PDX buys nearby forest

By Jake Bartman///Staff Writer

The City of Portland is beginning to move forward with plans to turn the forest to the north of campus into a natural area with trails and other additions for outdoors enthusiasts.

The River View Natural Area, as it is referred to by Portland’s Bureau of Parks and Recreation, is the area popular with students especially because of its myriad tree houses and fire pits at which to gather on warm nights.

Rumors have circulated recently about the future of the land after workers began to clear most of the non-native species from the area and started to clear trails. Workers have also begun to remove the tree houses that make the area special to students.

The 146-acre forest was purchased last May from River View Cemetery by the City of Portland. This purchase of one of the largest undeveloped areas in the city was a $11.25 million transaction funded by numerous governmental agencies related to conservation, including a grant from the state.

The City Council approved the purchase largely due to the forest’s proximity to the Willamette River watershed. The land has seven tributaries running through it that connect with the Willamette.

Proponents of the purchase noted that they hoped to protect the hillside from development that could pollute the watershed. This idea was supported especially by members of the Bureau of Environmental Services’ Grey to Green initiative, a program started in 2008 that focuses especially on watershed health and protection.

The forest is expected to be a fully accessible natural area by 2016, when operating costs to the city are expected to reach $255,000 a year. Officials cited an appraisal of the land that placed its worth at $2.75 million dollars more than the amount for which it was purchased in defense of the plan, though it was only mildly contested amongst city residents.

The Portland Bureau of Parks and Recreation will be responsible for the land’s management. Future plans also include the development of a habitat management plan that will protect native species in the area.
Portland has long struggled to protect its properties from invasive species that have threatened many of the local ecosystems, so observers can expect a carefully regulated natural area that will most likely be hostile to moonlit forest parties in the future.

Health and Wellness expanding

Illustration by Samantha Sarvet

By Laura Blum///Staff Writer

Winter in Portland, with its near-constant rain and overcast skies, can make anyone feel a little gloomy. For some people, this can amount to more than just occasional winter blues.

Due to its high latitude, the Pacific Northwest has a high incidence of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). People who suffer from SAD experience significant periods of depression in the winter months, due to the decrease in sunlight during this season.

Studies suggest that as many as 27% of people experience disruptive seasonal mood changes. The disorder is most prevalent in people ages 18-30.

Lewis & Clark’s Office of Health Promotion and Wellness has implemented a new program for students who experience symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): renting “blue lights,” free of charge.

Blue lights are full-spectrum lamps that mimic sunlight. When used daily for 30-90 minute sessions, these lamps have been shown to help to significantly reduce the  symptoms of SAD, which include exhaustion, social withdrawal, a depressed mood, and increased irritability.

The blue lights can be rented from the new Health Promotion and Wellness Suite, which is located in lower Odell. The suite was built last fall and now houses the offices of the Associate Dean of Students, Director of Wellness, and Chief Psychologist John Hancock and Associate Director for Health Promotion and Wellness Melissa Osmond, as well as several part-time counselors and psychiatrists.

Hancock hopes that the new location will be more convenient for students and will allow them to take better advantage of the services provided by the Health Promotion and Wellness office.

Many students could benefit from blue light therapy, but not all depression is affected by seasonal factors.
The full-spectrum lights, however, do not come cheap, costing the Wellness center upwards of $100-$150. “The blue lights are meant to serve as a ‘free trial’ for students who think they might need them,” says Hancock. By renting a light for free for a period of two weeks, students can try it out and decide if they should purchase a blue light of their own.

The blue light rental is part of several new programs started by Health Promotion and Wellness this semester in an attempt to better serve the LC community, including an online questionnaire that students can take to find out if they could benefit from counseling (which can be found at http://www.mentalhealthscreening.org/screening/lclark). The questionnaire is completely anonymous, and can be useful for students who are unsure if they need help. Hancock stated that he wants to be able to reach out to as many students as possible.

“I’m sensitive to the fact that this is a particularly vulnerable time, due to the tragedy that occurred over winter break,” he said. “And depression among college students is very common. I want students to know that it’s not unusual to feel these things, and that it’s okay to talk to somebody about it.”

Depression is the leading cause of suicide. Each year, 6-10% of college students experience suicidal thoughts. Hancock emphasized that if any students are thinking about suicide, or know somebody who is, they should not hesitate to contact the Counseling Service (503-768-7160; located in lower Templeton). They can also call the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

Sellwood Bridge is no longer falling down, falling down...

Illustration by Oceana Wills

By Laura Blum///Staff Writer

There’s good news and bad news about the Sellwood Bridge. The good news is that the city of Portland already has begun construction that will replace the bridge with a new, far superior one. The bad news is that the new bridge will take three to four years to complete, and until then, a Sellwood Shuttle may be too much to hope for.

Currently, the Sellwood Bridge is one of the weakest bridges in the nation. It’s also inconvenient for commuters, having only one sidewalk and no bike lanes.

In 2004, following the discovery of cracks in the bridge’s foundation—which have since been repaired—the weight limit of vehicles allowed on the bridge was lowered from 32 to 10 tons. This change effectively ended bus service over the bridge as loaded buses exceed the 10-ton limit. Thus, in the interest of public safety, bus lines were rerouted to no longer cross the river at that point.

Tyler Rizzo (’14), a Sellwood resident, is well aware of the dangers of the bridge. “It’s a sketchy structure. I’ve personally tried biking and walking across it, and I feel pretty unsafe, just because there’s only one sidewalk that’s rather small. It’s pretty inconvenient for anyone not in a car. And people who do take cars across it are always a little nervous about it.”

The new structure that is replacing the truss-style bridge will be a steel deck arch, a type of bridge that is very stable and can withstand the force of a high-magnitude earthquake. The narrowest section will be 64 feet across and contain two lanes for cars and buses, two bike lanes, and two 12-foot sidewalks, one on either side of the new bridge. The structure will also feature improved interchanges and on-ramps.

Eddie Barksdale (’13), who has biked across the bridge many times, offered his advice to fellow cyclists who use the bridge. “It can be intimidating to bike across the bridge since most drivers don’t know about Oregon bike laws and ignore the tiny little sign that says ‘bikes on roadway.’ You have to take the lane or else people will just squeeze past you.”

In his view, however, simply building a new bridge will not entirely fix this problem. “I’m really glad Multnomah County is rebuilding the bridge with actual bike and pedestrian lanes,” he remarked, “but it still doesn’t address the real issues for bikers, which is having educated drivers.”

Unfortunately for Lewis & Clark students, we’ll have to wait until about 2015 to see the results of this project. A temporary structure, called a “shoofly” bridge, will be constructed in the meantime. The shoofly bridge will be more structurally sound than the existing bridge, but it will use the main span of the current Sellwood bridge as the main span of the detour bridge, meaning it will most likely be unable to accommodate the weight of buses. That means that any hope for a Sellwood Shuttle existing in the near future is slim.

Despite these problems, commuters shouldn’t worry about falling into the Willamette River to their doom. Although the existing bridge poses concerns, it is not likely to suddenly collapse. Multnomah County is well aware of its structural defects and conducts a safety check of the bridge every three months.     

Sustainability hits the ground running

By Alisha Gorder

The revitalized Lewis & Clark Sustainability Council has continued its efforts to promote sustainability on campus. The Communication and Outreach Committee is working to increase the visibility of sustainability on campus in a variety of ways, says Dan Rohlf, Professor of Law and Of Counsel, Pacific Environmental Advocacy Center and Chair of the Council, through events, lectures and a general increase in information relating to sustainability. For example, the on-campus Sustainability webpage found through Facilities Services provides real-time energy use information for all buildings on campus.

The Learning Committee is aiming to encourage cooperation between the faculties of the three campuses, to integrate the many overlapping interests in sustainability and environmental issues that they have. The Council recently sponsored a faculty Sustainability mixer, which Rohlf described to have a speed-dating feel and served as “a really fun and effective” way of building connections between colleagues. He also said that the Learning Committee is looking to improve connections outside of the College and take advantage of the opportunities that Portland has to offer as one of the country’s most sustainable cities.

A current project of the Operations Committee is to work with the grounds department so that one portion of the campus will be cared for using completely organic methods. The Operations Committee is also working to achieve Salmon-Safe certification for the campus, an eco-label primarily concerned with watershed safety, according to Rohlf. The Council is beginning the certification process now and the campus should be certified within the year. The Council also hopes to integrate operations with learning by getting biology classes involved in Salmon-Safe. Rohlf says the Council hopes to increase the institution’s sustainability practices and decrease impact while using the process as a tool for learning.

The Council also provided each of the three schools with $500 for sustainability efforts chosen by the student government, which “enables and encourages student governments to work on issues or events surrounding sustainability,” says Rohlf. The Council has also contributed funding for the Take Back the Tap Initiative, which is concerned with minimizing the use and sale of bottled water.

The next Council meeting is at 7:30 a.m. on March 6 in the Law School faculty reading room.

ASLC Update

By Micah Leinbach

Following a discussion last week, the constituency reports focused on at the ASLC meeting were centered largely on the student body and it’s perceptions of the ASLC. Senators from several classes provided a range of perspectives, which included both positive and negative views. While constituency reports occur on a weekly basis, many senators sought out more specific feedback for student government in general from those they represent. A discussion in the previous week’s meeting is summarized in ASLC’s minutes and last week’s Pioneer Log.

Due to limited attendance at the meeting, the student government only barely made it to quorum following several late arrivals to the meeting. After establishing quorum, a bill originally proposed a week before regarding student created art at the Designated Smoking Areas (DSAs) was brought up with several modifications.

It would allow students to use DSAs as art spaces after going through an approval process for the art. As the bill currently stands, the legislation would utilize the DSA behind Manzanita for a trial run before the program continues for the semester with the utilization of the rest of the DSAs for student artwork.

In order to address concerns brought up by the body last week, this week’s draft included significantly more details surrounding the process that art would go through to be approved. The name of the committee in charge of approving art for the DSAs  was also changed from “Art Committee” to “DSA Mural Committee.”
Primary parts of the discussion surrounded concerns about the meaning of some of the language contained in the bill, the bureaucracy surrounding the approval process for art and the degree to which the ASLC would be involved in the approval process. There was also discussion of possibly allowing more stakeholders onto the committee, including groundskeepers, due to their relevant work that they engage in to the upkeep the DSAs.

Logistical concerns about the artwork in the DSAs also abounded, down to the details about how long paint would take to dry relative to how long murals are expected to stay on DSAs. The bill was sponsored by Tyler Church (’14) and Isabella Fabens (’14). Ali Crowley (’12), a third sponsor, argued against the bill in its first appearance due to changes made without her consent, but was not present at this week’s meeting.  

The next ASLC meeting is March 1 at 7:00 p.m.in JR Howard 102.