Capital Press The West s Weekly FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2015 VOWUME 88, NUMBER 36 WWW.CAPITAWPRESS.COM $2.00 BATTLING THE BLAZES AND THEIR CAUSES Wildfires in the Northwest and California * TOe largest wildfires to date: Washington Courtesy of Nicole Kuchenbuch Rancher Casey Kuchenbuch herds cattle toward his home fi eld during the Okanogan fi re, Aug. 18. More than 2 million acres of Washington state has burned this summer, impacting scores of ranches. • Okanogan Complex — 147,979 acres; 45 percent contained • Tunk Block Fire — 161,440 acres; 40 percent contained • NortO Star Fire — 205,331 acres; 25 percent contained Ranchers criticize forest management, fi refi ghting tactics Idaho • Soda Fire — 279,144 acres; fully contained By DAN WHEAT AND SEAN ELLIS California Capital Press • Happy Camp — 134,056 acres; fully contained • RougO Fire — 79,937 acres; 25 percent contained Oregon • Canyon Creek Complex — 105,684 acres; 49 percent contained • Cornet-Windy Ridge — 103,887 acres; 80 percent contained Total acres burned * 1,070 (TOousands of acres) *As of Sept. 2 736.9 531.2 Wash. Idaho Calif. 493.9 Ore. Source: National Interagency Fire Center Capital Press grapOic J OHN DAY, Ore. — The 105,000-acre Canyon Creek Complex fi re south of John Day has burned a massive swath through grazing al- lotments in the Malheur National Forest, leaving ranchers worried about how they will fi nd enough grazing land and hay to make it through the fast-approaching fall and winter. It’s the main concern of ranchers around the West who are reeling from wildfi res. “It’s burned right through the heart of quite a few allotments,” said Seneca, Ore., rancher Alec Oliver, president of the Grant County Stock- growers. The fi re — the largest in Oregon this year — tore through the Canyon Creek area, where it burned at least 43 homes and blackened grazing land. “A lot of hay was lost up through that area,” Oliver said. “There are a lot of (grazing) permittees up there and … a lot of summer ground was lost this year. (They) are going to have to fi nd somewhere else to go next year.” As large wildfi res become more the norm in Western states, ranchers who are forced to watch their livelihoods go up in smoke argue that mis- management of federal and state lands is an underlying cause and that it’s time for government policies to change. A little over 2.8 million acres have burned in 122 fi res in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and California this season, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. Turn to FIRES, Page 12 Dan Wheat/Capital Press Casey and Nicole Kuchenbuch and her father, Rod Haeberle, look up informa- tion on a computer in their ranch house between Okanogan and Conconully, Wash., on Aug. 31. They face many decisions with the loss of 6,000 acres of grazing land to the Okanogan fi re. MORE FIRE COVERAGE INSIDE • S. Oregon wildfi re leaves cattle scattered • Weather helps E. Idaho avoid wildfi re outbreak PAGE 4 PAGE 4 WDFW hires wolf consultant, Water rule injunction expansion considered who closes another meeting Blocked in 13 states, EPA implements rule in 37 others By DON JENKINS Capital Press Confl ict-resolution con- sultant Francine Madden started her new two-year, $850,010 contract with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife by leading a closed-door session Sept. 3 of the state’s wolf advisory group. The group, following WDFW policy, had met in public for years until Madden convinced the department to close the May meeting. Since then, WDFW has re-upped Madden to lead meetings, conduct workshops and, ac- cording to her contract, coax warring parties into “mutually By DON JENKINS and CAROL RYAN DUMAS Capital Press Matthew Weaver/Capital Press Consultant Francine Madden talks with Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Director Jim Unsworth and department wildlife program director Nate Pamplin prior to the wolf advisory group meeting May 21 in Airway Heights, Wash. acceptable coexistence.” The 18-member panel convened at 7:45 a.m. at a Comfort Inn in Tumwater to hear from two speakers be- fore opening the meeting to the public at 10 a.m. Madden said Wednesday she doubts Turn to WOLF, Page 12 A federal judge in North Dakota is considering wheth- er to expand to all 50 states his injunction blocking imple- mentation of new water regu- lations in Idaho and 12 other states. The Environmental Pro- tection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers on Aug. 28 implemented a controver- sial rule to reconcile two sepa- rate Supreme Court decisions in cases involving the Clean Water Act. The object was to better defi ne what constitute “waters of the United States,” which the act gives the federal government authority to regu- late. Despite assurances by the agencies, farm and ranch inter- ests generally oppose the rule, arguing it will expand the gov- ernment’s authority. Attorneys general in 28 states joined in several separate lawsuits op- posing the measure. Between states and other interested parties, 10 lawsuits have been fi led challenging the rules. Turn to WATER, Page 12