thanks Wendy, a good laugh now that we have passed through the plane of our galaxy
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Monday, December 24, 2012
That is, globally all persons who are 27 years or younger have not experienced a month with a below average temperature.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, in its October report, states (in part):
"The average temperature across land and ocean surfaces during October was 14.63°C (58.23°F). This is 0.63°C (1.13°F) above the 20th century average and ties with 2008 as the fifth warmest October on record. The record warmest October occurred in 2003 and the record coldest October occurred in 1912. This is the 332nd consecutive month with an above-average temperature. The last below-average month was February 1985. The last October with a below-average temperature was 1976. The Northern Hemisphere ranked as the seventh warmest October on record, while the Southern Hemisphere ranked as second warmest, behind 1997."
That is, globally all persons who are 27 years or younger have not experienced a month with a below average temperature.
"The last month with a below average temperature was February 1985, nearly 28 years ago." emphasis added
Source of report is http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/global/2012/10
btw the Nov report just continues this warming trend
"The average temperature across land and ocean surfaces during October was 14.63°C (58.23°F). This is 0.63°C (1.13°F) above the 20th century average and ties with 2008 as the fifth warmest October on record. The record warmest October occurred in 2003 and the record coldest October occurred in 1912. This is the 332nd consecutive month with an above-average temperature. The last below-average month was February 1985. The last October with a below-average temperature was 1976. The Northern Hemisphere ranked as the seventh warmest October on record, while the Southern Hemisphere ranked as second warmest, behind 1997."
That is, globally all persons who are 27 years or younger have not experienced a month with a below average temperature.
"The last month with a below average temperature was February 1985, nearly 28 years ago." emphasis added
Source of report is http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/global/2012/10
btw the Nov report just continues this warming trend
Friday, December 21, 2012
Living in Oregon…According to Jeff Foxworthy
Living in Oregon…According to Jeff Foxworthy
THIS IS WHAT JEFF FOXWORTHY HAS TO SAY ABOUT ‘LIVING IN OREGON’…
• If someone in a Home Depot store offers you assistance and they don’t work there, you live in Oregon.
• If you’ve worn shorts, sandals and a parka at the same time, you live in Oregon.
• If you’ve had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed the wrong number, you live inOregon.
• If you measure distance in hours, you live in Oregon.
• If you know several people who have hit a deer more than once, you live in Oregon.
• If you have switched from ‘heat’ to ‘A/C’ and back again in the same day, you live in Oregon.
• If you install security lights on your house and garage but leave both doors unlocked, you live in Oregon.
• If you can drive 75 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard without flinching, you live in Central, Southern or Eastern Oregon.
• If you design your kid’s Halloween costume to fit over a 2 layers of clothes or under a raincoat, you live in Oregon.
• If driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow and ice, you live in Oregon.
• If you know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter, and road construction, you live in Oregon.
• If you feel guilty throwing aluminum cans or paper in the trash, you live in Oregon.
• If you know more than 10 ways to order coffee, you live in Oregon.
• If you know more people who own boats than air conditioners, you live in Oregon.
• If you stand on a deserted corner in the rain waiting for the “Walk” signal, you live in Oregon.
• If you consider that if it has no snow or has not recently erupted, it is not a real mountain, you live in Oregon.
• If you can taste the difference between Starbucks, Seattle’s Best, and Dutch Bros, you live in Oregon.
• If you know the difference between Chinook, Coho and Sockeye salmon, you live in Oregon.
• If you know how to pronounce Sequim, Puyallup, Clatskanie, Issaquah, Oregon, Umpqua, Yakima and Willamette, you live in Oregon.
• If you consider swimming an indoor sport, you live in Oregon.
• If you know that Boring is a city and not just a feeling, you live in Oregon.
• If you can tell the difference between Japanese, Chinese and Thai food, you live in Oregon.
• If you never go camping without waterproof matches and a poncho, you live in Oregon.
• If you have actually used your mountain bike on a mountain, you live in Oregon.
• If you think people who use umbrellas are either wimps or tourists, you live in Oregon.
• If you buy new sunglasses every year, because you cannot find the old ones after such a long time, you live in Oregon.
• If you actually understand these jokes and forward them to all your OREGON friends, you live or have lived in Oregon.
THIS IS WHAT JEFF FOXWORTHY HAS TO SAY ABOUT ‘LIVING IN OREGON’…
• If someone in a Home Depot store offers you assistance and they don’t work there, you live in Oregon.
• If you’ve worn shorts, sandals and a parka at the same time, you live in Oregon.
• If you’ve had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed the wrong number, you live inOregon.
• If you measure distance in hours, you live in Oregon.
• If you know several people who have hit a deer more than once, you live in Oregon.
• If you have switched from ‘heat’ to ‘A/C’ and back again in the same day, you live in Oregon.
• If you install security lights on your house and garage but leave both doors unlocked, you live in Oregon.
• If you can drive 75 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard without flinching, you live in Central, Southern or Eastern Oregon.
• If you design your kid’s Halloween costume to fit over a 2 layers of clothes or under a raincoat, you live in Oregon.
• If driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow and ice, you live in Oregon.
• If you know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter, and road construction, you live in Oregon.
• If you feel guilty throwing aluminum cans or paper in the trash, you live in Oregon.
• If you know more than 10 ways to order coffee, you live in Oregon.
• If you know more people who own boats than air conditioners, you live in Oregon.
• If you stand on a deserted corner in the rain waiting for the “Walk” signal, you live in Oregon.
• If you consider that if it has no snow or has not recently erupted, it is not a real mountain, you live in Oregon.
• If you can taste the difference between Starbucks, Seattle’s Best, and Dutch Bros, you live in Oregon.
• If you know the difference between Chinook, Coho and Sockeye salmon, you live in Oregon.
• If you know how to pronounce Sequim, Puyallup, Clatskanie, Issaquah, Oregon, Umpqua, Yakima and Willamette, you live in Oregon.
• If you consider swimming an indoor sport, you live in Oregon.
• If you know that Boring is a city and not just a feeling, you live in Oregon.
• If you can tell the difference between Japanese, Chinese and Thai food, you live in Oregon.
• If you never go camping without waterproof matches and a poncho, you live in Oregon.
• If you have actually used your mountain bike on a mountain, you live in Oregon.
• If you think people who use umbrellas are either wimps or tourists, you live in Oregon.
• If you buy new sunglasses every year, because you cannot find the old ones after such a long time, you live in Oregon.
• If you actually understand these jokes and forward them to all your OREGON friends, you live or have lived in Oregon.
posted on Facebook
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Group wants timber harvest panel to go public
Group wants timber harvest panel to go public
'Governor must put an end to closed-door sessions'
By MITCH LIES
Capital Press
A nonprofit organization that advocates for protection of old-growth forests is calling for Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber to go public with what they say are "the closed-door proceedings of the governor's timber harvest panel."
In a press conference at the Oregon Capitol Dec. 18, Cristina Hubbard, project director of Forest Web of Cottage Grove, Ore., said decisions being made behind closed doors "have a direct impact on our lives and those of the generations to follow."
"The governor must put an end to closed-door sessions and hold a public comment period on the timber harvest panel's recommendation," Hubbard said.
Kitzhaber this fall convened a panel of conservationists, timber industry representatives and county commissioners to develop recommendations for managing Oregon and California Railroad Revested Lands in Oregon. Known as O&C Lands, the federally owned and managed lands comprise about 2.5 million acres in 18 Western Oregon counties.
The panel's recommendations, which could be released as soon as January, are expected to be part of federal legislation.
Three members of Oregon's congressional delegation introduced a bill last year that calls for setting aside a little over 1 million acres of O&C Lands for conservation, and setting up a trust to manage the remaining 1.5 million acres for timber production. The O&C Trust, Conservation and Jobs Act has yet to receive a congressional hearing.
Hubbard said Forest Web isn't advocating participation in the governor's panel, but to have the panel's proceedings opened to the public.
Also, Hubbard said, the organization wants a chance to comment on the recommendations before they become part of federal legislation.
"The fear is making timber the dominant use of these lands," said former Lane County Commissioner Jerry Rust, who also spoke at the press conference. "We want a chance to discuss that."
"The public has been excluded from the decision-making process of this important legislation," Hubbard said.
source: http://www.capitalpress.com/oregon/ml-timber-press-conference-121812
Mount Hood logging disputes shift as clear cuts decline and thinning projects rise
Mount Hood logging disputes shift as clear cuts decline and thinning projects rise
By Scott Learn, The Oregonian
on December 20, 2012 at 12:44 PM, updated December 20, 2012 at 12:46 PM
on December 20, 2012 at 12:44 PM, updated December 20, 2012 at 12:46 PM
Scott Learn, The Oregonian
The Jazz thinning project, a 2,000-acre logging plan near a Clackamas River tributary, features the type of selective tree cutting that's become the accepted approach for much of the Mount Hood National Forest.
But Mount Hood's main environmental watchdog group is fighting it, charging the Forest Service with using thinning as cover for potentially destructive logging.
Amid the criticism, the service has pulled back the previously approved project for a second look, upsetting logging interests who say Jazz is a far cry from the clear cuts of the 1950s through 1980s.
It's a pitched timber battle, but also one that illustrates how Mount Hood's logging landscape has changed since the spotted-owl-driven logging wars fired up in the 1990s.
Disputes have become rarer, as new collaborative groups tamp down bickering and thinning projects supplant traditional logging throughout northwest Oregon's most familiar forest.
They've also become subtler, focused on the costs and benefits of thinning in often sensitive areas not slated for clear cuts, and on the Forest Service's ability to monitor timber contractors for compliance with logging rules.
"Literally, nine of the 2,000 acres they're going to log are designated within the forest plan for that purpose," says Olivia Schmidt, program director for Bark, the Mount Hood watchdog group. "It just doesn't stand up to reason."
Thinning upsides
Logging groups and the Forest Service beg to differ.
Much of the forest is second-growth Douglas fir "plantations," planted roughly 8 feet apart after clear cuts 30 to 60 years ago.
Thinning those stands helps the remaining trees set roots deeper and grow faster and healthier, they say, making them less susceptible to insects, disease and high winds. Forest undergrowth would increase, as would species such as western hemlock and red cedar, alder and noble fir.
Over time, the thinking goes, the forest would more closely resemble old growth stands. In drier eastside forests, it also significantly reduces wildfire risk.
Several cuts in the Collawash River watershed, home to the Jazz planning area, have followed the pattern.
Like Bark, the American Forest Resource Council, which represents timber interests, appealed the Jazz decision. But its objection was that the 2,000-acre planning area was too small. The Collawash watershed covers roughly 97,000 acres.
"It's thinning that our forests need," says Tom Partin, the group's president. "The equipment we use out there anymore is all high-tech, with a much lighter touch on the ground."
The 1994 Northwest Forest Plan, adopted after the northern spotted owl came under the Endangered Species Act, predicts annual sales from Mount Hood of 64 million board feet. Nowadays, it's coming in around 30 million board feet, with overall annual tree growth about 13 times harvest levels, the Forest Service says.
Over time, as timber sales are executed, the Jazz project could generate 15 million board feet, the service says, projected to support about 125 timber jobs and provide enough wood to build several thousand houses.
The Forest Service screened the project through the Clackamas Stewardship Partners, a collaborative group with timber and environmental representatives in place for eight years. No members of the group appealed.
But Bark dropped out of the partners group for a time, knowing it was likely to oppose Jazz. Oregon Wild stayed on and decided not to fight the project. Erik Fernandez, Oregon Wild's wilderness coordinator, said the group is focusing on other Mount Hood logging proposals outside the Clackamas drainage that it sees as more harmful.
Jeffrey Gerwing, an associate professor of environmental science and management at Portland State University, is part of the partners group.
The Jazz project's "variable density thinning" would help make a more complex forest, he says. Studies of other Northwest forests have shown increases in plant diversity, insect abundance and migratory songbirds after thinning.
Into the forest
Walking through the Collawash watershed, you see evidence for that point of view. Stands of spindly young Douglas firs, bark still chalky white, are common. Logged areas aren't clear cut, with the "leave trees" left behind still marked in orange.
But the forest doesn't call to mind a plantation either.
It's steep and watery, with dozens of streams coursing through. Ferns, Oregon grape and hemlock trees cover much of the understory. Dead snags and fallen "nurse" trees, important to a natural forest, abound.
"There's a difference between planting trees and letting nature do its thing and the kind of industrial management you see in private forests," says Alex Brown, Bark's executive director.
Bark has more concerns about the Jazz project because its staff and 50 volunteers have scouted every acre, Brown says. They've found unusually steep slopes destined for logging, he says, unmapped streams and water features and more complexity than the Forest Service describes. Twelve miles of road, including seven reclaimed at taxpayer expense, would be reopened for the project.
The Collawash includes some of the most geologically unstable terrain in Mount Hood's forests and 168 miles of fish-bearing streams. Road building, logging truck traffic, skid rows and logging yards can increase erosion into those streams, threatening water quality.
Bark contends that the thinly staffed Forest Service doesn't have the personnel to make sure timber contractors are following "best management practices," or BMPs, that reduce erosion, particularly on a 2,000 acre project.
Since 1996, Mount Hood Forest Service staffing dropped from 400 permanent positions to 159, according to a 2010 report.
A Bark record request for Forest Service BMP monitoring documents returned evidence of just four units being monitored in two sales, and several of those documents showed problems. Bark says it has found skid trails too close to streams and large trees that were cut instead of spared.
"The Forest Service says they're doing the monitoring," Bark's Schmidt says, "but if they can't provide documents, then we're just taking their word for it."
Moving forward
Ranger Chaveas concedes the Forest Service doesn't have "rigorous documentation" of monitoring. The last overall review of BMP implementation came in 2004.
But timber sale administrators do regularly monitor activity, and can withhold payment if contractors don't follow the rules and properly reclaim areas after logging, he says. Forest Service scientists use their findings to improve requirements for subsequent projects.
On Jazz, some 400 acres of the 2,000-acre plan area are off limits to logging because of needs for stream and water quality protection.
Chaveas says loggers will stick largely to flat spots and logging trucks will avoid roads along streams and steep slopes to prevent erosion.
A Forest Service environmental analysis said the logging would create little increase in sediment runoff, a hazard to fish. The National Marine Fisheries Service, which oversees salmon and steelhead, signed off on it.
But Chaveas said the Forest Service did decide to take a second look at sediment issues after Bark's appeal. That could take several months.
Gerwing, of Portland State, said he'd like the Clackamas Stewardship Partners to work with the Forest Service on how BMP implementation and monitoring might be improved. After that, he hopes the project can move forward.
Scott Learn; Twitter: @slearn1
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Forest Advocates Call for Greater Transparency in New Federal Lands Proposal
Forest Advocates Call for Greater Transparency in New Federal Lands Proposal
12/18/2012
By Jes Burns
Former Lane Commissioner Jerry Rust delivered a letter to the governor Tuesday asking for full disclosure of the Timber Harvest Panel's sessions.
“These are public lands, these are public forests, public laws, and public legislation is being proposed. And as we stand right here today, we are completely frozen out of the process. We have no idea what’s going on behind closed doors, and we’d frankly like to know why all the secrecy.”
Cristina Hubbard with Forest Web of Cottage Grove wants to keep the so-called O&C lands protected by federal law.
“As it is now written, the O&C Trust, Conservation, and Jobs Act is a bill that would turn over 70% of the O&C lands over to a timber trust to be managed without federal environmental and clean water protections.”
Both Rust and Hubbard fear the land would be managed primarily for timber harvest, which would increase clear-cutting.
Several Oregon lawmakers, including Representative Peter Defazio, are endorsing an early draft of the law. Defazio’s office says the proposal would create jobs, help county budgets, and provide environmental protections. Any plan would have to be passed by Congress.
source: http://klcc.org/Feature.asp?FeatureID=4087
12/18/2012
By Jes Burns
Former Lane Commissioner Jerry Rust delivered a letter to the governor Tuesday asking for full disclosure of the Timber Harvest Panel's sessions.
“These are public lands, these are public forests, public laws, and public legislation is being proposed. And as we stand right here today, we are completely frozen out of the process. We have no idea what’s going on behind closed doors, and we’d frankly like to know why all the secrecy.”
Cristina Hubbard with Forest Web of Cottage Grove wants to keep the so-called O&C lands protected by federal law.
“As it is now written, the O&C Trust, Conservation, and Jobs Act is a bill that would turn over 70% of the O&C lands over to a timber trust to be managed without federal environmental and clean water protections.”
Both Rust and Hubbard fear the land would be managed primarily for timber harvest, which would increase clear-cutting.
Several Oregon lawmakers, including Representative Peter Defazio, are endorsing an early draft of the law. Defazio’s office says the proposal would create jobs, help county budgets, and provide environmental protections. Any plan would have to be passed by Congress.
source: http://klcc.org/Feature.asp?FeatureID=4087
Thursday, December 13, 2012
GUEST VIEWPOINT: It’s time for Congress to end bailouts for O&C counties
GUEST VIEWPOINT: It’s time for Congress to end bailouts for O&C counties
BY JERRY RUST
Published: November 24, 2012 12:00AM,Midnight, Nov. 24
Counties that are home to timberlands that once belonged to the Oregon & California Railroad don’t deserve another extra dime from Congress to make up for spotted-owl-related revenue losses. Also, it’s time to reconsider the payment formula to these counties. Here’s why.
The O&C lands comprise 2.4 million acres of midelevation Bureau of Land Management multiple use forestlands located in a checkerboard pattern in 18 Western Oregon counties. Since the O&C Act of 1937, the counties have been partners with the federal government, sharing revenues from tree harvests on these lands. Under the act, counties receive 50 percent of gross revenues, and the BLM bears all management costs within its share of gross. Counties receive these revenues based on the percentage of O&C acreage located within a given county. Historically, revenues have fluctuated, but in recent years amounted to $100 million annually.
When the Endangered Species Act virtually shut down harvesting on federal forestlands, the O&C counties looked to Congress for a bailout, citing “timber dependency.” Congress, prodded by the Oregon delegation, sent about $1 billion to the 18 counties from 2000 through 2012.
Though 18 counties share the revenues, the reality is that only four counties receive over two thirds of the money. Douglas County alone received over $250 million of the billion-dollar bailout.
With each appropriation came a congressional warning: These appropriations will end. Plan accordingly. Make the transition away from “timber dependency.”
Unfortunately, Congress’ largesse unwittingly had the opposite effect, at least for the four counties that got the lion’s share of the money. Counties still hold out for more bailouts. Counties still have not done the requested budgetary planning and preparation. The counties still self-identify as “timber dependent.”
And they still want more money. The O&C counties want to speed up logging on these federal lands to gain more revenue.
A bill introduced by Reps. Peter DeFazio and Greg Walden would remove 1.5 million acres from the O&C lands and speed up logging while diminishing environmental standards. Gov. John Kitzhaber has appointed a committee to make legislative recommendations to accomplish the same. Both of these efforts would do significant harm to Oregon’s fish, wildlife, biodiversity, air and water.
Why? To satisfy the insatiable appetite for revenue for a handful of Oregon counties that willfully refuse to face reality.
Congress should cut the counties off cold turkey. Congressmen and the governor should stop pandering to and coddling the counties. It only makes things worse. Furthermore, the O&C payment formula should be changed to one based more on population and less on BLM acreage within a county.
Finally, Oregon politicians at the local, state and federal level need to understand that our federal forests are in recovery from decades of overcutting. Professional BLM foresters should be allowed to manage the BLM forests according to the forest plan, within federal law. The O&C revenue train is slow but steady. These multiple use lands will continue to provide revenues to Oregon counties, just not at the level the counties have gotten used to.
It’s time for counties to get over the spotted owl and get on with balancing budgets without federal bailouts.
Jerry Rust represented south Eugene on the Lane County Board of Commissioners from 1977 to 1997,
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Of Northern Spotted Owls, Marbled Murrelets, and Logging Road Pollution
Of Northern Spotted
Owls, Marbled Murrelets, and Logging Road Pollution
The timber
industry in Oregon continues to struggle.
The need for jobs and revenue has given
timber companies the best opportunity in years to encourage state politicians
to find ways to increase timber production.
For example,
“ …Oregon Congressmen Greg Walden (R-Hood River), Peter DeFazio
(D-Springfield), and Kurt Schrader (D-Canby) are working on a bill that would
pass control of 1.4 million acres managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management
(BLM) to the state of Oregon. They will argue that the state can
do a better job implementing sustainable forest management practices than the
federal government can.” http://naturalresourcereport.com/2012/11/good-news-for-oregon-timber/
Governor
Kitzhaber also convened a council “to address challenges facing O & C
counties in Oregon. The Governor asked
the group to build on existing proposals and develop recommendations that help
Oregon counties improve financial stability, ensure adequate sources of timber
that support local mills and jobs, and meet Oregon’s water and land
conservation goals. He expects the group to craft a proposal to take to the
Oregon delegation and Congress in early 2013.” The membership and focus of this committee is
on jobs in the timber industry without any representation from those businesses
involved in tourism, recreation, lodging and educational programs which may be
negatively impacted by increased timber harvesting. http://www.oregon.gov/gov/media_room/Pages/press_releasesp2012/press_101112.aspx
Based
on the membership of the O&C Council, I’m
skeptical of what they might recommend. It is
not the year 2000, nor 1980, nor even 1960. The timber industry and government officials
in Oregon will be disappointed if their revenue plans fail to adequately
address new businesses, environmental issues, and take a stewardship approach
that encourages public collaboration and participation. I believe that the Federal government
could
be doing a
better job at managing the public forests but I also question any state
or county ability unless the local citizens are sufficiently involved.
A number of related
developments have occurred recently.
Northern Spotted
Owls – The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
designated 9.6 million acres of critical habitat for the northern spotted owl
in Nov. 2012, nearly double the last designation in 2008.” http://www.fws.gov/oregonfwo/Species/Data/NorthernSpottedOwl/CriticalHabitat/default.asp
Marbled Murrelets – “A federal judge has put 11 state
forest timber sales on hold while she considers a lawsuit contending they
threaten the survival of the marbled murrelet, a protected seabird that nests
in old-growth forests.” http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2012/11/federal_judge_halts_11_oregon.html
Logging
Road Pollution – The
Supreme Court was scheduled to hear the case of
logging road pollution this past Monday (Dec 3rd). This case has been bouncing up the legal food
chain for six years. The gist of the
argument is that logging companies need to improve the management of runoff
from logging roads under the Clean Water Act.
The Ninth Circuit Court agreed and this is the issue that was to be
heard. However, on Nov 30th,
the EPA modified its regulations to treat the runoff from logging roads under
more lax regulation. The Supremes were
not pleased with the EPA making this change just before they were ready to hear
arguments on this issue. It’s not at all
clear what will happen now. The
Oregonian article on this http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2012/12/us_supreme_court_may_punt_on_o.html
Horseshoe
Timber Sale – The
USFS is considering to log a portion of area called Horseshoe (which is a wedge
of unprotected land surrounded on all sides by designated wilderness and other
area with special protections: Mt. Hood Wilderness to the east and south, Bull
Run Management Unit to the north, Wild and Scenic Sandy River and Mt. Hood
Scenic Corridor to the south). It
remains to be seen whether or not USFS goes ahead with the planned sale.
Mountain Bike Park at Timberline – The U.S. Forest
Service (USFS) went through a lengthy
comment period and in Nov decided to go ahead and
approve a mountain biking skills park on Mt. Hood. We expect environmental organizations will
appeal this decision.
Less Snow Less Revenue –
Interesting article in The NY Times http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/07/warming-slopes-shriveling-revenues/
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