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Editorials are written by or
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Capital Press Editorial Board.
November 4, 2016
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the opinions of the authors but
not necessarily this newspaper.
Opinion
Editorial Board
Publisher
Editor
Managing Editor
Mike O’Brien
Joe Beach
Carl Sampson
opinions@capitalpress.com Online: www.capitalpress.com/opinion
O ur V iew
What the Bundy verdict does, and doesn’t, mean
T
he Bundy 7 have been
acquitted of conspiring to
impede federal workers
from their jobs during the group’s
41-day occupation of the Malheur
National Wildlife Refuge.
Brothers Ammon and Ryan
Bundy and five others were among
those who occupied the refuge in
Oregon’s Harney County from
Jan. 1 to Feb. 11 this year.
The protesters had demanded
that two Harney County ranchers
serving five-year sentences for
burning federal land be released,
and that federal public lands be
turned over to the state, the county
Ammon Bundy
Ryan Bundy
and to private ownership. It was a
futile endeavor from the start that
lacked any legal basis.
While it is not entirely clear
what the verdict means, there
should be no doubt on what it does
not mean.
One of the jurors — identified
only as Juror No. 4 — told The
Oregonian/Oregonlive that the
public should only assume from
the verdict that the prosecution
failed to make its case that the
defendants were involved in a
conspiracy to prevent federal
employees from doing their jobs.
The acquittal was “not any form
of affirmation of the defense’s
various beliefs, actions or
aspirations.”
Critics of the verdict, the juror
said, should understand that “not
guilty” does not mean “innocent.”
The verdict is not a vindication
of the widely held belief that the
federal government is prohibited
by the Constitution from owning
the vast majority of public lands in
the West. The Supreme Court has
already ruled that it is allowed.
Nor does it legitimize adverse
possession, the theory that
by occupying the refuge the
defendants assumed title.
The occupation drew some
national attention to legitimate
issues concerning the U.S.
government’s management of its
vast holding of public lands.
The federal government holds
more than half the land in the
West. The economic and civic
fabric of rural communities
O ur V iew
A ‘dam’ good option
for Chehalis River
ometimes, it’s difficult to follow the
train of thought that leads those in
government to say the things they say.
Sometimes, that train has jumped the
tracks.
One such case bubbled to the surface
recently. The Washington Department of the
Ecology was asked to lay out options for
preventing the Chehalis River from flooding.
In 2007 and 2009, the river jumped its
banks and inundated 20 miles of Interstate 5,
the transportation lifeline for the entire West
Coast, and stopped rail traffic. It also flooded
area farms and other businesses.
In its report, Ecology offered two options
— build a dam for flood control or buy out
the farmers and tell them to move.
At a cost of $601 million to $1.2 billion,
Don Jenkins/Capital Press
the dam was far cheaper and would actually
Water
floods
a
farm
field
in
the
Chehalis
River
Basin
in
southwestern
Washington.
A
study by the Wash-
accomplish what the state wants to do. Dams
ington Department of Ecology looks at ways to minimize flooding damage in the area.
can readily be designed to allow fish passage
and prevent downstream floods.
Here’s where we get to the truth of
They seem to believe that there’s always
At a cost of $1.4 billion to $1.7 billion,
the matter. We question whether those in
something “more important” that can be
the option of buying out farmers wouldn’t
Olympia who say they are proponents of
done with farmland.
control flooding or protect I-5 from
agriculture really are. They seem to put
We have a suggestion for the folks in
periodically becoming a splash pool for the
up with agriculture as long as it doesn’t
Olympia. Build the dam. It’ll be cheaper,
240,000 trucks and cars that use it every day. interfere with their agendas.
protect farmers and their livelihoods,
A buyout of up to 12,100 acres farmland
That’s where plans to flood 2,100 acres of generate electricity, store water for cities,
would also decimate the agricultural
farmland for fish habitat in Whatcom, Skagit use in irrigation and industry and provide
and Jefferson counties come from. And
passage for the fish and recreation for the
economy in the region. Not only would
that’s where plans to push farmers off the
public.
the farmers go away, so would the support
land
along
the
Chehalis
River
come
Oh, yes, it’ll also keep I-5 from
businesses, suppliers, processors and any
becoming a water park every few years.
from.
associated jobs.
S
Readers’ views
Vote for Oregon
Measure 99 for
Outdoor School
Measure 99, The Outdoor
School for All initiative, may
not immediately seem important
to agriculture and the natural re-
source industry, but I urge you to
approve it.
In agriculture, we worry that
the public is getting further and
further removed from the land,
and therefore does not understand
our issues. We have an opportuni-
ty to slow that trend, and ensure
that all school children in Oregon
have a chance to explore nature
and learn about water, plants, soil
and life cycles. The lessons they
learn while at Outdoor School
would be scientifically sound,
developed or vetted by Oregon
State University.
Furthermore, this program ex-
poses children to careers within
the natural resource industries.
We don’t have enough graduates
out of our land grant universities
to fill the positions that are avail-
able, and we need to look outside
our traditional base for bright
young minds to get involved.
There are also proven benefits
to the students themselves. Stu-
dents’ academic scores improve
across all classes as they see how
book learning translates to usable
real life knowledge. They gain
self-confidence by being away
from home for a week while
learning new skills. Finally, this
week forces them out of their nor-
mal routine as they make friends
with a different peer group, and
students who may not excel in
class have a chance to shine in a
different setting.
For 50 years, Outdoor School
has been a proven success in Or-
egon — it is one of the rare pro-
grams in our school system that
crosses the urban-rural divide by
fostering a strong, ever-lasting
connection to the land among
kids in a way they simply can’t
get inside a classroom.
However, today only about
half of Oregon’s students have
access to Outdoor School, and it
is often shortened to a couple of
days. This measure allows us to
bring Outdoor School back to its
full potential and make sure it is
available for all students in Ore-
gon. Please join me in voting Yes
on Measure 99.
Helle Ruddenklau
Farmer
Amity, Ore.
Democrats don’t
support farming
in Skagit County
Why doesn’t the Democratic
Party support and protect Skagit
County’s valuable farmland?
The Skagit Valley Herald
(Oct. 22) and Capital Press (Oct.
19) online news reported on a
levy setback project along the
North Fork of the Skagit River on
Fir Island.
The proposed project is part
of a $451 million Puget Sound
Nearshore Restoration that floods
250 acres of farmland in Skagit
County and 800 acres of farmland
in Whatcom County.
Why would Democrat U.S.
Reps. Rick Larsen, McDermott,
Heck, Smith and Kilmer write
to the U.S. House Transportation
Committee to support a project
that would flood over 1,000 acres
of prime farmland costing some
farmers their farm and liveli-
hood?
The farmland would be taken
out of production and off county
tax rolls.
Why are Democrats such as
Larsen and others absent on the
What’s Upstream scam initiated
by the Swinomish Tribe in at-
tacking farmers in the state while
congressional Republicans are
helping to save the farmers and
farmland.
Why didn’t Rep. Larsen even
talk to his constituents that own
homes and land or the outstand-
ing farmers that will have their
prime farmland taken from them?
Real true science clearly out-
lines ocean conditions as the main
problem facing fish populations.
Why let these established gov-
ernment grant programs cause
harm to existing habitat which
can lead to new flooding and
safety issues?
Can taxpayers afford these
projects, a continuation of the
catastrophic loss of Skagit Coun-
ty farmland led by the present
governor and other Democrats
both in the state and federal gov-
ernments, with Larsen leading the
charge?
We have our ballots. Vote for
Bill Bryant for governor and the
Republican candidates on the bal-
lot — the only choice we have
this election to save our farmland
and our farmers.
Randy Good
Sedro Woolley, Wash.
State official played
key role in RFPAs
The excellent article on the
Rangeland Fire Protection As-
sociations (Oct. 28) did not
mention one person who was
critical to their formation and
success.
Craig Glazier of Idaho Public
Lands was the person who made
it possible. He stepped up with
advice, suggestions and created
connections. He has the remark-
able ability to bring people to-
gether, get them working together
and smooth ruffled feathers.
He walked us through the gov-
ernmental maze when we were
about to give up. He procured the
equipment that we needed.
He deserves the gratitude of
all RFPAs and their members.
Charlie Lyons
Steve Percy
Mountain Home, Idaho
depend on trees cut from the
forest, livestock grazed on the
range and minerals gleaned from
the mining claims.
The real issue isn’t that the
federal government owns the land,
but that it too often administers it
poorly, and without regard to the
local community.
The verdict does not ameliorate
the anger and frustration of many
farmers, ranchers and lumbermen
throughout the West.
The political class must take
steps to resolve this conflict
before that frustration leads to
more desperate acts.
The State of Portland and
Oregon National Park
By GEOFF HORNING
For the Capital Press
H
ere’s the good news. By the time
you read this column it will only be a
few more days before all the political
vitriol will come to an end for
another cycle.
While I’m sure
Guest
we’re going to comment
elect the per- Geoff Horning
fect president
in November
(sarcasm people), I’m far more concerned
about some of the political posturing happen-
ing right here in Oregon.
Oregon has long been a bastion of activist
activity. Some of it has been good for the envi-
ronment and the economy, but much of it has
been an overreach by an urban community out
of touch with their rural neighbors.
Having grown up in Reedsport, Ore., I
was surrounded by a proud community with
a strong local economy thanks to International
Paper and a robust forestry industry.
Almost overnight I witnessed fear and an-
ger as eco-terrorists entered the community,
spiking trees and heralding the plight of an owl
that nobody had even heard of. Some 30-odd
years later the Spotted Owl still hasn’t recov-
ered, the Barred Owl thrives and a once proud
community sits in economic shambles.
Many of those activists who strolled into
town to demonstrate were from Portland,
Eugene, Seattle and other urban destinations.
Thankfully it was before the internet, or I could
only imagine how many more would have
come into town without a lick of forestry expe-
rience and told all the locals who spent genera-
tions caring for the forest everything they were
doing wrong.
Reedsport is hardly the only rural commu-
nity in Oregon that has been uprooted by larger
urban populations who think they know better
than the locals. It’s just one example that hap-
pens to hit close to home.
While most in Oregon are currently debat-
ing the damage that will occur with the passing
of Measure 97, my past history has me keeping
a close eye on the farthest corner of the state
and a push by activists to turn a large section of
Malheur County into a designated monument.
Look, I’m OK with conservation. I believe
it’s not just a good thing to do, but it’s our ob-
ligation to ensure a balanced ecosystem for fu-
ture generations. I love to fly fish for trout and
spend a lot of my “pleasure” time doing so. In
fact, just a couple weeks ago I spent a week
in the backwoods of Yellowstone, dancing
around grizzly bear to fish one of the best trout
fisheries in the world, Slough Creek. I LOVE
national parks. Yet, I’m mortified that a legion
of activists, mostly from other parts of the
country thanks to Keen Footwear, are making
headway in turning the Owyhee Canyonlands
into a designated monument. If successful this
effort would significantly impact local ranch-
ers from grazing their cattle.
Why are they pushing for this designation,
you ask? The primary reason noted by the
activist community is “it’s important to have
areas like this for people to explore and love.”
Here’s the thing. They already can! Not
only is this area designated as public lands
that people can enjoy, there are also 5 national
parks or monuments that already reside in Or-
egon, totaling 207,360 acres.
There are more than 85,000 acres within
153 state parks in Oregon. That doesn’t in-
clude the public lands along the Oregon coast,
or the national forests that reside throughout
Oregon. That’s a lot of area for people to “ex-
plore and love.”
This designation will basically accom-
plish one thing, which is to restrict the cattle
industry from thriving in a region that is al-
ready struggling economically to survive.
Such a designation would devastate an entire
area with no benefit to the greater society. It’s
like watching my childhood manifest itself all
over again. This time, though, I hope common
sense prevails.
Geoff Horning is executive director of
Oregon Aglink, a private, nonprofit volunteer
membership organization dedicated to grow-
ing agriculture in Oregon through education
and promotion and bridging the gap between
urban and rural Oregonians.