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OUTSIDE
East Oregonian
Saturday, September 1, 2018
Where the Oregon Trail meets a transmission project
Historic group
pushes back
on proposed
Boardman to
Hemingway line
near Union County
trail
By DICK MASON
La Grande Observer
Construction of the
Boardman to Hemingway
electric transmission line
might do what Father Time’s
corrosive hand has not —
destroy the last remain-
ing remnants of the Oregon
Trail in Union County.
This is the fear of Lanetta
Paul, a passionate Oregon
Trail supporter who lives
in the Morgan Lake area
southwest of La Grande.
Paul, who has led many
people on tours of the Ore-
gon Trail from the area near
her home to Hilgard State
Park, seven miles away,
is among those working
to have the proposed B2H
route changed so that it is
far from Union County’s
Oregon Trail ruts, allowing
them to remain a tangible
link to this region’s story.
This is critical, she said,
for there will be no second
chances when it comes to
preserving what’s left of the
Oregon Trail.
“Once it is gone, it is
gone forever,” Paul said. “It
is a piece of history lost.”
John Williams, who also
lives near Morgan Lake
Road, shares Paul’s sense of
urgency. He owns land with
Oregon Trail ruts and said
those and all ruts between
the Morgan Lake area and
Hilgard State Park are at
risk because a portion of the
B2H transmission line may
run along this route under
a plan proposed by Pacifi-
Corp, the Bonneville Power
Administration and Idaho
Power, who would pay for
and construct the B2H line,
which would extend from
Boardman to the Heming-
way substation near Melba,
Idaho.
Williams said the pro-
posed plan calls for the
transmission line and its
poles to be 125 feet outside
the Oregon Trail on either
Photo by Cherise Kaechle/The La Grande Observer
Lanetta Paul, who brought tours to the property where the Oregon Trail ruts are, stands in one of the ruts made
by the wagon wheels located on private property near Morgan Lake.
Photo by Cherise Kaechle/The La Grande Observer
Oregon Trail markers line the private property to indi-
cate the location for those who are curious. The trail
made its way near the Morgan Lake area outside of La
Grande, but is being threatened by the Boardman to
Hemingway transmission line project.
side, but fears this is close
enough to pose a threat
to the historical remnants
because of the heavy equip-
ment that would have to be
brought in to construct the
massive transmission line.
He said if the equipment ran
over the ruts, it would cause
irreparable damage.
Gail Carbiener of Bend, a
member of the Oregon-Cal-
ifornia Trail Association,
shares Williams’ concern.
“(The proposed B2H
line) can’t help but have an
impact,” Carbiener said.
The Bend resident noted
the equipment brought in
would be enormous, with
some items such as cranes
weighing close to 100,000
pounds.
“It would be huge,” he
said.
More than ruts are at risk
by the proposed B2H line.
Williams said the proposed
project’s plan calls for a
large tower to be built in the
middle of an area that was
a campsite for Oregon Trail
pioneers. He said numerous
artifacts have been found at
the site with a metal detec-
tor within the past two years
during searches he assisted.
Items found include oxen
shoes, a bracket for a wagon
and many nails. Williams
said nails are commonly
found along the Oregon
Trail.
“It has been called the
trail of nails,” he said.
The La Grande resident
said he fears if a tower is
placed at the campsite, the
Oregon Trail artifacts bur-
ied underneath it may be
lost forever.
A statement sent to The
Observer from Idaho Pow-
der archaeologist Shane
Judge rejects plan for off-roading trails
BEND (AP) — A federal
magistrate in Oregon has
rejected a proposal to create
a network of trails for off-
road vehicles in the Ochoco
National Forest, putting the
plan in jeopardy.
The U.S. Forest Ser-
vice wants to establish
a 137-mile network of
trails that could be used
by ATVs, but U.S. Magis-
trate Judge Patricia Sulli-
van earlier this week said
the plan doesn’t do enough
to protect vulnerable spe-
Free fishing
offered statewide
this weekend
PENDLETON — This
weekend is a good time to
get out the fishing pole.
It is free to fish, crab
or clam anywhere in Ore-
gon this Saturday and Sun-
day, for Oregon and out-
of-state
residents.
No
fishing licenses or tags will
be required.
Other
regulations,
including closures, bag lim-
its and size restrictions,
will still be in place. Ore-
gon Department of Fish and
Wildlife’s weekly recre-
ation report, updated each
Wednesday, has informa-
tion about the best fishing
opportunities and which
bodies of water have been
stocked with trout for the
The most valuable and
respected source of local news,
advertising and information for
our communities.
www.eomediagroup.com
cies, including elk and gray
wolves.
The Bulletin reports that
Sullivan’s ruling is prelimi-
nary and must be reviewed
by another judge.
The Forest Service has
been looking at options for
an expanded trail system
within the Ochoco for more
than a decade.
But when the Forest
Service approved the plan
last June, conservationists,
hunting organizations and
other groups sued.
Baker said with regard to
the Oregon Trail and B2H
indicates that the company
is sensitive to the concerns
expressed by Williams, Car-
biener, Paul and others.
“Idaho Power is very
aware of the historic signif-
icance of the Oregon Trail,
as well as other historic
trails and resources in the
area of the proposed project,
and did everything reason-
ably possible to protect and
consider the trail during the
process of selecting a pro-
posed route. We’ve spent
time documenting where
trail segments occur within
the vicinity of the proj-
ect and in planning how to
avoid and protect the trail.
We also met with landown-
ers, stakeholders, including
trail group representatives,
to hear their concerns and
solicit their input,” the state-
ment read.
Idaho Powder also noted
in its statement that federal
and state laws require it to
take all historic resources
into consideration during
the planning and permitting
process, and to protect them.
“There’s a federal and
state process that must be
followed that protects his-
toric and other natural
resources,” according to
the statement. “Our intent
is to minimize impacts to
all resources. During design
and construction, we would
avoid placing towers on any
identified trail segments,
or ruts, and site the proj-
ect in a manner that reduces
direct and indirect impacts.
In some instances, mitiga-
tion may be an appropriate
method to offset impacts.”
Idaho Power officials
noted the Oregon Trail
Interpretive Center just out-
side Baker City and the
Birch Creek area in Malheur
County are examples where
several steps were taken in
its route proposal to protect
the Oregon Trail. The com-
pany said it is committed to
minimizing visual impacts
by using lower tower
designs that are more con-
sistent with existing trans-
mission towers.
The statement also said
Idaho Power intends to do
more to address the con-
cerns about B2Hs proxim-
ity to the Oregon Trail: “We
plan to continue working
with the community, land-
owners and trail group rep-
resentatives to identify other
potential mitigation ideas;
such as public education
and outreach by construct-
ing and installing interpre-
tive signs about the trail and
its history.”
Carbiener said the Ore-
gon-California Trails Asso-
ciation is taking steps to
protect the Oregon Trail,
such as attempting to get
all portions of the histori-
cal trail along the B2H route
put on the National Regis-
ter of Historic Places. The
Oregon-California
Trails
Association is now prepar-
ing an application for this.
Carbiener hopes this will
help sway PacifiCorp, the
Bonneville Power Admin-
istration and Idaho Power
to alter the proposed B2H
route so the Oregon Trail is
not impacted.
“It may not legally keep
them from following the
B2H route now proposed,”
Carbiener said, “but it may
discourage them.”
Whitman Mission offers
guided bird walks
Mike Stahlberg/The Register-Guard via AP, file
In this Aug. 6, 2005, file photo, cyclists and hikers
share a trail along Walton Lake.
BRIEFLY
holiday weekend. It can be
found online at myodfw.
com/recreation-report.
“Get out and enjoy the
last weekend of summer
and do some fishing with
family and friends,” Mike
Gauvin, ODFW recre-
ational fisheries manager,
said in a statement.
Oregon’s last free fishing
weekend of the year will be
Nov. 23-24.
ODFW seeks
candidates for fish
restoration board
SALEM — The Ore-
gon Department of Fish and
Wildlife is seeking quali-
fied Oregon applicants to
fill two soon to be vacant
positions on the Fish Res-
toration and Enhancement
Program Board.
One position represents
sport fishing interests and
the other represents gill net-
ting interests on the board.
Application are due Sept.
19.
The ideal sport fishing
representative is involved
with local fishing groups or
fish management, has previ-
ous experience with boards
or commissions and has
knowledge of diverse sport
fisheries across Oregon.
Similar experience with
gillnetting is required for
that position.
The Fish Restoration
and Enhancement Program
was created by the Ore-
gon Legislature in 1989 to
help fund fish restoration
and enhancement projects
throughout the state. The
program is funded by a sur-
charge on sport and com-
mercial fishing licenses
and commercial pound-
age fees and is overseen
by a seven-member citi-
zen board made up of three
sport fishing representa-
tives, three representatives
from the troll, gillnet and
seafood processing indus-
tries and one public-at-large
representative. The board
reviews grant proposals
from various organizations
and agencies and recom-
mends projects for funding.
Board members, who
are appointed to four-year
terms by the Oregon Fish
and Wildlife Commission,
meet three or four times
each year in various com-
munities throughout the
state to review project fund-
ing applications, hear pub-
lic testimony, act as liaisons
between the program and
the public and to conduct
other program business.
Board members are volun-
teers; however, board-re-
lated business expenses are
reimbursed.
For more information
and to obtain an applica-
tion, go to the R&E Pro-
gram website at www.dfw.
state.or.us/fish/RE/or
by
contacting Debbi Farrell at
503-947-6211 or Debbi.L.
Farrell@state.or.us.
Photo contributed by Michael Bogert
The public is invited to a pair of free bird walks Sept.
11 and Oct. 2 at Whitman Mission National Historic
Site in Walla Walla.
WALLA WALLA — A
pair of upcoming events at
Whitman Mission National
Historic Site provides an
opportunity for people to
get out in nature and learn
more about birds.
The free bird walks are
Tuesday, Sept. 11, at 5:45
p.m. and Tuesday, Oct.
2, 5:30 p.m. at 328 Whit-
man Mission Road, Walla
Walla. Participants are
reminded to dress in lay-
ers and wear comfortable
shoes as part of the walk-
ing surface is uneven.
The activity is fami-
ly-friendly and people are
encouraged to bring a cam-
era and binoculars. Visi-
tors are asked to leave their
dogs at home during the
activities.
Founded in 1936, the
historic site is run by the
National Park Service. The
museum/visitor center is
open daily from 9 a.m. to
4 p.m. through Labor Day
— the off-season hours
then change to Wednes-
day through Sundays. The
grounds/trails are open
daily from 8 a.m. to 4:30
p.m. People may walk
their dogs on the trails,
except during designated
activities.
For more information,
contact
509-522-6360,
michael_bogert@nps.gov
or visit www.facebook.
com/whitmanmission.