Willamette Valley grass seed growers agreed to suspend burning of grass stubble during the competition. But that's not enough, a group of environmental lawyers says. The Eugene-based Western Environmental Law Center has asked Gov. Ted Kulongoski for a broader burning ban, using the logic that if it's good for athletes, why isn't it good for regular folks too? "It's not fair to protect only elite athletes," said Charlie Tebbutt, staff attorney at the law center. "Those of us who live here the rest of the time deserve the same protection."

The governor says he wants to end field burning but not immediately. He'll bring up the issue at the 2009 Legislature, said his spokeswoman, Anna Richter Taylor. "He will introduce legislation to reduce the practice," Taylor said. The governor also plans to set up a work group to look at alternatives to burning.

The arrival of company often forces us to finish housekeeping projects we've long neglected. In Oregon, one such cleanup -- decades overdue -- is a total ban on field burning.

"'No good deed goes unpunished' I guess is the category that goes into....We were asked by Olympic organizers in Eugene and the county government if we would voluntarily not burn during the trials," Nelson said. "We agreed. Absolutely." Now growers have opened themselves up to the possibility of more restrictions he said. "We're trying to be good guys, and they poke an arrow in us," Nelson said.