OFF PAGE ONE
STANDOFF: Tribe has guaranteed access to the refuge
Page 8A
East Oregonian
Continued from 1A
Saturday at the nature
preserve in eastern Oregon’s
high desert country. Authori-
ties have made no attempt to
remove them.
At a community meeting
attended
by
hundreds
of people in Burns on
Wednesday evening, cheers
erupted
when
Harney
County Sheriff David Ward
said it was time for the group
at the refuge to “pick up and
go home.”
“We can work through it
like adults, peacefully, with a
united front,” Ward said.
The standoff in rural
Oregon is a continuation of
a long-running dispute over
federal policies covering
the use of public lands,
including grazing. The
federal government controls
about half of all land in the
West. For example, it owns
53 percent of Oregon, 85
percent of Nevada and 66
percent of Utah, according to
the Congressional Research
Service.
The Bundy family is
their presence at refuge.
Jarvis Kennedy, a tribal
council member, said: “We
don’t need these guys here.
They need to go home and
get out of here.”
Randy Eardley, a Bureau
of
Land
Management
spokesman, said Bundy’s
call for control of the land
to be transferred makes no
sense.
“It is frustrating when
I hear the demand that we
AP Photo/Rick Bowmer
return the land to the people,
Residents raise their hands as Harney County Sheriff because it is in the people’s
David Ward addresses their concerns at a community hand — the people own it,”
meeting at the Harney County fairgrounds Wednesday Eardley said. “Everybody in
in Burns.
the United States owns that
among many people in the
Among those groups are land. ... We manage it the
best we can for its owners,
:HVWZKRFRQWHQGORFDORI¿- Native Americans.
cials could do a better job of
The Burns Paiute tribe the people, and whether it’s
managing public lands than has guaranteed access to the for recreating, for grazing,
the federal government.
refuge for activities that are for energy and mineral devel-
“It is our goal to get the important to their culture, opment.”
Bundy’s group, calling
logger back to logging, the including gathering a plant
rancher back to ranching,” used for making traditional itself Citizens for Constitu-
Ammon Bundy said Tuesday. baskets and seeds that are tional Freedom, says it wants
The argument is rejected used for making bread. The an inquiry into whether
by those who say the WULEH DOVR KXQWV DQG ¿VKHV the government is forcing
ranchers off their land after
U.S. government is better there.
equipped to manage public
Rodrique said the armed Dwight Hammond and his
lands for all those who want occupiers are “desecrating son, Steven, reported back to
to make use of them.
one of our sacred sites” with prison Monday.
STOVES: 8QFHUWL¿HGVWRYHVSURGXFHWLPHVDVPXFKSROOXWLRQDVFHUWL¿HG
program’s launch in 1991
until 2007, but wood smoke
of the program. An inven- still causes respiratory
tory back in the mid-’90s distress when the air is cold
revealed that approximately and stagnant. Commission
XQFHUWL¿HG VWRYHV member Robert Maranville
existed within Pendleton’s is a respiratory therapist
urban growth boundary.
at St. Anthony Hospital.
“We think there are at During a recent inversion, he
least 400 stoves left out treated a stream of people for
there,” Klaus said.
breathing issues.
The uncertainty comes
“We had some bad air
because not everyone who quality days and I was
JRWULGRIDQLQHI¿FLHQWVWRYH extraordinarily busy over
applied for a no-interest loan. the weekend,” Maranville
Oregon regulation requires said. “The ER was busy with
removal and destruction of multiple patients having
XQFHUWL¿HG VWRYHV DQG ¿UH- breathing problems.”
place inserts before a home
Those who aren’t sure
can be bought or sold. Some whether their stoves meet
of those sellers didn’t access emission standards can look
the program.
for a sticker on their stove
DeBolt said wood smoke emblazoned with the name
FRQWDLQV ¿QH SDUWLFXODWHV of either the Environmental
that can get into people’s Protection Agency or the
respiratory systems and Oregon Department of Envi-
aggravate lung diseases ronmental Quality.
such as asthma and trigger
To nail down just how
lung infections. Children, many stoves remain in
teenagers, older adults and Pendleton, the city recently
people with chronic lung launched a survey on its
and heart disease are most website. Residents of Pend-
vulnerable.
leton and the surrounding
Hoehna produced a graph DUHD DUH HQFRXUDJHG WR ¿OO
that shows particulate matter out a short questionnaire.
steadily decreasing since the The answers will give the
Continued from 1A
commission an idea of how
many stoves remain within
city limits or lurk just outside
town. The commission
welcomes responses for
people outside the growth
boundary because the city is
considering geographically
expanding the program.
Each stove removed is a
victory, said Oregon DEQ
Air Quality Specialist Larry
Calkins, who is based in
Pendleton and advises the
commission.
³(DFK XQFHUWL¿HG VWRYH
that comes out of a home will
EHQH¿W DLU TXDOLW\´ &DONLQV
said. “On poor ventilation
days, smoke in the air stays
right at the ground’s surface
where people breathe.”
$Q XQFHUWL¿HG VWRYH
produces 11 times as much
SROOXWLRQDVDFHUWL¿HGVWRYH
he said. Calkins applauded
the city for offering the loans.
“Pendleton is pretty
unique in Oregon,” he said.
“I’ve been trying to push
Pendleton’s program to other
areas of the state.”
The city council approved
$20,000 for this year’s
SURJUDP ² WKDW¶V ¿YH
possible replacements.
Here’s the way the
program works: Go to the
city’s building department
and apply. Select a replace-
ment heating system from a
city-approved list. Select a
contractor. Meet all permit
and inspection requirements.
3URYLGHUHFHLSWVDQGDFHUWL¿-
cate from Pendleton Sanitary
Service that the stove was
disposed of properly.
The to-do list sounds
grueling, but is fairly simple,
said Hoehna. The contractor
generally hauls away the old
stove and secures the certif-
icate. Pendleton Sanitary
Service recycles the metal.
Maranville encouraged
those don’t think their stove
doesn’t make that much
difference in air quality.
“You might think it’s just
one little stove,” he said,
“but when everybody does
it, it has a big effect.”
To take the city’s Wood
Stove Utilization Survey, go
to www.pendleton.or.us and
look for the survey under
News & Announcements.
———
Contact Kathy Aney at
kaney@eastoregonian.com
or call 541-966-0810.
DEPOT: Environmental study of land nearing public comment phase
GH¿QLWLRQV IRU GHHGV LV ³
percent done.” But the water
though, he could not say. The requires what he dubbed “an
Army makes sure to cross Oregon solution.”
every “t,” Smith said, and
The military wanted the
he works to answer all the Oregon National Guard on
questions or concerns the the site to have 80 percent
feds have.
of the water rights, Smith
The land is at the inter- said, and the Columbia
sections of Interstate 84, Development
Authority
Interstate 82 and the Union would have the remaining 20
3DFL¿F 5DLOURDG 6PLWK VDLG percent. Smith said without
the location is prime for water there will not be much
industrial development. The developing.
authority wants the land
Rather than haggle with
clean, free of charge and with Washington, he said he asked
an adequate water supply.
the National Guard about the
The environmental study water, and the guard would
of the land is nearing the be good with 20 percent.
public comment phase, he Smith said he has a meeting
said, and a surveying for legal next week with the Guard to
Continued from 1A
hash out water distribution.
The basic layout would
provide the Guard with 20
percent, the CDA with 80
percent and an agreement to
provide more to the Guard if
needed.
Smith said when the land
comes under local control he
would have more freedom to
ramp up recruiting businesses
to the site. The interest, he
said, is there.
“I’ve had several real
leads, very legitimate leads,
some of these are Fortune
500 companies,” he said.
“Others are alternative
energy companies, primarily
in the solar sector.”
Some prominent local
KITZHABER: Donations were unusual in their size, concentration
co-founder Phil Knight and
its CEO Mark Parker, as well
the means at my disposal to as four members of the UO
GHOLYHU WKH ¿QDQFLDO VXSSRUW Board of Trustees.
needed for the champion-
The donations came at
ships” in a video message he a busy time in Kitzhaber’s
sent — along with then-Sec- 2014 re-election bid: Other
retary of State Kate Brown money was pouring in as
— with TrackTown’s team to the
November
election
the International Association approached. But the donations
of Athletics Federations bid were unusual in their size and
meeting in Monaco in late concentration, and because
November.
many of the donors had not
)RU WKH ¿UVW WLPH LQ WKDW given to Kitzhaber in at least
video, Kitzhaber endorsed a the past decade for which
VSHFL¿FDPRXQWWKHIXOO Oregon keeps disclosures
million. Getting the governor online.
to publicly state the $40
Knight, who donated
million was a priority for $250,000, had not personally
TrackTown, Porter’s emails given to Kitzhaber in that
show.
time. A registered Republican,
What happened between he backed Kitzhaber’s GOP
Kitzhaber’s initial resistance opponent, Chris Dudley, in
and his endorsement? His 2010 with $400,000. Parker’s
campaign
coffers
were GRQDWLRQZDVKLV¿UVW
swamped with donations to a state politician. Nike’s
from people who want the $65,000 to Kitzhaber during
track world championships those 42 days dwarfed the
held at the UO’s Hayward $22,500 it gave to him during
Field.
the entire 2010 election cycle.
The emails show that
Among the UO trustees,
Kitzhaber’s apparent reversal Chuck Lillis, the board
coincided
with
almost chairman and an infrequent
$400,000 in campaign contri- political donor, gave $10,000
butions he received during a to Kitzhaber. He and his
42-day period in September wife contributed $1,000 to
and October 2014 from Kitzhaber in 2010. Connie
athletic apparel giant Nike, its %DOOPHUJDYHKHU¿UVW
Continued from 1A
political donation in Oregon.
Allyn Ford gave $5,000 and
Joe Gonyea III gave $2,500,
though both trustees are
much more frequent political
donors.
The donations came at a
crucial time for Kitzhaber.
Polling showed that he had a
big lead over his GOP chal-
lenger, Dennis Richardson,
when the donations started,
but his campaign was rocked
in early October by allegations
of ethics violations related
WRKLV¿DQFHH&\OYLD+D\HV
which ultimately led to his
February 2015 resignation.
In recent weeks, Track-
Town and Lananna have
found themselves defending
the IAAF’s April 2015
decision to award the 2021
championships to Eugene
without a formal bidding
process, after the IAAF
awarded the 2019 event to
Doha. French police are
investigating alleged bribery
in the IAAF, and the Eugene
award itself. The revelation
that Sebastian Coe, the new
IAAF president, had been for
years receiving undisclosed
annual payments of $150,000
IURP1LNHDSRWHQWLDOFRQÀLFW
of interest, have sent shock-
waves through the sport.
businesses
also
have
expressed interest in moving
or setting up new operations
on the depot lands.
And Smith said he sees
a way the development
authority could help schools
DQG QRQSUR¿WV 7KH GHSRW
EXLOGLQJV DUH ¿OOHG ZLWK
TXDOLW\ RI¿FH IXUQLWXUH WKH
Army left behind.
“Literally,
they
just
walked away from it,” he
said. “There’s like 300 desks
out there, brand new.”
Once the CDA is in
charge, he said, he would like
WR ¿QG D ZD\ WR KDYH ORFDO
VFKRROVDQGVRPHQRQSUR¿WV
EHQH¿WIURPWKHIXUQLWXUHDQG
equipment.
Thursday, January 7, 2016
Whose land is it?
What do outdoor
enthusiasts say?
The open spaces of the
BOISE, Idaho — An West have miles of streams
armed group occupying the WR¿VKWUDLOVWRKLNHPRXQ-
headquarters of a national tains to climb and areas to
wildlife refuge in Oregon traverse on snowmobiles.
recreationists’
wants the federal govern- Among
ment to relinquish about biggest fears is being shut
300 square miles to local out.
In northern Idaho, resi-
control so it can be opened
up for ranching, mining, dents so far have torpedoed
a proposed land swap
logging and other uses.
Birders covet the same between a timber company
land for its many migrating and the U.S. Forest Service
species that use refuge over concerns about losing
marshland as a key resting access to part of a national
place. Anglers, hunters and forest.
What does the govern-
wildlife watchers also are
drawn to the high desert ment say?
U.S. agencies manage
terrain.
The
competition most of the public land
between the different and try to balance the
interests is emblematic of a different interests, but
much larger struggle in the they frequently become
West, playing out in federal lightning rods with their
courts, state legislatures decisions challenged in
court.
and Congress.
Employees
of
the
At its core, the dispute
comes down to personal Forest Service, Bureau of
values: Recreationists’ and Land Management, Fish
environmentalists’ views and Wildlife Service, and
on open spaces clash with National Park Service
traditional uses that have WHQGWRKDYHDQDI¿QLW\IRU
sustained rural communi- open spaces and a belief in
public service, said John
ties for generations.
Freemuth, a Boise State
What’s at stake?
About a million square University professor and
miles of public land public lands expert.
Who’s the heavy-
managed by the federal
government, mostly in weight?
Congress.
U.S.
the West, according to the
Congressional Research lawmakers could turn
over federal lands to local
Service.
What do business control, but state efforts so
far have failed.
interests say?
A strategy has emerged
Many of those who
depend on the land for in recent years in which
their livelihood argue that members of Congress slip
wildlife holds more weight land-use amendments into
than people. They some- critical budget bills. For
times frame their outlook example, U.S. Rep. Mike
in patriotic or religious Simpson, R-Idaho, and U.S.
terms and say federal land Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mon-
managers who impose tana, attached a so-called
limits are shutting down rider in 2011 that stripped
lumber mills, cutting off federal protections for gray
cattle grazing, preventing wolves in their states.
As a result, environ-
mining and destroying
a way of life in the rural mental groups have become
increasingly watchful. But
West.
They say that could be their push to weaken the
solved by turning public 1872 mining law has failed,
lands over to locals who as have industry efforts to
would be better caretakers weaken the Endangered
Species Act.
than far-off bureaucrats.
Is
compromise
They do have some
protections, including an possible?
Yes. After more than a
1872 mining law that still
offers miners low-cost decade of effort, Simpson
this summer shepherded
access to federal land.
Congress
a
What do environmen- through
compromise
bill
that
talists say?
Many
environmental created a 430-square-mile
groups say mining, logging federal wilderness in some
and ranching have run of central Idaho’s most
roughshod for decades on pristine country. It limits
public land and left a legacy development in some areas
of pollution for taxpayers but opens it up in others.
It got help passing after
to clean up. They say the
industries have wiped out President Barack Obama
old-growth forests and signaled that the area would
overgrazed
landscapes be designated a national
made vulnerable to inva- monument if the bill stalled.
In another compromise,
sive species.
C o n s e r v a t i o n i s t s federal land critics and
DFFXVH IHGHUDO RI¿FLDOV RI ranchers supported an order
allowing the practices that by Interior Secretary Sally
have scarred the West and Jewell last year that aimed
failing to enforce laws. The WRVWRSZLOG¿UHV
Republican Idaho Gov.
most widely recognized
is the Endangered Species C.L. “Butch” Otter, a critic
Act, famously used to of federal land policy, has
OLPLWORJJLQJLQWKH3DFL¿F praised the order. So have
Northwest
to
protect ranchers, who partnered
forests that are home to ZLWKIHGHUDO¿UH¿JKWHUVLQD
spotted owls and marbled plan to respond quickly to
blazes.
murrelets.
By KEITH RIDLER
Associated Press