Monumental Debate
As some of you may know: I am in the process of relocating from Kearney, NE to Medford, OR. The vast majority of Nebraska is privately owned while, on the other hand, Oregonians have significantly more opportunities for unfettered access to the backcountry. Living in Nebraska has highlighted a sad truth: Private land ownership is often incompatible with the need to maintain a healthy environment.
We face the disaster known as Anthropogenic Climate Change (ACC). And, you all know, the only solution to ACC is to stop those activities (like using fossil fuels) that intensify ACC. While systemically this is a daunting task and we may feel powerless, each of us have opportunities to effectively influence efforts to enhance conditions that are so vital to our survival. Or, as the bumper sticker reads: Think Cosmically! Act Locally!
In 1974 the National Audubon Society created a 782 acre Lillian Annette Rowe Bird Sanctuary near Kearney, NE. Fortunately (for me), in 1979 I was able to become a member of the volunteer habitat enhancement crew that reestablished the native prairie as the sanctuary has grown to 2,418 acres today. As a physicist I knew the importance of diversity in the interacting community of flora and fauna (via complex partial differential equations). From the biologists I learned what, when, and where to burn. I became known as "The Artist" as I used a drip torch and three tined rake to set and control the fire line during the prescribed field burns. Having been bitten by the bug, I really want to get involved in restoration projects in the Pacific Northwest.
Unfortunately, arriving in Medford on the wrong day, I missed an interesting meeting concerning the expansion of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument to the East and South of my present location.
The meeting was called by U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., so he and U.S. Department of the Interior Deputy Secretary Mike Connor could gauge public sentiment for the expansion plan pitched by Merkley and fellow Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden.
The story by Mark Freeman is a good read. Below I have linked to two "behind a pay-wall" articles. Fortunately, the Mail Tribune allows anyone access to three "Premium Clicks" per month.
Group pushes to expand Southern Oregon monument lands
Monumental debate
It seems I need to introduce myself to many new friends in the coming months. It will be nice to finally be a part of the majority at public meetings. This "Moving Home" thing just keeps getting better . . .
Comments
Gosh, the prairie folks will be sad to see you go.
Yesterday (I think) a small herd of bison was released in Indiana, to roam a re-seeded prairie there.
Hey! my dear friends or soon-to-be's, JtC could use the donations to keep this site functioning for those of us who can still see the life preserver or flotsam in the water.
Public lands are of the utmost importance and they are under
attack from the right wing. It's important to remember that the western states, when they became states, agreed to accept public lands as state lands and to recognize the peoples' right to the federal land. Billionaire financed groups are agitating for public lands - administered by the US Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, US Army Corps of Engineers, and others - to be given to the states. The history of the states' treatment of the federal lands they were granted at statehood shows that much of the land is now in private hands. This is what the ultra-rich want: Federal land given to the states who in turn bow to pressure and bribes to sell it to private interests so that it's gone from the public sector. Lost are forests, rivers, clean air, recreation, and public access.
"The justness of individual land right is not justifiable to those to whom the land by right of first claim collectively belonged"
Nebraska is Schizoid
It has a land ownership pattern like Eastern states with very little public land and water issues very like the West. The worst combination.
The progress we made in central Nebraska is entirely do to us. I joined a group that stopped the Mid-State's project.
Mike Jess didn't talk about my Topo-Map display exposing the details so the local farmers could get really pissed-off at the NRD's plan to screw them with a "new" "improved" Mid-State's project in the early 1980s. That was the second of the two projects alluded to in the above linked article. I still savor the moment Ron Bishop of the Central Platte NRD went ballistic yelling "That guy in the back doesn't know what he is talking about!"
Even when (nearly) all the land is privately owned there will always be someone with a "better use" argument.
Congratulations on stopping the Mid-State's project.
I think it was John Fremont's party that went through western Nebraska and described the sand hills and used the term desert. If I remember correctly that means western Nebraska is on the edge and should not be tilled and grazing done with due care for the land in each particular year.
On BLM land, it's cheaper for the ranchers to lease the land for grazing than it would be if they owned the land and had to pay taxes on it. Still, they gripe and complain and think it should be given to them. During the recent drought in northern Nevada, the BLM range officers wanted to get the cattle off until the rains came to keep the land fertile. The ranchers and their elected officials cried bitter tears and Obama, instead of protecting the land - as called for in the enabling legislation - caved in and let the ranchers continue to degrade the public land.
"The justness of individual land right is not justifiable to those to whom the land by right of first claim collectively belonged"
Cozad, NE
The "Great American Desert" lies between the 100th parallel and the Rocky Mountains. Cozad, NE is on the 100th parallel and the Sandhills are mostly to the west of the 100th parallel.
Western Nebraska (roughly West of Grand Island should never have been tilled. The soil is all wrong for that sort of thing. It should be grassland with Bison Bison roaming about freely. Cattle are a good substitute, but greed creates high density feedlots and other eyesores that destroy the landscape.
Invasive species and dependence on petrochemicals have created a landscape in desperate need of rehabilitation. There are large tracts of still good (almost native) prairie in the Sandhills, but subsidies encourage the production of corn and too much wheat and other cattle feeding related operations. The Manly Men of the Nebraska Cattlemen's Association cry way too much, they should be told to "man up" and stop living on the public dole. At least in Nebraska, the ranchers do not use (abuse the very few extant acres of) public land.
Thanks a lot for giving me the details.
When I was 18 I rode a bus 3 nights & 3 days from my east coast city to Cedar City, Utah, and then hitchhiked 70 miles to my new job. My coworkers were OK but older and settled. I landed dead center in the Mormon rancher culture and did I have a shock. I was never in an area where the population repeated the most transparent lies which they seemed to believe(not talking about religion but rancher culture). They were anti federal government although they all depended to public land and subsidies to exist. "Manly Men" is right...LOL
"The justness of individual land right is not justifiable to those to whom the land by right of first claim collectively belonged"
I'm happy for you.
I've thought of going Oregon myself more than a few times but never made it happen.
"I can't understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I'm frightened of the old ones."
John Cage
I love to travel and guide . . .
I am considering developing some online guided and self-guided tours of the Pacific NorthWest. I am thinking, On the Road with Charles Kuralt or Blue Highways by William Least Heat-Moon, with personal anecdotes.
For example: While teaching my (then young) daughter how to properly read a map she asked if we were going to drive on a "red" road. We tried (unsuccessfully) to explain the nature of cartographic coding conventions. The topic came up in a variety of situations until one day, Ah-ha ‽ , we crossed a county line and suddenly we were driving on a RED road. The aggregate for the pavement was rich in fossil rain forest. She laughed and chattered about that joke for quite some time.
I drove up and back across Oregon (I-5) in August
as part of my kayak trip. And saw all the signs telling us how awful the Monument would be. Now I have the rest of the story (thanks). "Whole watersheds"! That's the way to go. All of our land management ought to be based on watersheds, not silly squares drawn on a sheet of paper. It's the best way to see the consequences of development (or not) on the whole system. Not so easy to sweep things under the rug when the people downstream have such an obvious stake in somebody else's plans.
"I’m a human being, first and foremost, and as such I’m for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole.” —Malcolm X
Watershed Defined Management Areas
are a hot topic and have been for some time. I think many stakeholders agree this is the way to go but ossified bureaucrats and certain special interests will fight to the death to maintain their death grip on the status quo. Coupled with our Byzantine judicial system progress will be a bit glacial.
We may be neighbors one day.
My mom and I bought a house in Talent. She will be moving there from Bend on November 15th (snow willing). I probably won't make it up except to visit for some time. No Biotech there, which is how I earn my part of the mortgage payment. Sounds like you'll be a great addition to the OR ecosystem.
"The presence of those seeking the truth is infinitely to be preferred to those who think they've found it."
Terry Pratchett, Monstrous Regiment
Talent was named for . . .
. . . A. P. Tallent, who platted the city. I always thought it should have been named "Talent" because it is adjacent to Ashland the home of the annual Oregon Shakespeare Festival. My daughter (a Theater Major at SOU) lived in the Anjou Apartments (in Talent) for a time, so, you could say the OSF talent lived in Talent, OR.
Quietly closing the door as I exit stage left.
I was curious about the origin of the town name.
And you so easily satisfied my idle curiosity. I'll have to pass that on to my Mom although, knowing her, she already knows the story. She is the most amazing repository of incidental information about nearly every subject. I have never met anyone else to match her.
She wanted to buy in Ashland as she has several friends there, but we got priced out of that market in the span of 2 months. The area is apparently slated to be the next Napa. We'll see.
"The presence of those seeking the truth is infinitely to be preferred to those who think they've found it."
Terry Pratchett, Monstrous Regiment
I am an Oregonian, too!
I love my home. We have the coast, the desert, the rivers, the valley... we have it all.
My favorite place right now to camp and kayak is Central Oregon. Paulina Lake, part of Newberry Volcanic Monument. You are camping in the blown out belly of a volcano. It's wicked wonderful. Hope you get to tromp and stomp around there.
"Love One Another" ~ George Harrison
Paulina Lake is on my list.
We keep driving by, but now that we will be living in the area we will be able to spend time there. Linda does the geology and I will be looking for radioactive samples. Oh, and the night sky viewing is very good.
When I was young my dad would wax poetic about Paulina Lake and the Sprague River valley to the south of there. Unfortunately, we were never well off enough to go very far from where we lived. So, I hope to make up for all the lost opportunities.
Another destination
To add to my list!
"I’m a human being, first and foremost, and as such I’m for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole.” —Malcolm X