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Letter threatens to �torch� rural Takilma By Paul Fattig CAVE JUNCTION � An anonymous letter threatening to "torch" the rural Takilma area has been received by an environmental group proposing creation of a national monument on local public lands. Handwritten in block letters, the letter, directed at the Siskiyou Regional Education Project and "friends," warns recipients to drop their support of the proposal. The Josephine County sheriff�s office, aided by the FBI, is investigating, said Sheriff Dave Daniel. "We have to take this serious," Daniel said. "You never know. It could be one person cranking out a crank letter." Or it could be a very real threat, he added. "There is some heated discussion going on � people are divided out there," he said. He was referring to sides taken on the proposed nearly 1 million acre Wild Rivers National Monument on Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management land. SREP backs the proposal while the opposition is led by Oregonians for Responsible Conservation Alliance (ORCA), a chapter of People for the USA. The group has disavowed any knowledge of the letter. The environmental group is based in Takilma, a largely counter-culture hamlet established in the Illinois Valley more than 30 years ago. The fact the threat was sent via the U.S. mail gave the green light for the FBI to become involved, Daniel explained. About 10 of the letters have been received, he said, adding that some of the recipients appear to have nothing to do with the monument proposal. Recipients of the threat who have compared the letters say they all are copies of one letter. It says: "MANY OF US ARE OPPOSED TO THIS LETTER, ARGUEING (SIC) THAT IT WILL BE SAFER AND MORE SUCCESSFUL TO DESTROY THE PROJECT AND TAKILMA WITHOUT WARNING." HOWEVER, THERE REMAINS THE SLIGHT POSSIBILITY THAT A RETRACTION OF THE MONUMENT PROPOSAL BY THE PROJECT WILL CANCEL IT, SO YOU ARE NOW GIVEN THIS SINGLE COMMUNICATION AND CHANCE." Supporters of the proposed monument have disregarded local opinion regarding the proposal, the letter said. "WHEN PEOPLE ARE DENIED A VOICE, THEY HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO SEEK RESOLUTION OUTSIDE THE LAW," the writer or writers continue. "IT IS OUR RESOLVE TO TEACH YOU THAT LOCAL OPINION DOES MATTER. "WE SUGGEST YOU IMMEDIATELY RETREAT AND BEGIN EVERY EFFORT TO DESTROY YOUR PROPOSAL," the letter reads. "SHOULD IT PASS, AT LEAST ALL THE FOREST AROUND TAKILMA . . . WILL BE TOTALLY TORCHED." "The language is very serious and very specific," noted Kelpie Wilson, a longtime environmental activist and SREP director. "We can�t afford to not take this seriously." In addition to the environmental groups, copies of the letter, which began arriving Friday, were sent to the Illinois Valley Clinic and the Dome School, a private school in Takilma. "This letter took us by surprise," Wilson said. She faults those who are opposed to the monument, particularly members of the PFUSA. "They are creating an atmosphere of hate," she said. "They are demonizing us. This is the consequence." The letter also caught Illinois Valley resident Jim Nolan by surprise. He is a founding member of local PFUSA chapter. "This is the first I�ve heard of it," he said late Monday afternoon after being read a portion of the letter. "That�s amazing � that�s crazy," he said. The local chapter neither condones violence nor threats of violence, he said. Nolan said he has told those attending chapter meetings to leave if they support any kind of violence. "I think there is a good chance they did it themselves," he said of monument supporters. The letter reverses a local trend in which individuals with differing philosophies have learned to coexist peacefully, said Takilma resident Lou Gold, a former college professor. "This is a real set back for civility," he said, adding that the diverse population has learned to work together over the years. "But it�s also important for people to understand and be reminded, especially with public lands issues, that there is a right to a range of opinion," he said. "The thing that doesn�t have any right is terrorism." Fellow Takilma resident Romain Cooper agreed. The letter doesn�t reflect the majority of people in the valley, he said. "In any community there are a few rotten eggs out there who have the potential for this," he said. Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA