May/June 1984 RAIN Page 35 Water: Portland’s Precious Heritage, by Casey Short and Mayor Frank Ivancie, 1983,142 pp., $4.95 from: The City of Portland Water Bureau 1120 SW 5th , Portland, OR 97204 ^ Portland's founders discovered the unreliability of water from wells and saw the destruction of natural stream watersheds by timber harvesting. In December 1895, Henry Failing, Chairman of the Portland Water Committee, warned that "the water system which cost the people of Portland $3 million will be greatly impaired if not rendered useless by a few individuals for the sake of a few thousand dollars' worth of sheep, cattle, and lumber." To provide full protection of Portland's watersheds, the Trespass Act was passed by Congress in 1904. The purpose of this book appears to be an attempt to justify the present compromise between water quality and sustained-yield timber harvesting, which began in 1958 or 1959. This book implies that some form of logging has been going on throughout the history of the Bull Run watershed, even in violation of the Trespass Act. The city of Portland had every opportunity to demand, by court order if needed, that the Forest Service enforce the act. Instead, between 1958 and 1959, the city agreed to turn management of the Bull Run watersheds over to the Forest Service. Ironically, it took a coalition of citizens' groups. Miller v. Mallery in 1976, to halt (temporarily) clearcut logging in our watersheds, including most of the Little Sandy, a potential supplementary water source to the Bull Run Reserve. Public Law 95-200 was passed in 1977 to avoid compliance with the Trespass Act and the 1976 court injunction. The present Environmental Statement allows 21 million board-feet per year to be harvested in the Bull Run and 11 million board-feet per year in the Little Sandy. This year, however, the city is seriously discussing water-quality standards, and it will have to make changes in the Environmental Statement. The city has asked BRAC, the city's Bull Run Advisory Committee, to work with the Water Bureau and the Forest Service to formulate standards. (The public is invited to BRAC's monthly meetings.) Missing from the appendix of this book is a chart of chlorine dosages, which shows: 1927-1957, 2-6 pounds per million gallons; 1958-1959, 3V2-18 pounds; 1960-1976, 8-18 pounds; 1977 to date, 14-18 pounds. Is our water now usable only because of chlorine treatment? Would Henry Failing be shocked? —Donald R. Cook Don Cook is a member of the Bull Run Interest Group in Portland. Monthly Planet, twice quarterly, inquire for price from: The Associated Students Environmental Center Viking Union 113 Western Washington University Bellingham, WA 98225 Western's Environmental Center and its Monthly Planet are closely connected to the Pacific Northwest's most comprehensive institution of environmental studies: Huxley College of Environmental Studies. TTiis student-produced newsletter focuses on the politics of environmental protection, especially those of the Skagit River and Mt. Baker watersheds, but also sprinkles in environmental news and issues of Vancouver Island and southwestern British Columbia. —KN AField Guide to the Cascades and Olympics, by Stephen R. Whitney, 1983, 288 pp., $13.95 from: The Mountaineers 715 Pike Street Seattle, WA 98101 For the aspiring naturalist not yet ready to tackle some of the more technical field guides or botanical keys for the Northwest, this book provides an interesting and thorough introduction to the plant and animal species, as well as the geography, geology, climate, and ecology of our region's mountains. Unlike many other field guides, Whitney's resists specialization and provides comprehensive coverage of everything from ferns to salmon to butterflies. To supplement the strictly descriptive parts of the book, the author includes a section on plant and animal distribution, which consists of a three-page primer on the principles of ecology and a detailed description of the different vegetation zones found in our region. He also introduces each chapter by remarking on interesting aspects of behavior or adaptation found among our flora and fauna. By doing so, he lends greater depth and clarity to our understanding of the natural world and its inhabitants. Another pleasant surprise is the way Whitney refers to the mountains of Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia as "our mountains." Such an approach fosters a more holistic, integrated perception of these mountains and reminds us of the geological and ecological underpinnings of our region, which transcend political boundaries. Once you're in the field, however, this guide has its limitations. For example, even the "casual observer" (as Whitney refers to his intended audience) would feel frustrated at the ambiguous illustrations of the different species in the pine family, which could confuse rather than aid identification. Still, the drawbacks are negligible for the "casual observer." With this book, the neophyte (and even the somnambulant veteran) will undoubtedly enrich his or her understanding of the natural areas of the Northwest. —CB
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