OUTDOORS & REC
SATURDAY, APRIL 11, 2020
THE OBSERVER & BAKER CITY HERALD — 3B
The (Bend) Bulletin fi le photo
Tumalo Falls near Bend
Vandals tear
down forest
closure signs
By Michael Kohn
Bureau of Land Management photo
Wild horses on the Steens Mountain Cooperative Management and Protection Area. A judge has ruled the federal
government unlawfully dismissed a petition that sought to cancel the usage of wild horse birth control.
Judge: Feds should consider
banning use of birth control
drug in wild horse herds
Ray Harris, the nonprofi t’s
attorney.
The U.S. Environmental
“He’s telling them there’s
Protection Agency unlaw-
enough evidence here that they
fully rejected an animal rights can’t just blow it off,” Harris
group’s request to consider
said.
“Whenever you get an opin-
banning a horse birth control
drug, according to a federal
ion like this, it means you’ve
judge.
got evidence.”
U.S. District Judge Michael
The judge would not have
Simon ruled the EPA violated sent the matter back to EPA
administrative law with its “ar- for reconsideration just to
bitrary and capricious” decision waste taxpayer dollars, so the
not to conduct a special review agency won’t likely want to
of porcine zona pellucida, or
get “hammered” in court again
PZP, which is used to control
for disregarding new evidence
wild horse populations on
about PZP, he said.
federal lands.
Friends of Animals ulti-
However, while the EPA
mately wants to stop PZP
must reconsider its denial of
usage on wild horses, prefer-
a petition from the Friends of
ring that federal land manag-
Animals nonprofi t, the judge
ers give them more space to
will not require the agency to
roam rather than rely on birth
suspend PZP’s registration as control, Harris said.
a pesticide, which would have
Federal managers could also
halted its usage.
discourage the killing of preda-
Though the ruling doesn’t
tors, especially cougars, which
stop PZP usage, Friends of
would then control wild horse
Animals considers the decision populations while curbing
“a big win” because the judge
overgrazing and overbreeding,
has effectively said the EPA
he said.
must take the group’s allega-
“Animals act much as we
tions seriously, said Michael
would. We’re not going to put
By Mateusz Perkowski
Capital Press
DISTANCE
Continued from Page 2B
She stresses the importance of everyone
doing this, even those who do not feel sick.
“We really need everyone in the country to
be doing this right now in order to protect our
communities and our families,” Rajapakse
said. “Even if you’re not feeling sick, even if
the people around you aren’t feeling sick, it is
still really important to adhere to this 6-foot
radius. We know with this infection that
people can transmit even before they be-
come symptomatic themselves. Even though
someone might be feeling well today, you
don’t know if tomorrow they might develop
symptoms. And if that’s the case, then you
may have been exposed if you were within
that 6-foot radius from them.”
In this Q&A, Rajapakse answers questions
about activities other than those that are
essential:
Can people visit with their friends or
neighbors?
Social or physical distancing really should
limit your contact with people who do not live
in your household. Even neighbors or friends,
we’re discouraging meeting with those people
face to face at all. When you come in contact
with someone outside of your household,
you’re essentially coming in contact with
every person that they have come in contact
with, as well.
When it comes to some of our most vulner-
able populations — the elderly, grandparents,
parents, people who have underlying medical
conditions — really you are doing the best
thing to protect them if you are not visiting
with them face to face. There’s other great
ways to keep in touch with them using digital
forms and media, and those would be really
encouraged now to help protect them and
keep them safe.
There are other ways that you can main-
tain social connections, which are extremely
important during this time when everyone is
very worried and anxious. And using digital
our young in jeopardy,” Harris
said. “Animals react instinc-
tively.”
Simon’s decision affi rms
an earlier fi nding from U.S.
Magistrate Judge Patricia
Sullivan, who determined the
EPA “impermissibly deferred”
an analysis of PZP’s environ-
mental risks to “wild horse
management experts.”
Friends of Animals peti-
tioned the EPA to conduct a
special review to determine
whether PZP’s pesticide
registration should be canceled
or revised, then fi led a lawsuit
against the agency in 2017
after that request was denied.
The group alleges new
research has found that PZP,
which is extracted from pig
ovaries, is “causing undue
physical, social and biological
harm” to wild horses by creat-
ing a “genetic bottleneck” of re-
duced diversity and increasing
deaths among foals because
they’re born at undesirable
times.
Without ruling on the
merits of these accusations, the
magistrate judge agreed with
means to communicate and stay in touch with
friends, neighbors, relatives is really impor-
tant and encouraged. Even small dinner par-
ties or play dates are discouraged right now.
Can people spend time outside?
It is OK to go outside and in fact encour-
aged to get some exercise, get some fresh air,
get some sunlight, and going outside, spend-
ing time outside in areas where there are not
crowds of people — for example, going for a
walk around your block where you can main-
tain 6 feet of distance if you were to come
across someone else is OK and is encouraged.
What about going to parks and
playgrounds?
We would recommend avoiding visiting
places like playgrounds or play structures
just because those are not cleaned and there’s
still the risk of exposure in those types of set-
tings. But going for a bike ride, going outside
for a hike, going for a walk around the block,
defi nitely OK and encouraged in these times
where a bit of fresh air and getting out of the
house might be helpful.
What about visiting restaurants or
grocery stores?
In areas where restaurants remain open,
people should not be dining in. This puts both
yourself and the people that work there at
risk for exposure. However, it is important
to continue to do what we can to support our
local businesses.
Ordering food for carry-out or delivery
is considered low-risk. Many food delivery
companies have shifted to no-contact deliver-
ies, which is also a great way to reduce risk.
Buying gift cards online to your favorite local
restaurant or business that can be used once
these restrictions have been loosened can also
be a good way to continue to support local
businesses during this challenging time.
Similarly, using a grocery delivery service
if one is available in your area can reduce the
risk of exposure to infection for both yourself
and people who work in the grocery store.
Friends of Animals that EPA
should have responded directly
to these claims instead of say-
ing these questions were better
left to wild horse experts.
“Whether a risk would be
better addressed by some
other expert involved in pest
management, or could be
addressed by an applicator’s
determination of ‘where, when,
and whether to use the pesti-
cide’ is not, on its own, a factor
that Congress intended EPA
to rely on in deciding whether
to initiate a Special Review,”
Sullivan said.
Attorneys for the EPA
and the Humane Society of
the United States — which
intervened in support of using
PZP — could not be reached
for comment.
The (Bend) Bulletin
The Deschutes National Forest is asking trail users
to stay out of developed sites in order to follow state
orders designed to prevent the spread of novel corona-
virus. While many have obeyed and stayed home, a few
are having none of it, tearing down the closure signs
and breaking locks meant to keep the trail users away.
The signs that have been torn down were laminated,
located at the trail kiosks and 8.5-by-11 inches in size,
according to Jean Nelson-Dean, public affairs offi cer
for the Deschutes National Forest. She said the U.S.
Forest Service is now considering adding larger signs
to some areas.
The cut locks were on chains that blocked camp-
ground facilities.
“We realize closing our developed sites creates an
inconvenience and requires people to change their
behaviors in response,” said Nelson-Dean. “However,
we’re in a global pandemic and we believe, as a public
agency, being in alignment with federal, state and lo-
cal health authorities justifi ed that inconvenience.”
Nelson-Dean said the Forest Service recognizes
the trails have value in relieving stress in uncertain
times, but the crowds that gathered in these areas last
month were a cause for concern and did not align with
Gov. Kate Brown’s order to practice social distancing
measures.
“We concluded that people’s behaviors and the
crowding we were seeing compelled us to act,” she
said.
Nelson-Dean said keeping trails and campgrounds
closed not only prevents crowds from gathering, it also
reduces the use of masks and gloves required for facil-
ity cleaning.
The national forest has no leads on who committed
the acts of vandalism. Nelson-Dean called them “really
disappointing.” The signs were taken down at Rimrock
Trailhead, outside Bend on the Cascade Lakes High-
way, as well as Phil’s Trail, Tumalo Falls and Wanoga
Sno-park.