Political Issues

One of the more interesting issues to be on the ballot in Oregon this year is Ballot Measure 64, the "No Clearcut, No Spray" Initiative. The Eugene Natural History Society has been asked to comment on this measure by the Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides. NCAP is a group that we have supported for many years, and that they are undecided on whether or not to endorse this measure brought up earnest debate at the last board meeting of the Natural History Society.

There seem to be three points of view that are in conflict. The obvious two are whether or not the initiative is good for Oregon's forest management. The developers of the initiative, of course, believe that the regulations mandated by the ballot measure will result in better management of forest lands. It is clearcut in its prohibition of clearcuts and spraying, and provides avenues for enforcement by citizen lawsuits. Most professional foresters are not at all pleased with the prescriptions because of the blanket restrictions that do not allow for site-specific treatments. Even Gov. Kitzhaber has declared his opposition to the measure because of its lack of flexibility.

The third point of view, the main sticking point for the NHS board, is that it doesn't matter whether the initiative is good forestry. It represents a strong pro-environment stand that will be modified by the legislature anyway. It should be endorsed purely on the grounds that environmentalists should stand together; that we should encourage the state of mind that led to the ballot measure in the first place.

There was no quick consensus on the matter. It was decided that we would have a short (short!) debate after our next meeting and put it to a vote of the attending membership. Should the Eugene Natural History Society endorse this measure? Educate yourself and come prepared! More details are available from the supporting organization, OLIFE, at (541) 683-1494 or web site http://www.efn.org/~olife/.

From the Webmaster: As soon as I had posted this page, I saw a commercial on television for a "No on 64" campaign. This is the URL they gave for interested parties to visit: www.healthyforests.org. The ideas expressed on this website are not necessarily the views of the ENHS.

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