| From West by Northwest.org Voices of Spencer Creek Norm's Notebook: Dead Cars – The 500 Club By Norm Maxwell Feb 17, 2006
I've been moving junk off of federal land for some time now. BLM's Eugene District has always been a magnet for abandoned automobiles, motorhomes, pickup campers, boats, motorcycles, loads of tires and camp trailers. Abandoned vehicles serve as a focal point to drop off the household trash and pretty soon you have tons and tons of crap at the end of a logging road from "recreational dumping." Norm's Fine Pre-Owned Automobiles has been a sideline for me for going on a decade now. I take on Forest Service heaps from outlying Ranger Districts as well. Some firsts: most junkers removed in a single year--90 in FY 04, heaviest junker removed--6,700 pounds (a motorhome), biggest boat--22 feet, oddest item found in abandoned heap--human ashes. So far for removing my 500th pile of junk, I have received a can of Atta Boy dogfood which I proudly display on top of a cupboard on my Dilbert Cube. Lane County is in the process of hiring a full time trash cop. I hope to work closely with this individual on the abandoned vehicle end of the problem. I hope to implement some sort of amnesty day where I can arrange to meet people who have old junk cars with no titles and can write paper for them and the heaps can move directly to the steel yard without the intermediate step of dumping it in the woods. Copyright © 2006 by Norm Maxwell Norm Maxwell is the author of a novel in progress, Banjo Lane, a comic tragedy about meth users in Lane County. He is a regular contributor to West By Northwest.org. Norm Maxwell received the 2004 Best of West By Northwest award for his article, The Fire of South Canyon: Remembering Storm King. Tens of thousands of readers have "voted" with their mouse by their selection of this story. Visit Norm Maxwell's other pieces about land use, firefighting and life in the country and more at West By Northwest.org. Norm's Notebook: Dead Cars and the Six Million Dollar Manx (Editor's note–Norm's "Dead Cars" story inspired a feature story in the Register Guard, "Heaps of trouble in the woods.") Norm's Notebook: Norm's Notebook: Saving Fish Creek, One Dead Car at a Time Norm's Notebook: A Christmas in Lorane Norm's Notebook: A Day Doing Lines Norm's Notebook: Is There Life After Fire? Norm's Notebook: Dogpatch and the Developers Norm's Notebook: Norns and Nests Norm's Notebook: The Mystery Corner of Section 37 Norm's Notebook: Replanting with Cedar and Pine Norm's Notebook: A Winnebago, Motorhome That Is Norm's Notebook: Measure 37 Fallout Norm's Notebook: The Wayward Bus Norm's Notebook: New Bike and The Three Acre Wood Norm's Notebook: A Helicopter and a Hometown Norm's Notebook: A Different Kind of Pre-Emptive Strike Norm's Notebook: "Goodbye Dear, I'll be Home in a Year" A Homey Homage to the Homelite: The Stone Age of Powersawing Take Two: Jackson Road Norm's Notebook: Battling Broom Norm's Notebook: A Last Look from the Big Rabbit Norm's Notebook: From Forest to McMansion, How It Could Happen Here Norm's Notebook: A Few Acres, a Few Chickens–Who Is Living on the Land Now Remembering the 30 Mile Fire Old Men and Fire The Fire of South Canyon: Remembering Storm King Wee-wee for BB Norm's Notebook: The Story of the Spruce Tree, and Mosby Creek, a New Land Use Lot Adjustment Mentoring Military Style Three Dollar Hammer Remember Fire Road Home, Home on Fire Road and more. © Copyright 2000-2006 by West by Northwest.org |
