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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels December 1, 2004 Forensics lab set to grow By Vickie Aldous Ashland Daily Tidings More people who commit crimes against wildlife will face justice thanks to the planned expansion of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Forensics Laboratory in Ashland. The facility is the only crime lab in the world devoted exclusively to the investigation of wildlife crimes. But staff at the overcrowded building on East Main Street have to turn away more than 350 cases per year from state agencies due to lack of space, according to city of Ashland officials who worked to secure expansion funding. Congress recently approved $2.68 million for the expansion, buttressing $6.68 million in previously appropriated federal funds that would only have allowed construction of a building shell, said lab Director Ken Goddard. "We've outgrown our DNA facilities and our morphology facilities are bursting," he said. "We have a huge number of standard samples of claws, teeth, skulls and bones. We also now investigate computer crimes. Pretty much everyone we serve a warrant on has a computer where they store information about the crime." The expansion will provide more space to perform necropsies, the animal version of autopsies. Necropsies provide critical information, such as whether an animal was actually killed by a bullet but an arrow was stuffed down the hole to cover up a gun shooting during archery season, Goddard said. In the morphology department, scientists compare recovered parts of animals to a vast stock of indexed parts to determine what type of creature was killed. "A normal crime lab identifies evidence to link the suspect to the crime scene. We have to figure out what our victim is," Goddard said. "The species of animal makes a big difference in what the crime is. If we only have a piece or a product, it's not obvious what it is. We could have a chunk of meat in butcher paper, hair, fur or leather goods." Despite the national and even international importance of the lab's work, expansion funding was in jeopardy. "The president's budget had zero funding for capital expenditures in the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service," said city of Ashland Management Analyst Ann Seltzer. "Before, there was funding over a multiyear period to fund the expansion. We thought, 'What a shame.'" Not content to let the money slip away, Seltzer worked with staff members from the Medford offices of Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., and Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., to make a formal appropriations request. She also created a database showing the number of cases the lab had to turn away from each state. Walden, Wyden and Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Ore., were able to use the information to garner support from other representatives and senators, Seltzer said. The lab currently handles about 800 cases per year that involve several thousand pieces of evidence. Scientists conduct crime scene investigations, examine submitted evidence and testify in court, city officials said. Ashland City Councilors Kate Jackson and Cate Hartzell each made visits to congressional members to lobby for support of the expansion when in Washington, D.C., on other business, according to City Administrator Gino Grimaldi. The city will benefit economically from the expansion due to direct construction spending, Seltzer said. Additionally, the new space provides room for 25 scientists who would make approximately $50,000 annually, along with 15 support staff members who would make about $20,000, according to city officials. Funding for the new positions must be approved by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Goddard said. Additionally, Southern Oregon University will be able to expand its 10- to 15-student internship program at the lab by another 15 students, city officials said. "This is the only place in the world were they can do this kind of internship," Seltzer said. "It enhances SOU by drawing students to the area." Ground-breaking ceremonies are expected in the early spring. DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Slippers Isotoner Slippers Dsw Shoes Ciara Lyrics & Pictures libor rate Radiotelephone Communication Calenders 2005 Calender 2005 Calendar lil jon eastside boyz Citibank Student Loans Acs Loan Matchmaking & Dating Scripts Adventure Travel Conference Calls - $50/Month Security Systems The game rapper Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams