Predator Control = Sustainable Agriculture

As published in the Eugene Weekly on July 26, 2007:

COUGARS MENACE FARMS

Please keep in mind that a moratorium on predator control can be inconsistent with sustainable agriculture, global warming policy and a healthy environment ("Cougar Kill: Will Oregon hound cougars to death," 7/19).

I can already imagine the conversations at the Market of Choice about those evil cougar hunters as your readers peruse the shelf for their locally grown, antibiotic-free lamb and free-range chicken. All the while, shoppers are clueless of the connection between our local hunters and what they consider their guilt-free sustainable meat choices. However, our food supply is all about balance and sacrifice.

On our farm we balance killing raccoons with protecting a flock of 70 flavorful free-range chickens (no, chicken doesn't really taste like chicken), turkeys and ducks that are free from antibiotics, inhumane quarters and clipped beaks.

We balance killing skunks with protecting hundreds of thousands of our nation's biggest pollinator and with our desire for a healthy, unprocessed sweetener without a huge carbon footprint from shipping.

We balance killing cougars and coyotes with protecting our beef calf, herd of Boer meat goats and our three little piglets. Alternatively, I suppose we could buy grocery store meat shipped via an enormous carbon footprint and fed grain through chemically dependent corporate farming techniques.

Being omnivores isn't pretty. As much as I don't enjoy killing predators and harvesting our livestock, I prefer that vastly over assuming that meat magically appears in the grocer's freezer. Consequently, the tools of our farm will continue to include the hoe for removing garden threats and firearms for removing pasture threats.

C. Michael Arnold, Creswell

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Here are some responses (Eugene Weekly 8/9/07):

PRETTY VEGETARIANS

While I applaud C. Michael Arnold's awareness of his carbon footprint (7/26) and his efforts to live sustainably, I fear he misses the obvious and simple solution to his discomfort in killing predators and livestock. Don't do it!

As he states, "being omnivores isn't pretty." So don't be one. Becoming a vegetarian would eliminate his discomfort, save the lives of his farm animals and the predators he currently competes with and maximise his ability to live in a sustainable and healthy world.

I agree with and appreciate his pointing out that shoppers are clueless regarding "what they consider their guilt-free sustainable meat choices." There simply is no such thing as a guilt-free meat choice.

For more information check out http://www.goveg.com/

Bryan Wilson, Eugene

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My response: I agree that vegetarianism would be the total solution. It is far more sustainable than livestock. For instance, the energy (calories) needed to grow feed for livestock nets meat calories that are far, far lower than the orignal calories. So instead of growing grain for cattle, it's more efficient for us to eat that grain. However, this misses the fatal flaw to this logic: hamburgers.....yum.....

- Mike Arnold, 1/16/08

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BLOODY FOOTPRINTS

Although I applaud C. Michael Arnold (7/26) for his foray into sustainable farming with a smaller carbon footprint, I query why your alternative footprints have to be soaked in cougar blood. As you're obviously not a "cat person," I wonder what you have against using dogs to keep the purring panthers at bay. Enter the noble Great Pyrenees, bred specifically to defend your free-range critters against coyotes so you can sleep easy and save your shells. Scads of evidence from Montana farmers prove conclusively the ever-vigilant furballs fare equally well against cougars, wolves, raccoons, fishers, foxes and even skunks. If you really don't enjoy killing predators and would be happy to just scare them away, then it's a no-brainer.

After living in a teepee through two Montana winters with nothing between the Rattlesnake Wilderness and me but some cold canvas, straw and whatever wits I could get to function at -20§ F, I soon learned what it was like to be stalked and confronted by a cougar. The best survival advice I found is to not act like prey — jumping up and down, waving my arms and shouting "I'm not prey!"

Hunting such an invisible and majestic animal with or without dogs is barbaric, inhumane and ineffectual. Let's look at it another way — cougars need more room. There is still a movement to create wilderness corridors connecting their dwindling postage stamp ecotones from North to South America called the Path of the Panther, and Oregon should pounce on it if we desire any wilderness heritage at all. Sound better than paying for the new NAU Superhighway?

A.F. Nash, Eugene

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My response: Livestock Guardian Dogs (LGDs) are a wonderful solution for cougars, bears, and coyotes. However, I can't rationalize fifty pounds of dog feed a week to protect our small farmstead.

2.5.07 - Impotent Expressions of Frustration: Evaluating student threats that use a magic word

I would like to look specifically at how to best assess student threats. I am concerned mainly with how to handle impotent expressions of frustration and anger that include a zero-tolerance “magic word,” such as “gun” or “kill.” I recognize the need to circle the wagons to protect other students but I don’t necessarily always want there to be an out-of-school suspension pending an evaluation, especially when a “threat” is equivocal and not imminent. I also don’t expect a building principal to have to bear the weight of making threat assessment decisions on his or her own.

Despite the media’s portrayal, schools still remain some of our safest places in America. We could probably debate all day long about why we went from a nation with “nothing to fear but fear itself” to a nation of fearing everything. As an aside, in my opinion the media spews fear to keep people glued to 24-7 news stations, and the governments tend to spew fear to stay in power and to keep us from questioning the government’s policies. Consequently, operating in a state of fear when these impotent expressions occur is somewhat understandably but not necessarily in the best interests of the students.

One possible alternative to a building administrator bearing the burden of making a threat assessment is to have a Student Threat Assessment Team that immediately addresses a situation. This was done in the Willamette Education Service District with their Student Threat Assessment Team. This paradigm recognizes that threats are commonplace in schools, students typically do not act on their threats, and those who plan violent attacks often don’t threaten their victims beforehand. It also recognizes the economies of scale in doing this through an ESD.

Their system is designed to look at targeted violence (plotting and planning ahead to harm someone) versus reactive violence (a visceral response to an emotionally-charged situation which often cools down when the situation is addressed quickly). This system requires cooperation among agencies including representatives from law enforcement, juvenile justice, mental health, child welfare, school districts and the ESD.

The Willamette ESD system was put into place to help curb schools’ overreaction to threats in light of ORS 339.250 (requiring the principal to consider “[r]equiring the student to be evaluated by a licensed mental health professional before allowing the student to return to the classroom setting.”). Willamette ESD recognized that this process was cumbersome due to the time it takes to get the evaluation, the lack of qualified evaluators, and possibly the lack of a qualified evaluation process.

Their process breaks down like this for the most part:
- Administrator determines if there is a need for the school’s onsite safety team to review a situation. If it is unfounded, then he/she doesn’t refer it.
- School’s safety team (administrator, counselor, law enforcement officer and someone who knows the student, such as a teacher or case worker): They determine if a heightened assessment is needed. If not they institute a safety plan (monitoring, behavior modification, increased supervision, etc.).
- If heightened assessment is needed, the student is given in-school suspension and the ESD’s Student Threat Assessment Team comes in to investigate. They can do a safety plan which includes a recommendation for suspension pending a mental health evaluation. Their job would be to scurry around shortly after an incident occurs to gather facts about the situation. They would interview all the fact witnesses, the teacher that knows the student best, and the parents to do an initial common sense assessment.

ADVANTAGES OF A THREAT ASSESSMENT TEAM:
It keeps academically vulnerable students at school if they are not a real threat, and it gets the real threats into the system quickly. The current system has the tendency of treating all “magic word” threats the same, causing the community resources to be spread too thin and causing the district to be seen as one that cries wolf.

This process allows a qualified group from outside the system to make a decision about the threat level. Juvenile Court judges struggle over decisions like this on a daily basis, but they get the input of child welfare, attorneys, and law enforcement. It’s a lot to ask a principal to make a decision about the threat level without giving him the resources needed to make such a decision. Systems that appear to have zero-tolerance to “magic word” threats have a chilling effect on the students notifying administration of threatening comments. In other words, if students think a jokingly said comment will get blown out of proportion, they will withhold the information. This is not the way break the student code of silence.

Disadvantages of this system:
It is time and resource intensive in establishing and implementing, which necessitates ESD’s involvement. However, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. The current interpretation of the statute tends to send angry and frustrated students home pending an evaluation where they have time to go from reactive violence to targeted violence (if they are truly risks). Out of sight out of mind doesn’t always address the problem and can make it worse.

Willamette ESD has a PowerPoint slide show which can be viewed in its entirety through the link below. I have attached their flow chart. I strongly recommend reading the linked material, especially the real-life examples of its implementation.

http://www.wesd.org/instr_svcs/files/safe%20schools/aesa%202006%20student%20threat%20assessment%20powerpoint.pdf

11.27.06 - "I'm a Democrat - and gun control is for the birds"

The column linked below was published in The Register-Guard (Sunday, November 26, 2006) as a response to Michael Moore's "A liberal pledge" which has been circulating around the internet lately. Please forward this to your liberal and conservative friends who may be gun-banners or liberal-bashers. We, Democrats, don't pick and choose from our rights like a salad bar; we believe in protecting all of our civil rights, including the right to bear arms. "Liberal" and "pro-gun" are not mutually exclusive. Feel free to comment; I won't delete any of them, even if you disagree.

Register-Guard column: "I'm a Democrat - and gun control is for the birds"

Blog Site of the Gun Owners Caucus of the Democratic Party of Oregon: http://bluesteeldemocrats.blogspot.com/

10.29.06 - Let's Build a New CMS!

I am writing to encourage everyone to vote "yes" for a new Creswell Middle School building (BM 20-118). As a school board member, I had the opportunity to join in the unanimous vote referring this to the ballot. I am convinced beyond all doubt that this is a necessary and fiscally responsible move for our district. The current building is falling apart and would be too costly to repair.

As you drive west down Oregon Avenue, the 1941-built middle school looks architecturally impressive. However, once you take a closer look, you see that the siding and walls are being damaged by standing water and numerous leaks; you see deteriorating modules around back used to house the increasing number of students; you see an inadequate electrical system and cast iron plumbing that is wearing out.

Passing this bond measure would cost about $18.33/month for someone with a house assessed at $150,000 (keep in mind that this is the assessed value and not the purchase price). This amount will only decrease in the future as property values increase and more new homes are built.

I have heard from many property owners, parents, and voters about this ballot measure. The message has been clear: This is money well spent. Let's build a new Creswell Middle School! Return your ballots by November 7th!

10.15.06 - You Get What You Pay For: Underfunding Education

As a society we invest a lot in fixing problems but not enough in preventing them in the first place. Education is not cheap; but when we fail to make an adequate investment, we end up paying for it later at a much higher expense.

We can invest in after-school activities, or we can complain about kids vandalizing golf courses, schools, and libraries. We can invest in individualized learning opportunities, or we can complain about why a student is not being reached. We can invest in equitable compensation for teachers and staff, or we can complain about the quality of those entrusted to teach our students.

And we don’t just see this in education. We see it in law enforcement as well. We complain about how the Sheriff’s Office won’t come to rural homes for a burglary unless the intruder is still there. We complain about the DA’s Office not prosecuting property crimes. We’d rather build new prisons in twenty years than invest in education and crime prevention at a fraction of the cost.

Well, you get what you pay for. As a community we can decide to under fund education and other essential services; we can put off the aftereffects as a burden on our children’s shoulders. Or, we can step up and make the responsible choices today.

It’s far too easy to buy into talk radio’s version of the world and demand that our schools cut out the waste. Well, I’ve looked at our district’s budget and all the fat is trimmed away and a lot of the lean too. Now is the time for personal accountability. It is time for our legislators to be held accountable for their complete failure to adequately fund our schools.

Call or email your state representative and senator today. Demand that they fully fund Oregon’s Quality Education Model.

Your state rep is either Phil Barnhart (Creswell proper) or Bruce Hanna (west and south of town). Your state senator is Bill Morrisette or Floyd Prozanski.

Senator William Morrisette (Democrat-006) 900 Court Street NE Suite S-306 Salem, OR 97301-4071 Phone: (503) 986-1706 Fax: (503) 986-1080 WebSite: http://www.leg.state.or.us/morrisette/ E-Mail : sen.billmorrisette@state.or.us

Representative Phil Barnhart (Democrat-011) 900 Court Street NES uite H-371 Salem, OR 97301-4060 Phone: (503) 986-1411 Fax: (503) 986-1561 WebSite: http://www.leg.state.or.us/barnhart/ E-Mail : rep.philbarnhart@state.or.us

Senator Floyd Prozanski (Democrat-004) 900 Court Street NE Suite S-319 Salem, OR 97301-0001 Phone: (503) 986-1704 Fax: (503) 986-1080 WebSite: http://www.leg.state.or.us/prozanski E-Mail : sen.floydprozanski@state.or.us

Representative Bruce Hanna (Republican-007) 900 Court Street NE Suite H-288 Salem, OR 97301 Phone: (503) 986-1407 Fax: (503) 986-1130 WebSite: http://www.leg.state.or.us/hanna E-Mail : rep.brucehanna@state.or.us

9.27.06 - Term Limits Already Exist--They are called elections!

I urge everyone to vote "no" on term limits (BM 45) this fall. Term limits already exist in Oregon. They are called elections. There are really only two things a citizen of this republic has to do: stay informed and vote. Do we really need to abdicate to an automatic process our civic duty of voting for our representatives? That is lazy and utterly lacking in personal responsibility.

The longer a legislator serves, the more experience they gain, and the better they become. We are entrusting these people to run our state. Would you trust a group of rookies to run your corporation? Would you want your first open heart surgery to be your heart surgeon's first too?

As any rookie elected official can tell you, institutional memory is very important. You often rely on the more seasoned officials to provide you with the history of a given issue. The difficulties of a system without that resource are insurmountable.

With term limits, you are taking away that experience and institutional knowledge and replacing it with bureaucrats and lobbyists. Guess who the novice legislators turn to when there are no experienced colleagues to mentor them? The lobbyists and the bureaucrats. This is not how a republic should be run.

The out-of-state donors financing BM 45 don't believe that Oregonians can determine on their own which candidates are the most qualified. We want the most qualified leaders in the Oregon State Legislature. We, the voters, can make that determination ourselves without some rich intermeddler from New York and his New York-based PAC, U.S. Term Limits, telling us anything different. Vote no on BM 45!

5.11.06 - Letter to Chronicle Editor (A Creek Runs Through It)

Wednesday, May 10th I attended the Creswell Middle School open house. I was both appalled and impressed by what I saw. I was appalled by the deteriorating conditions of the middle school facilities. I saw the year-round creek that runs below the northwest portion of the building; a portion of the foundation is actually cut away to allow the creek to flow through. That alone says volumes about the water damage that this old building has endured since its construction in 1941.

At the same time I was also amazed and impressed by Principal Shirley Burrus and her staff and students. They are clearly presented with a work and learning environment that has outlived its life, and they have persevered. The science classes cope with electrical systems that cannot handle more than a couple of devices plugged in at a time. The cafeteria staff copes with water damage right above the food serving area.

The Creswell community got its money's worth at CMS. Sixty-five years of students, staff, and administrators have stretched our tax dollars to the maximum. Any attempt at more Band-Aids on this outdated school is throwing good money after bad. It is time for us to invest in a new middle school facility that we can be proud of.