek Reservoir in the Mt. Hood National Forest to the city of The Dalles allowing the Dalles to triple the size of its reservoir. Let’s be clear, Google data centers in The Dalles are a major driver in the increased water demand.
HR 655 is an attack on water, forests, public lands and the protection of endangered species. It would eliminate public involvement in issues facing the project, and eliminate basic environmental oversight and review, side stepping those rules to benefit Google, one of the wealthiest corporations on the planet.
Diverting water from the Dog River into the reservoir would have serious thermal impacts downstream. HR655 would likely harm five runs of salmon and steelhead in the Hood River and the Dog River which are listed under the Endangered Species Act, and, downstream, all fish migrating in the Columbia River.
We face exponential growth of data centers in Oregon. Google and their allies are taking advantage of out-of-date rules around water for profit with flagrant disregard to external costs, environmental harm and long-term impacts while we face an unprecedented environmental crisis of increasing temperature, resulting fire, and the eventuality of large-scale drought and famine.
Contact Sen. Wyden and Sen. Jeff Merkley to vote against HR 655 should it move to the Senate floor. Wyden has not yet officially come out against it.