FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2015
THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 5
Local
Transfer of public lands
9/11 vigil
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Jordan Noyes from
U.S. Representative Greg
Walden’s La Grande office
attended, as did Baker
County Commissioners
Bill Harvey and Mark
Bennett. Several members
of the County’s Natural
Resource Advisory Com-
mittee, or NRAC, also
attended, including Chair
Doni Bruland.
The remainder of the
audience was composed of
miners, ranchers, business
owners, Oath Keepers and
citizens spanning Baker,
Union and Umatilla Coun-
ties.
Ivory’s Baker City semi-
nar last year focused nearly
exclusively on civics and
Constitutional Law—and
how those lessons support
the concept of the transfer
of public lands back to the
states.
The seminar was again
free to the public due to a
sponsorship by the Baker
County Republicans
This year’s workshop
began a little differently,
focusing on the effects and
causes of the recent wild-
fires that have devastated
much of Baker County,
and continuing on to the
Constitutional law lessons
after lunch.
“This didn’t have to hap-
pen,” began Ivory, refer-
ring to the recent wildfires
Ivory pointed out the
irony of the big feel-good
print story in western
Oregon while covering
eastern Oregon fires being,
“They saved a rabbit.”
He pointed to all the
thousands of other animals
that were killed. “They’re
burying them as fast as
they can so people don’t
see this,” he said. For
example, a herd of elk was
killed in the Cornet/Windy
Ridge Fire, 30-47 animals
depending on the govern-
ment source, and nearly
immediately buried.
Ivory quoted Harry Tru-
man: “We don’t propose,
like some people, to meet
today’s problems by saying
that they don’t exist, and
tomorrow’s problems by
wishing that tomorrow
wouldn’t come.”
He stated that the found-
ing fathers had set up the
U.S. Constitution to pro-
mote “good government”
and that now, like then, is
a political opportunity for
change.
“When you look at man-
aged lands versus unman-
aged (federal) lands side
by side, one side is burned
to a crisp and the other
isn’t even touched.”
Ivory said a number
of events have occurred,
moving toward the transfer
of public lands. Utah State
did an extensive economic
analysis, he said, and
decided, “The State could
afford to manage its own
land.”
Several East Coast states
such as South Carolina,
Georgia, New Hampshire
and Tennessee have passed
Transfer of Public Lands
resolutions. Most states
east of Colorado have
taken back management of
public lands, and consider
it an unfair tax burden on
their states to keep sup-
porting Federal manage-
ment of lands in the West.
Canada has also success-
fully completed decentral-
izing its own public lands
managment, returning that
stewardship to its prov-
inces.
“Killing thousands of
animals, destroying our
watersheds, destroying
Justus spoke about the effects the terrorist attacks had
caused, and the personal effects on him. He went on to
say that the attack had caused him to realize, “We must
work together. As we have just seen in our communities
with the fires, we can t all be responders, but we can all
find a place where we can contribute to the fight. The
struggle is real, and we have to go at it together.”
Following Justus’ words, different attendees spoke of
what they were doing on 9/11, and the impact the day
made on their lives.
Stirring patriotic music played throughout the cer-
emony.
Flameless candles and glow sticks were handed to par-
ticipants to hold in remembrance of all the lives lost.
Harvey then took a place in front of the crowd and in-
vited the crowd to pray with him. He had the firefighter
stand on either side while he spoke about all first respon -
ers. He pointed out that the uniformed crews are “our
heroes today. They are the ones running in to the burning
buildings while everyone else runs out.”
Harvey thanked the Baker City crew, and then invited
the attendees to step forward and shake their hands.
A line formed, and each participant shook each fire
fighte ’s hand and thanked them for their dedication.
When asked what had brought them to the observance,
attendees had a similar refrain:
“So that those who died are not forgotten,” said Sierra
Smithart, as she stood with her baby on her hip.
“I wanted to show respect,” said her partner, Josh
Kepner.
Ramona Creighton said, “9/11 was the first time I had
ever felt afraid in my own country” and husband John
Creighton said, “I want to show they are not forgotten.”
Suzy Dyke, who works at the hospital, remembered
the day clearly. “I was at work and we had patients on the
floo , so I was trying to keep an eye on what was happen-
ing. You can’t stop surgeries to watch the screen, but we
all wanted to.”
Carol Dyke, explained why she had felt driven to
organize the event. “It was Benghazi,” she said. “I was
incensed and so angry. I felt I had to do something.”
That first “something” was making posters and walking
up and down Campbell Street carrying them.
“I didn’t care if people thought I was crazy!” she ex-
plained. “Pretty soon many of my friends joined me, and
we carried the posters together.”
The second year was a more formal event, and 2015’s
included the Fire Department much like the 2014 event.
“I had invited the other first responders, too,” said
Dyke, “but it’s a Friday, and there’s a football game at the
High School, so law enforcement couldn’t come.”
When the memorial was finished, the fire crew lowere
the flag and then respectfully folded it
Next year’s observance is in the planning stages. Dyke
said she would like to use Geiser-Pollman Park, and
“hang the flag from the fire truck above the new pav -
ion.”
Kerry McQuisten / The Baker County Press
The banquet room at the Sunridge was filled with participants who attended the
full-day seminar.
our air quality—this is not
what most sane people
would call environmental-
ism.”
Kate Grace from Half-
way had just returned
from Montana and South
Dakota and said that the
smoke from the fires in
Oregon was so thick she
couldn’t see the towns in
front of her from the road.
Ivory said Salt Lake City
residents were experienc-
ing similar air pollution
situations from the Oregon
fires
Several attendees from
around the room gave sto-
ries of their experiences.
“I never knew I was this
sentimental,” said Ben-
nett, who regularly travels
Dooley Mountain. Most of
Dooley burned last month.
Bennett continued, “It will
never be there again by the
time our kids, grandkids—
We could lose highway
245 to erosion. It’s a
tearjerker. I used to see
bears, wildflowers, turkeys,
and now all that isn’t going
to be there anymore. My
wife and I believe we have
responsibility for steward-
ship of the land. God has
challenged us to be good
stewards—and now it’s all
gone.”
Ivory asked Bennett if he
had a magic wand, what
would he do to fix the sit -
ation.
Bennett spoke to 300
acres of beetle kill on
USFS-managed lands,
which because of national
policy, local employees
have no power to treat. The
beetle kill area threatens
the Burnt River watershed
and Bennett says after at
least eight years, it will
take another two at least
before he expects action.
He said he’s invited
the Oregon Watershed
Enhancement Board and
the Nature Conservancy to
come see in person how to
see how west-side and fed-
eral policies are affecting
eastern Oregon, how the
City of Unity has dwindled
from 250 to 71 people due
to a dead forest economy.
Ivory said, “All over the
west, county commis-
sioners are saying their
number-one export is their
children.”
He added, “Excess timber
is either carried out or
burned out.”
He posed questions to the
attendees, asking why the
current land management
system wasn’t working and
why someone in western
Oregon should care.
Annette Bates spoke
up and said, “It’s lack of
education and misinforma-
tion. They just don’t know.
They hear Bo Derrick and
Mariah Carey and what’s
what they look at—we get
our own spokesmen.”
Cal Foster, who helped
found the Greater Bowen
Valley Rural Fire Depart-
ment, lost 2,000 acres in
the Trail Creek area. Foster
believes the lack of educa-
tion is on purpose because
those on the opposite side
of the state simply don’t
care.
Other tables repeatedly
pointed out the problem
with the heavy ground fuel
load resulting from lack of
management and appropri-
ate logging.
Still more in the room
posed other theories. One
gentlemen said, “Some
people want to see it burn.
It’s from Agenda 21, which
includes the elimination of
rural living. They want to
make us dependent upon
the government for all
things.”
Others pointed out that
USFS policies are not law,
and that citizens should
stop accepting them as
such.
Another common
sentiment was that the
Environmental Protection
Agency was completely
out of control, as are the
environmental groups that
keep filing suits, using the
strategy “sue to accrue,”
garnering more funds to
thereby further control
federal policies.
“Every system is perfect-
ly designed to achieve the
results that it gets,” quoted
Ivory from W. Edwards
Deming.
At present, fifty-percent
of the State of Oregon’s
funding comes from
Federal dollars. “The fed-
eral government is in bad
shape,” Ivory said. “What
is your backup plan? If you
got fifty-percent of your
revenue from one customer
who is broke, what would
you do?”
Rep. Barreto said, “Hav-
ing all your eggs in one
basket is not good.”
From audience thoughts,
Ivory moved into video
from Princeton University
Professor Robert George,
who instructs in the area
of jurisprudence. George
went over the purposes
of the Bill of Rights, and
spent some time speaking
to the importance of the
10th Amendment, detailing
rights reserved to states.
Ivory also reiterated
some of the general prem-
ises as during the year
prior.
“Rights we don’t know
are no better than rights we
don’t have,” he said.
Delving deeper into
Constitutional law, Ivory
believes that the Federal
government has stopped
honoring the terms of the
states’ original enabling
acts—the agreements
under which statehoods
were formed, and which
have since been declared
“solemn compacts” by the
U.S. Supreme Court.
At one point in time,
the majority of U.S. states
situated east of Colorado
were up to 90% federally
controlled. However, those
states exercised their rights
as states, and reclaimed
their lands and jurisdiction.
Why, he asked, hasn’t this
same situation been done
for the western states?
“Rights we don’t exercise
are the same as rights we
don’t have,” he stressed.
Ivory pointed to middle
school civics lessons that
no longer show the U.S. as
a compound republic with
states and their internal
separation of powers on
one side of the scale to
balance out the federal
government and its separa-
tion of powers on the other.
He said most Americans
are only aware of the three
branches of federal govern-
ment, and stop there.
“You’re assuming the
federal government wants
to play by the rules,” one
attendee called out.
“In our system, we are
the boss,” Ivory said.
He went on. “The states
have more rights. The fed-
eral government only has
the rights that are listed—
enumerated rights.”
“But how do we overturn
the Supreme Court,” asked
another man, “if they come
back and say no. Through
litigation?”
Ivory cited several Su-
preme Court decisions that
summed up the sentiment
from the Justices that if a
State asks, “Mother may
I?” then that state doesn’t
grasp the concept of its
own sovereignty.
“The independent power
of the states serves as
a check on the Federal
government. It’s a healthy
tension. This tension is
required for balance, to
protect individual free-
doms,” he said.
“I feel so responsible to
my kids that seeing that vi-
sion of what’s coming—”
Ivory paused. “We have a
choice to make.”
Ivory also quoted Presi-
dent John Quincy Adams.
“Duty is ours. The results
are God’s.”
The following morn-
ing, Holloway and Ivory
embarked on a tour of
the Cornet/Windy Ridge
Fire aftermath along with
NRAC member Kody
Justus and his family,
and forestry expert Arvid
Andersen.
The group stopped at
various locations across
Dooley Mountain, before
meeting for a private
brunch in Bridgeport and
then returning to Baker
City to begin the return
trek to the Boise Airport.
More information is
available at www.american
landscouncil.org.
Jeff Kleck
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He said, “To continue to become more valuable because
if I become more valuable as a painter and my paint-
ing become more valuable then what you have in your
house becomes more valued. The other thing is that as
I’ve looked into how to sell paintings more people by the
painter than the painting meaning it’s the story behind the
painter, it’s the person quite often that they buy.”
He continued, “Some people like to start with some of
the early stuff because it may not be as polished as some
of the later stuff but again we go back to it tells a story
and if ever it were the case there was an antique road
show and for some reason somebody brought a painting
and for some reason I’d done my job and been recognized
and the great-great grandkids had a first and middle piece
then it tells a tale and increases the value. When I think
about painting now that is what I think about. Then along
the way you can’t do it without just loving it.”
Kleck said, “I’ve learned more and more that even if I
make mistakes, I can correct them for the most part and
that my wife tells me that it is not my job to judge what
people might like in my art, it’s my job to paint. I might
paint something that somebody loves so who am I to
judge.”
Barbara added, “Some of my favorite stuff he throws in
the garbage. I’ll go to work, I’m a flight attendant, saying
‘oh I love that painting’ and come home three or four
days later and find it is gone and he’ll say ‘oh, threw it
away.’” It is frustrating for her Kleck acknowledges. The
Klecks currently live in Gilbert, Arizona where Jeff is a
principal for a charter school Called Arizona Agribusiness
and Equine Center that specializes in Agriculture “Plus
we have early college components where all of our stu-
dents are not only high school student but also enrolled in
a community college we are associated with by grade 9.”
Kleck says he loves coming back to Baker County
“Baker people are just great people. We would love to
come back to Oregon, don’t know if we are in a spot
where we could but we have thought about getting a sec-
ond home either here in Baker or the coast, we’ve looked
at few places. We’d love to if it worked out, that’d be
great.” Kleck would like to continue to grow as an artist
and, “Expand that commitment to people who buy my art
and to continue to be better. Maybe enter stuff in comple-
tions, maybe win some. I hope to be able to have gallery
stuff someday.”
For now you can find some of Kleck s work at the
Baker City Saddle Shop or on his Facebook page J Kleck
Studios.