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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 13, 2016)
Page 12A OFF PAGE ONE East Oregonian Saturday, February 13, 2016 LAND: Summer grazing can put stress on native grasses Working together Continued from 1A Closer to home, the Umatilla and Wallowa-Whitman national forests have just shy of 2 million acres of rangeland deemed suitable for grazing. Those forests are also in the midst of 15-year updates to their respective land management plans. Maura Laverty, range program manager for the two forests, said they have 135 active grazing allotments. She said they have good relationships with their permittees that have helped them come a long way in managing the land respon- sibly. “We don’t graze like we use to,” she said. “We’re a lot more consci- entious now.” AP Photo/Rebecca Boone Currently, the forests are working A sign warns visitors that this portion of the Malheur National Wildlife refuge outside of Burns is closed to the public Friday. on environmental reviews for each allotment, which they hope to like the Soda Fire that spilled over stocking rates, Bentz said they ¿QLVKE\7KH\PXVWWDNHLQWR face another lawsuit. He blamed DFFRXQW HQGDQJHUHG ¿VK RQ HDFK into Oregon from Idaho last year. The occupation of the wildlife the Equal Access to Justice Act, site, as well as wolves which are refuge was unfortunate, Mackenzie which compensates attorney fees becoming increasingly established said, but the militants’ message of if groups can prove their litigation in the northeast corner of the state. LVMXVWL¿HG local control resonates strongly. Karl Jensen, a Pilot Rock ³7KH\KDYHWR¿QGDZD\WRJHW rancher, runs about 80 of his 300 “We need the control of natural resources management back at ÀH[LELOLW\EDFNLQWRPDQDJHPHQW´ head of cattle on the Umatilla forest the local level,” he said. “Let Bentz said. “The land continues near Ukiah. He said the biggest local people have a say in what to deteriorate because the land challenge he’s faced is fencing off goes on in their communities and PDQDJHUVGRQ¶WKDYHWKHÀH[LELOLW\ his cows away from nearby Five to manage it properly.” counties.” Mile Creek and Sugarbowl Creek, Local control George Wuerthner, Oregon which are home to endangered bull Ferguson did say the BLM is The problem, according to trying to be more proactive with state director for the Western trout and salmon. Mark Mackenzie, is not with local ¿JKWLQJ UDQJHODQG ¿UHV LQ WKH Watersheds Project, said most Jensen said the Forest Service rangeland managers like Ferguson. West. Oregon, Idaho and Nevada environmental groups don’t actu- has been great to work with in both Rather, it’s mismanagement and are collaborating on a program ally have a lot of money to spend Heppner and Ukiah. political pressure up the chain of creating strategic fuel breaks on lawsuits, and therefore only “There’s always regulations that ZKHUH ¿UH¿JKWHUV FDQ VDIHO\ ¿JKW the most egregious violations are come down from higher up,” he command. Mackenzie, who runs 900 head ¿UHV EHIRUH WKH\ JHW WRR ELJ DQG challenged in court. Just as many said. “We’re able to work those out others are left ignored, he said. of cattle south of Jordan Valley, destructive. and come up with a good manage- Wuerthner, who previously ment plan.” “The whole goal is to reduce is largely dependent on federal worked with the BLM as a bota- AUMs. But with so many layers WKHVL]HRIWKHVH¿UHV´KHVDLG O’Keeffe, president of the nist in Idaho, said many public cattlemen’s association, said good of new protections, he said local No flexibility lands are negatively impacted rangeland management must land management is becoming Andy Bentz, a former Malheur by domestic livestock. Water is include adequate grazing and a cumbersome. And when a change is needed on the range, he said County sheriff and owner of Bentz limited in the desert country of stable supply of forage. Funding and the agency will likely be taken to Solutions in Ontario, agrees the southeast Oregon, yet cattle grav- workload remain huge challenges %/0 GRHVQ¶W KDYH HQRXJK ÀH[L- itate toward springs and streams, for the BLM, The whole issue has court. “It’s all driven by special bility to do proper management. harming the ecosystem for other him on edge. interest groups,” Mackenzie said. He pointed to lawsuits from DQLPDOVDQG¿VK “So far, we’re here and ranching. Summer grazing can also put But the potential is there for it to no “We’ve let the management of environmental groups as what’s stress on native grasses and allow longer be workable,” he said. “If these resources become comman- hobbling the agency. “Yelling at the BLM is like invasive species like cheat grass to that happens, these communities deered by the courts.” 0DFNHQ]LH ¿JXUHV JUD]LQJ KDV \HOOLQJ DW D ¿UHPDQ ZKHQ \RXU take over, Wuerthner said. ZLOOEHWURXEOH7KHVH¿UHVZLOOEH “That’s one of the things uncontrollable. It’s kind of a cumu- fallen by about 40 percent since KRXVHLVRQ¿UH´%HQW]VDLG³7KH\ 1960 in the Vale District. Those can’t make on-the-ground annual squeezing ranchers, in fact,” he lative effect.” losses create an economic ripple in changes, because it opens them up said. Ferguson said there are areas Wuerthner said the BLM they’d like to improve, but it’s not small towns like Jordan Valley — to challenges and litigation.” Bentz, whose family has actually depends on some of going to happen overnight. population 180 — that threatens ranched in southeast Oregon since these lawsuits to ensure they are their very existence. “It’s a slow process,” he said. Grazing is also a management 1916, said there is enough local following the laws passed by “We do the best we can.” tool itself, Mackenzie said. expertise to manage the lands &RQJUHVV DQG QRW RYHUO\ LQÀX- ——— Without grazing, grasses can for multiple use. But when the enced by local pressure. Contact George Plaven at “They’re keeping the agencies gplaven@eastoregonian.com become overgrown and increase agency tries to adapt to Mother or WKHIXHOORDGIRUODUJHZLOG¿UHV² Nature, adjusting seasons or honest,” he said. 541-966-0825. conditions. It’s around this time of year when Ferguson said he meets with ranchers to set grazing schedules and add up fees for the coming season. The BLM uses what are known as animal unit months, or AUMs, to determine its grazing fees. AUMs are measured by the amount of forage animals need for one month, and Ferguson said the limits are very strict. “You can’t authorize more AUMs without (environmental) analysis,” he said. The BLM recently adjusted its fees to $2.11 per AUM. The Forest Service, which is under the Department of Agriculture as opposed to the Department of the Interior, charges $1.69 per month per cow-calf pair. Ranchers must also follow VSHFL¿F FRQGLWLRQV ODLG RXW LQ their permits, which might include rotating pastures, maintaining fences and protecting vegetative cover for sensitive species like sage grouse. “Orderly management of the range is our goal,” Ferguson said. Presidential FRQWHQGHUV¿JKW for minority voters in S.C. DENMARK, S.C. (AP) — 7KH ¿JKW IRU EODFN YRWHUV WXUQHG into a tug-of-war over President Barack Obama’s legacy Friday as Democratic presidential hopefuls looked for an edge in South Carolina. Republicans, meanwhile, crisscrossed the state in search of a path out of Donald Trump’s long shadow. Hillary Clinton stepped up her hammering of rival Bernie Sanders for what she said are his false claims on Obama’s legacy. Prominent black leaders echoed the theme — an effort to use the ¿UVW $IULFDQ$PHULFDQ SUHVLGHQW as a wedge between Sanders and black voters. “He has called the president weak, a disappointment,” Clinton said of Sanders at a town hall Friday. “He does not support, the way I do, building on the progress the president has made.” Coming off a bruising rout in New Hampshire, the former VHFUHWDU\RIVWDWHKRSHVWKH¿UVWLQ the-south primary will showcase her strength with at least one core segment of the Democratic coalition. A Democrat cannot win the nomination, much less the :KLWH +RXVH ZLWKRXW VLJQL¿FDQW backing and enthusiasm from black communities. For Republicans, South Carolina is another chance to emerge as the viable alternative to the billionaire reality-TV star who snatched the race away from the GOP estab- lishment. Although Trump appears to have a solid lead in the polls LQWKHVWDWHWKHUHVWRIWKH¿HOGLV hoping to peel off support from the ODUJH DQG LQÀXHQWLDO HYDQJHOLFDO community. As his rivals hustled through rare snowfall Friday, Trump showed he won’t make it easy. He was able to steal the spotlight with a Twitter threat to sue his closest competitor. “If @TedCruz doesn’t clean up his act, stop cheating, & doing negative ads, I have standing to sue him for not being a natural born citizen,” Trump wrote. Another tweet questioned Cruz’s faith: “How can Ted Cruz be an evangelical Christian when he lies so much and is so dishonest?” Love Notes Ron, Your smile makes my day. Your kiss makes my week. Your love makes my life complete. I love you Baby. Stacy 50 down. 80 to go. I love you. To: ML Thank you for always being there for me babe. From: NT To Mom & Chuck, Lots of Love Carrie My Dear Sweeet Sally, As the years go along we just get closer together. We are as one now. Love to you forever. JHD Addison Jones Kosey: Happy Valentine’s Day. Love Papa, Mega, and Dad. John Morris, In you I ’ ve found the love of my life and my closest truest friend. Kelly Chinen Love me, love my dog!! I l o ve J o hn ! After 50 years I will keep loving you forever. John. Jason, Thanks for getting through 20+ great years with me. Looking forward to many more! With all my love, Tammi To my Hubby Rick, Happy Valentine’s Day to the man of my dreams. It’s been 17 years of ups and downs and our love keeps getting stronger. I love you to infinity and back plus 1. Your wife Dana LD, my riding buddy and the wind beneath my wings! I thank God for the gift of your love! KD
