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Preserve �ancient willows,� group says Mail Tribune / Drew Fleming Joseph Vaile, a Lomakatsi Restoration Project board member, hangs out among the massive limbs of a willow tree at Eighth and A streets in Ashland. Lomakatsi hopes to establish an "Ancient Willows Natural Area" to ensure willows at the site are preserved. By Paul Fattig ASHLAND � They call it a wild area, a place where willows grow free and natural. Never mind that it�s smack in the middle of Ashland. "It�s an incredible natural area," said nearby resident Oshana Turtle. "I�ve been going down there for years and years to be among the willows. "If everything is paved over, the quality of life and attractiveness of Ashland would definitely be sacrificed," she added later. "I would like to see a couple of acres preserved." The undeveloped area owned by the city at A and Eighth streets south of Thimbleberry Lane will be preserved, if Turtle has her way. She is a member of the Lomakatsi Restoration Project, an Ashland-based forest-worker collective that is proposing establishing the "Ancient Willows Natural Area" at the site. The group, along with Ashland Community Action, is asking local residents interested in the project to gather at the site at 5 p.m. today to help pull non-native noxious weeds and learn more about the proposal. Volunteers have helped keep the area clean over the years, Turtle said. Ken Mickelsen, director of the Ashland Parks and Recreation Department, was unaware of the proposal but suggested proponents may want to take their proposal through the proper channels. Turtle, who has broached the idea in an Ashland Planning Commission session, says the group plans to take the proposal to the City Council. "The city would be smart to maintain its ecosensitive image," she said. "And this is just about the geographic center of Ashland." The area would not be a manicured park but a natural setting, observed Lomakatsi director Marko Bey. "Considering all the development occurring now, this would ensure that at least one corner of the open space people value would be protected," Bey said. "This is just one little island left in that area," he added. "It�s remnants of the riparian area that used to be here. It would almost be like a natural museum for the town." It also would be a place for students to learn about nature in town, he said, noting that one local educational organization already has expressed interest in working with Lomakatsi on the project. Jay Lininger, director of the Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center, an environmental group, thinks it�s a good idea. "The willows are the center of Ashland�s last real open space," said Lininger, an Ashland resident. "That space will soon be gone forever if action isn�t taken now." Although Lininger doesn�t know how old the willows are, he said they represent generations of the quick-growing trees. "No one planted them," he said. "In my book, that�s something special worth keeping." Turtle agreed. "Development will keep eating up open space if we don�t do something now," she said. "With the blackberries and other bushes, it�s an important natural area for birds and other wildlife." It�s also a place where humans could take a break in a natural setting, she said. "I�d like to see Ashland keep its ecoimage," she reiterated. "This is one way to do that." For additional information, contact the Lomakatsi Restoration Project at 488-0208. Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.