OFF PAGE ONE
FOREST: Access a common concern among crowd
Page 10A
East Oregonian
Continued from 1A
John Day; Eric Quaempts,
natural resources director
for the Confederated Tribes
of the Umatilla Indian
Reservation; and James
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from Enterprise.
The Blue Mountains
Forest Plan comprises 4.9
million acres of public lands
on the Umatilla, Wallowa-
Whitman and Malheur
national forests in Eastern
Oregon. Each forest gets its
own individual plan, with
the documents adding up
to thousands of pages of
desired conditions for the
landscape.
Beverlin described the
forests like a quilt, patched
together in various shades
of green, brown and black.
It’s up to the Forest Service
to make sure tree stands
are healthy, that access
is maintained and habitat
preserved. The challenge,
Beverlin said, is striking an
appropriate balance.
“I think some people
believe that every acre
can provide every use
for everyone. It can’t,”
Beverlin said. “It’s going
to take compromise from
everyone.”
Finding that compromise
has been an ongoing effort.
When the Forest Service
released its draft Environ-
mental Impact Statement
for the Forest Plan in 2014,
the reaction was “less than
stellar,” as Beverlin put
it. That prompted another
round of public meetings in
2015, which has led to two
new alternatives that will be
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this fall.
Former Joseph mayor
Peggy Kite-Martin spoke
during the show, saying
that the forests are part of
Eastern Oregon’s culture.
She said the politics of the
debate have left forest users
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pendulum swings back and
forth between industry and
conservation.
APARTMENTS: Only two
objections to the project
Continued from 1A
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Steve Beverlin, supervisor of the Malheur National Forest, gestures to the audience
while answering a question and sitting on a panel of experts during a taping of
OPB’s ‘Think Out Loud’ on Wednesday at BMCC in Pendleton. The topic of the show
was the controversial Blue Mountains Forest Plan.
“Our culture is in
danger of dying
because people
can’t get out into
the woods.”
— Peggy Kite-Martin,
former Joseph mayor
“Our culture is in danger
of dying because people
can’t get out into the woods,”
Kite-Martin said.
Public access was a
common concern among
members of the crowd, who
vented their frustrations over
road closures. However,
environmental issues were
also brought to the forefront
by Brown, who directs the
Hells Canyon Preservation
Council. She said the forests
already have too many roads,
which has caused heavy
erosion in wild habitat.
“I do believe there is a
place for ATV riding on our
public lands. I really do,”
Brown said. “They have to
be at the right place, at the
right time.”
Williams, who owns his
own consulting company,
said a lack of active
management — such as tree
thinning and cattle grazing
— is causing a whole other
set of concerns, leaving
the forests to become
overstocked and prone to
GLVHDVH RU ¿UH 0HDQZKLOH
the region’s timber industry
has shriveled. Williams said
the forests grow about 800
million board feet of wood
every year, of which 500
million board feet is left to
waste.
Beverlin said the two new
forest plan alternatives take
that feedback into account,
and will focus on increasing
both the pace and scale of
restoration. That could help
provide more logs to the
mill, he said, while lowering
the risk of destructive wild-
¿UHV
Quaempts said the tribes
are working where they can
with the Forest Service on
restoration projects to protect
traditional First Foods. The
key, Quaempts said, is to be
mindful of what the forests
are capable of providing.
He believes the forests are
big enough to accommodate
everyone’s interests.
Others, like Nash, were
less optimistic. Nash said he
is not happy with the current
state of the forests, and
worries that even after a plan
LV ¿QDOL]HG ODZVXLWV ZLOO
inevitably keep the whole
thing tangled up in court.
“There will be groups
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any progress of using the
forests,” Nash said. “There
are a lot of people out there
who don’t think people
should use the woods.”
A majority of the crowd
raised their hands when
asked if they felt the Forest
Service just planned to do
whatever it wanted, regard-
less of the outcome. Beverlin
sharply disagreed.
“I don’t believe that’s
true,” he said. “Otherwise,
why are we here listening
again?”
Full audio from the
show can be found at www.
opb.org/radio/programs/
thinkoutloud/segment/blue-
mountains-forest-plan.
———
Contact George Plaven
at gplaven@eastoregonian.
com or 541-966-0825.
HEALTH: Number of smokers in county down to 17 percent
Angie Treadwell shared
information
about
the
joined the health department
SNAP Ed program through
on implementing a Plan-
Oregon State University’s
4Health grant meant to bring
H[WHQVLRQ RI¿FH 7KH
agencies together to plan for
federally funded program
a healthier community. The
strives to help low-income
second was InterMountain
families leverage their food
Education Service District,
stamps into healthy meals.
which regularly works with
Treadwell said in addition
the health department to
to hosting activities like the
spread messages, such as
Family Fitness Night she
anti-tobacco
information,
also spends a lot of time
while students are still
in the schools, distributing
forming the health habits
recipes and introducing
that will affect them for a
children to fun but highly
lifetime.
nutritious foods like the
“Educators are such a
Popeye smoothie with fresh
strong partner,” DeBolt said.
spinach.
At the start of the evening,
Tamra Mabbott, Umatilla
Umatilla County commis-
County planning director,
sioner George Murdock said
shared more information
at a time when most counties
about the Plan4Health grant.
are divesting themselves of
She said she had never real-
their public health depart-
ized before how much land
ments, “Umatilla County is
use planning was connected
clearly intent on going the
to public health. Depart-
other direction and becoming
ments can contribute to a
a lighthouse to Oregon.”
healthy community by plan-
The county took that a
ning communities in a way
step further this week, he
that encourages exercise and
Staff photo by Jade McDowell
VDLG ZKHQ WKH\ RI¿FLDOO\
discouraging “food deserts”
voted to combine the Umatilla County Public Health director Meghan DeBolt where nutritious foods are
departments of public health speaks at Wednesday’s Public Health Fundraiser and hard to come by.
and human services into Awareness Dinner in Hermiston.
“It didn’t ring a bell
one streamlined department
Attendees also listened WLRQ DERXW WKH QRQSUR¿W¶V immediately but the more I
under DeBolt’s leadership.
to
presentations
about food pantry services, which dig into it the more it makes
Hitzman shared that in community programs that provide a 3-5 day emer- sense,” she said.
some areas Umatilla County are already helping people gency supply of food to
———
is making strong strides. eat healthier.
Contact Jade McDowell
help food-insecure families
In the last three years the
Diana
Quezada
of get through the end of the at jmcdowell@eastorego-
number of smokers in CAPECO shared informa- month.
nian.com or 541-564-4536.
Umatilla County went from
22 percent to 17 percent,
PUBLIC NOTICE
and the number of uninsured
people in the county has
gone down from 23 percent
to 20 percent.
In other areas, however,
the county still has work
Record of Decision
to do. Thirty two percent
of Umatilla County adults
The U.S. Navy, in cooperation with the National Guard Bureau
are obese, compared to
and Oregon National Guard, has announced its decision to
26 percent statewide. The
implement its Preferred Alternative (Alternative 2) to increase the
county also has one primary
types and number of certain training activities at NWSTF Boardman;
care provider per 1,970
develop and enhance training facilities at NWSTF Boardman; and
people compared to one per
create additional special use airspace to support existing aircraft
1,070 statewide.
training. The Navy made its decision after carefully considering the
“It’s a long, hard road
potential impacts training and testing activities may have on the
to get there,” he said of
human, natural and cultural environment and comments from the
attracting more physicians,
public on the proposal and environmental analysis. The Proposed
dentists and mental health
Action is needed to provide a training environment at
providers to the region.
NWSTF Boardman – including ranges, training areas and
7KH VSHFL¿F KHDOWK IRFXV
instrumentation – to better support current and future
of the night was on creating
unit and personnel training requirements.
better access to nutritional
food. The money raised
The Navy’s Record of Decision and Final EIS are available online at
WKURXJK WLFNHW VDOHV UDIÀHV
www.NWSTFBoardmanEIS.com, and at the following public
and a silent auction will all
libraries: Multnomah County Central, Salem Central,
go toward grants for starting
West Salem, Oregon Trail Heppner, Oregon Trail Boardman
community gardens.
and the Stafford Hansell Government Center.
Continued from 1A
Friday, April 8, 2016
handle,” he said.
Circosta said the apart-
ments would rent at a lower
rate than the townhouses.
But the exact rental rates,
FRQ¿JXUDWLRQDQGXQLWVL]HV
have yet to be determined.
:KHQ WKH ¿UVW SKDVH RI
Pendleton Heights opened
in December 2014, the
townhouses’ rental rates
ranged from $895-$1,045
per month.
There were only two
objections to the project,
only one of whom lives near
the property.
Permit technician Julie
Chase said a neighbor
to
Pendleton
Heights
complained
that
the
development was causing
stormwater to drain onto his
property, but Community
Development Director Tim
Simons said the drainage
issue was the result of the
man’s driveway and not
Pendleton Heights.
Rex Morehouse, a
North Hill resident and
a city council candidate,
was concerned the streets
weren’t large enough to
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emergency.
Interim city planner
*HRUJH&ORXJKVDLGWKH¿UH
marshal would review the
site plan before the project
moved forward.
Additionally, the plan-
ning commission is requiring
the developers to install
sight-obscuring
foliage
along some of the property’s
borders, a minimum of three
play areas, a minimum of
150 off-street parking spaces
and several other conditions.
Pendleton city intern
Haley Meisenholder, a
non-voting member of the
commission, asked staff
LI D WUDI¿F VWXG\ RI WKH
Southwest 18th Street-Tu-
tuilla Road intersection was
necessary because it was
WKH RQO\ RXWÀRZ SRLQW IRU
Pendleton Heights residents.
Simons said 18th Street
drivers may have to wait a
few minutes at the intersec-
WLRQZKLOHWUDI¿FFOHDUVEXW
otherwise, it shouldn’t be an
issue.
The commission voted
5-0 to approve the new
plan, with commissioners
Ryan DeGrofft and Don
Butcher absent. If the
planning
commission’s
ruling is appealed, the
newly-proposed apartment
complex would go before
city council.
———
Contact Antonio Sierra
at asierra@eastoregonian.
com or 541-966-0836.
MARKET: May bring portable
toilets during height of the season
Continued from 1A
business owners and the
needs of the market.”
Farmers Market board
member Amy Freeman said
she went door-to-door on
Main Street, talking to busi-
ness owners of all stripes.
She said a majority were
supportive and wanted the
market to stay and succeed.
But she realized the market
was “tough on some busi-
nesses,” and that even those
that were supportive had
to deal with some annoy-
ances — a lack of parking,
market shoppers using their
restrooms without buying
anything, and dealing with
garbage left behind from
the festivities.
Freeman
said
the
market will look at ways
to lessen those disruptions
— including bringing in
portable toilets during the
height of the market season.
Corbett said market
vendors will still park big
trucks on Main Street, but
not in front of businesses
who do not want them
there. This was not a perfect
solution, Corbett said, but
he appreciated the market
board was willing to work
to improve the situation.
Freeman said the possi-
bility the market would
move off Main Street, and
the vocal response from the
community who wanted it
to remain, did some good.
“It was a good reminder
that people really like (the
market),” Freeman said.
“The community supports
this and wants to see it
grow, like it has for the last
13 years.”
Man accused of torture killing escapes
Washington psychiatric hospital
SEATTLE (AP) — A
man accused of torturing a
woman to death but found
too mentally ill for trial was
on the loose Thursday after
crawling out a window in
a locked, lower-security
unit of a Washington state
psychiatric hospital already
facing federal scrutiny over
safety problems.
Anthony Garver, 28,
escaped Wednesday night
with Mark Alexander
Adams, 58, a patient
who had been accused of
domestic assault in 2014
and was captured Thursday
PRUQLQJ RI¿FLDOV VDLG
Authorities believe Garver
bought a bus ticket from
Seattle across the state to
Spokane.
Spokane
Sheriff’s
Capt. Dave Ellis told the
Spokesman-Review
that
Garver was spotted in
an area in the city’s East
Valley and authorities were
searching Thursday evening
with police dogs, a SWAT
team and helicopters.
Spokane County Sheriff
Ozzie Knezovich described
the search as “a pretty
intense situation.”
Live Music
9:00
PM
FRIDAY, APRIL 8
K.C. Kunkle
8 S . E . CO U RT, P E N D L E TO N • 5 4 1 . 278 .1 1 0 0
Pepsi Primetime
@ the Museum
Evolution
Game Zone
Three stations to test your
digital and science skills!
April 9 1pm
FREE!
FIRST FRIDAYS
ARE FREE!
Exhibits, Museum Store
Open Mon-Sat, 10am-5pm
Kinship Café
Open 11am-2pm
541.429.7700
www.tamastslikt.org