OFF PAGE ONE
Saturday, April 22, 2017
Drones used for first time in
major search at Grand Canyon
By ASTRID GALVAN
Associated Press
PHOENIX
—
The
desperate effort this week to
find two hikers who disap-
peared at the bottom of the
Grand Canyon represented
the National Park Service’s
most extensive use yet of
drones in a search-and-rescue
mission.
The Grand Canyon is
the only national park with
its own fleet of unmanned
aircraft for locating people
who have gotten lost,
stranded, injured or killed.
Under a program that began
last fall, it has five drones and
four certified operators.
While the aerial search
for the two hikers came up
empty, it threw a spotlight
on technology that can enter
crevices and other rugged
spots unreachable by foot
while sparing searchers the
dangers of going up in a
helicopter.
With its steep cliffs,
nearly 2,000 square miles
and mesmerizing views, the
Grand Canyon can be as
dangerous as it is captivating.
Rangers were confronted
Brandon Torres/Grand Canyon National Park via AP Photo
In these undated photos from 2016, a Grand Canyon
National Park employee operates a drone at the park.
The Grand Canyon is the only national park with its
own fleet of unmanned aircraft for reaching people
who have gotten lost, stranded, injured or killed.
with 1,200 medical emergen-
cies, 293 search-and-rescue
missions and 17 deaths in
2016, a year in which the park
had nearly 6 million visitors.
Last summer, a 35-year-old
Yelp executive tripped while
hiking, fell backward and was
found dead 400 feet below.
“Our historic model was
to take the helicopter to look
and see,” said Grand Canyon
chief ranger Matt Vandzura.
But now, drones can offer
“that same close look but
without putting any people
at risk. It has dramatically
increased our ability to keep
our people safe.”
The drones are about 18
inches across and 10 inches
high, with a battery life of
about 20 minutes. Drone
operators watch the video in
real time and then analyze it
again at the end of the day.
SOLAR: Bill remains a work in progress
Natural Resources Committee
— if the utility exceeds the
12-acre limit for future solar
arrays in the area, it would
cost between $150,000 and
$250,000 for each applica-
tion and drive up rates for
customers, he said.
On the other hand, Camp-
bell said it would take at least
50 solar arrays at 12 acres
a piece to add up to the 100
megawatts they need.
“Many of them will have
to be placed where we do
not have existing substations
and transmission lines, so
those facilities will have to be
constructed as well,” he said.
In response, Smith has
spearheaded House Bill 2023
which would allow UEC
to build solar farms in the
Columbia Valley AVA, but
only if the site does not have
an existing water right and
is not otherwise suitable for
high-value crops.
“The last thing I want to
do is take away agricultural
land,” Smith said. “That’s not
part of this conversation.”
Yet that is exactly the
concern from opponents who
argue agricultural land must
be protected. Dave Price, with
the Blue Mountain alliance,
said the bill would potentially
sacrifice high-value farmland
by making it available for
non-farm use.
“It would be easy to get rid
of the existing process, Goal 3
exception, to solve the UEC
and other energy users’ need to
satisfy the (renewable energy)
mandate issue,” Price said.
“This would be a mistake, and
would have long-term effects
on our high-value farmlands.
Irene Gilbert, with Friends
of the Grande Ronde Valley,
also criticized the bill, saying
UEC should not be allowed
to alter the definition of high-
value farmland and circum-
vent local land use planning.
“This decision process
should remain with the local
counties who are in the best
position to make a determina-
tion on a case-by-case basis,”
Gilbert said.
The issue was also raised at
the Umatilla County Planning
Commission, where members
opted not to recommend
expanding the Moyer-Tolles
station last month. However,
the Umatilla County Board
of Commissioners gave UEC
the go-ahead anyway, with
commissioner Bill Elfering
saying solar generation was
the best use for the land.
Smith said he wants to
help UEC meet its renewable
energy mandate in an afford-
able manner.
“Remember, this is state
law,” he said. “UEC has no
other alternative but to do
this.”
The bill remains a work
in progress, Smith said. It
has already undergone four
revisions, and will likely be
changed further. Specifically,
Smith said they are narrowing
the language down to ensure
UEC builds on rocky, scabby
land without a water right.
The bill did pass out of
the House Agriculture and
Natural Resources Committee
on Tuesday and was
referred to the House Rules
Committee. Smith said he is
working closely with UEC,
the Oregon Farm Bureau and
other stakeholders to come
up with a mutually agreeable
solution.
“For our co-op that does
so many good things for our
community, I think I owe it to
try and help them out,” Smith
said.
———
Contact George Plaven at
gplaven@eastoregonian.com
or 541-966-0825.
LEGISLATURE: Many of the proposals
address state pensions and healthcare costs
Continued from 1A
exhaustive or all-inclusive.
The group also proposed
two immediate steps to take
to address the upcoming
two-year budget — freeze
hiring of “non-essential”
state positions and stop
automatically
granting
inflationary increases for
services and supplies.
Legislators also released
a list of “principles” to
guide budget decisions,
such as requiring analysis
of program costs on an
ongoing basis rather than
just their initial costs; and
not creating programs or
funds without money to pay
for them.
Many of the proposed
long-term proposals address
costs associated with state
employees such as pensions
and
healthcare
costs,
resulting in pushback from
union groups.
SEIU 503 President
Steve Demarest said in
a statement that the cost
containment
measures
presented an “effort to
scapegoat people who have
dedicated their lives to
public service” and called
for changes to state business
taxes — another source of
contention this legislative
session. Another group of
lawmakers is evaluating
possible adjustments to the
state’s revenue system.
“We’re doing this not
because we think that this
is solely an issue for public
employees,” Devlin said.
“Obviously I do believe that
public employees should be
compensated justly.”
House Minority Leader
Mike McLane, R-Powell
Butte, said after the
proposals were announced
Friday that the ideas repre-
sented a “starting point.”
“The bottom line is
Oregon’s state government
must
have
structural
spending reform to meet our
commitments in the long
term.” McLane said in a
statement.
Patrick Criteser, chair of
the Oregon Business Plan
— a coalition of business
leaders and a prominent
voice weighing on state
public finance — said the
ideas proposed Friday were
an indication legislators are
“looking seriously” at ways
to address the state’s budget
for the long haul.
“We know addressing
these costs will not be
easy,” Criteser said in a
prepared statement, “and
this memorandum shows
that legislators are prepared
to have hard conversations
about the state’s structural
spending issues, including
the need to rein in the costs
of the public sector health-
care benefits and making
sure that the public pension
system is secure for all
employees.”
While it’s been known
since January how much
may need to be trimmed
from areas of the budget
more generally, a list of
proposed cuts to specific
programs released this week
has highlighted the possible
effects of budget reductions
on education and services
for people with disabilities
and the elderly.
On Thursday, Gov. Kate
Brown announced a state
government hiring freeze on
each agency until its budget
is approved by the legisla-
ture. That could leave higher
starting balances for the
upcoming biennium, which
begins July 1. Her proposal
differs from what legislators
have suggested — a hiring
freeze for nonessential
employees for the next two
years of the budget.
On Friday, a separate
work group on public safety
spending also presented
proposals
focused
on
measures to restrain growth
of the state’s prison popula-
tion. Early estimates from
the Legislative Fiscal Office
indicate the state could save
at least $19.75 million of
general fund money in the
upcoming budget cycle by
making certain changes,
such as extending the
duration of a program that
allows certain prisoners to
be released early in favor of
community-based supervi-
sion.
BMCC: College defends gun free zone on campus
Continued from 1A
any individual or damage
upon a building or grounds
of the College, regardless of
whether they are the holder
of a concealed weapons
permit.”
White-Zollman
explained the Family Educa-
tional Rights to Privacy
Act prevents college from
disclosing the identity of the
student or whether or not the
student faces discipline for
violating college policy.
Pro-gun rights advocates
call such policies unlawful
and unconstitutional.
“Statewide,
public
colleges and universities
have grappled with this
issue for a long time,”
White-Zollman
said.
“BMCC is able to set policy
that it believes is in the
best interest of its college
community.”
The Oregon Court of
Appeals in 2011 in the case
of Oregon Firearms Educa-
tion Foundation vs. Board
of Higher Education, found
the board’s “broad scope
... to control and manage
its properties includes the
authority to make rules
regarding the conduct of
visitors or members of the
public on institutional prop-
erties.” However, the court
ruled, the board exceeded
its authority when it regu-
lated firearms, which is the
purview of the Legislature.
Still,
White-Zollman
stated, Oregon Revised
Statute 341.290(4), allows
boards to “control use of
and access to the grounds,
buildings, books, equipment
and other property of the
district.”
She also said the college
is committed to doing
its best “to provide our
students, employees and
visitors with a safe learning
environment.”
———
Contact Phil Wright at
pwright@eastoregonian.
com or 541-966-0833.
Thanking Our Sponsors
The Umatilla County Historical Society
extends a warm thank you to the families
and individuals who sponsored our 2017
Trivia Games. Their generosity ensured the
success of this important spring fundraiser,
now heading into its third year. Trivia Games
provides an evening of fun, food, and
mind-stretching questions, which highlight
the heritage and diversity of Umatilla County.
Gold-Level Sponsors
Harriet Isom • Mike & Jill Thorne
Silver-Level Sponsors
Jake & Cathy Cambier • Jon Hitzman
Al & Tara Meunier • George & Donna Murdock
David & Alice Nelson • Norm & Michelle Sitz
Frank Szumski • Mack Temple
108 SW Frazer Avenue
Pendleton, Oregon 97801
541-276-0012 • Fax 541-276-7989
info@heritagestatonmuseum.org
5th Annual
Golf Classic
May 13, 2017
PENDLETON COUNTRY CLUB
Register: Brochures available at Pendleton Country Club 541-443-4653 & D.A. Davison & Co.
• Four person Scramble
• Check-in time: 12:30pm
• Shotgun start: 2:00pm
• Entry fee: $95 per player
PRIZES FOR HOLE-IN-ONE!
Provided by:
Tom Denchel ‘s
FORDCOUNTRY.COM
And
Roundup Athlectic Club
Gold Sponsors:
If you’re managing
medications for an older
adult, there’s help.
Medication management can be complex but it is
an important part of providing care for your loved
one. You don’t have to do it alone – Oregon Care
Partners can help.
Classes
offered online
and in-person at
NO COST to you
Funded through the
State of Oregon
In our free, online or in-person classes, you’ll learn:
• How medicines effect older adults, including risk factors, age-
related changes and adverse medication side effects
• The importance of regular medication reviews
• How to manage medications for people living with dementia
including the importance of non-medicine interventions
Visit OregonCarePartners.com to get started today. A little help can
make a big difference – for your loved one, and for you.
COMING SOON TO THE PENDLETON
(includes green fees, cart & dinner)
All proc
Safe Medication Use in Older Adults
eeds g
o to the
Kick’n
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e
“Spirit ginnings
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L
Wood pe C
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llet g AUCTION
Mills Blan rill; 40 qt. camo co IT o EMS INCLUD
ket from Ta
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ton :
ma
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itute
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Learn more and register for this free class at OregonCarePartners.com. Family members,
all levels of caregivers and walk-ins welcome. CEUs offered for professionals.
Silver Sponsors:
Tom Denchel ‘s
FORDCOUNTRY.COM
Page 11A
SUPPORT FOR FAMILY CAREGIVERS
Trivia Games 2017
Continued from 1A
East Oregonian
Terry Atchison • Justin & Tamara Voelker
Wheatland Insurance Center • PCC Ladies Best Ball
Round-Up City Amateur • Walla Walla Country Club
Capps Broadcast Group - KUMA
www.OregonCarePartners.com
1-800-930-6851 • info@oregoncarepartners.com