Shut-out at Walden Hearing
pogo, 24.02.2006 15:19
HAD TO BE ON THE 'LIST' TO GET IN. A SELECT GROUP ARE CHOSEN. IT'S WHAT DEMOCRACY LOOKS LIKE...
The hearing was scheduled to begin at 1:00 PM. Arriving at 12:40 I discovered several police officers baring access to anyone beyond the front doors of city hall. The officer in charge announced that the 3rd floor hearing room was "full to capacity" and they were not letting anyone up to the 3rd floor at all. As citizens gathered to hear the news some offered to stand but was assured that there was no standing room. "My instructions are we're not letting anyone else up at this time."
OSU Research is Not News?
Crowd waits outside hearing
Signs
The House Subcommittee of Forests and Forest Health is hearing testimony from 11 speakers, including OSU researcher Dan Donato, a graduate student in OSU's College of Forestry who co-authored the research at the center of controversy.
Their research into the 2002 Biscuit Fire suggests that salvage logging slows forest regrowth and creates tinder that increases the short-term risk of future fires, and was published in Jan. 20 issue of the journal Science.
The hearing was scheduled to begin at 1:00 PM. Arriving at 12:40 I discovered several police officers baring access to anyone beyond the front doors of city hall. The officer in charge announced that the 3rd floor hearing room was "full to capacity" and they were not letting anyone up to the 3rd floor at all. As citizens gathered to hear the news some offered to stand but was assured that there was no standing room. "My instructions are we're not letting anyone else up at this time."
Inside the hallway confusion grew as officers told new arrivals the news. Most wanted to know where they could hear the testimony. Unfortunately there were no facilities available for the overflow of people.
When asked how the room could already be full, "Some folks were arriving an hour early." one officer said. "We had no idea there would be so many people." another officer added.
The officer in charge assured the anxious crowd, "the hearing is being broadcast on closed-circut tv at the library. I hear that people are gathering there to watch it." It would be later revealed that this was untrue. The library knew nothing about this. "I don't know who is broadcasting it." the officer finally admitted.
"But I'm supposed to join my class... my teacher is up there" one student insisted....
"I just drove 2 hours" A reporter from the Eugene Register Guard protested...
The officers stood firm... "I'm hearing that only those on the 'list' are allowed up."
Disheartened citizens finally began to trickle out.
Outside spectators mingled as the those "on the list" were immedately ushered in.
"We've got to fill the seats to keep out those protesters." one good-ol boy quipped.
I lost site of the Register Guard Reporter, I guess she was on "the list"
A little after 1 pm a group approached carrying signs....
One person announced "Here they come ... I love these protesters, they DONT HAVE A CLUE, but they still show up!"
I added ... "Yea, they just keep showing up ... what's that all about?"
He might have heard a hint of sarcasm as he eyed me suspiciously...
"Yea, they sure tied up 15,000 acres of timber, though!" he grumbled.
As I pulled out my camera he protested louder, "And now he's going to take their picture... THAT'S WHAT THEY WANT!"
"Yea... what's that all about?" I replied.
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more pics 24.02.2006 - 20:16 
Crowd hearing the news from officers that meeting is full 
Officers stand watch over group at city hall 
Another shot of images in hall here are a few more pics from 2-24-06 City Hall. pogo> On the "A" List 24.02.2006 - 20:18 
These folks are on the list 
Not on the list 
Support Science Some folks had no trouble getting in. Others had no chance. pogo> Here come the "protesters". 24.02.2006 - 20:28 
eeek, protesters! There were a few in the crowd who made their views obvious. Most, however, were concerned citizens who couldn't understand why there wasn't more accomodations for such a important public hearing. pogo> Testimony now available online 25.02.2006 - 09:24 Testimony is now available online:  http://resourcescommittee.house.gov/archives/109/ffh/022406.htm
WITNESSES PANEL I Dr. Stephen Hobbs Chairman, Oregon Board of Forestry Executive Associate Dean, College of Forestry Oregon State University Dr. Thomas Atzet Atzet Ecological Consulting Merlin, Oregon Daniel Donato Graduate Student Oregon State University Dr. Cynthia West (Accompanied by Dr. Dave PetersonFire Ecologist) Acting Director Pacific NW Research Station USDA Forest Service Rich Drehobl Retired, BLM Field Manager Medford, Oregon PANEL II Dr. Peter F. Kolb Montana State University Extension Forestry Specialist Adjunct Professor of Forest Ecology College of Forestry and Conservation University of Montana Dr. Hal Salwasser Dean, College of Forestry Oregon State University Dr. Jerry Franklin Professor College of Forest Resources University of Washington Dr. Dave Perry Professor Emeritus Oregon State University Ted Lorensen Assistant State Forester Oregon Department of Forestry citizen> Walden has history of locking out citizens 25.02.2006 - 13:31 
Corporate Whore Greg Walden Greg Walden is a George W clone. He treats citizens the very same way as shrub does which is to say if they don't agree then they will not be seen in public. And mainstream media complies with the lies. Here is some history of how this corporate whore ignores citizens of the Rogue Valley. The same lies from the white house are bolstered by Walden who refuses to meet with citizens as he marches to a different drum. Greg Walden is bought and paid for by corporate money. Prior Rogue IMC stories put the spot light on this high-priced loser of the new world order. ************************************************************************ "the Walden Lockout" video http://rogueimc.org/en/2003/06/847.shtml
(click on little dash right next to video camera icon to get quicktime trailer to play) Pictures from Greg Walden's office action http://rogueimc.org/en/2003/03/280.shtml
Case Dismissed! http://rogueimc.org/en/2003/06/870.shtml
Do they still call it "stonewalling"? (consituent is ignored) http://rogueimc.org/en/2003/06/932.shtml
Southern Oregon Welcomes Dick Cheney - Skirts Up For Cheney http://www.rogueimc.org/en/2004/08/3035.shtml
Oregonians in 2nd Dist. ask: Where's Walden? http://rogueimc.org/en/2005/03/4225.shtml
At this event immediately above (in march '05) we were told by Walden's Medford field office staff that Greg Walden would come and meet with us in April to address our concerns about privtizing social securtiy. Again we were betrayed and lied to. Walden never met with us. CITIZENS' VOICES NEED HEARD!> The room was full 25.02.2006 - 17:04 Every public building has posted in it the maximum occupancy number allowed by the Fire Marshall. The room was full. I am pro restoration, pro salvage, and pro Walden and guess what I was too late to get a seat. End of story. Get over it, I did..... and find something relevant to debate. This tactic of loosing on the facts and making up something else to debate in order to divert attention from your positions lack of merit is pretty silly. Curious> response to Curious 25.02.2006 - 19:36 Sorry to hear you weren't an invited guest and didn't make the cut. Did you get told to run along to the library for the non-existant "close-circut" coverage as did others in the crowd? My point here is that for those in charge of this hearing not to expect and prepare for the large turn-out is IMHO ludicrous. This is an issue of National Importance and facilities should have been made available for all those who want to hear the testimony live. For example, the Ashland City Hall is more citizen friendly, not just an expensive garden and fountain for public officials, it is is designed to deal with overflow and provides facilities for on-site coverage of hearings and other public business. For a public that cares more about the current "American Idol" contestants than of the important topics of the day, it is hard enough get citizens "turned-on" and involved with the process and it is heartbreaking to see them turned away, dejected. This is a theme you see again, and again in national, state and local politics. Our public officials should really be doing more to encourage public participation and not have to rely on others to make excuses for them later. respectfully, pogo> GET OVER IT 25.02.2006 - 22:11 Your reading the full transcript or seeing it live is not the issue now is it? Whats wrong is you just got your butts kicked in the debate and you want to change the subject. You had some science that was a very narrow snapshot in time and it lost its significance in the bigger scheme of things. Your being in the room or seeing it live or reading it 24 hours later dont make a pinch of poop of a difference does it? Curious> Capacity 26.02.2006 - 02:33 It's not really post Enron accounting. It's like the old days at Buzz's. The little back room had seating for eight but was filled to capacity with two sheriffs and three Jokers. They'd tell you so. Now the sheriffs are a little more discreet with their speed deals, and The Pubs? Well, do I have to tell anyone, this wasn't the real meeting? David Ayers> Missing the point... 26.02.2006 - 11:40 I think "curious" is missing the point in that there was no chance for a debate. Of course this was not a debate, but a hearing and people should have the right to "hear" what happened while it was happening. Does it make Walden uncomfortable to look out and not see all of the "same old faces" that agree wholeheartedly with him? Is he really so scared of those of who care about the enviroment that he needs to be shielded from us? That is the real point. He is an elected official who is supposed to represent his constituents-- not just a select few, pre hand-picked people. I think that is what bothers me the most. Vanessa> Still 26.02.2006 - 12:23 trying to change the subject and you are still not wanting to debate the substance of the science. Lets talk Donato, Atzet, and even Franklin. I'm more interested in what they had to say then whether you missed an anti forestry applause line. I'm glad that George Sexton wasn't able to interupt the speakers with his "cha-ching cha-ching" impression of a cash register as he did with Gordon Smith or was it Mark Rey in Roseburg. Let's talk substance not a missed oppoutunity for theatrics. Curious> substance for the curious 26.02.2006 - 19:13 Yes, let us stop groaning about selective access and police deception, which are nothing new to politically charged public events. Let us instead address the substance of the hearing testimony. Anyone can read all of the testimony at: http://resourcescommittee.house.gov/archives/109/ffh/022406.htm
I, for one, was very interested in the comments of Dr. Thomas Atzet, the retired area ecologist for the Rogue-Siskiyou National Forest. No informed person would dispute that Atzet knows his stuff. Among his comments: ------------ "We tend to vilify extremes (for example, extensive fires) as 'catastrophic' and on the other hand, accept those of less acreage as part of the 'norm' in the normal distribution. That strategy cuts off the tails, the extremes. If we used that strategy in hiring, we would be assuring ourselves of uniformity and mediocrity. The stresses of acute change continually hone organismic process of reproduction, survival and growth. This overarching process, called evolution, discards failure, keeps what works, and passes the learning on to the succeeding generations. "Since the average forest on Federal land in southwest Oregon is less than 300 years old, most stands were generated during the Little Ice Age, when selective and competitive stresses were likely different. Survival may have favored species that tolerated higher frequency, intensity and duration of frost. Today as processes, particularly fire, create mortality and opportunities for regeneration, a new generation of genetic material will be selected under different selection criteria. Fire adapted, fire resistant, or species that avoid fire may be increasingly favored. Suppressing selection, by dampening mortality, regeneration and disturbance extremes may result in lowering resilience and diversity in the long run. "Our attempt to suppress process (fire in this case) and force stability on ecosystems has resulted in unwanted consequences. Change creates stress, but stress creates diversity. Dampening the extremes, cutting off the 'tails,' in the short run, may eliminate what we consider 'catastrophic' events, but in the long run may magnify unwanted consequences." ---------------- I understand the implications of Atzet's comments to support forest management that incorporates the total diversity of natural disturbance effects including high severity fire over large areas as occurred in part of Biscuit. Efforts to homogenize disturbance, as the purpose and need statement of every BLM and USFS impact assessment says is behind current green forest thinning plans, may undermine evolution itself. Tom, if I'm wrong, please correct me. edukated> |