October 23, 2015
CapitalPress.com
3
Marijuana growers face irrigation complexities
Federal facilities,
other factors
complicate
irrigation
By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI
Capital Press
As Oregon’s marijuana in-
dustry emerges from the legal
shadows, growers are being
confronted with regulatory
hurdles regarding irrigation,
experts say.
When cultivation of the
psychoactive crop was crim-
inal under state law, compli-
ance with water rules was
not the top-of-mind worry for
growers.
Those who now want to
participate in the legal mar-
ketplace for recreational mar-
ijuana, however, are finding
Courtesy of Natascha Crater
that irrigation can pose an un- Marijuana clones grow in containers under an indoor grow light. Growers who want to produce the crop
indoors or outdoors must contend with water regulations now that recreational marijuana can be legally
expected complication.
To qualify for commercial grown in Oregon.
marijuana-growing licenses,
“I don’t think we’ll ever get cannabis prohibitions, but it
growers will face the same irrigation district that federal
issues with water rights as authorities refused to allow a chance to be part of an indus- remains to be seen how mar-
conventional farmers as well their facilities to be used to try that goes from nothing to a ijuana and hemp production
as problems that are unique to deliver water for cannabis pro- giant conglomerate in a life- is treated by the agency, said
April Snell, executive director
time,” he said.
the crop, which remains illegal duction.
The U.S. Bureau of Recla- of the Oregon Water Resourc-
under federal law.
Anderson said he hopes the
Earlier this year, aspiring matter will be resolved over mation, which operates some es Congress, which represents
hemp and marijuana producer time, but in the mean time he’s water projects in the West, has irrigation districts.
Each irrigation district in
Andrew Anderson of Bend, drilling a agricultural well to said it doesn’t intend to be-
Ore., was notified by his local ensure he can irrigate his crop. come an “enforcer” of federal Oregon is likely to have a dif-
ferent perspective on cannabis
production, particularly de-
pending on how reliant they
are on federal facilities, Snell
said at a recent cannabis work-
shop in Salem, Ore.
“They are like snowflakes.
From a distance they may look
the same but up close they all
have their own characteris-
tics,” she said.
Cannabis growers can ap-
ply for their own water right
to divert surface water for ir-
rigation or use land with an
existing water right — just like
other farmers, they’re subject
to shut offs due to water calls
from senior water rights hold-
ers, said Doug Woodcock, ad-
ministrator of the Oregon Wa-
ter Resources Department’s
field services division.
“Know your water rights,”
Woodcock said, noting that the
right is specific as to the place
and type of use.
Drilling a well also requires
a water rights permit for agri-
culture in Oregon, though ex-
emptions apply for domestic,
industrial and commercial
uses.
However, those “exempt”
uses do not apply to growing
a crop, such as marijuana, for
profit, Woodcock said. “Irri-
gation is not part of the com-
mercial exemption.”
Medical marijuana grow-
ers often don’t face such re-
strictions on groundwater be-
cause they produce the crop
for personal use or cultivate it
for others without an intent to
profit, he said.
Commercial
cannabis
growers who want to cultivate
the crop inside a warehouse or
another property within a city
can also buy water from the
municipality, he said.
At this point, though, 29
cities and 10 counties in Ore-
gon have decided not to allow
marijuana production within
their boundaries, while others
remain undecided, said Rep.
Ken Helm, D-Beaverton, who
is a land use attorney.
People who want to grow
marijuana in those undecided
areas should become involved
in the conversation with their
local governments, he said.
“The best place to start is the
local planning department.”
In counties that do allow
marijuana production, only
“exclusive farm use” zones
allow the crop to be grown
outright, said Katherine Dan-
iels, farm and forest lands
specialist for the Oregon De-
partment of Land Conserva-
tion and Development.
Whether the crop can be
commercially grown with-
out restriction in industrial,
commercial and residential
zones will likely vary coun-
ty-by-county, she said.
BLM tracks down
online impersonator
Agency refuses to disclose
information, citing personnel
policy
By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI
Capital Press
Courtesy of Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
OR 22, a male wolf that separated from the Umatilla River Pack in February, is pictured walking through a Northeast Oregon forest on
Jan. 26. The lone wolf spent several weeks in Malheur County before heading from Grant County. It was shot south of Prairie City by a
man hunting coyotes.
Man reports shooting Oregon wolf while
hunting coyotes on private property
By ERIC MORTENSON
Capital Press
A Grant County resident
in Eastern Oregon reported
to Oregon State Police Oct. 6
that he shot a wolf while hunt-
ing coyotes on private proper-
ty south of Prairie City.
Wolves are protected
throughout Oregon under the
state endangered species law
and under federal regulation
in the western two-thirds of
the state. Killing them is not
allowed except in defense of
human life and, for autho-
rized livestock owners, when
wolves are caught in act of
attacking livestock or herd
dogs.
State police investigated,
recovered the wolf’s car-
cass and submitted a report
to the Grant County district
attorney’s office for review,
according to an OSP news re-
lease.
However, the Grant Coun-
ty DA’s office said the case
has been transferred to the
Harney County prosecutor’s
office. District Attorney Tim
Colahan said his cohort in
Grant County has a con-
flict of interest because he
knows the hunter’s family,
and asked Colahan to han-
dle the review as a courtesy.
Colahan said he is just now
receiving case information
from OSP and has not made
a charging decision.
District attorneys in Or-
egon can present cases to a
grand jury for possible in-
dictment, bring charges them-
selves or decide the facts
don’t warrant prosecution.
The man who shot the wolf
was not identified.
The wolf, designated OR-
22 by the Oregon Department
of Fish and Wildlife, is at least
the third to die in Oregon
since late August, when the
Sled Springs pair in Wallowa
County were found dead of an
unknown cause. State police
suspended their investigation
in that case, saying they didn’t
have probable cause to say
the deaths were due to human
action and that the cause of
death couldn’t be determined
because the carcasses had de-
teriorated.
State police said the wolf
shot in Grant County was
a male that dispersed from
the Umatilla Pack. Young or
sub-dominant wolves often
leave their home packs to es-
tablish their own territory and
find mates.
According to ODFW, OR-
22 has worn a GPS tracking
collar since October 2013
and dispersed from the Uma-
tilla Pack in February 2015.
He was in Malheur County
for awhile, then traveled into
Grant County. He did not
have a mate or pups, accord-
ing to ODFW.
Joyce Capital, Inc.
In agriculture, nothing is certain. Your interest rate should be.
Online
Information about dis-
tinguishing wolves from
coyotes is available at:
http://www.dfw.state.or.us/
Wolves/docs/Wolf_Mng-
mt_Flyer_2011.pdf
The U.S. Bureau of Land
Management has tracked
down an agency employee
who impersonated a retired
BLM heavy equipment oper-
ator online, but will not iden-
tify the person.
Greg Allum, an East-
ern Oregon resident once
employed by BLM, recent-
ly informed Capital Press
that his name was used to
post comments on an ar-
ticle about the arson con-
victions of two Oregon
ranchers.
Allum denied making the
comments about Dwight and
Steven Hammond, a father
and son who were recent-
ly sentenced to five years
in prison for setting fires
on BLM property near Dia-
mond, Ore.
The comments referred to
the Hammonds as “clowns”
and defended the actions of
BLM in pursuing criminal
charges against them.
After checking the Inter-
net Protocol address used to
make the comments, Capital
Press found that they were
posted from a computer that
belongs to the BLM.
The agency has identi-
fied the BLM employee who
made the comments but can-
not divulge any information
about the person’s name,
location, position or possi-
ble disciplinary actions, said
Michael Campbell, a public
information officer for BLM.
The employee’s actions
violated the BLM’s “robust
social media policy,” un-
der which only authorized
officials can represent the
agency on social media sites,
Campbell said.
If a BLM employee makes
comments using a personal
account, they must provide
a disclaimer stating that their
views don’t reflect the posi-
tions of the agency, he said.
When asked if the BLM
employee or another agency
official apologized to Allum,
Campbell said the agency
would have no record of any
personal contact between an
agency employee and the re-
tired worker.
Greg Allum said he has
no comment on the BLM’s
response to inquiries from
Capital Press.
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