November 4, 2016
CapitalPress.com
11
Oregon
Government, business, environmental
groups ponder Elliott Forest outcome
By ERIC MORTENSON
Capital Press
Florence
101
Elliott
State
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Oregon’s federal wildlife
supervisor has offered a timber
company “technical assistance”
to avoid harming marbled mur-
relet when it logs land that used
to be part of the Elliott State
Forest.
The offer is the latest devel-
opment in a forest management
issue that seemingly has con-
troversy at every turn. It comes
as the state is preparing to open
purchase offers Nov. 15 for the
remaining 82,000 acres of state
forest on the southwest Oregon
Coast. Conservation groups are
fi ercely opposed to logging or
selling the Elliott, and have tak-
en legal action to stop both.
But the letter from Paul
Henson, supervisor of U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service’s op-
erations in Oregon, also raises
the possibility of reaching a
solution through collaboration
between regulatory agencies,
private landowners and oppos-
ing interest groups.
That’s what happened with
the greater sage grouse habitat
protection agreements USFWS
reached with Southeast Oregon
cattle ranchers. The voluntary
agreements on private land
were widely copied elsewhere
and are partially credited with
keeping sage grouse off the en-
dangered species list.
Henson said those agree-
ments might serve as a model
126
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Area in
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N. Bend
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101
Capital Press graphic
on the Elliott. “There’s no rea-
son why it couldn’t be,” he said.
Henson sent a letter Oct.
12 letter to Scott Timber Co., a
subsidiary of Roseburg Forest
Products, regarding the com-
pany’s plan to log 50 acres of
Benson Ridge, a 355-acre par-
cel it bought from the state in
2014. The parcel had been part
of the Elliott State Forest and
was one of the fi rst sold by the
Oregon Land Board.
A Eugene-based environ-
mental group, Cascadia Wild-
lands, has joined with others in
fi ling suit against the sale.
Henson’s letter said the 50-
acre stand on Benson Ridge
contains 100-year old trees and
habitat, including moss covered
limbs, that is favored by the
murrelet, a small seabird that
is listed as threatened under
the federal Endangered Species
Act.
Logging mature trees
“could affect the quantity and
quality of habitat” available to
murrelets, Henson said in the
letter. He offered to discuss op-
tions to avoid harming the bird,
including developing a Habitat
Conservation Plan that would
excuse the company from what
is called “incidental take” —
death or harm to the bird — due
to logging.
A habitat plan, however,
would most likely reduce the
amount of timber the company
could harvest. It might require
commercial thinning instead of
clear-cutting, for example, and
require the company to obtain
an “incidental take permit.”
The tradeoff is that having
a plan in place provides legal
protection.
Henson said USFWS did
not intend to insert itself in
Scott Timber’s court battle.
“Our concern would be that
they don’t unintentionally or
accidentally violate the take
prohibition of the Endangered
Species Act,” he said.
Nick Cady, legal direc-
tor for Cascadia Wildlands,
agreed that an incidental take
permit provides an exception
to the liability associated with
harming a listed species. He
said Cascadia is “very open”
to the timber company taking
that route, which he said would
“require major adjustments to
the clearcutting that is currently
proposed.”
Small meat processor brings services to E. Oregon
By KATY NESBITT
By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI
Capital Press
Environmentalists have
agreed to settle a lawsuit that
accused Central Oregon irri-
gators of violating the Endan-
gered Species Act by harming
the Oregon spotted frog.
The Center for Biological
Diversity and Waterwatch of
Oregon fi led two complaints
against the U.S. Bureau of
Reclamation and fi ve irriga-
tion districts — Arnold, Cen-
tral Oregon, Lone Pine, North
Unit and Tumalo — that were
consolidated earlier this year.
The environmental groups
asked U.S. District Judge Ann
Aiken for an injunction that
would drastically alter the op-
eration of the Crane Prairie,
Wickiup and Crescent Lake
reservoirs, which the districts
depend on.
In March, Aiken denied
that request, holding they did
not meet the high burden of
proving such an injunction was
necessary, which led to months
of settlement discussions.
Under the deal submitted to
long-term problem,” said
ShanRae Hawkins, spokes-
woman for the irrigation dis-
tricts.
By the time the settlement
expires on July 31, 2017, the
irrigation districts and the Bu-
reau of Reclamation expect
to have completed a “habitat
conservation plan” for the
frog, which would provide
irrigators protection under the
Endangered Species Act.
Conservation
measures
will require heavy investment
in piping and lining canals, re-
ducing seepage and allowing
water to be distributed more
effi ciently, she said.
The Tumalo Irrigation Dis-
trict expects the settlement
will cause it to forgo 42 per-
cent of the water it stores in
Crescent Lake, according to
a letter sent to irrigators by
Kenneth Rieck, the district
manager.
However, if the region ex-
periences an adequate water
year over winter, the district
should still be able to deliver
70 percent of normal fl ows,
he said.
Aiken on Oct. 28, the irrigation
districts have agreed to keep
minimum fl ows in the Upper
Deschutes River at 100 cubic
feet per second in autumn and
winter, up from 20 cubic feet
per second in some past years.
The increased fl ow level is
intended to provide a more sta-
ble water supply for the frogs,
which were declared a threat-
ened species in 2014.
The Bureau of Reclama-
tion, which operates the dams
that regulate water fl ows, has
also agreed to complete an
already-underway “consul-
tation” on irrigation system
impacts to Oregon spotted
frogs. The irrigation districts
formally committed to other
changes they’ve voluntarily
implemented this year.
The deal requires approval
from Aiken to become fi nal.
Irrigators hope the settle-
ment will give them some
breathing room until more
permanent plans to conserve
water and improve conditions
for the frog are implemented.
“It’s a step in the right di-
rection. It doesn’t solve the
16 th Annual
WILLAMETTE VALLEY
3 Big Days!
Tues • Wed • Thurs
NOVEMBER
15 • 16 • 17
For the Capital Press
LA GRANDE, Ore. —
A new northeastern Oregon
business is following a cur-
rent trend — bringing meat
processing, including a USDA
-certifi ed facility, closer to
where livestock is raised.
Since June, Hines Meat
Co. in La Grande has brought
13 employees on board and
is answering a growing de-
mand from local hunters and
producers. By early spring
they will have a USDA facil-
ity available for local ranches
that are used to shipping cattle
hundreds of miles.
Paige Hines, a nurse, said
she and her husband, Jake, a
contractor, opened their new
business in time for the East-
ern Oregon Livestock Show
early last summer.
“We have been incredibly
busy from day one,” Hines
said.
While the learning curve
has been steep and the sweat
equity extensive, she said the
feedback has been positive.
“The response from the
community has been incredi-
ble,” Hines said.
Hines said her husband
grew up in Imbler, a farming
community 12 miles outside
La Grande. Despite the abun-
dance of livestock throughout
the region, buying locally
Spotted frog lawsuit settled
4 Big Buildings!
Katy Nesbitt/For the Capital Press
Paige and Jake Hines opened Hines Meat Co. in La Grande in June,
answering a growing demand from local hunters and producers.
raised meat is diffi cult.
“Even though agriculture
is the number one industry,
unless you buy a whole or half
beef local meat isn’t accessi-
ble to you,” Hines said. “We
are surrounded by this indus-
try and we wanted to make it
accessible.”
In September they opened
their retail shop, offering
thick-cut pork chops and
steaks, bacon and sausag-
es such as Andouille, beer
bratwurst and steak-and-
cheese. Until they open their
USDA certifi ed facility Hines
said the meat sold in their
store is rated USDA choice
and above from Western
states distributors.
A concrete contractor
by trade, Jake Hines started
thinking about different busi-
nesses that weren’t as hard
on the body. With experi-
ence butchering game and a
zest for cooking, an idea was
born.
“We are unsophisticated
foodies,” Hines said. “Jake’s
been a hunter and cut up his
fair share of wild game. We
cook a lot and Jake likes the
process of brining and smok-
ing,” Hines said.
When they got serious she
said they looked for a build-
able lot and started working
on a design. Financing took
a year and construction took
nine months.
“It’s defi nitely been an ad-
venture for us,” Hines said.
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• 10:30am -12:30pm • Kaci Buhl, Oregon State University; Worker Protections Standards (2 CORE)
In January of 2017, new Worker Protection Standards (WPS) for agriculture and forestry operators
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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16
Meetings: Pennington Seed Growers Breakfast (by invitation)
Training: Forklift Certification Training (Free with admission)
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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17
Training: CORE training – Repeated from Tuesday, November 15th, 2016
• 10:30am -12:30pm • Kaci Buhl, Oregon State University; Worker Protections Standards (2 CORE)
In January of 2017, new Worker Protection Standards (WPS) for agriculture and forestry operators
will come into place. This session will help you determine what WPS requirements apply to your
operation and how to comply, including exceptions, restrictions, exemptions, options, and examples.
Additionally, new training requirements for handler and worker employees will be covered.
• 12:30 - 1:30pm • Lunch Break
• 1:30pm - 4:30pm • Melissa Scherr, ODA; Pollinator Protection (2 CORE + 1 Credit)
Pollinator Protection: Declines, Pesticide Exposure and Developing Best Management Practices for
Oregon Agriculture. Melissa is tasked with developing the Oregon Managed Pollinator Protection Plan.
MUST ATTEND ALL 3 HOURS; 2 CORE 1 Other
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Fax: 541-497-6262
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• Fitzpatrick Painting
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• Reed Anderson Ranches • Manning Farms • Spring Acres Cranberries
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Linn County Fair & Expo Center
For Expo updates,
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3700 Knox Butte Rd.
I-5 @ Exit 234 • Albany, OR
CORE Pesticide
Training
www.wvaexpo.com
(20 Minutes South of Salem)
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