4
CapitalPress.com
June 30, 2017
Ranch claims grazing prohibition encourages juniper, wildfi re
Oregon’s Cahill Ranches challenging BLM decision in federal court
By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI
Capital Press
An Oregon ranch is chal-
lenging the federal govern-
ment’s decision to eliminate
grazing on more than 8,000
acres of public land to study
vegetation.
Cahill Ranches of Adel,
Ore., has fi led a complaint
alleging the U.S. Bureau of
Land Management’s deci-
sion will encourage juniper
encroachment and wildfi res
while harming sage grouse
populations.
“Eliminating grazing is not
necessary to prevent irrepara-
ble damage to sage grouse or
sage grouse habitat and the
best available science shows
that eliminating management
will increase the risk of loss of
habitat from rapidly spreading
and intense wildfi re and juni-
per expansion,” the lawsuit
said.
A representative of BLM
said the agency doesn’t com-
ment on pending litigation.
Rangeland
conditions
within the 8,282-acre Sucker
Creek pasture have been de-
termined to be in good health
by the BLM, whose decision
to re-authorize grazing in the
area for 10 years drew no ob-
jections from environmental
groups, the complaint said.
The agency has also al-
Area in detail
ready conducted a juniper re-
search project in the area, the
complaint said.
Cahill Ranches postponed
juniper removal on its prop-
erty between 2007 and 2014,
providing the BLM with a
“control area” for comparison
with areas where the invasive
trees were removed.
After the conclusion of the
study, which determined sage
grouse reproduction and sur-
vival improved in areas treat-
ed for juniper, Cahill Ranches
resumed removing the trees
from its property.
The BLM’s decision to
halt grazing in the pasture to
study the natural development
LAKE
31
HARNEY
395
Rahilly-
Gravelly
Allotment
HART
MOUNTAIN
NATIONAL
ANTELOPE
REFUGE
Valley
140
Ore.
Nev.
Goose
Lake
140
N
395
10 miles
Capital Press graphic
of vegetation is thus unnec-
essary, particularly since it
is near two federal refug-
Harsh 2017 winter will result in
reduced Idaho wine grape crop
By SEAN ELLIS
Capital Press
es where grazing is already
prohibited, according to the
plaintiffs.
Meanwhile, prohibiting
grazing within the Sucker
Creek Pasture will “signifi -
cantly reduce or eliminate”
Cahill Ranches’ cattle op-
erations on the larger Ra-
hilly-Gravelly Allotment, the
complaint said.
The pasture makes up 44
percent of the 18,678-acre al-
lotment, so disallowing graz-
ing there would disrupt the
ranch’s ability to rotate cattle,
which is necessary for vege-
tation to recover in some ar-
eas while it’s consumed else-
where, the plaintiffs claim.
“The decision to elimi-
nate grazing from the Sucker
Creek pasture fails to consider
Battle against chlorpyrifos
continues despite decision
Reversing course, EPA has decided not
to ban most of the insecticide’s uses
By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI
CALDWELL, Idaho — A
bitter January cold snap dam-
aged a lot of wine grape vines
in the heart of Idaho wine
country and this year’s harvest
is expected to be down signifi -
cantly as a result.
“This harsh winter really
reduced our production,” said
wine grape grower Michael
Williamson.
Temperatures
reached
18-below zero in his Caldwell
vineyard for a few nights in
early January.
“It was only for a couple
of nights but it was enough to
just wipe it out,” he said.
Like other vineyard own-
ers, Williamson made the de-
cision to cut most of his vines
to the ground and retrain them,
which means they won’t pro-
duce any grapes this year.
“The damage is probably
the worst I’ve seen in my 35
years,” said wine maker and
vineyard owner Ron Bitner.
Wine grapes in North,
Eastern and southcentral Ida-
ho are OK, said Idaho Wine
Commission Executive Direc-
tor Moya Shatz-Dolsby.
But the damage was cen-
tered around the Caldwell
area in southwestern Idaho,
where the majority of Idaho’s
vineyards and wineries are lo-
cated, and that will have a ma-
jor impact on the state’s total
wine grape tonnage this year,
Shatz-Dolsby and vineyard
owners told Capital Press.
“Some areas got hit really
LEGAL
PURSUANT TO ORS
CHAPTER 819
Notice is hereby given that the
following vehicle will be sold, for cash
to the highest bidder, on 7/6/2017. The
sale will be held at 10:00am by
B.C. TOWING
1834 BEACH AVE. NE, SALEM, OR
2010 MAZDA SPEED 3, 4DR
VIN = JM1BL1H30A1313436
Amount due on lien $4,105.00
Reputed owner(s)
CHRISTIAN E. & KATHRYN A. SWANK
NAVY FEDERAL CREDIT UNION
Legal-25-2-2/#4
Capital Press
Sean Ellis/Capital Press
A vineyard near Caldwell, Idaho, is shown in this June 27 photo. A bitter January cold snap heavily
damaged much of Idaho’s wine grape crop and total tonnage is expected to be down signifi cantly this
year as a result.
bad,” Shatz-Dolsby said.
Dale Jeffers, manager of
Skyline Vineyards, the state’s
largest, said his operation har-
vests about 480 acres of wine
grapes in a typical year. But
low temperatures that reached
at least minus-20 degrees for
three straight nights took a
major toll on this year’s crop,
he said.
The low temperature at
a nearby weather station
reached minus-26.9 degrees
on Jan. 7, Jeffers said.
“We’ll probably harvest
50-55 acres this year and it
will be a reduced crop on the
acres we do harvest,” he said.
“It’s pretty devastating.”
A lot of growers report-
ed having to cut their vines
to the roots and they said the
only reason the roots weren’t
damaged as well is because of
the record or near-record snow
cover that blanketed most of
the region this winter.
“A lot of guys had to cut ev-
erything off” to the roots, said
vineyard owner and Universi-
ty of Idaho research assistant
Tom Elias. “The incredible
snow cover acted as an insu-
lator so the roots didn’t get re-
ally damaged. But everything
above that snow cover just got
toasted.”
The bright spot is that the
2016 wine grape harvest in
Idaho was a bumper crop,
Shatz-Dolsby said.
According to an IWC news
release on Idaho’s 2016 wine
grape harvest, Skyline Vine-
yards doubled production last
year and most other vineyards
reported about a 50 percent
increase from previous years.
“The 2016 harvest was
huge and what’s in the tank is
hopefully going to be able to
carry a lot of people through,”
she said
the overall impact on the eco-
nomic viability of the Cahill
Ranches, and consequently,
whether Cahill Ranches can
afford to continue sage grouse
habitat improvement proj-
ects,” the complaint said.
The lawsuit calls the deci-
sion to halt grazing in the pas-
ture an “artifact of a top-down
decision process that fails to
account for the local condi-
tions on the ground” in viola-
tion of federal administrative,
land management and grazing
statutes.
Attorneys with the West-
ern Resources Legal Center,
a nonprofi t representing Ca-
hill Ranches, are asking U.S.
Magistrate Judge Mark Clarke
in Medford, Ore., to overturn
the decision as unlawful.
Environmental groups are
continuing their battle against
chlorpyrifos on several fronts
after the Trump administra-
tion refused to end the insec-
ticide’s use on food crops.
Until recently, victory ap-
peared to be within reach for
several environmental groups
that fear the chemical poses
an excessive health risk.
The organizations orig-
inally petitioned the U.S.
Environmental Protection
Agency in 2007 to revoke all
“tolerances” of chlorpyrifos
on food crops.
The government’s delays
in reacting to the petition
eventually ended up before
the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of
Appeals, which ordered EPA
to make a decision on the re-
quest.
Under the Obama admin-
istration, the EPA proposed
revoking all food tolerances
for the chemical in 2015. The
9th Circuit gave the agency
until the end of March 2017
to make that action fi nal.
By the time that deadline
arrived, though, Trump-ap-
pointed administrator Scott
Pruitt denied the environ-
mental groups’ petition de-
spite the agency’s earlier
proposal.
At the time, Pruitt said the
decision would provide “reg-
ulatory certainty” to farmers
who rely on chlorpyrifos to
control insects on numerous
crops.
“By reversing the previous
administration’s steps to ban
one of the most widely used
pesticides in the world, we
are returning to using sound
science in decision-making
— rather than predetermined
results,” Pruitt said.
The American Farm Bu-
reau Federation and sever-
al other agricultural groups
praised the decision, saying
they had reservations about
the epidemiological studies
upon which EPA had previ-
ously based its proposed re-
vocation.
Several environmental
groups are now objecting to
the EPA’s denial of their pe-
tition through the adminis-
trative process and in the 9th
Circuit.
The organizations are
fi ghting Pruitt’s decision on
several fronts to minimize
further delays, said Patti
Goldman, managing attorney
for Earthjustice, the environ-
mental law fi rm representing
them.
The EPA has said the 9th
Circuit can compel the agen-
cy to grant or reject a petition,
but the appellate court cannot
force the agency to make a
decision on re-registering
the pesticide earlier than the
2022 deadline set by Con-
gress.
Goldman claims the EPA
is likely postponing the de-
cision because it can’t legal-
ly prove that chlorpyrifos is
safe.
Washington Dairy owner fi ned for manure discharge
By DAN WHEAT
Capital Press
SUNNYSIDE, Wash. — The state
Department of Agriculture has fi ned a
Sunnyside dairy owner $4,000 for vio-
lating water pollution laws by failure to
contain manure effl uent.
The same dairyman, Jake Slegers,
owner of JLS Dairy, received notices of
correction for similar violations from
the department in 2013 and 2014. None
of the violations have been intentional
but resulted from facilities he’s been
upgrading, Slegers told Capital Press.
“I bought this place six years ago.
I’ve been upgrading it according to
what the state requires,” Slegers said,
adding he will ask for the civil penalty
to be reduced.
In its June 15 notice of penalty,
WSDA said equipment failure resulted
in a discharge of manure toward Roza
Irrigation Canal in 2013 and that an ef-
fl uent lagoon was leaking in 2014.
Slegers said the lagoon leaked when
a neighbor, doing construction work,
removed trees thats roots reached into
the lagoon. He said he then had the la-
goon lined.
In March 2017, WSDA received
a complaint that liquid and solid ma-
nure from JLS Dairy was running off
the dairy property and into a ditch and
onto a neighbor’s property, the notice
of penalty states.
LEGAL
LEGAL
LEGAL
Public Notice Announcing Scoping Meeting
Swalley Irrigation District System Improvements
The United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources
Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS), with assistance of The Farmers
Conservation Alliance and in cooperation with the Swalley
Irrigation District and Deschutes Basin Board of Control as the
project sponsor, is considering improvements to aging irrigation
infrastructure in the Swalley Irrigation District. Improvements
under consideration may be partially funded through the
Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act of 1954 (PL83-566)
and will address water conservation, enhancement of aquatic
species habitat, and public safety risks while supporting existing
agricultural land use.
Public Notice Announcing Scoping Meeting
Tumalo Irrigation District System Improvements
The United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources
Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS), with assistance of The Farmers
Conservation Alliance and in cooperation with the Tumalo Irrigation
District and Deschutes Basin Board of Control as the project sponsor,
is considering improvements to aging irrigation infrastructure in the
Tumalo Irrigation District. Improvements under consideration may
be partially funded through the Watershed Protection and Flood
Prevention Act of 1954 (PL83-566) and will address water
conservation, enhancement of aquatic species habitat and public
safety risks while supporting existing agricultural land use.
Public Notice Announcing Scoping Meeting
Central Oregon Irrigation District System Improvements
The United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources
Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS), with assistance of The Farmers
Conservation Alliance and in cooperation with the Central Oregon
Irrigation District and Deschutes Basin Board of Control as the
project sponsor, is considering improvements to aging irrigation
infrastructure in the Central Oregon Irrigation District.
Improvements under consideration may be partially funded through
the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act of 1954 (PL83-
566) and will address water conservation, enhancement of aquatic
species habitat and public safety risks while supporting existing
agricultural land use.
The proposed projects are located in the north-central portion of
Deschutes County. The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
and the Council on Environmental Quality’s regulations at 40 CFR
Parts 1500-1508 require an evaluation of potential environmental
impacts associated with federal projects and actions with input from
the public.
You are invited to attend a public scoping open house where your
input is requested. The range of resource issues and conceptual
alternatives addressing system improvements to the Swalley
Irrigation District will be presented and discussed.
Public Scoping Open House: Date: July 6, 2017 - Thursday Time:
6:30PM to 7:30PM Location: Tumalo Community Church, (64671
Bruce Avenue, Bend OR 97703)
Comments may be submitted during the public scoping period
starting July 7, 2017 and ending on July 20, 2017. Additional
information is available at www.oregonwatershedplans.org or the
NRCS link for Public Notices: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/
nrcs/main/or/newsroom/pnotice/
Comments may be emailed to swalleycomments@gmail.com
For further information contact:
Margi Hoffmann
Community Relations Director
Farmers Conservation Alliance
11 3rd Street, Suite 101
Hood River, OR 97031
(503) 550-3556
margi.hoffmann@fcasolutions.org
The meeting location is accessible to persons with disabilities. A
request for an interpreter for the hearing impaired or for other
accommodations for persons with disabilities should be made at
least 48 hours before the meeting to
Margi Hoffman
(503) 550 -3556
26-3/#4
The proposed projects are located in the north-central portion of
Deschutes County. The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
and the Council on Environmental Quality’s regulations at 40 CFR
Parts 1500-1508 require an evaluation of potential environmental
impacts associated with federal projects and actions with input from
the public.
You are invited to attend a public scoping open house where your
input is requested. The range of resource issues andc onceptual
alternatives addressing system improvements to the Tumalo
Irrigation District will be presented and discussed.
Public Scoping Open House: Date: July 6, 2017 - Thursday Time:
5:30PM to 6:30PM Location: Tumalo Community Church, (64671
Bruce Avenue, Bend OR 97703)
Comments may be submitted during the public scoping period
starting July 7, 2017 and ending on July 20, 2017. Additional
information is available at www.oregonwatershedplans.org or the
NRCS link for Public Notices: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/
nrcs/main/or/newsroom/pnotice/
Comments may be emailed to wsp@tumalo.org
For further information contact:
Margi Hoffmann
Community Relations Director
Farmers Conservation Alliance
11 3rd Street, Suite 101
Hood River, OR 97031
(503) 550-3556
margi.hoffmann@fcasolutions.org
The meeting location is accessible to persons with disabilities. A
request for an interpreter for the hearing impaired or for other
accommodations for persons with disabilities should be made at
least 48 hours before the meeting to
Margi Hoffman
(503) 550 -3556
26-3/#4
The work being considered is located in the north-central portion of
Deschutes County. The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
and the Council on Environmental Quality’s regulations at 40 CFR
Parts 1500-1508 require an evaluation of potential environmental
impacts associated with federal projects and actions with input from
the public.
You are invited to attend a public scoping open house where your
input is requested. The range of resource issues and conceptual
alternatives addressing potential system improvements to the
Central Oregon Irrigation District will be presented and discussed.
Public Scoping Open House: Date: July 10, 2017 - Monday
Time: 5:30PM to 7:00PM Location: Redmond Grange (3152 SW
Metolius Place, Redmond, OR 97756)
Comments may be submitted during the public scoping period
starting July 11, 2017 and ending on July 24, 2017. Additional
information is available at www.oregonwatershedplans.org or the
NRCS link for Public Notices:
https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/
portal/nrcs/main/or/newsroom/pnotice/
Comments may be emailed to watershed@coid.org
For further information contact:
Margi Hoffmann
Community Relations Director
Farmers Conservation Alliance
11 3rd Street, Suite 101
Hood River, OR 97031
(503) 550-3556
margi.hoffmann@fcasolutions.org
The meeting location is accessible to persons with disabilities.
A request for an interpreter for the hearing impaired or for other
accommodations for persons with disabilities should be made at
least 48 hours before the meeting to
Margi Hoffman
(503) 550 -3556.
26-3/#4