| From West by Northwest.org Voices of the Northwest Izaak Walton, Spencer Creek Valley and an Irresponsible Shooting Range By Citizens for Responsibilty May 28, 2003
Izaak Walton was an English writer and biographer who wrote the first best-seller in English, titled "The Compleat Angler; or, the Contemplative Man’s Recreation" in 1653. His book celebrated the life of the outdoors, and by the nineteenth century he was consider a forerunner of the conservationist movement that gave us our first national parks. Izaak Walton would have been surprised to see how his name has been used. He would turn over in his grave to see the sad state of the creek and land at the Spencer Creek Valley site of a shooting range that borrows his name. Spencer Creek Valley is a mile and a half from the city limits of Eugene, Oregon as the crow flies. And as the new, high power bullets fly. A lush, mostly forested area of hills and vales on the southwest flanks of Spencer Butte, it is home to old pioneer homesteads, new mega-mansions and some of the best natural habitat left near any big city in the US, perhaps in the world. And some very abused land and water which have been theoretically protected by Oregon land use law for almost thirty years. About forty years ago, some Spencer Creek Valley neighborhood men and friends in town formally organized a local shooting range. But the nature and problems associated with the Izaak Walton League shooting range have multiplied over the years. No longer is it just a place for Grandpa Joe to show young Nick how to shoot safely. Shooters using rapid fire, high-power assault rifles shatter the quiet landscape with the thundering roar of deadly bursts of fire power. Untended slash piles burning, un-permitted expansion, and water and soil contamination are overshadowed by the real possibility of bullets reaching Eugene neighborhoods and the Spencer Butte Middle School. When will the County act to regulate the range? Explore the Eugene Chapter Izaak Walton League of America's through the web site of Citizens for Responsibility. –Editor
Press Release of the Citizens for Responsibility EUGENE April 29, 2003 A citizen group has turned to the Internet to publicize environmental, safety, and land-use concerns about a shooting range operated by the Eugene Chapter Izaak Walton League of America. The citizen group has created a Web site that includes a letter from Eugene School District 4J expressing concern that the range may pose a danger to residents and three public schools in south Eugene. The site also includes photos described as showing bullet holes in roofs and windows at the range, unauthorized earthwork in soil contaminated with toxic waste, and other concerns, and a map showing the area apparently at risk from stray bullets. The site is at www.citizensforresponsibility.org.
The group, Citizens for Responsibility, is asking Lane County to review the operation of the range and the conditions on it, under a provision in a permit for the range. The Spencer Butte Neighborhood Association and Southeast Neighbors have formally joined the request. Together, the two neighborhood associations represent about 13,000 residents. The county began reviewing the legal status of the range in 2001. "We feel it's essential for the county to take immediate steps to ensure the safety and welfare of the public by addressing these serious issues," said attorney Daniel Stotter, who represents Citizens for Responsibility. "The range is private and apparently devoid of any oversight or supervision by authorities, and the Eugene Chapter Izaak Walton League has apparently been misrepresenting its shooting activities to public officials to evade public review." Stotter said Citizens for Responsibility includes shooters who feel the range reflects poorly on the shooting sports. Web Sources: Visit the Eugene Chapter Izaak Walton shooting range through the perspective of the Citizens for Responsibility at http://www.citizensforresponsibility.org The national Izaak Walton League of America is at http://www.iwla.org/ which is one of the better "wise use" conservation groups -Editor. Revised June 3, 2003 © Copyright 2000-2004 by West by Northwest.org |
