2A — THE OBSERVER
Daily
Planner
Today is Tuesday, March
2, the 61st day of 2021. There
are 304 days left in the year.
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT IN
HISTORY:
On March 2, 1932, the
20th Amendment to the
Constitution, which moved
the date of the presidential
inauguration from March 4
to January 20, was passed
by Congress and sent to the
states for ratification.
ON THIS DATE:
In 1867, Howard Uni-
versity, a historically Black
school of higher learning
in Washington, D.C., was
founded. Congress passed,
over President Andrew
Johnson’s veto, the first of
four Reconstruction Acts.
In 1877, Republican
Rutherford B. Hayes was de-
clared the winner of the 1876
presidential election over
Democrat Samuel J. Tilden,
even though Tilden had won
the popular vote.
In 1917, Puerto Ricans
were granted U.S. citizen-
ship as President Wood-
row Wilson signed the
Jones-Shafroth Act.
In 1939, Roman Catholic
Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli
(puh-CHEL’-ee) was elected
pope on his 63rd birthday;
he took the name Pius XII.
The Massachusetts legisla-
ture voted to ratify the Bill
of Rights, 147 years after the
first 10 amendments to the
U.S. Constitution had gone
into effect. (Georgia and
Connecticut soon followed.)
In 1943, the three-day Bat-
tle of the Bismarck Sea be-
gan in the southwest Pacific
during World War II; U.S. and
Australian warplanes were
able to inflict heavy damage
on an Imperial Japanese
convoy.
In 1962, Wilt Chamberlain
scored 100 points for the
Philadelphia Warriors in a
game against the New York
Knicks, an NBA record that
still stands. (Philadelphia
won, 169-147.)
In 1965, the movie
version of the Rodgers and
Hammerstein musical “The
Sound of Music,” starring
Julie Andrews and Christo-
pher Plummer, had its world
premiere in New York.
In 1977, the U.S. House of
Representatives adopted a
strict code of ethics.
In 1985, the government
approved a screening test
for AIDS that detected anti-
bodies to the virus, allowing
possibly contaminated
blood to be excluded from
the blood supply.
In 1995, the Internet
search engine website
Yahoo! was incorporated
by founders Jerry Yang and
David Filo.
Ten years ago: The
Supreme Court ruled, 8-1,
that a grieving father’s pain
over mocking protests at his
Marine son’s funeral had to
yield to First Amendment
protections for free speech
in a decision favoring the
Westboro Baptist Church of
Topeka, Kansas.
Five years ago: The U.N.
Security Council unanimous-
ly approved the toughest
sanctions against North
Korea in two decades.
TuESday, MaRcH 2, 2021
LOCAL/REGION
Group purchases Union church property
DICK MASON
The Observer
UNION — The former
Union United Methodist
Church building complex
no longer is in peril.
A local nonprofit, the
Friends of the Historic
Union Community Hall,
purchased the Union United
Methodist Church prop-
erty and its three build-
ings from the Oregon-Idaho
Annual Conference of the
United Methodist Church.
The purchase, finalized on
Wednesday, Feb. 24, was
made with $25,000 raised
by the Friends of the His-
toric Union Community
Hall.
The Oregon-Idaho Con-
ference of the United Meth-
odist Church assumed
ownership of the property
in 2019 after the church
closed because of declining
membership. The Ore-
gon-Idaho Conference over-
sees all Methodist churches
in Oregon and Southern
Idaho.
The conference next put
the church building, its fel-
lowship hall and parsonage
up for sale. The complex,
now named the Historic
Union Community Hall,
has been closed for at least
a year.
The purchase is a relief
for community members,
said LaVon Hall, Friends of
Dick Mason/The Observer
The Friends of the Historic Union Community Hall has purchased the former Union Unit-
ed Methodist Church property, shown here on Feb. 28, 2021, to preserve the landmark as
a community center.
the Historic Union Com-
munity Hall board member.
Hall said many were wor-
ried someone might pur-
chase the complex and tear
it down for its old bricks or
to start a new business.
Any such steps would
have torn the hearts of
many who consider the
Union United Methodist
Church building a com-
munity icon, which has
been the site of countless
family milestone moments,
including weddings and
anniversary celebrations.
“We are so thankful (it
will be saved),” Hall said.
The Friends of the His-
toric Union Community
Hall organization was cre-
ated in February 2020 and
immediately launched a
fundraising drive. Hall
sensed that many people
were not optimistic that
money for the purchase
could be raised.
“They thought it was a pie
in the sky dream,” she said.
Terra Richter, president
of Friends of the Historic
Union Community Hall
nonprofit, was impressed
with how many people
reached out to help.
“Union’s residents,
regional businesses and ser-
vice providers have been
a driving force since our
organization’s conception
in February 2020,” Richter
said in a press release.
The Friends of the His-
toric Union Community
Hall achieved its initial
objective, but a lot of work
remains ahead.
“The building is in need
of rehabilitation with sev-
eral large projects requiring
immediate attention and
funding,” the press release
stated.
Hall said the complex’s
buildings, which need long-
term maintenance but are
in relatively good condi-
tion, soon will be rented to
the public. The church sanc-
tuary, built in 1905, will be
available for weddings and
funerals and its fellowship
hall for community events
like family reunions and
birthday celebrations. The
parsonage will be available
later as a rental.
A socially distanced
open house with an online
viewing option will take
place at the end of April.
During this event,
people will be able to tour
the buildings, updates will
be provided on upcoming
events, and organizations
that assisted in the purchase
of the popular landmark
will be recognized.
Hall said in addition
to selfless efforts of many
people, some divine inter-
vention made the purchase
of the buildings possible.
“God was on our side,”
she said.
Another federal lawsuit challenges Agreement
Hammonds’ Oregon grazing permit puts Wallowa
By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI
Capital Press
SALEM — Environmental-
ists have asked a federal judge to
again cancel the grazing permit
for Oregon’s Hammond family,
claiming its restoration violated
administrative, environmental and
land management laws.
In January, the U.S. Interior
Department re-authorized the
Hammonds to graze cattle on four
public land allotments totaling
26,400 acres, partly due to the
family’s historic use and prox-
imity to the federal property.
Steven Hammond, who oper-
ates the ranch, and his father,
Dwight, originally lost permission
to graze the allotments near Dia-
mond in 2014 when the govern-
ment refused to renew their permit
after they were criminally charged
with setting fires to rangelands.
The Hammonds were con-
victed and completed their initial
prison terms, then ordered back
behind bars after the 9th U.S. Cir-
cuit Court of Appeals ruled they
had to serve five-year mandatory
minimum sentences for arson.
Their return to prison in early
2016 sparked protests that culmi-
nated in a month-long stand-off
with federal agents at the Malheur
National Wildlife that attracted
Capital Press, File
Hammond Ranches recently re-
ceived reauthorization to use
grazing allotments in Eastern Ore-
gon, but an environmental lawsuit
seeks to overturn that decision.
national attention.
The ranchers were released
early in 2018 after receiving a full
pardon from former President
Donald Trump, which prompted
the Interior Department to renew
the ranchers’ grazing permit the
following year due to “changed
circumstances.”
However, environmental
groups convinced a federal judge
to reverse that decision in 2019
because the grazing permit was
renewed contrary to regulations.
The Interior Department then
opened up the grazing allot-
ments to applications from other
ranchers but ultimately decided
to issue a new permit to the Ham-
mond family earlier this year.
The Western Watersheds
Project, Oregon Natural Desert
Association, Wildearth Guardians
and Center for Biological Diver-
sity have now filed another law-
suit seeking to rescind the grazing
permit’s most recent approval.
The environmental plain-
tiffs argue the federal govern-
ment’s decision involved “rushed,
opaque, and highly unusual public
processes” that were “tainted by
political influence and are not the
product of reasoned, lawful deci-
sion-making,” the complaint said.
According to the complaint, the
federal government approved the
grazing permit “without opportuni-
ties for public participation required
by law” and wrongly determined
the Hammonds were more quali-
fied than other applicants.
The decision also didn’t
comply with land use protections
for the sage grouse and with a
statute aimed at conserving the
“long term ecological integrity”
of Steens Mountain in Eastern
Oregon, the complaint said.
Alan Schroeder, attorney for
the Hammonds, referred questions
about the lawsuit to Steven Ham-
mond, who wasn’t available for
comment as of press time.
Public weighs in on east moraine management
450-plus respond to survey about
managing Wallowa Lake moraine
The Observer
ENTERPRISE — Cooperation from
recreationists and local land managers are
helping guide the management of Wallowa
County’s recent acquisition of the Wallowa
Lake East Moraine.
More than 450 people responded to an
online survey last spring that asked about
their interests and concerns for the future
management of the land, now in Wallowa
County ownership. County and Wallowa
Land Trust staff followed up the survey last
summer with focus groups to gain further
information on the moraine’s many uses,
according to a press release from the trust.
Eric Greenwell, the trust’s conservation
director, said the data is helping the Wal-
lowa Lake Moraines Partnership, which
includes the county, the trust and Wallowa
Resources, develop a multiple-use man-
agement plan, particularly as it relates to
recreation.
“In developing the management plan
the partnership is seeking to keep all uses
in balance and keep people safe,” Green-
well said in the press release. “The survey
and focus group questions were designed
to gather input regarding specific values
and uses, which the partnership has already
acquired funding for and committed to
preserving.”
The majority of respondents stated they
use the property for recreation, but input
came from people who grazed, hunted,
gathered roots and harvested timber on the
property in the past. The survey questions
Wallowa County Chieftain, File
More than 450 people responded to a survey about managing the Wallowa East Moraine. Re-
sults are available at the Campaign for the East Moraine website, www.morainecampaign.org.
were qualitative and quantitative, according
to the press release.
Of the survey respondents, 63% were
full-time residents, 16% part-time resi-
dents with the remaining 21% were visitors.
Approximately 35 people participated in the
seven focus groups — all but one live in the
county full-time.
For the focus groups, recreation was
broken down into equestrian, pedestrian
and mountain bike uses.
Katy Nesbitt, Wallowa County natural
resources director, said the focus group
members gave insight into not only the pop-
ular uses of the moraine when it was in
private ownership as well as some of the
potential conflicts. She said the feedback
also showed little conflict among users.
While the management plan is in devel-
opment, the partners agree educating
the public will be an ongoing endeavor.
According to the release stated, not all
respondents were convinced that balancing
multiple uses was achievable.
“Setting clear expectations with the com-
munity and following through will be crit-
ical especially in the beginning,” Greenwell
said. This is a huge community achieve-
ment, but again and again respondents
echoed the sentiment, ‘keep it as it is,’ or
expressed concerns for a future of increased
use, use conflicts and overdevelopment.”
The East Moraine Community Forest
Survey results are on the Campaign for the
East Moraine website, www.morainecam-
paign.org. The link to the survey report and
the full raw data are just beneath the main
banner and aerial shot of Wallowa Lake.
County in
liability bind
By BILL BRADSHAW
Wallowa County Chieftain
ENTERPRISE — To maintain state
services for Wallowa County, the county
commissioners said they felt pressured
into signing an intergovernmental agree-
ment for a variety of auxiliary services at
their Feb. 17, meeting.
The one-year agreement with the
Oregon Health Authority is for commu-
nity mental health; addiction treatment,
recovery and prevention; and problem
gambling services. But it puts the county
in the liability crosshairs if any problems
should arise.
Commissioner Susan Roberts said she
wanted it in the record that, “while the
state manages to avoid liability, counties
like Wallowa can’t.”
She cited a case in Lane County’s
mental health court where there was a
massive lawsuit against the county after
a person murdered two people, tried to
murder a third and the families of the
victims sued the county.
“There’s everything in there that pro-
tects the state; there’s nothing in there
that protects the county,” Roberts said.
She said she felt that in order to obtain
the state services, Wallowa County has
no choice but to sign the agreement.
“We have started looking at every one
of these (contracts) and we would prefer
that the state not hold itself harmless but
put all of that penalty on the counties that
we can ill afford to pay — a $5 million
lawsuit or more,” she said. “With almost
every one of these contracts, the state
takes itself out of the realm (of liability)
but leaves the county in the firing line
but … we’ve had some discussion about
this and we’re just letting the public
know that these things are hanging out
there for our counties, that we’re not pro-
tected … we’re not given that protection
from the state when we sign these con-
tracts. We don’t have much choice if we
want to give these services to the people
in our community. We sign them, but
we’ve got our fingers and toes crossed
that nothing will occur that will come
back to punish us.”
Commissioner John Hillock said
some counties are able to find an
alternative.
“A lot of counties have opted out of
doing it and … could then put in their
own provider,” he said.
Roberts acknowledged that was a pos-
sibility for wealthier counties, but said it
wasn’t feasible for Wallowa County.
“We have tried in the past to get out of
this and there doesn’t seem to be a way,”
she said. “They provide their own; they
hire and contract their own. That’s the
difference. We don’t have that ability. I
just wanted to get that in on the record.”
Hillock agreed the county is caught in
the middle in a variety of areas.
“It seems like everything we do,
whether it’s this or the sheriff’s office or
whatever, there’s a certain amount of lia-
bility that comes back on the county,” he
said. “It’s no different than running any
of our businesses or spraying on weeds.
There’s always liability.”