>La Grande Observer | Union and Wallowa Counties' News Leader

Having sat through most of the recent La Grande City Budget Committee meetings and last week's city council meeting where the council voted to adopt a $33 million budget, I feel that it is necessary to point out that it is not only balancing a budget but how you get to that point that truly matters.

Specifically, it is possible to be both financially and environmentally responsible at the same time. I am referring to energy and natural resource conservation practices. Chris Perry, a budget committee member and director of Oregon Rural Action, has proposed that the city form a "Green Committee" as other Oregon municipalities have done, including Pendleton. I second that recommendation.

Currently, the city purchases only virgin paper. Employees are not mandated to follow all three parts of the "recycling" circle. City Hall has not been retrofitted to reduce heat/cooling loss and employees are allowed to run energy guzzling space heaters in the winter, some while dressed in comfortable summer-weight clothing. All city vehicles are fossil-fuel powered. Investing in gas-electric hybrid or bio-fuel-powered vehicles would show leadership.

The natural resources of our city, our valley and our world are ours to protect. Clean, accessible water is becoming the earth's most precious resource and yet the city has no consumer water usage guidelines in place. I have been informed that restrictions are only instituted during times of drought, which does not make much sense. If not restrictions then perhaps information campaigns on subjects like responsible watering practices and replacing lawn with drought-tolerant plantings.

Another suggestion from Chris Perry was for utilizing solar power to heat the public pool. These are the kinds things that members of a Green Committee could look at and are just a few of the ways our city municipal departments can lead in achieving great benefits for all.

Josey Fast

La Grande

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Regarding the June 5 Community Comment, "Road closures go too far," by Dorian Cox of Union:

The way we read it, Dorian and other friends have been in violation of closed roads for quite some time.

Yes, some years ago, a lot of roads were closed. Our hunting party was upset. But later we found that they had created 3 to 5 square miles of roadless area. They wing-ripped some roads and re-seeded with native grasses. The holes left from creating berms made water holes for the wildlife. This brought more wildlife in those areas. But the four-wheelers started working their way around and over the berms and through timber that was supposed to be vehicle free, violating the road closures and moving the wildlife out of these areas. It's time something be done.

We've thought that maybe we'd buy a four-wheeler to help haul out animals, but just didn't like the idea of using them. Our group only uses a vehicle to get to the area where we plan to hunt. We walk from there. We use a chain saw winch to get animals out of tight spots.

Old logging roads were made especially for timber sales. After operations were finished, those roads were bermed and closed. They're saying that you shouldn't be on those roads at all because it's no longer a road for vehicle use.

It's obvious that four-wheelers play a major part in damage. You see cookies being made in the middle of roads, up the banks and tracks going across and cookies in meadows. That's unnecessary and is one reason things are getting tighter for forest usage.

It only takes one bad guy to cause problems for everyone. We've been there and done that with a four-wheel club we used to be members of. All it took were a few "outlaws" to ruin everything.

Forest users need to wake up. If they don't, more roads will be closed and more restrictions will be put on forest uses.

We don't need petitions, we need to get the word out to ALL forest users to be more aware of what they are doing, obey all regulations and pack out garbage when using the forest.

Ed and Kay Anicker

Elgin

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I would like to voice my concern about increased ATV use in the Wallowa-Whitman. I've used this area for summer camping, hunting and fishing for over 40 years. The last thing we need is more noise and pollution in the forest from ATV users.

I use this forest to get away from these people. I know your area has experienced an increase in human population and I'm sure your "old timers" lament about the good old days when you never saw another person on an outing in the local "woods."

Let's preserve a little bit of this peace and quiet and keep ATVs out of the back-country. As my 86-year-old dad says, "If they're too puny to pack elk out on their back, get a mule!"

Bob Gerding

Philomath

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I couldn't believe my eyes when I read Vector Control was going to spray for mosquitoes. It brought back memories from the Midwest 50 years ago of toxic spray fogging the whole environment, of sore eyes and throats, and of the thought that the chemicals were planting seeds for harmful health effects down the road in everyone exposed

to it.

It also reminded me of my well-educated father who was a soil conservationist in Nebraska and state agronomist for northern California, doing environmental impact reports at the end of his career. It was a devastating evaluation of his life's work seeing the harmful consequences of all the pesticides he'd encouraged farmers to use, based on misinformation and promotion by chemical companies.

Even that memory was 20 years ago. How can our community leaders condone such a travesty? Call 963-2974 to stop them from spraying in your backyard.

Kayla Komito

La Grande

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Recently I was having a late breakfast at my kitchen table. I was facing west and could see the stop sign on the corner of Y and Greenwood.

It was a beautiful sunny day. A lady on a bicycle was pulling a child in a carrier behind her. Riding in front of her was a child on a little bicycle. They did not stop at the stop sign.

Granted, there were no cars coming. But is that mother teaching her son to be a responsible person? Many bike riders — kids and adults — ride through stop signs.

I dread the day I have to call 9-1-1 to report an accident between bike and car.

Joan Rose

La Grande

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After reading Jim Ward's Community Comment on the U.S.F.S. Travel Management Plan, I found that I could agree with two things that he said. First is that two people seeing the same information can come to different conclusions.

The roads that the Forest Service are proposing to close are currently open-numbered roads, built by the Forest Service and since closed to full-size vehicles, not user-built or closed roads as Jim says. These roads were left open to ATVs and motorcycles at the conclusion of the last Travel Management Plan.

If this closure takes place as proposed, all motorized traffic would share the same roads, unless on a designated trail system. Most people like to ride their ATVs and motorcycles where they can't drive their vehicle. This looks to me like they are incrementally removing motorized recreation from the forests. I would also like to know where these huge areas are that have been blocked off for off-highway vehicle (OHV) use and are paid for with his tax dollars.

What few areas I know of have been primarily developed, built and maintained by local OHV clubs and users with permission of the Forest Service. They have also been paid for with taxes on the fuel OHVs use, and fees from OHV stickers, not his tax dollars.

As far as the opinion Jim reached on the Starkey Study, I have seen a presentation of the conclusions of the study and will just agree to disagree with Jim's opinion.

Oh, the other thing we agree on is that there are people who ride their OHVs where they shouldn't. Like with anything, a minority of uninformed or willfully negligent people can cause problems for the responsible majority.

If you want to keep your riding options open, get involved.

Mark Barber

La Grande

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This letter is in regards to the comments being sent on "Keep ATVs Out of the Forests."

The one thing everyone is forgetting, and I am sure the Forest Service is very happy about, is that we are all in danger of being locked out of our forests. If you want to continue enjoying the forests, then you need to let everyone, no matter what their activity, enjoy the forest, too. If you see someone doing damage, report them.

Tell me now — a mule does not spread noxious weeds? A chain saw puller is not louder than an ATV? Berms and ripping of roads are not re-planted with natural grasses. They are eroding, look horrible and in no way look natural.

The roads being closed are long-existing roads that, if left to Mother Nature, would close on their own without the destructive measures that are taken by the USFS. If you really love your forests, then let everyone enjoy them, not just you, yourself.

If we don't band together, we all lose. If you haven't lived here for 30 years at least, you don't know how much has already been taken with no public input. If we all keep fighting to get just what we want then we all lose and mark my words, the Forest Service is just setting back and smiling. ATV, this week; YOU tomorrow.

Why can't we ever find out how much it has cost the USFS to close these roads? From the equipment it took to do this damage, to man-hours, I doubt it was far from cheap. Leave the old roads alone. We like to travel them, the animals like to walk on them and I bet so do hikers and foot hunters.

If you think the animals are afraid of ATVs, then call me and I will send you some up-close and personal pictures of deer and elk. What a sight, what a thrill, and they never once seemed too concerned about me being there.

I love my forests and I am in awe of them every time I travel through them, except when I see with my own eyes what the USFS has done to this beautiful land.

Georgia Cox

Union