REGION Saturday, December 16, 2017 Eastern Oregon commissioners to weigh in on forest plan in D.C. By KATY NESBITT For the EO Media Group ENTERPRISE — Eastern Oregon county commis- sioners will make their voice heard Dec. 12-14 when Pacific Northwest Regional Forester Jim Peña presents the Blue Mountains Forest Plan Revision in Washington, D.C. The Blue Mountains Forest Plan has been under revision since 2003 and is a guiding document for the Malheur, Umatilla and Wallowa-Whitman national forests. Susan Roberts, chairman of the Eastern Oregon Counties Association, said a draft of the plan released in June had significant changes in grazing requirements from a draft released in January. “We were concerned that those changes would have an economic impact on our local communities,” Roberts said. Fearing increased stubble height along endangered species-bearing streams in public grazing allotments would reduce grazing and harm local economies, Harney County Commis- sioner Mark Owens and other members of the association asked Rep. Greg Walden, R-Hood River, to intervene on their behalf with the federal agencies. “We want to make sure they are addressing economic conditions as well as ecological in the plan’s revision,” Owens said. Roberts said the asso- ciation members wanted an opportunity to speak directly to federal fisheries staff face-to-face instead of communicating through the Forest Service, a request that was somewhat out of the ordinary. “The plan had not gone to E.J. Harris/EO Media Group Representative of counties will accompany Forest Service official presenting plan revision in Washington. formal consultation with the regulatory agencies and we wanted to get some things ironed out before that,” Roberts said. Justin Discigil, Walden’s communications director, said the congressman has worked closely with Eastern Oregon counties throughout the 14 years the Blue Moun- tains Plan has been under revision. Discigil said Walden, at the association’s behest, raised the counties’ concerns with the Blue Mountains Plan with the new chief of the Forest Service, Tony Tooke, shortly after he was appointed this fall. “Congressman Walden wants to make sure the voices of the people on the ground are heard in this process,” Discigil said. Seeing significant headway in meetings with the federal agencies, Wallowa County Commis- sioner Todd Nash said he asked if Eastern Oregon could send a representative to meet with Forest Service officials when Peña presents the plan to Forest Service leaders in Washington, D.C. “When we started to see effective changes with all of the agencies in the room I thought it was of value, as cooperating agents, for someone from one of the counties to be in that presen- tation,” Nash said. In a rare move, Peña extended an invitation for one commissioner to join him in Washington. “It’s important for our agency to be transparent about this process and everything it entails, so I was happy to extend this invita- tion,” Peña said. “Many of these counties have signed a memorandum of under- standing to formalize their role as a cooperating agency with the Forest Service as part of this forest plan revision, and all of them are important partners in this effort.” Owens, who will repre- sent Eastern Oregon coun- ties, said having cooperating agency status means more than having an opportunity to review an agency’s plan and submitting comments. “The biggest challenge with any federal manage- ment plan is not being at the table during consultation,” Owens said. “Cooperating status doesn’t do any good if we can’t drive the direction of an alternative.” Along with Peña, Owens said he will attend a Forest Service director staff briefing, a deputy chief briefing and a briefing with Chief Tony Tooke. Nash and Owen will both meet with Dan Jiorn, Acting Deputy Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environ- ment. “We will meet with him to talk about grazing the areas we did not have success like pace and scale of timber harvest, transportation and elk corridors,” Owens said. ODOT requests 153 positions for transportation projects By PARIS ACHEN Capital Bureau SALEM — The Oregon Department of Transpor- tation plans to request 153 new positions in February to help deliver $5.3 billion in transportation projects lawmakers agreed to fund earlier this year. It was unclear Friday how much the new positions will cost, but they equate to nearly 78 full-time employees, said Leah Horner, ODOT government relations manager. The 153 jobs would start in the next two years and would augment 35 new full-time-equivalent posi- tions the state Legislature already approved in July. ODOT is in the midst of hiring for those positions. The agency estimates it could ask for another 113 positions for 2020 and 2021. The request comes as ODOT is gearing up to boost outsourcing to deliver road and bridge projects in the transportation package. Agency officials said Friday they plan to increase outsourcing, currently EO Media Group file photo The Oregon Department of Transportation plans to request 153 new positions in February to help deliver $5.3 billion in transportation projects lawmakers agreed to fund earlier this year. about 50 percent, to about 70 percent on preliminary engineering work. The strategy — a national trend — is designed to hold down costs and circumvent a labor shortage in the engi- neering industry. “We are relying on outsourcing to limit the number of positions in the agency,” said Paul Mather, ODOT highway division administrator. “We also want to capture the innovation and expertise of the private sector.” However, a preliminary report by ODOT and the Oregon Council of Engineering Companies indicates relying more heavily on outsourcing by transportation departments D EFEND E AR S HOOTER E AR P LUGS Shooter ear plugs are specifi cally designed to fi t into any ear without the need for ear impressions. The Shooter allows for clear communication, as well as en- hanced ambient awareness. 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The negative effects “we found from other states is not consistent with our experi- ence here in Oregon and thus will not be included in the final version,” Mather said of the preliminary report. The final version of the report, “Transportation Program Delivery Approach,” is scheduled to be released next month, he said. Mather said ODOT can avoid the risks of outsourcing by clearly communicating expectations in contracts and putting the agency’s practices and procedures in contract language for which contractors can be held accountable. A management review of ODOT earlier this year recommended that the agency clarify contract language to improve project outcomes. East Oregonian Page 3A HERMISTON Man arrested in drug bust has extensive criminal history Highland Avenue and South First Street for a The Hermiston man who traffic violation. The driver was arrested Wednesday for did not stop and, after a possessing 75 pounds of short pursuit, the officer marijuana has been charged lost sight of the vehicle. Hermiston and with drug-related Oregon State offenses before, Police officers according to state eventually found court records. Rhoades inside Wi l l i a m an apartment on Richard Rhoades, West Sunland 27, was charged Avenue. Inside in June 2016 the apartment, with possession they found more of methamphet- than 75 pounds amine. He has a of marijuana, hearing for that Rhoades as well as items charge on Dec. 21. He also has several criminal related to illegal marijuana charges in Multnomah sales. These included pack- County, including posses- aging materials, scales, and sion of tobacco by a minor, items used to make butane burglary, theft, possession honey oil, a product made of marijuana, and assault in from marijuana extracts. the third and fourth degree. The process for making the Rhoades was arrested oil is highly volatile, and after a failed traffic stop can cause explosions. Hermiston Police Chief in Hermiston Wednesday morning. According Jason Edmiston said there to a Hermiston Police were no other arrests so far Department press release, related to the bust. He said officers attempted to stop the identification found a car around 1 a.m. near in the vehicle belonged to the intersection of West Rhoades’ girlfriend. East Oregonian BRIEFLY Minam River Lodge adds CEO Patricia Lee has been named CEO of the Minam River Lodge, as the revamped wilderness lodge readies for its second season. Lee is the former manager and partner of the Steamboat Inn on the North Umpqua River, where she worked for more than 30 years. She will now oversee strategic and business operations of the Minam River Lodge, which is located in the Eagle Cap Wilderness. “Pat has a wonderful history of accomplishment, not just in hospitality Patricia Lee management but also in creating very special places that help people experience Oregon’s natural treasures,” said Barnes Ellis, owner of Minam River Lodge. The lodge reopened in May 2017 after a six year restoration project. It is accessible only by 8.5-mile hike, horseback ride or charter flight to its private grass airstrip. Hermiston School District swaps land parcel with Irrigation District HERMISTON — Whenever the Hermiston School District builds its next elementary school, it will be on a new site — due to a land swap with the Hermiston Irriga- tion District conducted at this week’s school board meeting. The board exchanged their parcel of land, a 19.24-acre plot on East Theater Lane, with a parcel of identical size at the corner of East Theater Lane and Northeast 10th Street, formerly owned by the Irrigation District. “The purpose was that the access to the site was much more favorable for the school district, with access to both Theater and 10th Street,” said Hermiston School Board chair Karen Sherman. “The access to the property we held was very narrow, except from Theater Lane.” Sherman said the topography of the new site was also a little flatter, meaning less money would have to be spent to excavate the property once a school is built there. The district will eventually have to pave all of East Theater Lane, and put in a sewer line. Hermiston Director of Operations Brad Wayland said no immediate work would be done on the property, and any work such as paving or sewer line installation would only be done as part of a school construction project. Reward offered in investigation of poaching death of two mule deer BEND (AP) — The Oregon State Police is asking for the public’s help to find the person or people who poached two mule deer earlier this year in Central Oregon. Investigators said Friday they believe the first animal was killed around Oct. 29 south of Pine Mountain in Deschutes County. The second deer was found dead in the Three Rivers community near Lake Billy Chinook in Jefferson County. Troopers believe the two incidents are not related. A reward of up to $500 is being offered by the Oregon Hunters Association.