June 1976 RAIN Page 3 RURAL·ROOTS We try to watch for patterns; what is presented in this section seems to illustrate one: New forms (or old forms in new clothes) of : of communication in small towns, villages and rural routes. The contacts between rural communities, and between city and country, seem to be increasing; problems traditionally thought ofas one or the other's are being grappled with as shared plights. Deadwood• Blachiy • Five Rivers •Greenleaf• ' Creswell • Camas Swale • Tidewater • Mapleton About 40 miles west of Eugene in the Oregon Coast Range,· there has been, as in many other rural areas, an influx of newcomers, in some ways like the old timers and hillbillies. But then 'again, not the same. There was a large wave of p~ople who moved out of the . cities in the late sixties and 'early seven6es: ·then they were often greenhorns who lasted·only part of a winter, and surely by the time they saw the second winter come on, moved back to the city or·warmer climates. There were others who stayed and now regard themselves , as old timers, sometimes aghast at how rough shod and speedy new people appear. It is often a unique and unstable marriage of cultures. In Deadwood, a recent meeting of people working at the food cooperative discussed the negative feelings some peopi.e had about the way the food co~op was run. The mimges reflect the ·cultures and tension: "About 45 families have c_ontributed membership dues to the co-op; the 'total population served by the Deadwood Post Office consists of 40 star route boxes and another 70 post office boxes.. "Geography and age were identified as two distinguishing divisions: Co-op members tend to be younger and live up the creek, while non-members tend to·be middk-aged or older and live along the highway. That is only a generalization, however, since some middle-aged or 6lder folks living on the highway participate and some younger fo1ks_living up the creek do nm. • "Suggestions for possible causes of resentment included: • • Dislike for some mannerisms, style of dress, or general lifestyle on the part of ,some younger neighbors. . • Unhappiness _with the fact that a VISTA volunteer was helping the co-op and was receiving some tax,money. • Dislike of any neighborhood organizations. •'The idea that the bulk-buying food section of the co-op • The idea that many of the people who have moved here over the past few y.ears are transient and may not stay in the neighborhood for a long time. .. "Some members at the meeting thought that it is important to recognize the strong tradition of individual independence and self-reliance here. Historically, neighbors have h'elpe'd each other 0ut in time of need, but basically hav~ livec;i very private live·s and prided themseives on taking care of their own needs. "It was suggfsted that newcomers to the neighborhood should be very s~nsitive to this individua:lism and respect it, even while co-op members continue to form associations of mutual benefit." (Deadwood Ditto, March ·22, 1976, p. 1) The De_adwood Cooperative has also recently been the recipient of a $25,000 grant to develop wood products on a · small craft/cottage industry level. . Some residents in this coastal area have also recently grouped together over what they feel is a crisis- the use of toxic sprays in reforestation. Residents of Deadwood, Five Rivers and Greenleaf, three small valley communities in tqe Coastal Mountains of Or~gon, have formed an organization called Citizens Against Toxic Sprays (CATS). We are threatened by herbicide sprays whiC;h include contiiminants shown to cause cancer and birth defects. These poisons are used for elimina.ting unwanted vegetation because they are cheap~cheap in dollars but not in lives·. Evidence indicating that the herbicides being used are a serious health hazard is so strong that we believe they should be banned nationwide. On a more immediate level, the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Lane.County, and private logging companies all spray the land around us; and hom~steads.and _watersheds in our communities recently have been sprayed with herbicides in apparent violation of EPA guidelines not to use them near water or in areas where you would expect to find pregnant women. CATS has negotiated with .Lane County and the U.S. Forest Seryice, attempting to have our Watersheds declared test areas in which manual control of vegetation would replace herbicide use. This would have the added advantage pf creating jobs in any area of high unemployment. Lane ~ounty officials met with us and, in apparent violation of our verbal agreement, followed up our meeting by spraying along Deadwood is competing with the Deadwood Store. . . , MIIIIIMMIIIIIMNIIIIIIHMIIIIIM,.._C) 0 .NIIIIIIHMIIIIIMMIIIIIM~MIIIIIMNIIIIIIH~NIIIIIIHNIIIIIIH~NIIIIIIH~~, , Continued on page 4 EVENTS variety of interesting publications on such things as "lifeline" utility rates, a model community health service bill and the Louisiana Health Insurance Act. Write f,or the list. (LdeM) "D,ecision-Making in Solar Technology" Conference, June 24-25, 1976, U. Mass, Amherst, Massachusetts, $75 ($50 New England Solar Energy Assoc. member~)._ and ' EVENTS EVENTS I research and developments in solar, Toward Tomorrow Fair I wind, water, wood, energy design, legis- 200 Hills North lation, economics, construction, storage Univ. of Massachusetts . -and recovery. 70 expert speakers includ- Amherst, MA 01002 .1· ing Dr. William Heronemus (wind), 413/545-0474 . Bruce Anderson or TEA, Jjm Bensen of ERDA's Solar Division. Working solar I technologies will be demonstrated. The ·Fair follows the conference and includes Compkx, May 28-31, 1976 I speakers (Ralph Nader, Herman Kahn, The 4th Regional.Com'munications .Robert Theobald, Hel'en & Scott Near- Conference will be held May 28-31. The i·ng, Jeremy Rifkin, Stewar~ Brand, Mur- first 3 days will be located at Fairhaven ., •ray Bookchin, Gil Fri'end, Hazel Hen- College in Bellingham, Washington. For "Toward Tomo.rrpw Pair," June 26-27, derson) outdoor exhibitions, workshops, the fourth day of activities, the confer- I 1976 (same location), $3 adults, $2 films and entertainment. ence as a whole will move to Vancouver, students. For information on both the NESEA RC. For more information, write to: The first annual conference of NESEA Solar conferenc_e and the "Toward . - Cascadian Regional Library, Box 125 5, i will feature presentations.on on-going Tomorrow Fair," write or call: . Eugene, OR 97401 ,...J MIIIIIMNIIIIIIH~~~MIIIIIMNIIIIIIH~NIIIIIIH~NIIIIIH,NIIIIIIHHIIIIIHNIIIIIIHMIIIIIM~
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