Letters to the Editor for April 23, 2009

DOGAMI essential survival tool

To the editor:

The Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries is an essential survival tool for our state.

With tough economic decisions being made by our state legislators, they look to their constituents to provide guidance as to which state departments and state services are viewed by Eastern Oregonians as critical.

The Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries is a small department (one office east of the Cascades here in Baker City) which we, the public, heavily depend on for a plethora of vital information.

Locally, we rely on the geologists to provide information pertaining to the location of mine shafts, faults, potential well locations and mineral deposits, including lithium (naturally occurring element being purported for “clean” energy).  Statewide our geologists are relied upon to help predict the occurrence of natural disasters before they happen so that we do not end up like China with its recent traumatic experience where so many schoolchildren died.

Who is the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI)? It is our state’s integral resource team for understanding the Earth’s foundation and maintaining people’s safety. This efficient department consists of only five offices in communities throughout Oregon and only one east of the Cascades.

What they do:

• Assist individuals in natural resource management, emergency situations and environmental protection.

• Provide information on Green Power: geothermal, wind, water and solar.

• House critical historical documents that identify the locations of faults, mine shafts, water wells, and mineral deposits.

• Provide critical information for emergency management and natural disaster assistance such as earthquakes, landslides, floods, tsunamis and volcanoes.

• Assist in identifying and monitoring changes in geology and to alert citizens of potential dangers in a timely manner.

• Assist emergency teams in disaster situations.

• Provide a knowledge of groundwater framework (what the hydrology looks like underground), water hazards, and geo-chemical hazards.

• Provide oversight for mineral exploration and extraction.

DOGAMI plays an important role in Oregon’s vitality by providing a better understanding of our landscapes and resources. Their assistance in natural disaster situations not only provides short-term assistance but guides one and all in future ventures.

Peggy S. Browne

North Powder

Invest in higher ed for future success

To the editor:

During hard financial times, it is imperative that our state makes smart decisions that will give it the highest yield in the future.

The most influential, but often overlooked solution, is an investment in higher education. Oregon can only benefit from an educated and industrious work force that institutions like Eastern Oregon University generate.

Across the state, FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) and enrollment applications are dramatically rising, but funding is inversely dwindling. With rising unemployment rates, especially in rural Oregon, which has some of the highest numbers in the state, more individuals are looking to a university like EOU for a way out.

Drastic budget cuts are presently occurring in nearly all public sectors, and it seems as if they will only continue. Disinvestment in post-secondary education in Oregon is not a new trend.

The result of these actions has led to a lack of student services for those who are in the most need, along with program and faculty cuts, which only hinder community improvement efforts. First-generation and low-income students, whom EOU largely serves, are priced out of an education by decreasing financial aide and conversely increasing tuition.

By prioritizing post-secondary education in Oregon, we are able to get the state back on the right track, while ensuring its successful future. 

Molly Litchfield

Associated Students of

Eastern Oregon University