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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Menu Guide Wedding Weather Subscribe Contact Us March 24, 2005 Greenway deserves a plan, not a reaction That's it. Blame the bushes. Rip 'em out with the biggest, nastiest machines we can find, with all do haste because God only knows there are few problems as serious as indigenous blackberry bushes that are as much a signature of this state as Mount Hood and the Oregon Ducks. And while you're at it, blame the homeless for camping along the Bear Creek Greenway. Surely, when planning for a unified walking path running along a riverbank for 20 miles over two decades, nobody ever thought that homeless people might actually find the area a welcoming place to throw down some roots. The bottom line is, blame is the key. What else are you going to do when something as tragic as a rape happens at a place where serenity, safety and beauty are supposed to be safely enjoyed? So let 'er rip. Cut indelicate swaths of destruction through the invasive plants and make the greenway visible in every corner. Make it as safe as walking through the cavernous halls of the Rogue Valley Mall, which the greenway may soon resemble if current emotional responses are allowed to run amok of planning, community input and coordinated response. Or perhaps, there is another way. Perhaps we can explore careful pruning by qualified horticulturists that remove dangerous areas while respecting the goal of a more natural setting. Perhaps we can explore coordinated patrols among the county and area municipalities along the length of the greenway, including bicycle police and walking patrols. Perhaps we can push for a multi-city volunteer task force that could come up with ways to care for the greenway, while policing it for safety. Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps. Recent events were tragic. They were a crime. But the strength of a community is directly related to how it responds to crisis. A proper, enthusiastic and empowering response seems consistent with the same determination that led to the existence of a greenway in the first place. The greenway is a great thing. It's a local treasure - and as such it's worthy of our greatest planning, civic input, volunteerism and care. DailyTidings.com Home Page Archives | Revels | Classifieds | Real Estate Guide | Weather | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2005 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Deep Muscle Stimulator Ceramic Piggy Banks FREE Entertainment Guide Women's & Men's Slippers Accelerate Weightloss Products Backpacks Generic Viagra Vegas Travel Guide Search Engine Optimization Sportsbook Absinthe Supply Student Loans Hotel & Airline Reservations African Safari Hammocks Helzberg Diamonds Online Casinos Community Bonus Casino King of Spirits ink cartridges Mortgage Calculator Security Systems Mailing Lists Click Here Advertisement .:Advertisements:. Site Search: RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams