The Daily Barometer OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY • CORVALLIS, OREGON 97331
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2013 • VOLUME CXVI, NUMBER 26
DAILYBAROMETER.COM • 737-2231
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City gains rail support, loses festival City Council approves support for Oregon Passenger Rail project; passes agreement between city manager, OSU
Rail project, urging the council to pass a resolution in support. The rail would potentially ease the burden of traffic congestion, help businesses access their clients and provide a sustainable alternative mode of transportation accessible for students and residents alike. “It is what Corvallis is,” Wilson said. “Corvallis is a green community. It would reduce the number of single-occupancy vehicles, and reduce congestion.” The project would create a 125-mile segment as part of the federally designated Pacific Northwest Rail Corridor. The Oregon
board to suspend for summer 2014 in order to restructure the festival for future continuation. The art, science and innovation festival has been held every July in Corvallis since 1988. After Dalton’s unexpected revelation, councilors moved on to the pressing issue of the night: By Emma-Kate Schaake the Oregon Passenger Rail project. The Daily Barometer Corvallis community members rose from their It was an unexpected start to Monday night’s seats in a show of solidarity for the creation of a Corvallis City Council meeting. passenger rail from Eugene to Portland. In the visiting propositions portion of the The popular summer festival, da Vinci Days, is canceled for 2014. Michael Dalton, acting meeting Monday evening, Corvallis resident chairman of the da Vinci board, said decreased Shauna Wilson brought to attention the need sponsorship and waning ticket sales led the and potential benefits of the Oregon Passenger n
Department of Transportation is conducting an environmental review in order to determine the details of where the rail would be implemented and where the community stations would be erected. The study will also calculate the amount of daily trips and travel times in the area and the potential fueling technology for the rails. Corvallis resident Larry Plankin spoke in favor of the rail, but pointed out that a Corvallis route has a strong probability of being overlooked without persistence from the council and community. He asked that the Corvallis route See COUNCIL | page 4
Beavs Helping Kids hosts 5K n
OSU club hosted 5K run on Saturday to help support local children’s hospital By Courtney Gehring The Daily Barometer
Despite the heavy fog that enveloped campus, more than 50 students and families joined Beavs Helping Kids on Saturday to support the local Children’s Miracle Network Hospital. Participants ran, walked and strolled the 3.1-mile course that started in the Memorial Union quad, snaked around campus and finished back in the quad for refreshments and snacks. A group of students started the Beavs Helping Kids club two years ago. It is a student-run organization that is sponsored and housed by the Oregon State Honors College. The philanthropic group of students help raise funds for Children’s Miracle Network, a series of 170 hospitals across the nation that treat children regardless of their ability to pay. “The money we raise goes straight
to our local Children’s Miracle Network Hospital: Sacred Heart in Springfield, Oregon,” said Keely Bertak, a senior studying nutrition and co-director of Beavs Helping Kids. “The money we raise doesn’t go to administrative costs. It all goes to treatment of the families.” Throughout the year, Beavs Helping Kids hosts several fundraisers, their largest being a Dance Marathon scheduled for mid-February. “We provide money for things like donor breast milk for premature babies who can’t take formula and their moms can’t breast-feed,” Bertak said. “We also provide blankets, diapers, toys and training for nurses and staff.” As a group, they also put on events for the families and make hospital visits. Two families, both of which had children who had been treated in Children’s Miracle Network and were helped by the organization, participated in the race. “We have a lot of families that come and support us, and we get to help them out as well,” Bertak said. Courtney Gehring
Greek and clubs reporter managing@dailybarometer.com
Courtney Gehring
| THE DAILY BAROMETER
Despite heavy fog, more than 50 students and families ran, walked or strolled the 3.1-mile course around campus. Participants were supporting the local Children’s Miracle Network Hospital.
Beavers, Ducks hunt mushrooms together n
Oregon State, University of Oregon mycology classes banded together for first ‘annual’ mushroom gathering trip Saturday in forests near Florence By Dacotah-Victoria Splichalova The Daily Barometer
Courtesy of Joe TayLor
Oregon State University and University of Oregon students, TAs and faculty traveled together in search of mushrooms Saturday in the forests near Florence.
On a sunny autumn afternoon, traveling high up beyond the Applegate trail and deep into the forests of the Oregon dunes between the defoliation planes and the coastal foothills, Oregon State University and University of Oregon students joined together on a trip of a lifetime, searching for what some avid enthusiasts believe is worth its weight in gold — mushrooms. The location of Saturday’s hunt offered a vast plain of a unique taxonomy, a perfect exploration site for both the new and seasoned hunters. Joey Spatofora, professor in botany and plant pathology at OSU, teamed up with Jeff Stone, professor at OSU and UO in botany and plant
pathology, to lead the volunteer foray. Most of the students were busy building for their collections, as they’re required to gather 20 different genera of mushrooms out of the thousands of genera that exist within Oregon’s terrain. The task seems easy, but requires insider knowledge from experts to be successful. The opportunity to travel in the field with faculty who are very knowledgeable served as paramount for the mycology class students, as they were able to lend the students a hand or an identification book. “You have to I.D. it out, take out the big mycology book, key out the organisms — it takes time and practice,” said Joe Taylor, an OSU senior in natural resources. “A lot of mushroom identification comes from experience. The faculty and teaching assistants on board brought their global experiences to OSU and UO mycology students as well. “Back home in Japan, the mushrooms typi See MUSHROOMS | page 4