R3 Lincoln National Forest: Perk_Grindstone Stewardship Project

http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/lincoln/news/Perk_Grindstone_III_DEIS_Response_to_comments_05_06_08.pdf


The objective of Perk-Grindstone is to restore fire-adapted forest systems to structural characteristics that would reduce large-size crown fires to more manageable surface fires. See link for DEIS Response released by the Forest Service May 2008.

Storing Carbon in Forests

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v458/n7235/full/458151a.html

"Planting, conserving and managing forests are key for attaining long-term mitigation of greenhouse gases, yet the land-use and forestry sector barely features in the Kyoto Protocol. In Climate Change and Forests, some 50 experts analyse the forestry-based discussions within climate-change negotiations, and offer technical and political reasons for why the Kyoto Protocol handles forestry in such a cumbersome way..."

http://www.alamogordonews.com/ci_11883566

"Lincoln Forest to benefit from recovery package funding

WASHINGTON ­ U.S. Senators Jeff Bingaman and Tom Udall said the Forest Service will soon release nearly $5 million in federal funding for two projects aimed at improving national forests in New Mexico.
Congress set aside $650 million in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to improve national forest lands and another $500 million for wild fire management.
The U.S. Forest Service has approved two projects, one in the Santa Fe National Forest and another in the Lincoln National Forest. "

Parks and Wildlife get stimulus

http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/parks_and_wildlife_get_stimulus/C41/L41/

"The press release included the following examples:
$375 million for restoration of the Mississippi River and its tributaries, the nation’s largest recreational fishery.
$280 million for the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service for refuge operations and maintenance and $165 million for resource management.
$230 million for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s operations, research and facilities.
$500 million for USDA Forest Service wildland fire management efforts.
$27.5 billion investment in highway infrastructure includes set asides for park roads, parkways, forest highways and refuge roads.
$290 million for the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s watershed and flood prevention operations.
$125 million for the Bureau of Land Management for projects including abandoned mine and well site remediation, road and trail maintenance, watershed improvement and high priority habitat restoration. "

Fire, Wildland Funding included in approved stimulus plan

http://www.firerescue1.com/legislation-funding/articles/453790-Fire-station-wildland-funding-included-in-approved-stimulus-plan/

"WASHINGTON — Hundreds of million of dollars are earmarked for fire stations and wildland management in the $787 billion stimulus plan approved by Congress Friday. "

Obama will shift Forest Service Policy

http://news.opb.org/article/4230-obama-administration-will-shift-forest-service-policy/


"The stimulus bill that passed the House last week directed more than a billion dollars to the U.S. Forest Service.
Portland Democrat Ron Wyden wants to keep Forest Service funding in the Senate stimulus bill too.
And Monday, the Obama administration signaled it wants a bigger budget for the Forest Service.
Central Oregon correspondent Ethan Lindsey reports."

Will the Stimulus put jobs in our Woods?

"Neither U.S. Forest Service nor the U.S. Bureau of Land Management local officials know how much money will be available for the agencies or what the restrictions will be on how it could be spent.
"But a recovery of jobs in local communities would be a priority," predicted Patty Burel, spokeswoman for the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest. Jim Whittington, her counterpart at the BLM's Medford District, concurred."

http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090212/NEWS/902120320

Walden Headed for Southern Oregon

http://www.kmed.com/pages/landing/?WALDEN-HEADED-FOR-SOUTHERN-OREGON=1&blockID=39700&feedID=133

"Highlighting the schedule is a meeting at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 18 with Region 6 Forest Service Supervisor Mary Wagner (who oversees forest service land in Oregon and Washington) and state BLM Director Ed Sheppard to learn the agencies’ plans to begin forest health projects with the funds they are expected to receive in the federal stimulus package that the House expects to vote on tomorrow. Any stimulus package should aim to create jobs quickly, so Rep. Walden is interested to hear about how they plan to get Oregonians back working in the woods quickly with the new funds. "

Dog Burials: Divine Escorts to the Afterlife?

Buried Dogs Were Divine "Escorts" for Ancient Americans
Anne Casselmanfor National Geographic News
April 23, 2008
"Hundreds of prehistoric dogs found buried throughout the southwestern United States show that canines played a key role in the spiritual beliefs of ancient Americans, new research suggests. . ."

Read full story:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/04/080423-dog-burials.html

Dody Fugate has created a database of over 700 dog burials, many of them in the American Southwest and indicates a preponderance of burials during the period between 400 BC and AD 1100. Dog burials are a phenomenon found throughout the world, and recent research is focusing questions of religious significance to help determine why dogs were buried in a ritual manner, often with people.
--aggie castronuevo johann

Iraqi shoe-thrower captures Mideast rage at Bush"

"By Alistair Lyon, Special Correspondent - Analysis
BEIRUT (Reuters) - The hurling of shoes at U.S. President George W. Bush on his farewell visit to Iraq strikes many in the Middle East as a fittingly furious comment on what they see as his calamitous legacy in the region.
Arab and Iranian TV stations have gleefully replayed the clip, sometimes in slow motion, of an Iraqi reporter calling Bush a "dog" and throwing his shoes at him -- the Middle East's tastiest insults -- at a Baghdad news conference on Sunday." http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE4BE39O20081215

See video: http://www.reuters.com/news/video?videoId=95468&newsChannel=newsOne

In Middle East culture, it is an extreme insult to show someone the bottom of one's shoe. This incident may come off as humorous to those in the West, but the ramification of its significance will reverberate throughout the Middle East for some time to come.--aggie castronuevo johann

Oldest Marijuana Stash discovered

http://www.salem-news.com/articles/november282008/ancient_stash_11-27-08.php
http://io9.com/5099717/worlds-oldest-pot-stash-offered-an-afterlife-high

"This ancient batch of marijuana was reported to have a fairly high content of THC, the main ingredient in cannabis.
The marijuana was discovered in a tomb similar to these in the Xinjiang province. Courtesy: lh6.ggpht.com
(OTTAWA ) - Opponents of marijuana have called foul over the belief that the herb has actually been used for thousands of years; and now their arguments will fall silent as a researcher announces locating a stash of marijuana in a Chinese tomb that is scientifically dated at 2,700 years old...."

"Wow, Man...that's some good old stuff!"

It is suggested that the stash belonged to a blond, blue-eyed Shaman, whose remains were found at the site; the drug may have been used as an 'afterlife high' --aggie castronuevo johann

Japanese Bombing Site Vandalized

http://www.fs.fed.us/fstoday/081128/03.0About%20Us/memorial.html

"The Forest Service and Curry County (Ore.) Crime Stoppers are seeking the public’s help in finding those responsible for the recent damage to Wheeler Ridge Japanese Bombing Site Trail facilities on the Gold Beach Ranger District. “Vandals have damaged an important trail facility that serves as a local historical and recreational opportunity to the American public,” said Alan Vandiver, Gold Beach District Ranger. ..."

This site, on the Oregon coast is one of four sites on American soil hit by bombs during World War II. Although the war is but a memory to most and a page in world history, this memorial is a testament to a history and relationship between two countries, now allies.

The racist symbols etched into wood, and the graffiti serve no purpose other than to damage a piece of our World's heritage, as well as to remind the world that divisiveness still exists today.
--aggie castronuevo

[Article on trail dedication]
http://www.fs.fed.us/fstoday/080919/03.0About%20Us/trail_dedication.html
[Forest Service information on the Wheeler Ridge Japanese Bombing Trail]
http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/rogue-siskiyou/recreation/trails/japanese-bombing-site.shtml