Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 3, 2016)
REGION Wednesday, February 3, 2016 Bill to ratify wolf delisting slated for Thursday hearing ered. “It’s frustrating to reach out and Rob Klavins, QRUWKHDVW 2UHJRQ ¿HOG try to include everybody, and director for Oregon A bill that would ratify then when the state agency uses Wild, said that by the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission’s decision to the best science and justiication, reaching Phase II of the wolf plan, ODFW was remove gray wolves from the support for the plan suddenly still legally obligated to state endangered species list is up for debate in Salem. vanishes and we have a lawsuit.” use the best available science in recom- Sen. Bill Hansell, — Sen. Bill Hansell, R-Athena mending whether to R-Athena, and Rep. Greg Hansell delist wolves. They did Barreto, R-Cove, initially not do that, he said. submitted slightly different state’s wolf conservation plan ODFW did not follow what “The concern is the state versions of the bill in both still prohibits killing wolves the legislature asked them to the House and Senate, asking H[FHSW XQGHU YHU\ VSHFL¿F do, this type of action would did their own analysis with Wolves help them diffuse that partic- what appears to be a pre-de- for the legislature to back up circumstances. termined outcome,” Klavins last fall’s controversial wolf also remain federally listed ular argument,” Hansell said. Hansell further criticized said. “The state ignored the as endangered in western delisting. the environmental groups that best possible science. In HB 4040 will receive a Oregon. Oregon’s wolf plan — KDYHDOUHDG\¿OHGVXLWVD\LQJ ignoring the best possible hearing Thursday in the House Committee on Agriculture which was developed in they are unwilling to follow science, they broke the law.” Asking the legislature and Natural Resources, part 2005 and amended to include a plan that they themselves to ratify the decision is an of the short legislative session a compromise between helped create. “It’s frustrating to reach unprecedented and concerning that kicked off Monday. This cattlemen and conservation- comes as environmental ists in 2013 — stipulated out and try to include every- move, Klavins added. Conser- JURXSV ¿OHG D ODZVXLW LQ wolves could be delisted after body, and then when the state vationists have not asked for December to keep wolves establishing four breeding agency uses the best science an injunction while a legal pairs for three consecutive DQG MXVWL¿FDWLRQ VXSSRUW IRU review is underway, he said. endangered in Oregon. “This is simply piling on,” Most of Oregon’s 81 years. That benchmark was the plan suddenly vanishes documented wolves are UHDFKHGIRUWKH¿UVWWLPHODVW and we have a lawsuit,” Klavins said. Hansell said. The bill does not address concentrated in Hansell’s year. However, groups like any other legitimate concerns The Oregon Department of and Barreto’s districts in the northeast corner of the state. Fish & Wildlife recommended Oregon Wild, Cascadia regarding wolf management, Local ranchers have argued delisting, and the commission Wildlands and the Center for Klavins said. $ ¿YH\HDU UHYLHZ RI WKH for years they should be able followed suit in November. Biological Diversity disagree to kill wolves that make a By ratifying the decision, that ODFW used the best ODFW wolf plan is expected habit of preying on their sheep Hansell said the legislature science in delisting wolves. later this year, he said. can help shore up ODFW’s They contend the agency will- ——— and cattle. Contact George Plaven at Delisting does not imme- defense against a new legal fully ignored evidence from independent experts who say gplaven@eastoregonian.com diately change how wolves challenge. “If someone were to argue the species is far from recov- or 541-966-0825. are managed in Oregon. The By GEORGE PLAVEN East Oregonian HERMISTON %HDFK%HHI'LQQHUEHQH¿WVVWXGHQWV dinner vouchers. In addition, each of the schools in the district put together a spirit basket. An event to raise money The fundraiser provides to help enhance educational money that the foundation opportunities for students in awards as grants to staff the Hermiston School District members of the Hermiston will feature all-you-can-eat School District to enhance crab and beef kabobs. the educational experience of The annual Beach & students. Grant applications Beef Dinner and Auction are accepted twice a year — is Saturday with the doors funding things like musical opening at 5 p.m. for a social LQVWUXPHQWV ¿HOG WULSV WHFK- hour and viewing of auction nology equipment, special items at the Hermiston curriculum and books. Conference Center, 415 S. EO Media Group ile photo “Money raised by the Highway 395. The event Judy Bracher of the Hermiston Education Foundation includes a silent auction and restocks food during a past Beach & Beef Dinner and foundation helps provide UDIÀH7KHGLQQHULVVHUYHGDW Auction. The event, which is Saturday at the Hermis- opportunities for students,” 6:30 p.m. and the live auction ton Conference Center, provides money to enhance Bracher said. student educational opportunities in the Hermiston For more information starts at 7:30 p.m. about the Hermiston Educa- Tickets are $35 per person School District. and can be purchased at the said many of the groups inmates at Eastern Oregon tion Foundation, visit www. conference center and the KDYH EHQH¿WHG IURP JUDQWV Correctional Institution, box hermistoneducationfounda- Hermiston School District provided by the foundation. seats and four dinners for the tion.org. ——— RI¿FH6:WK6W Bracher said a variety of Farm-City Pro Rodeo, family Contact Community Various music groups from items are up for bid, including passes to the Hermiston the school district will provide a $500 Visa gift card, a cabin Family Aquatics Center, local Editor Tammy Malgesini at entertainment. Judy Bracher getaway in Hood River, a pair ZLQHV D ÀDW RI EOXHEHUULHV tmalgesini@eastoregonian. of the education foundation of handcrafted end tables by photo sessions as well as com or 541-564-4539 By TAMMY MALGESINI East Oregonian BRIEFLY The Q moving to a new frequency HERMISTON — Radio station The Q is moving to a new frequency this week. The station will change from 100.1 FM to 93.7 FM sometime mid-week, depending on weather, due to a frequency reassignment by the Federal Communications Commission. The AM station, KOHU 1360 AM, will not change but will be off air for a day while the work required to change the FM frequency is being performed. The FM station will be off air for a couple of days, according to the station. For more information contact the radio station at 541-567-6500. Good Shepherd offers Healthy Fridays HERMISTON — Free health screenings are offered twice a month at Good Shepherd Medical Center. Beginning Feb. 5, people can have free cholesterol, blood sugar, body mass index and blood pressure checks and receive health information at the hospital. +HDOWK\)ULGD\VLVWKH¿UVW Friday of each month from 9:30-11:30 a.m. or the third Friday from 2-4 p.m. It’s held in Conference Center 7 at the hospital, 610 N.W. 11th St., Hermiston. For more information, call 541-667-3509. Meeting focuses on Wallowa Lake Lodge PENDLETON — A community effort to keep the Wallowa Lake Lodge locally owned is nearing completion. A presentation to discuss the lodge will be presented Saturday from 2:30-3:30 p.m. at Pendleton Center for the Arts, 214 N. Main. Ellen Bishop will present “Saving the Lodge.” Refreshments will be served. More than 100 investors have joined together as Lake Wallowa Lodge LLC to purchase and retain Wallowa Lake Lodge as a SUR¿WDEOHIDPLO\IULHQGO\ inn at the head of Wallowa Lake, while protecting the lands around the lodge and Wallowa River from development. The future conservation easement for this open ground is a key element of the acquisition, said James Monteith, managing member. The easement will likely be held in perpetuity by the Nez Perce Tribe, Monteith added. For more information, contact Katy Nesbitt at katylnesbitt@gmail. com or visit www. lakewallowalodge.com. Review scheduled for ag water plan MILTON-FREEWATER — A biennial review of the Walla Walla Sub-basin Agriculture Water Quality Management Area will be Tuesday. Feb. 16. Agricultural producers and residents interested in water quality within the basin should consider participating in the review, which will run from 9-11 a.m. at the Walla Walla Watershed Council conference room, 810 S. Main St., Milton-Freewater. For more information, contact Tom Demianew with the Umatilla County Soil and Water Conservation District at 541-278-8049, ext. 134. ——— Briefs are compiled from staff and wire reports, and press releases. Email press releases to news@ eastoregonian.com ALL CLEARANCE ITEMS 75% OFF Ham ley’s W ester n Stor e 30 SE COURT, PENDLETON CONCEALED CARRY PERMIT CLASS Oregon - Utah - Valid 35 States HERMISTON Best Western: 2255 Highway 395 South February 19 th • 1:00 pm & 6:00 pm Walk-Ins Welcome! OR/Utah: (Valid in WA) $80.00 or Oregon only: $45 www.FirearmTrainingNW.com • FirearmTrainingNW@gmail.com 360-921-2071 East Oregonian Page 3A PENDLETON Councilman Young won’t seek reelection Only one incumbent commits to running By ANTONIO SIERRA East Oregonian 2I WKH ¿YH SHRSOH who won Pendleton City Council seats in 2012, only one is running again. Ward 3 Councilor Tom Young announced on Facebook late Monday night that he would not be seeking a second term. In his post, Young cited several reasons for his decision not to run in 2016. Elaborating on these reasons Young in an interview, Young said his employer, Keystone RV Co., has doubled in size in recent years. The workload from his MRE DV .H\VWRQH¶V ¿QDQFH manager and his regular duties as a city councilor meant more late nights for Young, something the 67-year-old found increas- LQJO\GLI¿FXOWWRHQGXUH Young also intends to retire in the next few years and has long planned to travel the country and visit family and friends, which LQFOXGH ¿YH FKLOGUHQ grandchildren and one great-grandchild in Mich- igan and Indiana. Young said it would be unfair to ask voters to elect him to another four-year term, only to quit midway through for his travels. Those factors aside, Young said the tipping point was Mayor Phillip Houk’s announcement that he wouldn’t seek a fourth term and leave the city council after 2016, with whom he had a strong rapport and comfort level. Young was appointed E\WKHFRXQFLOWRWKH¿QLVK Dan Ceniga’s term in 2011 and ran unopposed on his way to winning a full term in 2012. Young’s ward covers the southern portion of town, including the Southgate, Tutuilla Road and McKay Creek areas. Ward 1 Councilor Becky Marks, 67, will be the lone representative from the current set of incumbents WRVHHNDQRWKHUWHUP¿OLQJ her paperwork with the city Friday. While running for a second term four years ago, Marks said she hadn’t intended to run again, but the initial lack of interest from community members for the seat changed her mind. “You can’t leave the seat vacant,” she said. “That was a real tipping point.” A retiree who worked for Umatilla County and the Service Employees International Union, Marks won her seat in 2008 by besting Connie Wright, a former councilor looking to return to city politics. She won reelection four years later, turning back a chal- lenge by Joan Escudero, a former supervisor at the Eastern Oregon Training Center. Marks’ ward includes South Hill, the downtown area and Riverside. Young joins Houk and Ward 2 Councilor Chuck Wood in declining reelec- tion bids. Former at-large councilor Jane Hill resigned in January and the council will consider an appointee to ¿QLVKRXWWKHUHVW of her term. After the council vacated Hill’s seat Tuesday, Houk said until Feb. 15 at 4 p.m. the city will accept letters of interest from people who ZDQWWR¿OOWKHUHVWRI+LOO¶V term. The council will inter- view the applicants Feb. 16 from 6:30 to 7 p.m. and will vote to select a candidate at the end of the session, UHTXLULQJDWOHDVW¿YHYRWHV for approval. Although two people KDYH¿OHGIRUWKHVHDWWKH\ would need to send a letter to Houk to be considered for appointment through 2016. Vying for a full four-year term for Hill’s former seat is Jim Swearingen, the owner of an auto repair shop, and Rick Rohde, a former reserve in the U.S. Air Force and a retired employee of the Wal-Mart Distribution Center. City Recorder Andrea Denton said no other FDQGLGDWHV KDYH ¿OHG \HW meaning no one has entered into the Ward 2, Ward 3 and mayoral races. Al Plute, the other at-large councilor, quashed rumors that he was going to run for mayor. Plute said he once had mayoral aspirations, but the failure of the 5-cent gas tax made him realize that voters didn’t want a leader who supported new taxes. According to Plute, this anti-council sentiment was the real reason incumbents weren’t seeking reelection. “This council is wasting their time,” he said. “That’s why they’re bailing.” Plute said the next mayor needed to be a Pendleton native with business expe- rience, a thick skin and the ability to “tell it like it is.” A committee is currently circulating a petition to UHFDOO3OXWHIURPRI¿FH 7KH ¿OLQJ GHDGOLQH IRU May 17 municipal elections is March 8. ——— Contact Antonio Sierra at asierra@eastoregonian. com or 541-966-0836.
