Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (March 22, 2017)
NORTHWEST East Oregonian Page 2A Wednesday, March 22, 2017 CREEK: Project will involve cutting trees across 17,000 acres Continued from 1A Strategy Team, a group of local Forest Service employees that formed in 2013 to step up restoration, make landscapes healthier and lower the risk of devas- tating wildfires. But the plan isn’t without controversy, as stakeholders continue to wrestle with the environmental and economic impacts of such a large effort. The project garnered input from Wallowa County, the Nez Perce Tribe and the Wallowa-Whitman Forest Collaborative, consisting of both environmental and timber industry repre- sentatives. Montoya admits the parties did not reach a perfect consensus, but said he is pleased with the result. “This project, safe to say, is a priority not only for this forest, but for the region,” Montoya said. Initial assessment The Lower Joseph Creek Restoration Project began with a 2014 watershed assessment by the Wallowa County Natural Resources Advisory Committee, which identified 20,000 acres of forest- land at very high risk due to heavy fuel loads and overstocking of trees that could be commercially logged. Another 21,370 acres were recom- mended for thinning smaller trees, for a combined estimated value of more than $67 million. The Blue Mountains Restoration Strategy Team decided to take up Lower Joseph Creek under the umbrella of accelerated restoration, making forests more resilient to things like fire and disease while also protecting natural resources and supporting the local economy by boosting timber produc- tion. The project area is located on the northern boundary of the Wallowa- Whitman National Forest, and includes portions of the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area. Joseph Creek provides critical habitat to Snake River steelhead, which are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Ten different groups and individuals filed objections with the Forest Service after the agency released its draft deci- sion for Lower Joseph Creek last year. Montoya said they were able to work through some of their disagreements — such as roadless area conservation and limiting the size of trees that can be harvested — but not everything. “My goal was to see if we could move a little closer to meeting every- one’s thoughts and concerns out there,” Montoya said. Changing conditions Neil McCusker, who works with the Blue Mountains Restoration Strategy Team as a silviculturist, said the natural condition of local forests has over time. As fire suppression has improved, McCusker said the forest is becoming increasingly dense — as much as 10 to 20 times in some areas of the Lower Joseph Creek watershed. Higher density means more fuels for fires to become large infernos, and has even changed the composition of tree species, allowing shade-tolerant firs to expand signifi- cantly. The Lower Joseph Creek Resto- ration Project will involve cutting trees across roughly 17,000 acres and using prescribed fire on up to 90,000 acres to bring the forest back in line with histor- ical conditions, McCusker said. “Really, the focus is on thinning all age classes out on the landscape and retaining old trees wherever they may be,” he said. The final project also calls for improving or replacing six culverts to boost fish passage, and closes 12 miles of roads to address resource concerns while opening 23 miles of roads to provide public access. Riparian areas Paul Boehne, fisheries biologist for the restoration team, said they primarily looked at treatments around streams that do not contain any fish populations. These riparian areas are mostly located at higher elevations, he said, and make up 20-25 percent of any given watershed. But even though the streams do not host fish, Boehne said they serve an important ecological function, providing cold water and filtering sediment where fish do swim. “That’s the value of those large trees standing in the riparian habitat conserva- tion area,” he said. “We want to protect those.” Boehne said the Lower Joseph Creek project will not touch old growth trees in riparian zones, and foresters will work to maintain a minimum level of canopy to ensure the water doesn’t get too warm, and snow doesn’t melt too fast. More controversially, the project aims to treat 31 acres around Swamp Creek, a tributary of Joseph Creek that does support steelhead. Boehne, however, argues the work is justified, citing lodgepole pine trees that have encroached in the area. “They shouldn’t be there,” he said. “It should be a wet meadow that stores water like a sponge.” Instead, Boehne said those trees are sucking up water that would otherwise filter back into the stream for fish. Ulti- mately, Montoya agreed in his decision. “I felt, based on specialists, that we needed to do a little bit of work in Swamp Creek,” Montoya said. Stakeholder concern Several environmental groups have expressed concerns with the plan, though they are continuing to review the details of the final proposal before determining the next steps. Rob Klavins, Eastern Oregon field coordinator for Oregon Wild, said the organization has spent hundreds of hours over several years to find common ground on the project. The Forest Service, he said, continues to use resto- ration to treat symptoms in the forest, rather than addressing the underlying management issues. “Given the politics and special inter- ests behind it, it’s been clear for some time that come hell or high water, this project was going to go forward, push boundaries and test the limits of public trust,” Klavins said. Brian Kelly, restoration director for the Hells Canyon Preservation Council, said the organization remains concerned about logging in remote forests. “Joseph Canyon is a magnificent place,” Kelly said. “Hells Canyon Pres- ervation Council has worked incredibly hard through the Wallowa-Whitman Forest Collaborative to find solutions for this project. We are extremely disap- pointed that those efforts apparently did not succeed.” Darren Williams, a staff attorney for the Nez Perce Tribe, said they are still reviewing the final decision and were not ready to comment. Susan Roberts, Wallowa County Commission chair- woman, could not be reached Tuesday for comment. Lindsay Warness, forest policy analyst for Boise Cascade, said the company was disappointed that the Forest Service removed an amendment that would have allowed the company to cut 21-inch trees under certain circumstances, but overall feels it is a good project. “We’re happy to see it finally come out,” Warness said. “It’s been under consideration for a very long time.” Boise Cascade will bid on timber sales, the first of which is expected to be prepared by the end of 2018, according to Montoya. In all, the Lower Joseph Creek Restoration Project is expected to make up to 7.5 million board feet available for harvest and support 50 jobs. Of Boise Cascade’s five Eastern Oregon plants, only the plywood facility in Elgin is operating at full capacity. As it stands, Warness said the company imports wood from up to 250 miles away. The Umatilla and Wallowa- Whitman forests would need to triple its allowable harvest for Boise Cascade to maintain current mill infrastructure, she added. “We need a sustainable supply of material from these national forests,” she said. “We need to have more of these projects going at the same time across the northern Blue Mountains.” Moving forward, the Blue Mountains Restoration Strategy Team is now working toward an even bigger project that wold target 1.2 million acres on the Umatilla, Wallowa-Whitman and Ochoco national forests. If approved, the proposal would be 13 times as big as Lower Joseph Creek, spanning 13 coun- ties in Eastern Oregon and Washington. ——— Contact George Plaven at gplaven@ eastoregonian.com or 541-966-0825. Didn’t receive your paper? Call 1-800-522-0255 before noon Tuesday through Friday or before 10 a.m. Saturday for same-day redelivery 211 S.E. Byers Ave., Pendleton 541-276-2211 333 E. Main St., Hermiston 541-567-6211 Office hours: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed major holidays SUBSCRIPTION RATES Local home delivery Savings off cover price EZPay $14.50 41 percent 52 weeks $173.67 41 percent 26 weeks $91.86 38 percent 13 weeks $47.77 36 percent *EZ Pay = one-year rate with a monthly credit or debit card/check charge www.eastoregonian.com To subscribe, call 1-800-522-0255 or go online to www.eastoregonian.com and click on ‘Subscribe’ East Oregonian (USPS 164-980) is published daily except Sunday, Monday and Dec. 25, by the EO Media Group, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801. Periodicals postage paid at Pendleton, OR. Postmaster: send address changes to East Oregonian, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801. By CLAIRE WITHYCOMBE Capital Bureau SALEM — The costs of administering Oregon’s recreational marijuana tax have escalated since initial estimates in 2015, and may be poised to increase again. In part, that’s because it’s not yet clear just how much it will cost to build a secure, five-station payment area in the Oregon Department of Revenue. The project, department officials say, is intended to accommodate the cash tax payments characteristic of the marijuana industry, which due to federal law is largely excluded from main- stream banking services. Many retailers make their monthly payments in cash and in person, and right now they use another area of the revenue building that was renovated for temporary cash handling. The tax has proven a considerable windfall for the state, bringing in more than $60 million in revenue in 2016. But it has also created complications for the state’s tax-collecting agency. Administering the tax, the department says, requires special equipment and staff to count money and guard against funny business — all of which costs money. In early 2016, for example, the department estimated that it would cost $5,699 to buy air purifiers to mitigate the odor of marijuana that officials say emanates from some cash payments. The costs to the depart- ment of administering the tax is paid for by marijuana tax revenues. A request for proposals from contractors to renovate the Department of Reve- nue’s building in Salem closes March 22, the second bid for the project. An initial bid was put out earlier this year, but the bids received didn’t meet the department’s Single copy price: $1 Tuesday through Friday, $1.50 Saturday Corrections Classified & Legal Advertising 1-800-962-2819 or 541-278-2678 classifieds@eastoregonian.com or legals@eastoregonian.com NEWS • To submit news tips and press releases: • call 541-966-0818 • fax 541-276-8314 • email news@eastoregonian.com • To submit community events, calendar items and Your EO News: email community@eastoregonian.com or call Tammy Malgesini at 541-564-4539 or Renee Struthers in at 541-966-0818. • To submit engagements, weddings and anniversaries: email rstruthers@eastoregonian.com or visit www.eastoregonian. com/community/announcements • To submit a Letter to the Editor: mail to Managing Editor Daniel Wattenburger, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801 or email editor@eastoregonian.com. • To submit sports or outdoors information or tips: 541-966-0838 • sports@eastoregonian.com COMMERCIAL PRINTING Production Manager: Mike Jensen 541-215-0824 • mjensen@eastoregonian.com Copyright © 2017, EO Media Group REGIONAL CITIES Forecast TODAY THURSDAY Rather cloudy with a shower Partly sunny 55° 35° 55° 40° FRIDAY SATURDAY Mostly cloudy with a shower Variable clouds, a shower or two SUNDAY Rain and drizzle in the p.m. PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 52° 40° 57° 36° 57° 42° HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 60° 39° 61° 35° PENDLETON through 3 p.m. yesterday TEMPERATURE HIGH LOW 49° 56° 78° (1915) 37° 36° 19° (1913) PRECIPITATION 24 hours ending 3 p.m. Month to date Normal month to date Year to date Last year to date Normal year to date Trace 1.18" 0.92" 5.10" 3.84" 3.43" HERMISTON through 3 p.m. yesterday TEMPERATURE HIGH Yesterday Normals Records LOW 50° 59° 78° (1934) 38° 35° 20° (1944) PRECIPITATION 24 hours ending 3 p.m. Month to date Normal month to date Year to date Last year to date Normal year to date 0.13" 0.75" 0.64" 4.21" 2.70" 2.88" SUN AND MOON Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today New First Mar 27 Apr 3 Full Apr 10 61° 36° 59° 41° Seattle 53/40 ALMANAC Yesterday Normals Records 58° 41° 6:54 a.m. 7:10 p.m. 3:47 a.m. 1:30 p.m. Last Apr 19 Today Spokane Wenatchee 52/32 50/33 Tacoma Moses 54/37 Lake Pullman Aberdeen Olympia Yakima 59/33 52/34 49/40 51/37 60/30 Longview Kennewick Walla Walla 53/41 56/38 Lewiston 62/34 Astoria 56/36 51/40 Portland Enterprise Hermiston 54/39 Pendleton 53/29 The Dalles 61/35 55/35 59/35 La Grande Salem 55/32 53/38 Albany Corvallis 54/36 54/36 John Day 53/36 Ontario Eugene Bend 61/37 53/36 51/28 Caldwell Burns 61/38 50/25 Astoria Baker City Bend Brookings Burns Enterprise Eugene Heppner Hermiston John Day Klamath Falls La Grande Meacham Medford Newport North Bend Ontario Pasco Pendleton Portland Redmond Salem Spokane Ukiah Vancouver Walla Walla Yakima Hi 51 55 51 52 50 53 53 56 61 53 50 55 52 55 50 52 61 61 55 54 53 53 52 50 53 56 60 Lo 40 28 28 40 25 29 36 32 35 36 26 32 30 37 40 41 37 33 35 39 25 38 32 29 38 38 30 W sh r c sh c r c pc pc r sn r r sh sh sh r sh c sh pc sh sh r sh pc pc NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY Thu. Hi 53 54 55 53 49 51 58 56 60 57 54 54 52 60 53 57 59 59 55 58 58 58 47 52 57 57 58 Lo 44 36 38 47 32 34 46 37 39 39 39 38 37 44 46 48 36 40 40 45 38 46 35 36 45 43 41 Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day. W r pc c r pc pc r pc pc pc pc pc pc pc r r pc pc pc r c r pc pc r pc pc WORLD CITIES Today Beijing Hong Kong Jerusalem London Mexico City Moscow Paris Rome Seoul Sydney Tokyo Hi 61 73 60 48 79 48 53 63 55 84 57 Lo 44 69 49 40 46 37 41 52 35 66 42 W c sh c sh pc r sh pc pc t s Thu. Hi 49 77 61 52 80 49 53 64 57 72 55 Lo 36 68 47 44 50 32 42 48 34 65 41 W c pc c sh pc pc sh pc pc sh c WINDS Medford 55/37 (in mph) Klamath Falls 50/26 Boardman Pendleton REGIONAL FORECAST Coastal Oregon: Mainly cloudy today with a couple of showers; breezy across the north. Eastern Washington: Cloudy most of the time today; brief showers. Eastern and Central Oregon: Mostly cloudy today with a shower; however, dry in the south. Partly cloudy tonight. Western Washington: Mostly cloudy today and tonight with a couple of showers. Oc- casional rain tomorrow. Cascades: Considerable cloudiness today with a shower. Northern California: A little rain today; however, a bit of snow in the interior mountains. Today Thursday WSW 7-14 WSW 6-12 SSW 4-8 WNW 4-8 UV INDEX TODAY Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows. 0 2 3 3 2 criteria, a spokeswoman said. Because the project was still out for bid Tuesday, it was not known what the final costs will be, according to department officials. In October 2015, the department estimated the five-station payment area would cost anywhere between $480,000 and $1.07 million to build, state records show. In 2016, department officials said they expected the project would land some- where in the middle of that range, at about $787,000. The administrator for the department’s administrative division, Shawn Waite, told lawmakers during budget hearings last week that the cost of construction of the payment center was expected to exceed initial estimates in 2015 due to construction inflationary costs, but could not provide an estimate of the increase as the project was still out for bid. The bulk of the work is expected to be finished in October, and complete in November, according to the request for bid proposals; department officials initially expected it would be complete by June 30, Waite said. Waite said the depart- ment initially struggled with the complexity of the construction project and the building’s existing architecture. But Waite also told lawmakers she believed the department hired a private third party to provide counsel on the project, and that the Department of Revenue worked with the Department of Adminis- trative Services’ building management officials. A Department of Revenue spokeswoman said the October date has been the expected completion date for a year and a half, and that it took longer than expected for the department to decide on a location. The East Oregonian works hard to be accurate and sincerely regrets any errors. If you notice a mistake in the paper, please call 541-966-0818. Advertising Director: Marissa Williams 541-278-2669 • addirector@eastoregonian.com Advertising Services: Laura Jensen 541-966-0806 • ljensen@eastoregonian.com Multimedia Consultants: • Terri Briggs 541-278-2678 • tbriggs@eastoregonian.com • Danni Halladay 541-278-2683 • dhalladay@eastoregonian.com • Jeanne Jewett 541-564-4531 • jjewett@eastoregonian.com • Stephanie Newsom 541-278-2687 • snewsom@eastoregonian.com • Dayle Stinson 541-278-2670 • dstinson@eastoregonian.com • Audra Workman 541-564-4538 • aworkman@eastoregonian.com Subscriber services: For home delivery, vacation stops or delivery concerns: 1-800-522-0255 — Founded Oct. 16, 1875 — Costs of administering pot taxes escalating 0 8 a.m. 10 a.m. Noon 2 p.m. 4 p.m. 6 p.m. 0-2, Low 3-5, Moderate 6-7, High; 8-10, Very High; 11+, Extreme The higher the AccuWeather.com UV Index™ num- ber, the greater the need for eye and skin protection. Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2017 -10s -0s showers t-storms 0s 10s rain 20s flurries 30s 40s snow ice 50s 60s cold front 70s 80s 90s 100s warm front stationary front 110s high low National Summary: Arctic air will blast the Northeast today. Showers will dampen a large part of the Plains as rain and mountain snow push inland along the Pacific coast. Showers will dot the Intermountain West. Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states) High 95° in San Angelo, Texas Low 5° in Rugby, N.D. NATIONAL CITIES Today Albuquerque Atlanta Atlantic City Baltimore Billings Birmingham Boise Boston Charleston, SC Charleston, WV Chicago Cleveland Dallas Denver Detroit El Paso Fairbanks Fargo Honolulu Houston Indianapolis Jacksonville Kansas City Las Vegas Little Rock Los Angeles Hi 81 71 41 45 66 71 61 34 71 46 39 33 82 75 38 90 15 38 85 84 44 81 55 73 57 65 Lo 53 46 23 22 40 51 38 16 44 23 28 22 63 47 21 58 -10 31 72 63 28 57 43 53 46 51 W pc pc s s pc pc pc s pc s pc s pc pc s s pc pc pc pc pc pc c sh sh t Thur. Hi 67 58 42 47 55 68 57 37 61 60 49 47 85 75 43 79 15 45 84 83 54 68 75 71 77 67 Lo 41 49 25 30 35 55 39 25 46 41 43 39 63 35 36 52 -13 29 72 67 49 54 58 51 60 54 W r pc s s r pc pc s pc s c s pc c s pc s r pc pc pc pc c pc pc pc Today Louisville Memphis Miami Milwaukee Minneapolis Nashville New Orleans New York City Oklahoma City Omaha Philadelphia Phoenix Portland, ME Providence Raleigh Rapid City Reno Sacramento St. Louis Salt Lake City San Diego San Francisco Seattle Tucson Washington, DC Wichita Hi 51 62 83 36 41 59 81 36 70 52 38 84 30 37 61 69 56 62 53 64 64 61 53 87 49 58 Lo 33 49 63 27 31 41 61 22 56 41 23 58 8 16 30 39 32 42 38 44 56 50 40 57 27 48 W pc c s s pc pc pc s t c s pc s s pc pc sn t pc sh t t sh pc s c Thur. Hi 61 75 80 46 45 67 80 43 81 67 45 70 32 39 55 56 60 65 61 54 64 63 56 67 48 79 Lo 54 62 67 38 36 54 66 33 58 53 31 53 18 24 32 36 37 47 58 37 54 52 44 46 36 58 Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice. W pc pc sh sh r pc pc s pc t s pc s s s r pc s pc r pc s r pc s sh
