FRIDAY, JUNE 17, 2016
THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 7
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6.17
BMFPR
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PAGE 3
He said, in selecting
priorities, in addressing
Baker County’s NRP, that
the County would like the
NRP to inform federal
agency planning. He listed
goals, and objectives per-
tinent to the Forest Plans,
including: increasing
timber harvest on National
Forest System lands, in
order to improve forest
health, reduce wildfire risk,
and improve the economy;
maintaining, or improving
water quantity, and quality;
providing grazing per-
mittees with satisfactory
grazing land, and forage,
and ensuring that any re-
strictions for ESA species
are well-grounded in cause
and effect relationships,
between grazing, and the
species; managing ESA-
listed species, according to
the ESA statute; providing
opportunities for mineral
exploration, and recovery;
reducing the risk of dam-
age to private lands from
wildlife, by encouraging
federal agencies to provide
habitat that these species
prefer, over private lands;
and maintaining motor-
ized vehicle access for all
public lands, and roads.
During this portion of the
presentation, Montoya ex-
pressed an opinion, citing
science, about the claimed
impacts the numbers of
open roads have, on elk
security (and wildlife,
in general), and Harvey
voiced disagreement.
Montoya stated some
upcoming opportunities,
he said, to continue Baker
County and USFS cooper-
ation, and coordination: the
BMFPR team will continue
to review, and develop re-
sponses to Baker County’s
2014 formal comment
letter, and Baker County’s
2015 NRP, and other poli-
cies pertinent to the Forest
Plan; and the USFS would
like to schedule follow-up
meetings, to discuss the
results of its review, and
potential next steps for the
Forest Plan.
Upon its conclusion,
Harvey explained that he
and the other Commission-
ers would address points
made during the presenta-
tion, and attendees would
be given the chance to do
the same afterward (though
heated at times, the Com-
missioners expressed
appreciation for the USFS
representatives’ atten-
dance at the meeting, and
remained civil, explain-
ing that criticism wasn’t
necessarily directed solely
at them, considering some
issues were out of their
direct control).
Bennett was given the
floor first, and he voiced
concerns about the lack of
a flexible response to bug
infestation, and Montoya
said that, under the U.S.
Farm Bill, the USFS
is able to implement a
project, in an emergency
situation, in areas under
3,000 acres, under a CE
(categorical exclusion).
Bennett said that the
County will be monitoring
timber production versus
timber treatment, to ensure
the process is balanced,
and he asked Montoya
when a ROD is expected.
Montoya said that the Final
EIS is expected this fall,
with the ROD possibly out
next April, depending on
different factors, such as
ESA consultation. Ben-
nett said that some major
documents seemed to have
arrived to the County dur-
ing holidays often, which
he said seems suspect,
considering the short
amount of time in which
to respond during the com-
menting period, though he
emphasized that this is not
necessarily criticism of the
USFS.
Bennett also, among oth-
er concerns, spoke about
designated roadless areas,
which are basically “de
facto wilderness areas” to
him, and Montoya said that
the Plan will not address
those, because the USFS
does not have the author-
ity to adjust the boundary
lines, though there are
treatments which can be
implemented within the
areas. Montoya said that
the USFS can implement
treatment (for example,
cut some smaller diameter
trees) in the roadless areas
(options already available
to the USFS, without the
Plan), but the timber from
that treatment can’t be
sold.
Kerns said he’s concerned
about the watersheds in
general, regarding the
roadless areas near them,
not receiving treatment.
He brought up the subject
of elk, and he said that
they don’t need the amount
of space for protection that
the State implies they do,
and that more roads should
be open, giving people
more recreational opportu-
nities. Kerns said that that
recreation causes minimal
impacts.
He said that the County,
and the USFS seem to
be in agreement on what
needs to be done in order
to treat the National
Forests, but that Kerns is
concerned about funding,
and that the Plan falls short
of that treatment goal. He
said he understands that
funding is out of Mon-
toya’s control, and Mon-
toya agreed with Kerns
regarding funding issues,
but Montoya is pleased
that the State has provided
some funds, for the East
Face restoration project.
Harvey began discussing
his concerns, by stating
that the Plan would limit
the ability of the commu-
nity to hunt, fish, recreate,
etc., because of the road
restrictions, or the removal
of the roads for public
use. He noted the terms
“cooperation” and “coordi-
nation,” in Montoya’s pre-
sentation, and he said there
are differences between
the two, as he explained
them (Harvey has empha-
sized the County’s role,
as a coordinating agency,
maintaining existing rights,
and as a partner to other
agencies).
He said that there used to
be mills, and the USFS re-
alized the need to remove
timber, but with the Plan,
there is no balance, with
regard to timber produc-
tion, and timber removal.
Harvey listed some issues,
with the restrictions on
what areas are off-limits,
as far as removing timber,
which includes: areas with
slopes of 34% or more
grade; riparian areas;
study areas; and roadless
areas, resulting in a very
small percentage of the
total area, which can be
harvested. He spoke about
the devastating wildfires
last summer, which he
said can’t be the only way
timber is allowed to be re-
moved—by burning it out.
Harvey said he didn’t feel
like the USFS considered
seriously the comments
from the County, and the
policies and procedures of
the County are not a “wish
list,” but are intended to
be implemented. He said
there’s no more land left in
the County which should
be designated as a wilder-
ness area, and the County
was allowed no say on
roadless area designa-
tions (Harvey pointed
out that, contrary to what
was stated, the USFS can
build temporary roads in
wilderness areas, in order
to address issues). He said
that he didn’t understand
why the County would
only be given a 60-day
comment period, when the
whole process has taken
many years. He said that
implementation of the
timetable of the Plan isn’t
a realistic goal, and that the
USFS has to consult with
too many outside agencies,
which creates major issues
for the County, since the
focus should be local, with
coordination.
Harvey and Montoya
disagreed about whether
the USFS had been
working with the County
over the years to manage
National Forest lands, and
Harvey stressed coordi-
nation, and public input,
and he praised the Baker
County NRAC for its ef-
forts regarding the NRP,
which he said was a dif-
ficult process.
Attendees providing
comments and asking
questions included Chase,
Long, Williams, Andersen,
the Ballards, Danser, and
the Creightons.
Among some of the com-
ments made, were the fol-
lowing: Chase said, regard-
ing the negative effects
of roads on wildlife, that
he doesn’t believe there is
a connection there, as he
relayed a hunting story.
Williams said that the
USFS isn’t listening to
reason; it’s listening to
politics, and not standing
up to Congress to let the
USFS to do its job, and
the health of the Na-
tional Forests is abysmal.
Montoya said that, legally,
the USFS can’t lobby the
U.S. Congress, but that the
public can.
Ramona commented
about the need for the
USFS to allow more public
input opportunities, and to
take the public seriously,
and John praised the Com-
missioners for what they
said during the meeting,
that he’s proud of them,
and that the USFS rep-
resentatives need to start
listening to members of the
County.
Tork asked that, if the
term “designated routes”
would be removed from
the Plan, what would
replace it, and Stadler said
that the new language
would be in compliance
with the Travel Manage-
ment Rule.
City Council: Lewis resigns
This Tuesday’s City
Council marked the tenth
day on the job for new
City Manager Fred Warner,
Jr.—it also marked one of
the last meetings for Coun-
cilor Sandy Lewis who
announced she would be
resigning as of July 13.
Lara Petitclerc-Stokes,
Communications Director
for Oregon Trail Electic
Cooperative delivered a
nearly $91K capital credits
check to the City and gave
a brief update on projects.
Two representatives from
the Oregon Restaurant and
Lodging Association vis-
ited with Council, urging
City and County officials
to avoid “killing the goose
that laid the golden egg”
by raising transient lodg-
ing taxes and other fees
that affect tourism. They
stressed the importance of
this considering the influx
of new expenses on busi-
nesses such as Obamacare,
higher minimum wages
and higher statewide lodg-
ing taxes.
According to the Eastern
Oregon Visitors Asso-
ciation, tourists spend $40
million per year in Baker
County, generating $1.7
million in state and local
tax revenue.
Economic Development
Director Greg Smith said
the Employment Office
had 230 current job open-
ings, and that the pending
return of Albertsons, which
happened independently
of efforts from his office,
would bring back about 50
jobs to Baker City.
Rick Taylor, Parks and
Rec Advisory Board Chair
suggested letting groups
adopt sections of the Leo
Adler Pathway primarily
for litter pickup reasons.
Warner, Jr. announced
that the grant application to
complete the Court Plaza
project had been denied.
BHS honor roll
announced
Baker High School has announced its second-semester
honor roll. An askerisk denotes a 4.00 grade-point aver-
age.
Seniors
*Amelia Bott,*Megan Burk, *Joyce Clark, Por-
ter Cline,*River Colton,*Daniel Drake, *Madison
Elms,*Jayden Freeman, *Rachel Freeman, *Dusty
Gyllenberg,*Koby Hansen,*Taylor Hawes, *Lindsay
Livingston, *Molly McCrary, *Danielle McCauley,
*Mackenzie Patterson, *Morgan Scilacci, *Bryson
Smith,*Braden Staebler-Siewell, *Autumn Weideman,
*Hannah Wilson, Samuel Baxter, Cody Bingham, Hannah
Boruch, Lena Bowers, Stella Bowers, William Chung,
Christopher Conant, Taylor Cornelius, Raelin Davis,
Robinita Davis, Cody Denton, Isaac Farber, Adina Fast,
Melissa Foltz, Kassidy Hertel, Nathaniel Illingsworth,
Ashley Knoll, Hannah Lingo, Victoria Rasmussen, Jacob
Rilee, Hollis Robb, Rory Scilacci, Kylie Severson, Bran-
don Stairs.
Juniors
* Micah Bradford, *Josephine Bryan,*Zechariah Com-
pos,* Thomas Dunn, *Kourtney Lehman, *Jared Miller,
*Marcus Plumley, *Elizabeth Rea,*Erik Ruby, *Bryson
Thomas, *Tiahna Virgillo, Katrina Bott, Cecylee Bruce,
Boston Colton, Maggie Crabill, Logan Dyke, Jace Hays,
Gracie Huggins, Hannah Jesenko, Tyler Joseph, Shane
McCauley, Morgan Plumbtree, Ryan Schwin, Josephine
Stearns, Elizabeth VanGaasbeck, Anja Wiedler
Sophomores
*Josie Ash,*Katya Brown,*Kaylee Burk, *Emily
Carter, *Ashlie Chastain,*Kaeli Flanagan,*Kaiza Rea,
*Mason Tomac, Augustena Cook, Kyra Davis, Isabella
Evans, Madisyn Hampton, Clay Keller, Carson Lien,
Duncan Mackenzie, Kaylan Mosser, Andrew Osborn,
Cayn Osborn, Delaney Van Arsdall, Calli Ward, Michaela
Watkins.
Freshmen
*Koedi Birmingham, *Emily Black, *Reno Ham-
mond, *Abigail Hobbs, *Dylan Mastrude, *Andrea
Pettit,*Jackson Rohner, *Zachary Schwin, *Morgan
Stone,*Caden Stuart, Colton Anderson, Marisa Fuzi, Alyc
Hayes, Hannah Johnson, Eli Lien, Abigail Martin, Chania
Miller, Justin Miller, Jayme Ramos, Corrina Stadler, Grif-
fin Stone.
Man arrested on
theft charges
On Monday, the Baker County District Attorney re-
leased the following to all local media:
On June 2, 2016, Wade Jesse Foersterling (DOB:
06/15/1969) was indicted on seven counts of Theft in the
First Degree, seven counts of Criminal Mistreatment in
the First Degree and two counts of Theft in the Second
Degree. It is alleged that he committed thefts of cash
from January 1, 2011 to April 30, 2015 from a disabled
person he had a legal duty to provide care for and the
taking was not in the due and lawful execution of his
responsibilities. Mr. Foersterling is represented by Robert
Whitnah. He was arraigned on June 9. His next court date
is set for August 1.
OTEC sends four
to Wash. D.C.
Emily Faulk (Imbler), Elina Jenks (Hines), Heather
Keniry (La Grande), and Nick Springer (Prairie City)
packed their bags and set off for the 2016 Washington
D.C. Electric Cooperative Youth Tour on Friday, June 10.
All four student leaders prepared to meet with approxi-
mately 1,700 of their fellow colleagues in Washington
D.C. as part of Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative’s
(OTEC) annual educational youth conference.
Each student was competitively selected and will
represent Oregon and the Northwest as they join their
colleagues from across the United States for a one-week
trip to our nation’s capital. Over the course of the week,
OTEC’s student delegates will visit famous histori-
cal sites, engage in leadership training, meet with their
elected congressional officials, and bond with students
from co-op communities all across the country. They will
also learn about electric cooperatives and current issues
in energy and climate change legislation that face our
communities and our nation.
“This tour was initiated after Senator Lyndon B. John-
son suggested that co-op leaders send young, promis-
ing student leaders to the nation’s capital where they
could have the opportunity to see, first-hand, what the
American flag stands for and represents,” said OTEC
Manager of Communications and Governments Affairs
Lara Petitclerc-Stokes. “OTEC’s student delegates will
have a week packed full visiting historical war memori-
als, national archives, the Library of Congress and the
Smithsonian to name a few.”
“It is part of our Seven Cooperative Principles to dedi-
cate education and training to the advancement of youth
within the communities we serve,” said Petitclerc-Stokes.
“This is an invaluable opportunity for these young lead-
ers to travel and experience our nation’s capital. It is, for
many, a once-in-a-life-time event.”
If you are a high school sophomore heading into your
junior year and would like more details on the Washing-
ton D.C. Electric Cooperative Youth Tour, please visit:
www.youthtour.coop
Applications for the 2017 tour will be available begin-
ning November 2016.