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June 1, 2018 CapitalPress.com 7 Sea lions continue to eat endangered fish Bill supported by Northwest lawmakers By GEORGE PLAVEN Capital Press All the time, money and sacrifice to improve salmon and steelhead passage in the Willamette River won’t mean a thing unless wildlife man- agers can get rid of sea lions feasting on the fish at Willa- mette Falls. That was the message Tuesday from Shaun Clem- ents, senior policy adviser for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, who met at the falls with Liz Hamil- ton, executive director of the Northwest Sportfishing In- dustry Association, and Su- zanne Kunse, district director for U.S. Rep. Kurt Schrader, D-Ore. The group watched as sev- George Plaven/Capital Press Sea lions continue to prey on salmon and steelhead at Willamette Falls in Oregon, prompting a bill by Democratic Rep. Kurt Schrader to kill sea lions where they are causing the most problems. eral sea lions patrolled the waterfalls and nearby fish ladders. Clements said there could be as many as 50-60 sea lions in the area on any given day in April or early May, and the animals are responsible for eating roughly 20 percent of this year’s already paltry winter steelhead run. As of May 22, ODFW has counted just 2,086 winter steelhead at Willamette Falls. That’s less than half of the 10- year average and 22 percent of the 50-year average. ODFW applied in October 2017 to kill sea lions from Willamette Falls under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, though Clements said he does not expect a decision from the National Marine Fisheries Service until the end of the year. The depart- ment also tried relocating 10 California sea lions to a beach south of Newport, Ore. earlier this year, only to see the an- imals return in just six days. Meanwhile, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is propos- ing to build a water tempera- ture control tower and floating fish screen at Detroit Dam far- ther up the Willamette Basin to aid salmon and steelhead sur- vival, a project that could cost up to $250 million and leave farmers without water in the reservoir for up to two years. Clements said it would be a wasted investment if not enough fish can even make it past the falls. “Certainly for winter steel- head, if we don’t deal with (sea lions), whatever we do in the upper basin isn’t going to help,” Clements said. “If you’re managing other sec- tors, you have to manage sea lions as well.” Schrader is co-sponsoring legislation to provide greater flexibility for managing sea lions in the future. The En- dangered Salmon and Fisher- ies Predation Prevention Act would extend the authority for killing sea lions that prey on endangered salmon and steel- head to states and tribes. The bill has support from a bipartisan group of Northwest lawmakers, including Reps. Jaime Herrera Beutler and Dan Newhouse of Washing- ton, and Rep. Don Young of Alaska, all Republicans. Clements said the Marine Mammal Protection Act — which was signed into law in 1972 — is too restrictive, and forces wildlife managers to wait too long before they can apply for a lethal take permit to protect fish. WSU crop tours begin soon Wheat growers push back against Farm Bill critics By MATTHEW WEAVER Capital Press Farmers will have a chance to check out the latest grain varieties during Washington State University’s upcoming crop tour season, which kicks off June 6 in the Horse Heav- en Hills. University and private breeders and researchers will be present at the various tour stops to provide specific back- ground on the wheat and bar- ley varieties. “There’s some newer stuff out there that I think is going to catch people by surprise,” said Aaron Esser, WSU Ex- tension Adams County di- rector and interim director of WSU’s variety testing pro- gram. He said many growers are curious about Norwest Duet from Limagrain Cereal Seeds and Oregon State University. “The farmers win by hav- ing a choice,” he added. “The advantage is, they have more options out there. The diffi- cult thing is, they have more options out there. It takes time and energy to figure out what option’s best for their situa- tion.” Esser expects discussions on falling numbers, the test that measures starch damage; seeding rates and new tech- nologies. WSU crop schedule: • Horse Heaven: 8 a.m., June 6, contact Aaron Esser at 509-659- 3210 • Ritzville: 1 p.m., June 6, contact Esser at 509-659-3210 • Western Whitman County (LaCrosse): 9:30 a.m., June 7, contact Steve Van Vleet at 509- 397-6290 By MATTHEW WEAVER Capital Press Matthew Weaver/Capital Press File Aaron Esser is interim director of Washington State University’s variety testing program and director of the WSU Adams County Extension. WSU’s crop tour schedule begins June 6 in the Horse Heaven Hills. • Connell: 5 p.m., June 7, contact Esser at 509-659-3210 • Pendleton Field Day, Oregon: 7:30 a.m. June 12, contact Stew- art Wuest at 541-278-4381 • Moro Field Day, Oregon: 7:30 a.m. June 13, contact Wuest at 541-278-4381 Growers): 8 a.m. June 22, con- tact Paul Carter at 509-382-4741 • WSU weed science, Pullman: 12:30 p.m. June 13, contact Drew Lyon at 509-335-2961 • Wilke Farm Field Day, Dav- enport: 8 a.m. June 26; contact Esser at 509-659-3210 • Reardan: 2 p.m., June 26, con- tact Roberts at 509-477-2167 • Lind Field Day: 8:30 a.m,, June 14, contact Bill Schillinger at 509- 235-1933 • Harrington: 4 p.m., June 14, contact Diana Roberts at 509- 477-2167 • St. Andrews: 5 p.m., June 15, contact Dale Whaley at 509-745- 8531 • Eureka (cooperative with Oregon State University and Northwest Grain Growers): 3 p.m., June 18, contact Esser at 509-659-3210 • University of Idaho and Limagrain (Lewiston, Idaho): 8:30 a.m., June 19, contact Doug Finkelnburg at 208-799-3096 • Walla Walla: 1 p.m., June 20, contact Esser at 509-659-3210 • Dayton (cereals and legumes; cooperative with Oregon State University and Northwest Grain • Moses Lake (irrigated): 8 a.m., June 25, contact Andy McGuire at 509-754-2011, ext. 4313 • Creston: 3 p.m. June 25, contact Diana Roberts at 509- 477-2167 A Washington wheat rep- resentative declined to partic- ipate in a recent Washington Policy Center conference be- cause a speaker claims agri- culture is not experiencing a financial crisis and is calling for the end of farm subsidies. The center is “an indepen- dent, nonprofit think tank that promotes sound public policy based on free-market solu- tions,” according to its web- site. Montana State University economics professor Vincent Smith spoke at the May 23 conference in Spokane. In a 2017 American En- terprise Institute publication, Smith said agriculture is “nei- ther experiencing a financial crisis nor about to enter an era of extreme financial stress.” He and his co-authors also said current net cash income is close to historical averages. “Ideally, Congress would terminate many farm subsidy programs such as (Agriculture Risk Coverage), (Price Loss Coverage), federal crop insur- ance, the sugar program and marketing orders that waste scarce economic resources, raise some consumer pric- es and send taypayer-funded checks to relatively wealthy and very wealthy individuals,” the publication states. The authors claim the pro- grams do not provide mea- surable benefits to farmers in households with incomes below the federal poverty line. “Some of the $16 billion in federal funding currently tied up in the PLC, ARC and crop insurance subsidy pro- gram should be reallocated to programs that do provide U.S. households with genuine positive benefits, one clear ex- ample of which is agricultural research,” the article states. Nicole Berg, secretary of the National Association of Wheat Growers and a Pater- son, Wash., wheat farmer, was invited to speak but declined. Berg said the center be- lieves in a free market and trade, but isn’t necessarily working with the right defini- tion for agriculture. “They’re talking about no government involvement at all in agriculture, but yet, how are you going to do that?” she said. “If you’re going to say, ‘Take away subsidies, take away crop in- surance, take away the con- servation titles,’ farmers will go broke unless you have an escape hatch, and I haven’t heard them come forth with a solution.” • Mayview: 9 a.m., June 27, contact Mark Heitstuman at 509- 243-2009 • Anatone: 3:30 p.m., June 27, contact Heitstuman at 509-243- 2009 • Fairfield: 7 a.m., June 28, con- tact Roberts at 509-477-2167 • St. John: 10 a.m., June 28, con- tact Van Vleet at 509-397-6290 • Lamont: 1:30 p.m,, June 28, contact Van Vleet at 509-397- 6290 • Bickleton: 11 a.m., June 29, contact Hannah Brause at 509- 773-5817 • Farmington: 8 a.m, July 6, con- tact Van Vleet at 509-397-6290 • Palouse: 3:30 p.m,, July 6, con- tact Van Vleet at 509-397-6290 Raffle offers chance to compete in combine demolition derby Proceeds from annual event go to town, show costs By MATTHEW WEAVER Capital Press LIND, Wash. — Lind Li- ons Club members are offer- ing a chance to take the driv- er’s seat in the big show. The club is selling 500 raf- fle tickets for a shot at com- peting in the final round of the Lind Combine Demolition Derby. “It is truly a unique event and true family event,” said Josh Knodel, Lind Lions Club board member and a longtime combine derby driver with friend Matt Miller. The unique event is in its 31st year. The derby is June 8-10 in Lind, and includes cars and pickups at 6 p.m. June 8; pick- up races are at 2 p.m. June 9 and combines are at 3 p.m. June 9. Grain truck and pick- up races take place during in- termission and soap box cars are at 2 p.m. June 10. Matthew Weaver/Capital Press Head mechanic Jason Hulett, driver Tyran Doyle and pit crew members Derrick Laird and Bryden Laird with their combine. The Lind Lions Club is raffling a chance to sit in the combine during the final heat of the Lind Combine Demolition Derby on June 8-10. Online www.lindwa.com Events June 10 also in- clude a kids’ parade at 10:45 a.m. and a grand parade at 11 a.m. The club built a com- bine to compete in the final round. The driver will have the opportunity to win the derby prize, roughly $1,300, Knodel said. Raffle tickets are $10. Tickets will be sold during the event. About 12 drivers are ex- pected to compete in the der- by. Roughly 4,000 people are expected to attend the event, said derby chairman Mike Doyle. Proceeds from the annu- al derby, averaging roughly $25,000, go back to the town, Knodel said. 22-4/100
