10 — THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS
FRIDAY, AUGUST 21, 2015
Local
County Commissioners hear fi e NRAC heated
updates, more during session
BY TODD ARRIOLA
Todd@TheBakerCountyPress.comm
BY TODD ARRIOLA
Todd@TheBakerCountyPress.com
Updates for the Cornet/
Windy Ridge and El Do-
rado fires, primarily from
Steve Berube, Information
Officer for the Southwest
Area Incident Management
Team, were the main focus
at Wednesday’s County
Commission session, held
at the Baker County Court-
house, at 9 a.m.
Present from the Baker
County Board of Com-
missioners were Chair Bill
Harvey, Commissioners
Mark Bennett and Tim
Kerns, and Executive As-
sistant Heidi Martin.
Attendance included
Jason Yencopal and Gary
Timm of Baker County
Emergency Management,
Baker County Sheriff
Travis Ash, Baker County
Planning Director Holly
Kerns, Baker County legal
counsel Dan Van Thiel,
John and Ramona Creigh-
ton, Eric Wunz, Ed Hardt,
Art Sappington, Bobbie
Danser, Cynthia Long,
Tork and Wanda Ballard,
Ken Anderson, Fred Kelly
Grant, Alice Knapp, Julie
Hicks, and James Barclay.
The Pledge of Allegiance
was recited, along with a
special Invocation led by
Harvey, to include those
affected by area wildfires,
and those involved with
firefighting forts.
A change to the agenda
was noted by Harvey, the
postponement of a Justice
Court update, until the next
Commission session. The
agenda was adopted, with a
motion from Bennett, and
a second from Kerns.
During the citizen par-
ticipation segment of the
session, Sappington took
the floor first, menti -
ing a guest editorial from
The Bend Bulletin, printed
in the Friday, August 14,
2015 issue of the Baker
City Herald, regarding
the U.S. Forest Service,
firefighting costs, and th
Wildfire Disaster Funding
Act. He noted issues with
passing more legislation,
emphasizing that, “We
have all the laws that are
necessary to correct the
problem. It’s just as well
with the Forest Service,
and that has to be pursued,
hopefully, through our (the
County’s) coordination
program.”
Harvey responded,
“We’re working on it.”
Anderson said, “I
believe a real problem
occurred last evening
with our NRAC (Natu-
ral Resources Advisory
Committee) meeting, in
which we allowed an ex-
Forest Service employee to
convince the group that the
Forest Service jurisdiction
continue operating without
regard to the law and
decisions of the Supreme
Court, should continue. I
think this has been a major
problem, making negotiat-
ing more difficult.”
Harvey responded that
the County’s Natural
Resources Plan (NRP)
addresses that, and that the
County and any coordinat-
ing agencies are expected
to operate lawfully.
Berube gave the Board
and attendees an update
on area fires, while using
a map he displayed. He
also provided copies of
a smaller, Cornet/Windy
Ridge Fire Area map to
those present. Burebb
began with the El Dorado
fire, in the Unity area, and
Todd Arriola / The Baker County Press
Steve Berube, Information Officer for the Southwest Area Incident Management
Team, shows the perimeter maps for the Cornet/Windy Ridge and Eldorado
Fires.
explained the difference
between the noticeable
black and red fire lines. He
said, “They’re the outer pe-
rimeter of the fire. When
we turn a line black, what
we mean is that we are
very significantly confiden
that fire will not cross that
line any longer.” He noted
that the Cornet/Windy
Ridge fire displayed a m -
jority of black, with 45%
containment (as of this
writing). He also noted the
El Dorado fire was at 35%
containment (again, as of
this writing).
Bennett interjected that
local ranchers and oth-
ers with two bulldozers
reached, among other
places, Ironside Mountain,
able to lend firefightin
support, producing about
eight miles of fire line in
total, and saving a sig-
nificant amount of private
ground. He praised com-
munity members for those
efforts (he was also part of
the firefighting support)
and understood that re-
sources, (even nationwide),
are stretched thin.
Burebb said higher tem-
peratures are expected, and
conditions will become
drier, within the next few
days this week, along with
increased wind speeds,
but there are “very strong
lines” around Cornet/
Windy Ridge, with mop up
work being completed, and
El Dorado is also currently
in the containment phase.
Timm explained that,
while most effort was
spent on Cornet/Windy
Ridge, “We’ve always kept
an eye on Eagle Creek.”
He said that homes in that
area have been prepared
and plumbed, in order
to protect them against
wildfire, and that work is
about 98% complete. He
said the fire crews called
in have done a great job,
and that a large amount
of aerial resources have
helped to keep fire activity
in the Bradley Canyon area
in check.
Timm emphasized
how quickly crews were
deployed with one phone
call, in order to prepare
and plumb houses in the
Stices Gulch area, and he
praised the different local
departments and commu-
nity members also for their
efforts.
Burebe said, “Resources
are difficult to come b .”
He said, nationally, every
available resource is being
deployed. Locally, he said
eight helicopters are being
used--seven for firefig -
ing, and one for medical
emergencies. He noted the
difficult terrain in the E -
gle Creek area, and placing
personnel in harm’s way,
and said, “Our number
one priority is public and
firefighter safe .”
Bennett talked about
the “unsung heroes” in
the firefighting fort,
including local volunteer
firefighters, County depa -
ment personnel, including
the Road Department,
Sheriff’s Office, and Parole
and Probation, the “whole
County team,” he said.
He also said that, while
the wildfires initiated
on public land, a large
amount of private land was
also damaged, and that it
needs to be emphasized to
government officials that
restoration work needs to
include both. Harvey said
he’s met with some of-
ficials, and this process has
been started already.
Ash and Yencopal also
talked to those present
about the fire situations.
Ash explained there are
so many people to thank
for their efforts, and the
Sheriff’s Office s goal was,
and is, to get people out
of harm’s way safely. He
said that coordination and
communication worked
well, and he appreciated
that local media limited
contact via telephone, etc.,
allowing his department
personnel to complete
more work.
Yencopal talked about
the efforts to release
information to the public
concerning evacuation
levels, etc., and he men-
tioned Code Red, a Baker
County Consolidated
Dispatch emergency tele-
phone notification system,
information for which
can be found at www.
baker911.org. He said,
“If you haven’t signed up,
sign up, please. I’m going
to plug that, plug that, and
plug that, because we still
get calls about it, ‘How can
I sign up?’ We can use this
for multiple things. Typi-
cally, wildfires is where it s
used, but we can give you
information of what’s com-
ing up, etc.”
Order No. 2015-140,
Appointing A Member To
The Baker County Mu-
seum Commission, was
approved, with a motion
from Bennett, and a second
from Kerns. Jane Bunker
was appointed, her term
set to expire on January 1,
2019.
Order No. 2015-141,
Appointing Members
To The Eastern Oregon
Coordinated Care (E)CC)
Local Community Advi-
sory Council (LCAC), was
approved, with a motion
from Bennett, and a second
from Kerns. Michelle Dix
(her term set to expire on
February 1, 2018), Jennifer
Graffunder, David Saxey,
Shari Selander (their terms
set to expire on February
1, 2017), Lisa Ladendorff,
and Robin Nudd (their
terms set to expire on
February 1, 2016) were
appointed.
The Baker County Parole
and Probation Clerk Clas-
sification, at Range 8 on
the Baker County Law
Enforcement Association
(BCLEA) wage table, was
approved, with a motion
from Bennett, and a second
from Kerns.
Ordinance No. 2015-05,
Amending The Zoning
Map And Comprehensive
Plan Map Adopted By Or-
dinance 84-1, was adopted,
read by title only for the
second time, with a motion
from Bennett, and a second
from Kerns.
A Title III public hearing
with Timm was scheduled,
but postponed until the
first, regular session in
September, with a motion
from Bennett, and a second
from Kerns.
Bennett noted that some
private landowners con-
tacted him concerning the
area wildfires situation and
upcoming hunting seasons,
and said they asked the
Board contact the Gover-
nor in order to request the
seasons be temporarily
postponed, due to safety
concerns, etc. After some
discussion, a motion was
made by Bennett, with
a second from Kerns, to
contact Governor Brown in
order to attempt to tempo-
rarily postpone upcoming
hunting seasons in Baker
County, due to wildfire a -
tivity. The motion carried.
Bruland gave the
Board an overview of the
County’s 42-page Natural
Resource Plan or NRP (in
draft form currently), and
of the process the NRAC
and Travel Management
Committee went through
with revisions, etc. Harvey
thanked Bruland, and
said that the NRP is the
first step in coordinating
with federal agencies.
The NRP, in draft form
(expected to be finalized
and adopted at a later
date), was approved, with a
motion from Harvey, and a
second from Kerns.
The Board entered into
Executive Session, per
ORS 192.660 (2)(h), in
order to discuss with Van
Thiel the Baker County/
McCarty case.
Moments of tense discussion and debate, coupled with
the presence of attorney Fred Kelly Grant, formed the
highlights of the Baker County Natural Resource Advi-
sory Committee’s (NRAC) two-and-a-half hour monthly
meeting Tuesday afternoon, the purpose of which was to
revise and recommend to the Commissioners for approv-
al on Wednesday the county’s 42-page Natural Resources
Plan (NRP), which did happen.
County Commission Chair Bill Harvey was pres-
ent, joined by NRAC Chair Doni Bruland, newly hired
NRAC Coordinator Eric Wunz, and NRAC members
Ken Anderson, Chuck Chase, George Keister, Craig
Ward, Jan Kerns, Cynthia Long, Jan Alexander, Alice
Knapp, Eileen Gyllenberg, Jake Bingham, Dick Fleming,
Kody Justus, Lyle Defrees and Arvid Andersen.
Attendance included Craig Bruland, Wanda Ballard, Ed
Hardt, John and Ramona Creighton, and Alec Mendoza.
Bruland handed out draft copies of the NRP to mem-
bers, and asked for corrections to the first section, titled
Purpose & Need. Alexander asked, “We’re going to
coordinate with the State?” in response to wording in the
section about coordination with federal and state agen-
cies. Harvey responded with yes, when possible to do so.
Bruland said, “I did not change Land Use,” which is
the next section in the NRP. Alexander noted that some
language needed to be changed in the Purpose & Need
section, from “should” to “shall.”
Justus asked about changing language in the Land Use
section from “Land Ownership” to something else, and
Bruland corrected it with the term “Land Management.”
This process continued, usually involving revisions with
language, and other details, some minor, some not. The
Introduction component of the NRP includes Purpose &
Need, Land Use, and Custom & Culture. The Natural
Resource Policies component of the NRP includes the
sections Economy, Access, Agriculture, Energy, Forestry,
Mining, Recreation and Tourism, Special Sites, Threat-
ened and Endangered Species, Watershed, Weeds, and
Wildfire
Alexander and Kerns pointed out issues with the County
having such an emphasis on its role with coordination,
rather than including the possibility of cooperating status
with government agencies, and Harvey said, “We can’t
have a foot on both sides of the fence. The law dictates
that we are allowed to coordinate with all the agencies.
That’s the law. I find no law that says you cooperate with
the agencies. There are suggestions of it, yes, but there’s
no law that backs up cooperating.”
Kerns pointed out the placement of the topic Economy,
which is the first topic under Natural Resource Policies
in the NRP, and Harvey said, “Most of the time, our
economy’s always been put at the end of the thinking.
That’s where the problem’s been, so it’s last, as an after-
thought, and we really want to emphasize that we matter,
too. This economy is what’s keeping us going, and helps
us to take care of our natural resources.”
Bruland said that Energy is a newly included section,
and in response to Long’s question about alternative
energy, Harvey said, “If it does not benefit Baker County
directly, we do not want it. And, honestly, none of these
energy sources in eastern Oregon are benefiting Baker
County.” He mentioned an example, the Boardman to
Hemingway Transmission Line project.
The Energy section states in its last paragraph: “Except
for geothermal development, there will be no develop-
ment of any alternative energy sources on forestland.
This is due to the site disturbance and road building for
most types of energy projects.”
Anderson mentioned a concern of his in the Mining
section, pointing out the limited jurisdiction of the U.S.
Forest Service on public land, in regard to mining claims,
and that language shouldn’t suggest otherwise. Referenc-
ing a paragraph in the section, a paragraph he suggested
be removed, he said, “This tacitly recognizes the Forest
Service’s authority to manage (mining) Plans of Opera-
tion, and so forth, and, by law, they really don’t have the
jurisdiction for this.”
This sparked a heated argument between Anderson and
Alexander, and Alexander replied, “Ken, you have a Plan
of Operation, and a bond with the Forest Service. What
are you talking about? Let’s just drop it, okay? We can
discuss this some other time, and not take this (the para-
graph) out of the Minerals (Mining) section.”
Anderson and Alexander continued to argue their
points, and others joined the discussion with questions
and comments, with Harvey calming an excited Alexan-
der and then asking Grant to comment.
Grant, lead attorney on the Stand & Fight Club project,
and experienced in keeping the federal government in
check, said, “Unless you have thoroughly gone through
this, this is the issue for the next two years, with the
Obama administration…Unless you’ve gone through this
section, for example, on the next page, where you talk
about administrative withdrawals, frankly, I think you
need to be much stronger on that. I don’t think that you
ought to ever recognize that there’s a right to administra-
tively withdraw these things.”
Grant was referencing a paragraph in the Mining
section, which reads: “Recommendations by federal man-
agement agencies for withdrawals of federal land from
mineral exploration and development shall only occur in
coordination with Baker County.”
“I really would urge you—it’s not my place, I guess—
to take this (paragraph) out for right now, and reconsider
it, in view of what’s going to come down in the next
week from D.C., because, you want this to be as strong
as you can make it.” Grant suggested some wording
changes also.
Alexander interjected that the previous page’s para-
graph’s intent is correct.
SEE NRAC PAGE 11