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FRIDAY, JULY 8, 2016 VOLUME 89, NUMBER 28 WWW.CAPITALPRESS.COM $2.00 Monarch listing decision due in 2019 Endangered or threatened status could aff ect biotech crops By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI Capital Press Eric Mortenson/Capital Press The issue of development pressure on Oregon farmland is on display in Clackamas County southeast of Portland. A local Soil and Water Conser- vation District has asked county commissioners to consider the impact on farmland as they pursue additional industrial and commercial land. Federal wildlife officials have three years to decide whether monarch butter- flies should be protected under the Endangered Spe- cies Act under a legal set- tlement with environmen- talists. The government’s de- cision could have impli- cations for genetically en- gineered crops resistant to glyphosate herbicides, which environmentalists blame for the loss of milk- weed that’s crucial for the Conservation district fi ghts farmland development Capital Press Turn to FARMLAND, Page 12 groups will be entitled to compensation for their at- torney fees as “prevailing parties” in the lawsuit, ac- cording to the deal. Unless they’re able to strike an agreement with the government as to the total amount of compensa- tion within two months, the plaintiffs can ask the court to order a payment. The Fish and Wild- life Service may also get three additional months Turn to BUTTERFLY, Page 12 Courtesy of Elizabeth A. Sellers, USGS Environmental groups have settled a lawsuit against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for not making a fi nal decision whether to list monarch butterfl ies as endangered or threatened within 12 months of fi nding such a listing may be warranted, as required by federal law. WATER By ERIC MORTENSON A renewed move by Ore- gon’s Clackamas County to designate more land for fu- ture industrial and commer- cial development prompted an unusual response from the county’s Soil and Water Con- servation District. Usually, the district’s board isn’t very political, General Manager Tom Salzer said. But the county’s deci- sion to review the status of 1,625 acres got the conserva- tion district’s attention. The county commissioners want to know if land in three ar- eas south and southeast of the Portland urban center, now set aside as 50-year “rural re- serves” and thus open to farm- ing, would be more benefi cial as “employment lands.” The commissioners want to review the status of 800 acres south of the city of Wil- sonville; 400 acres adjacent to the urban growth boundary of the city of Canby; and 425 acres south of the Clacka- mas River along Springwater Road. County offi cials be- lieve the land should revert to “undesignated” rather than rural reserves. Board members of the Clackamas Soil and Water Conservation District decided they should speak up. On June 29, Salzer delivered a letter to the fi ve-member county com- mission. The primary point was succinct: “The District believes the County’s current initiative to create employ- ment lands may not adequate- ly consider the long-term value of high-value farmland. A signifi cant amount of the land proposed for reconsider- ation as employment land is high-value farmland, an irre- placeable natural resource.” Salzer said the conserva- tion district’s board is con- cerned about the longterm future of farmland in Clack- amas County, which despite monarch’s survival. The Center for Food Safety and the Center for Biological Diversity filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service earlier this year for failing to make a timely decision whether to list the species as threatened or endan- gered. Under the terms of the settlement deal, the agen- cy has until June 30, 2019, to determine whether ESA protection for the butter- flies is warranted. The environmental Western outlook still precarious Capital Press T he unpredict- able water pic- ture continues to worry farmers across the Pacifi c Northwest and California as they head into the heart of irriga- tion season. Water managers anxiously watch river and reservoir levels as they make plans to supply water to irrigators despite an early, warm spring that melted away much of the region’s moun- tain snowpack ahead of normal. Irrigators cross Yet overall the consensus that emerges seems to be: So far, so good. their fingers “I’m very pleased with where we are that supplies compared to a year ago. That’s not to say we won’t have lower than normal fl ows in July and will last through August but it can be managed and we will make it growing season through,” said Jeff Marti, drought coordinator for the Washington Department of Ecology in Olympia. His comments were refl ected by managers in many parts of the West though Oregon — known for its ample rainfall in most years — appeared to face the tightest water supplies. In California, now in its fi fth year of drought, El Nino-driven storms last winter helped refi ll empty reservoirs in many parts of the state. Other states have shed the drought that dogged them last year, but in this year, there’s no such thing as a sure thing. Turn to WATER, Page 12 Western U.S. drought conditions (As of June 21) Legend D0-Abnormally dry D1-Drought (moderate) D2-Drought (severe) D3-Drought (extreme) D4-Drought (exceptional) Intensity of drought by percent area affected Date Current 3 mo. ago 1 yr. ago None 37.9% 32.4 23.9 D0-4 62 67.6 76.1 D1-4 27.4 34.1 57.9 D2-4 D3-4 10.9 5.7 15.4 9.5 35.9 17.1 D4 2.8 4.7 7.3 Source: National Drought Mitigation Center, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Capital Press graphic Thinkstock.com “Helping Northwest Farmers Find the Right Equipment for the Job” pacificageq.com 541-561-0446 • Hermiston, OR 28-2/#6