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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Traffic stop nets half-pound of meth, $11,700 in cash 170 structures threatened in Oregon Gulch fire Oregon Gulch fire 11,000 acres and growing Changing winds saved Pinehurst Inn from Oregon Gulch fire Medford police have arrested a second arsonist Crime, Courts and Emergency Services 5,000-acre wildfire forces evacuations in Greensprings Emergency Services Man cited for DUII after drifting into an oncoming lane of Interstate 5 and hitting a truck head-on Two-bit crime spree yields $866 in quarters Community blog: ARSON-FROM WORRY TO RELIEF Politics and Elections Medford council veterans plan exit Former colleagues laud Atiyeh's 'practical' leadership Former sheriff candidate is let go Education Migrant student numbers soar $21 million Science Building upgrades begin at SOU Eagle Point district mulls fate of Trail school SOU Provost James Klein plans to retire Poverty standard hurts Central Point schools State news Nation - World Obituaries Don Mallaghan Ethel Iris McCoy Margaret Elizabeth Powell Van Lynn LaMaster Jack Jerry Ansures (Tooter) Weather Photo Galleries Videos Sports Latest Stories Another decent start for Tiger Lynch ends holdout with Seahawks Coach Riley prepares Beavers for fall camp Coaches rank UO fourth in first poll Flurry of trades prior to deadline Varsity 541 College Sports Coach Riley prepares Beavers for fall camp Mannion, Beavers look to close the gap Riley's coaching longevity bucks the trend in Pac-12 His own Gary Payton Beavers hope new diet plans give them bite Pro Sports Judge OKs record-setting $2B sale of Clippers Recovered from illness, Serena ready for return Darvish, Rangers drop Yanks Even after payday, Seattle's Sherman hungry as ever Fists flying at Philly practices Community Sports LOCAL REPORT Cowden, Hunt power Mavericks in win Medford Mustangs stay hot LOCAL REPORT Rogues come up short against Bells Business Latest Stories Blog: Part 2: How to Stay Cool in 100 Degree Weather Avista requests rate hike of 9.7% Blog: Study finds Oregon's exports slow to recover Contractor sweep nets 34 violations in S. 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Other Views: Federal logging lags Our Opinion: Keep your eyes open Letters to the Editor Letter: Israel is vulnerable Letter: Don’t ban guns Letter: City’s ‘fix’ too costly Letters to the Editor Thursday, July 31 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Guest Opinions City council members should be paid Why voters should approve the open primary Our region's beauty deserves protection Lifestyle Latest stories Community blog:Top Ten Reasons Why Trying to Solve Other People�s Problems is a Bad Idea Commission could adopt new Chetco chinook angling rules Pluggin' for steelies Fishing Report: Aug. 1, 2014 This bird isn't always among the pines Food Community blog: Ways with watermelon span summer months What's in a wine's name? In Italy, it can get complicated Dive into a big bowl of cold soup DANCIN days are here again Ripe & Ready: Melon season is here Home and Garden Learn to pick produce at the peak of ripeness Support the mycorrhizae! 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Dining India Palace Taco Riendo Uber Herbal Coquina Restaurant Home State BBQ Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living NEWS NOW Our region's beauty deserves protection When he was a U.S. senator from Minnesota, my brother, Walter Mondale, wrote and passed what I believe was the first federal protection of wild rivers. That was a predictable undertaking, given our parents' commitment to our outdoor activities, and it reflects the life we all valued but is now under assault. By William "Mort" Mondale MailTribune.com By William "Mort" Mondale Posted Jul. 6, 2014 @ 2:00 am By William "Mort" Mondale Posted Jul. 6, 2014 @ 2:00 am » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2325,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> When he was a U.S. senator from Minnesota, my brother, Walter Mondale, wrote and passed what I believe was the first federal protection of wild rivers. That was a predictable undertaking, given our parents' commitment to our outdoor activities, and it reflects the life we all valued but is now under assault. The beautiful hills around our property near Selma are in the bull's-eye of proposed legislative timber targets and proposed mountain-top removal for minerals. All these projects would, if approved, suggest only possible short-term gains, but would promise crippling penalties to our growing and increasingly profitable tourism promoted by breathtaking views and pristine waterways. We worry about our backyard's businesses, our forests and the clean water they produce for us and our children. If we were able to continue our productive economic and ecological work in this area, our small communities can become gateways to a new and vibrant Western economy by linking it to a model of ecological and economic sustainability. After all, we have one of the highest concentrations of Wild and Scenic Rivers in the nation, including the headwaters to the world-class Smith River fishery just south of us. The 180,000-acre Kalmiopsis Wilderness, just outside of Selma and Cave Junction, provides an amazing array of unique plants and geology. The mines would permanently turn about 100,000 wild acres and their pure-running streams into mining rubble. And Sen. Ron Wyden has introduced legislation to double logging levels on surrounding BLM lands that would further pollute streams from sediment run-off along roads and steep slopes. This place of awesome beauty is targeted to serve the profit lust of investors from the United Kingdom. The proposed plan of action discussed in the Forest Service's 8/1999 report/decision speaks of four sample pits, 35 acres of "full scale mining" of 3.5 acres per year for 10 years, each requiring road development, deposit of rubble and a 14-mile "haul route" entirely on public lands. Minerals would then be transported to another country for smelting. If the Forest Service agrees, mountaintops will be leveled and pristine waterways polluted. The plan threatens a repeat of the now abandoned Formosa mine near Riddle. I have proudly joined all kinds of environmental activities so that when my great-grandchildren visit, as have my children and grandchildren, I can take them through my area still green and with free-flowing streams from which they can safely drink. Not just my family but any family can have their pictures taken in front of our healthy ecosystems while they spend tourism dollars in our gateway communities. But will tourists continue vacationing in an area blighted by mining wastes and clearcuts? Or will they just speed through, seeking others' pristine areas they will celebrate in memory? I can explain to my family that leading scientists and communities all over the world are seeking ways to at least moderate the inevitable global warming. A key finding is that trees capture and hold carbon dioxide for centuries. I want to take them to spectacular salmon spawning sites and show them fish that are healthy to eat — free of pesticides, herbicides and mining pollution — that have the unique ability to live part of their lives in fresh water streams and part of their lives in the ocean. Every time we convert a healthy old-growth forest to boards, or poison the fields and streams with pesticides/herbicides, we impair the possibility of a thriving economy. It is my impression that people will take the chance of facing climate disaster as long as they see logging and mining as the only jobs available to them and the only tax-free options. They and our federal and state leaders have made that ill-advised and myopic choice. My brother was right when he chose protecting environmental and cultural legacies as the building blocks of a sustainable future. Senator Wyden is now in a unique position to choose sustainability over rampant logging and rejecting foreign investors trashing our future. The legacy in question is not just his — it's ours as well. William "Mort" Mondale lives in Selma. By William "Mort" Mondale MailTribune.com By William "Mort" Mondale Posted Jul. 6, 2014 @ 2:00 am » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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