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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (July 21, 2022)
Opinion A4 Thursday, July 21, 2022 OUR VIEW Preserving farmland must be a priority ark Twain is credited with telling readers to buy land because, he warned, they aren’t making more of it. Unfortunately, farmland sold is too often put to other uses and is lost forever. A new report from the American Farmland Trust warns that the Pacifi c Northwest stands to lose more than half a million acres of farmland to urban sprawl by 2040 unless cities make smarter development choices. Between 2000 and 2016 alone, roughly 11 million acres of farmland has been lost or frag- mented by development. Across the Northwest, as many as 527,185 acres of additional farmland may be lost to urban and low-density residential development by 2040 — particularly in rapidly growing metro areas around the Puget Sound, Portland, Spokane and Boise. Washington would be the hardest-hit state, losing 238,614 acres of farmland under the worst- case scenario. That is an area roughly 4-1/2 times the size of Seattle. Oregon would lose up to 142,267 acres of farmland, while Idaho would lose up to 146,304 acres. Our own reporting has shown that when urban development moves into rural spaces more than farmland can be lost. As areas fall to other uses, the overall viability of the local ag infrastructure comes into jeopardy. As fi elds give way to housing developments, confl icts between homeowners and farms increase. New residents don’t like the dust and smells associated with farm production, and com- plain about farm machinery on the roads and trucks during harvest time. And, as developments break up the landscape, farmers fi nd it ever more diffi cult to move equip- ment from fi eld to fi eld. We can’t fault farm families for getting the highest value for their property. Where there are buyers, there will be sellers. As an alternative to development, we favor easement programs that allow owners to sell their development rights and realize the market value of their land while preserving it for farming. We encourage state legislatures to fund those types of programs while taking steps to rein in urban sprawl. Preserving farmland must be a priority. When developers look at farm and range land, they see “empty” spaces with nothing on it. They see parcels for subdivisions, apartment buildings, shopping malls and restaurants. Farmland is far from empty. It provides the food that sustains us and the fi ber that clothes us. It is a vital strategic resource. It is, as Thomas Jef- ferson said, the wealth of the nation. Farmland is more than just a patch of ground with stuff planted on it. Once paved over and developed, it cannot be replaced. M EDITORIALS Unsigned editorials are the opinion of The Observer editorial board. Other columns, letters and cartoons on this page express the opinions of the authors and not necessarily that of The Observer. LETTERS • The Observer welcomes letters to the editor. We edit letters for brevity, grammar, taste and legal reasons. We will not publish con- sumer complaints against busi- nesses, personal attacks against private individuals or comments that can incite violence. We also discourage thank-you letters. • Letters should be no longer than 350 words and must be signed and carry the author’s name, address and phone number (for verifi - cation only). We will not publish anonymous letters. • Letter writers are limited to one letter every two weeks. • Longer community comment columns, such as Other Views, must be no more than 700 words. Writers must provide a recent headshot and a one-sentence biography. SEND LETTERS TO: letters@lagrandeobserver.com or via mail to Editor, 911 Jeff erson Ave., La Grande, OR 97850 Solid foundation exists for forest plan SUSAN ROBERTS OTHER VIEWS he Blues Intergovernmental Council supports the USDA Forest Service’s plans to reinitiate forest plan revision for the Malheur, Umatilla and Wal- lowa-Whitman national forests. The work completed by the BIC over the past two years has established key foundations that will be crucial components of an improved forest plan revision process by refl ecting local values, incorporating input and pro- viding robust opportunities for mean- ingful engagement. On March 14, 2019, the Forest Ser- vice’s deputy chief issued instruction to the Forest Service Pacifi c Northwest Regional Forester to withdraw the Blue Mountains Revised Land Man- agement Plans, Final Environmental Impact Statement and draft Record of Decision. This decision came after nearly 15 years of a highly conten- tious public planning process in which numerous community members and leaders felt frustrated, misunderstood and ignored. The objection process yielded more than 350 objections to the forest plans, which made clear that the public did not see how input pro- vided had been incorporated nor did the plans fully account for the unique social and economic needs of the aff ected communities. Following the withdrawal of the Blue Mountains Forest Plan, lead- ership from the Pacifi c Northwest Regional Offi ce and the Malheur, Umatilla and Wallowa-Whitman national forests met with the Eastern Oregon Counties Association in April 2019 to coordinate, better understand concerns and identify opportunities to approach forest planning and man- agement in a new way. The partici- pants recognized the need to explore unique approaches and work together T at a larger scale, which included other government entities within and sur- rounding the Blue Mountains geo- graphic area. The various government enti- ties offi cially formed the Blues Inter- governmental Council in November 2019 to serve as an overarching entity and develop joint recommendations on the most contentious issues iden- tifi ed in the Blue Mountains Forest Plan revision process. The BIC mem- bers include leaders from all 14 local counties as well as federal, state and tribal government entities. The diverse membership of the BIC ensures numerous perspectives and interests are represented. Since the BIC formed, mem- bers have worked together to develop desired conditions for Forest Service consideration on several key and pre- viously polarizing issues in the with- drawn Blue Mountains Forest Plan, including riparian livestock grazing, fi sheries, hydrology, forest health and access. The BIC also commis- sioned and oversaw the completion of a socioeconomic analysis that will off er data to help consider impacts of forest management decisions on local communities. The BIC-endorsed desired condi- tions serve as recommendations to the Forest Service to inform the forest plan revision process (with a minority report included for the access issue). The collective work over the past two years has fostered trust and strength- ened relationships between the key intergovernmental groups within the BIC and the Forest Service. The BIC members and leadership from the Blue Mountains national for- ests feel this unique approach will provide a crucial foundation for suc- cess in accomplishing a revision of the Blue Mountains Forest Plan in a timely manner. By building off the past plan revision analysis, the BIC’s endorsed desired conditions products and connections that each member has with various community perspec- tives, we have an exceptional opportu- SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION Subscription rates: Monthly Autopay ...............................$10.75 13 weeks.................................................$37.00 26 weeks.................................................$71.00 52 weeks ..............................................$135.00 █ Susan Roberts is a Wallowa County commissioner and a co-convener of the Blues Intergovernmental Council. STAFF SUBSCRIBEAND SAVE NEWSSTAND PRICE: $1.50 You can save up to 55% off the single-copy price with home delivery. Call 800-781-3214 to subscribe. nity to develop updated forest plans for these national forests that provide for the sustainable needs of the landscape and the needs of current and future generations. Building off these accomplish- ments, the BIC believes the Forest Service should move forward with the plan revision process under the 2012 Planning Rule, with the goal of working together to develop sus- tainable forest plans that refl ect local values, incorporate input and pro- vide robust opportunities for mean- ingful engagement. We support the Forest Service’s plan to establish a local team and would urge this be done as quickly as possible to main- tain the forward momentum the BIC has achieved in these last two years. By working together through this intergovernmental forum, the BIC can serve as a bridge between the Forest Service and communities surrounding the Blue Mountains to help repair and build trust, provide clarity about the planning process and plan com- ponents, complement Forest Service public outreach eff orts and bring con- tinual feedback to the Forest Service regarding ways to improve the process or products. While there will still be passion around important issues, we feel that through the joint eff orts between the BIC and the Forest Service we have built important relationships and developed key recommendations that address much of the previous contro- versy. This has built a solid foundation to move forward now with forest plan revision. Vast progress has been made in the Blue Mountains. We look forward to working together with the Forest Ser- vice to steward these national forest lands in a way that provides for sus- tainable land management while con- sidering the communities’ economic and social-cultural health. 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