Dogs in the Wilderness
If the Forest Service’s goal is to protect our wilderness areas, it should consider limiting not only the number of people on the seventeen most popular trails, but also the number of dogs.
On a recent hike on one of those protected trails, I noticed dog droppings along the way and damage to the soft landscape from frolicking dogs. Also, a dog’s instinct to chase can harm wildlife and reduce everyone’s chance of seeing forest critters along the way. In addition, dogs have been known to chase and bite hikers who are seeking calm and tranquility in the wilderness.
If dogs are to be permitted at all, a year-round leash requirement should be considered.
But even during the leash season, some owners unleash their dogs as soon as they leave the trailhead, so that policy isn’t working. And dog droppings, bagged or not, are still a common sight along the trail.
I realize the Forest Service is experimenting to see what works.
I encourage readers to share their thoughts with the Forest Service, as I have. They welcome your ideas, documented observations, and photos.
—Calli Madrone
Big Biz = Big Problem
Here is the thing. For a town that thrives on phrases like, “We love visiting and checking out all the cute shops downtown,” there is little being done to protect those moments and the shops they reference. Another big hit recently with Tactics closing its doors, sure this is no one associated with Downtown Bend’s fault but what happens next is. The shops that have unique items, handmade treasures, stories, neighbors that own them, shops with true personality. Stores that those visiting from PDX, Seattle, or all the way across the pond are excited to venture into rather than see the same old items they left behind at their failing local mall or an open tab on their phone, waiting for a sale before they order. The small, locally owned and operated places are the ones we need to hold tight to. The small business owners we see at the grocery store on the sidelines at kid’s sports games -— we need our city to show up and support them before they too become a story of days gone by. Supporting small businesses rather than chasing $$ signs makes you a winner every time. We can do better. Places like Tactics are few and far between. ‘Third spaces’ build on community, gathering, commonality while honoring differences. The loss of that place and that crew is big and it scares me to think this might be a pattern, pulling the soul out of downtown and the connections made there and bringing in brands that look at Bend simply as another box to check rather than a community to be part of. Residents and visitors alike love our local shops, let’s not remove these treasures from our town but rather have the powers that be stand up and do more to support all the good they bring.
—Caitlin Bjornstad
There went the water
Water shortage is not coming. It’s here.
Last spring, I overheard farmers talk about pumping dry air from their wells. Then came news of Redmond securing water for the next 25 years by drilling deeper into its aquifers. In La Pine, data center development raised alarm about an already vulnerable water supply. To the north, Warm Springs had urgent calls for fresh water during the wildfires.
Meanwhile, Central Oregon keeps growing.
Large corporations, chain restaurants, commercial development and expensive outward expansion place increasing pressure on infrastructure and affordability.
If our watershed begins to resemble our economics, those who cannot afford to pay more for water may get a literal trickle.
What will water scarcity look like in a community already experiencing economic disparity and gentrification? Who will be protected — corporate industries and commercial interests, or citizens?
We treat money as a finite resource. We save it, budget it and worry about losing it. Yet we often live as though water will always be there.
The River Democracy Act, introduced by Sen. Ron Wyden and co-sponsored by Sen. Jeff Merkley, would protect Oregon’s rivers and public lands. More than 15,000 people have already joined the grassroots effort to protect our vital water resources.
We can each participate in this change. This is our micro-level Paris Agreement: an everyday commitment to consume less and protect more. You have time for this.
Because time is a choice.
Water isn’t.
—Jennifer Christine
Raised electric rates
Have you seen the notice that your electric rates are going up by almost 10% this month? Thank you Trump! With diesel at $7 a gallon, even while draining our national strategic reserves, due to losing a war in Iran, it costs more to maintain and run electric utilities. With tariffs increasing the price of replacement vehicle and machine parts, we the consumers have to pay more. As Jesus noted in Mark 12:16, we now have the image of Trump on our coin and know who we are paying our wages to.
— Matieu Federspiel
Six months later
Last spring, I wrote a letter to the editor about how the economy looks different on a fixed income. Today, it looks worse.
In March, when I wrote that letter, gas in Bend had just passed $4.50 a gallon. By early summer it was over $5. Prices usually ease in the fall, but not this year. This week, gas in Bend averages $4.95 a gallon, almost a dollar more than a year ago.
People I know are quietly driving shorter distances and shopping at WinCo and Grocery Outlet instead of Safeway. I buy chicken now, not beef. The one thing I won’t give up is bison for my grandson’s chili when he visits.
Health care choices have narrowed. A few years ago, seniors in Deschutes County could choose among seven Medicare Advantage companies. Now there is only PacificSource. I pay about $250 a month for my Medicare supplement, and in Oregon, my plan’s rate also rises as I age. At the Larkspur pool, a friend in her 80s told me she can’t afford a supplement, so she depends on the one plan left. This year her monthly payment went up. Her cost-of-living raise covered that, but not the rising cost of food and gas.
In that letter, I wrote that for retirees on fixed incomes, the weight was real and growing. It has grown.
— Laurie Clark
Letter of the Week:
Thanks for your perspective, Laurie, and for following up on your previous letter. Come on by for your gift card to Palate! And readers: We’ve been getting a lot of election-related letters in recent weeks, and we are not ignoring them. Look to next week’s Election Issue, when we’ll expand the Letters section to make room for a lot more of your thoughts about politics and political candidates.
—Nicole Vulcan
MAKE LOCAL JOURNALISM HAPPEN
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
