Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 30, 2019)
4A MONDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2019 The Observer OUR VIEW Third time a charm for Blue Mountains plan? Maybe the third try will be successful in cobbling together a roadmap for the management of three sprawling national forests in Eastern Oregon. The U.S. Forest Service, which oversees the 5.5 million acres of forestland in the Malheur, Wallowa-Whitman and Umatilla national forests, has stumbled terribly in its previous attempts to re- vise its 29-year-old plan. It’s supposed to be updated every 15 years, so the agency hasn’t even been fol- lowing its own timeline. Updating the Blue Mountains plan has turned into an old-fashioned goat rope. In rejecting the lat- est 5,000-page version, Chris French, the reviewing offi cer and Forest Service deputy chief, said it was diffi cult to understand and implement. That’s not good, but the biggest problems ap- peared to be that Forest Service managers had their own priorities that didn’t mesh with those of the people who live, work and recreate in the forests. One such issue is transportation within the forests. Logging roads and other access are critical to getting around in the forests. Many of the roads, built with public money, have been targeted for closure not only in the Blue Mountains but other national forests. Closing the forests to logging, fi refi ghters, hunt- ers, hikers and other users made little sense, the Forest Service was repeatedly told in forum after forum. Now, the managers have apparently come to un- derstand the people who live and work in the Blue Mountains deserve a place at the table as a third iteration of the forest plan is developed. Represen- tatives of the region’s counties, tribes and others will join the discussion. It is our hope the words “multiple use” will be top of mind as those discussions proceed. The na- tional forests were established under the U.S. De- partment of Agriculture in part to provide a source of building materials and the jobs associated with them. In addition, other uses were to be allowed. But most important, the forests were to be man- aged as a resource, not locked up. Locking up the forests, specifi cally, is what the new round of negotiations needs to avoid. As a public resource, the national forests of the Blue Mountains must be open for many types of uses, and accessible to all. Otherwise, they will fail to fulfi ll their purpose and stifl e the economy of Eastern Oregon and southeastern Washington state. Your views Farmers and ranchers will miss having Walden around As someone who owns and operates a cattle ranch, I take pride in saying Congressman Walden is working harder than anyone in D.C. to cut through the red tape that we farmers and ranchers live with every day. Greg has supported the Trump administration as they work hard to renegotiate trade deals and expand access for our farmers and ranchers to foreign markets — like the newly negotiated USMCA and the U.S. trade deal with Japan — a great win for Oregon agricul- ture. In Congress, Greg has passed legislation that would improve forest management and decrease the risk of wild- fi re by utilizing tools like graz- ing and thinning to reduce fuel loads on public lands. Greg has fought hard to ensure farmers and ranchers can continue to rely on the protections pro- vided in the Farm Bill. He has worked tirelessly to advance legislation time and again that would federally delist the gray wolf and give the states the ability to better manage wolf populations. I’ve watched Greg as he has spoken with leaders in the agriculture industries from Eastern Oregon throughout his career in Congress. His passion for the industries is clear in those meetings, and he has always carried the message he receives in those discussions back to D.C. I have had the pleasure of working with him in Oregon and in Washington, D.C. The farmers and ranchers of Oregon are going to miss having Congressman Walden around. Thankfully we still have one more year. Matt McElligott North Powder Oregon Gov. Kate Brown: 900 Court St. N.E., Salem, OR 97301; 503-378-4582. Oregon Secretary of State Bev Clarno: 136 State Capitol. Salem OR 97310-0722; 503-986-1523. Oregon State Treasurer Tobias Reed: 350 Winter St. N.E., Suite 100, Salem, OR 97301-3896; 503-378-4329. Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum: Justice Building, Salem, OR 97301-4096; 503-378-4400. State Sen. William S. Hansell (29th District/Pendleton): Salem offi ce: 900 Court St. NE., S-423, Salem, OR 97301; 503-986-1729. Website: www.oregonlegislature.gov/hansell. Email: sen.billhan- sell@oregonlegislature.gov. State Rep. Greg Barreto (58th District/Cove): Salem offi ce: 900 Court St. NE., H-384, Salem, OR 97301; 503-986-1458. Website: www.oregonlegislature.gov/barreto. Email: rep.gregbarreto@ oregonlegislature.gov. State Rep. Greg Smith (57th District): Salem offi ce: 900 Court St. NE., H-482, Salem, OR, 97301; 503-986-1457. Heppner offi ce: P.O. Box 219, Heppner, OR 97836; 541-676-5154; Website: www.oregonlegis- lature.gov/smithg. Email: rep.gregsmith@oregonlegislature.gov. Oregon Legislature: Legislative documents and information are available online at www.leg.state.or.us. City of La Grande: Mayor Steve Clements, City Manager Robert Strope; P.O. Box 670, La Grande, OR 97850; 541-962-1309; fax 541- 963-3333. Union County Commissioners: Donna Beverage, Matt Scarfo and Paul Anderes; 1106 K Ave., La Grande, OR 97850; 541-963-1001; fax 541-963-1079. Wallowa County Commissioners: John Hillock, Todd Nash and Susan Roberts; 101 S. River St., Room 202, Enterprise, OR 97828; Subscription rates per month: By carrier...............................................$11.80 By mail, all other U.S. .............................. $15 A division of 541-426-4543, ext. 11; fax 541-426-0582. Elgin City Councilors: Mayor Allan Duffy, 501 N 11th St., 541-437- 1016, mayor@cityofelginor.org; Mary West, 260 N 5th Ave., 541- 805-0443, councilor3@cityofelginor.org; Kathy Warren, PO Box 697, 541-786-9611, councilor6@cityofelginor.org; Risa Halgarth, PO Box 525, 541-437-9462, councilor2@cityofelginor.org; Rocky Burgess, 800 N 14th St., P.O. Box 854, 541-786-2417, councilor1@cityofelginor. org; David Reed, 1011 Detroit St., PO Box 368; 541-975-3306, council- or4@cityofelginor.org; Ryan Martin, councilor5@cityofelginor.org. Enterprise City Councilors: Mayor Stacey Karvoski, mayorofenter- prise@gmail.com; Jenni Word; Dave Elliott; Ashley Sullivan; Micah Agnew; Larry Christman; Chris Pritchard; 541-426-4196; mail to City of Enterprise, 108 N.E. 1st Street, Enterprise, OR 97828. Imbler City Councilors: Mayor Mike McLean, Corrine Wilfong, Herman Ortmann, Mark Howell, Rick Vicek, Joan Harding, Jason Ber- glund; 180 Ruckman Ave.; P.O. Box 40, Imbler OR 97841; 541-534-6095. Joseph City Councilors: Mayor Teresa Sajonia; Martin Hamilton; Pearl Strum; Tanya Collier; Michael J Lockhart; Patty Bufford 541- 432-3832; P.O. Box 15, Joseph, Oregon 97846; 201 North Main St.; cityofjosephoregon@gmail.com. La Grande City Councilors: Mayor Steve Clements, Gary Lillard, Nicole Howard, Corrine Dutto, Mary Ann Miesner, Jim Whitbeck, Justin Rock; through the City Manager’s offi ce, 541-962-1309. Union City Councilors: Mayor Leonard Flint, LeonardFlint@ cityofunion.com; John Farmer, johnfarmer@cityofunion.com; Leslie McMillan; Sue Hawkins, susanhawkins@cityofunion.com; Matt Later, mattlater@cityofunion.com; Jay Blackburn, jayblackburn@ cityofunion.com; Walt Brookshire, waltbrookshire@cityofunion.com. City of Cove: Mayor Del Little, (503)-508-6727 504 Alder Street P.O. Box 8 Cove, OR 97824 City Recorder Donna Lewis, (541) 568-4566. STAFF Phone: SUBSCRIBE AND SAVE Stopped account balances less than $5 will be refunded upon request. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The Observer welcomes letters to the editor. Letters are limited to 350 words and must be signed and carry the author’s address and phone number (for verifi cation purposes only). We edit letters for brevity, grammar, taste and legal reasons. We will not publish poetry, consumer complaints against businesses or personal attacks against private individuals. Thank-you letters are discouraged. Letter writers are limited to one letter every two weeks. Email your letters to news@lagrandeobserver.com or mail them to La Grande Observer, 1406 Fifth St., La Grande, 97850. MY VOICE My Voice columns should be 500 words. Submissions should include a portrait-type photograph of the author. Authors also should include their full name, age, occupation and relevant organizational memberships. We edit submissions for brevity, grammar, taste and legal reasons. We reject those published elsewhere. Send columns to La Grande Observer, 1406 Fifth St., La Grande, 97850, or email them to pwright@ lagrandeobserver.com. YOUR PUBLIC OFFICIALS SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION NEWSSTAND PRICE: $1.50 You can save up to 34% off the single-copy price with home delivery. Call 541-963-3161 to subscribe. Write to us 541-963-3161 An independent newspaper founded in 1896 Toll free (Oregon): 1-800-422-3110 (USPS 299-260) Fax: 541-963-7804 Email: The Observer reserves the right to adjust subscription news@lagrandeobserver.com rates by giving prepaid and mail subscribers 30 days Website: notice. Periodicals postage paid at La Grande, Oregon www.lagrandeobserver.com 97850. Published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays Street address: 1406 Fifth St., La Grande (except Dec. 25) by EO Media Group, 1406 Fifth St., La Grande, OR 97850 (USPS 299-260) POSTMASTER COPYRIGHT © 2019 THE OBSERVER Send address changes to: The Observer retains ownership and copyright The Observer, 1406 Fifth St., protection of all staff-prepared news copy, advertising La Grande, OR 97850 copy, photos and news or ad illustrations. They may Periodicals postage paid at: not be reproduced without explicit prior approval. La Grande, Oregon 97850 Publisher........................................Karrine Brogoitti Classifieds ........................................ Devi Mathson Regional circulation director ....................Kelli Craft Home delivery advisor.................Amanda Fredrick Editor .....................................................Phil Wright Customer service rep ......................... Mollie Lynch News clerk....................................Lisa Lester Kelly Advertising representative...............Juli Bloodgood Sports editor .......................................Ronald Bond Advertising representative...................... Amy Horn Reporter................................................Dick Mason Graphic design supervisor................Dorothy Kautz Reporter....................................Sabrina Thompson Graphic design ..............................Cheryl Christian Chris Rush, Regional Publisher
