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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 17, 2018)
REGION Saturday, November 17, 2018 East Oregonian House passes bill to drop legal protections for gray wolves By MATTHEW DALY Associated Press WASHINGTON — The Republican-controlled House passed a bill Friday to drop legal protections for gray wolves across the lower 48 states, reopening a lengthy battle over the pred- ator species. Long despised by farm- ers and ranchers, wolves were shot, trapped and poi- soned out of existence in most of the U.S. by the mid- 20th century. Since secur- ing protection in the 1970s, wolves have bounced back in the western Great Lakes states of Michigan, Minne- sota and Wisconsin, as well as in the Northern Rockies and Pacific Northwest. About 5,000 wolves live in the lower 48 states, occu- pying less than 10 percent of their historic range. The Fish and Wildlife Service is reviewing the wolf’s status and is expected to declare they’ve recovered sufficiently to be removed from protection under the Endangered Species Act. The House bill would enshrine that policy in law and restrict judicial review of listing decisions. The mea- sure was approved, 196-180, and now goes to the Senate, where prospects are murkier. Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., spoke in support of the bill on the House floor, showing a photo of a calf killed by wolves in Wallowa County. “For years, ranch- ers across my district have watched as wolf populations Courtesy of ODFW A young female from the Walla Walla pack was fitted with a radio collar on Oct. 21, 2011 in northern Umatilla County. grew, harassing and kill- ing their livestock,” he said. “This threatens their live- lihoods. You lose a heifer and you haven’t just lost one cow — you’ve lost 10 years’ worth of calves you won’t be able to sell. Those that aren’t killed, are harassed, often losing weight and value.” The bill’s chief sponsor, Rep. Sean Duffy, R-Wis., said farmers in Wisconsin and other states are “one step closer to having the legal means to defend their live- stock from gray wolves.” States should be responsi- ble for managing wolf pop- ulations, “not Washington bureaucrats,” Duffy said. Environmental groups and many Democrats slammed the bill as a last- ditch effort by Republicans to push a pro-rancher agenda after losing control of the House in this month’s mid- term elections. “This final, pathetic stab at wolves exemplifies House Republicans’ longstanding cruelty and contempt for our nation’s wildlife,” said Brett Hartl, government affairs director for the Center for Biological Diversity, an Ari- zona-based environmental group. “The American people overwhelmingly support the Endangered Species Act and the magnificent animals and plants it protects,” Hartl said. “We don’t expect to see these disgraceful anti-wild- life votes next year under Democratic control of the House.” Livestock industry asso- ciations representing ranch- ers who have to contend with wolves scaring and attacking cattle and sheep supported the bill. They said in a letter to Congress that wolf popu- lations have recovered to the extent that the animal would have been removed from the endangered species list if not for “activist litigants” who “used the judicial system to circumvent sound science and restore full ESA protec- tions to these predators.” A spokeswoman for the Fish and Wildlife Service said the agency is complet- ing a review of the wolves’ status in the lower 48 states and expects to make a rec- ommendation in coming months. The agency did not take a position on the House bill. 200-unit apartment complex nears approval East Oregonian At a meeting Tuesday, the Pendleton City Council will make three development decisions that could mean sig- nificant changes to the town’s landscape. Following three months of negotiations, the council will consider a deal with Clacka- mas-based I & E Construction to bring a 200-unit apartment complex to Pendleton. I & E wants to build the development on a 9.25-acre Westgate property, which the city acquired in 2015 after the state vacated and demolished the Eastern Oregon Training Center. Under the proposed con- tract, I & E would acquire the land by completing the proj- ect rather than pay for it. The city would also make yearly payments to I & E to cover portions of its prop- erty tax bill owed to the city through 2023. Smith hires new legislative director HEPPNER — Rep. Greg Smith (R-Heppner) has hired a new legislative director. Nicole Crane will lead his legislative office heading into next year’s session, he announced Friday. According to the news release, Crane is a “proud born and raised Oregonian.” The payment formula is based on the amount of vacant units divided by the number of completed units, but pay- ments are only activated if the occupancy rate is below 95 percent. The contract includes an example that if the complex had 100 completed units, and all but 10 were rented but it still owed $10,000 in assessed taxes to the city, Pendleton would reimburse I & E $1,000. If the coun- cil approves the deal, I & E expects to complete all phases of the complex in three years. While the council could approve I & E’s proposal on its first try, Makad Corp. is hoping the fourth time’s the charm for their proposal to build a 74-room hotel at the Eastern Oregon Regional Airport. After the council narrowly rejected a 50-year lease agree- ment on Nov. 6, the Vancou- ver, Washington-based com- pany revised the agreement to change its rental pay- ment from a percentage of gross revenue-based formula to a flat $7,500 per acre per year and add a “requirement for financial assurance or performance.” At the last council meet- ing, councilors Neil Brown and Scott Fairley said they were generally opposed to the concept of hotel at the air- port. But the other no votes — councilors Paul Chalmers and Dale Primmer — indicated they could change their minds if the lease was modified. Makad Corp. was involved in the development of the River Lodge in Boardman, but has had less success with developing previous projects at the Port of Morrow. The council could also repeal a plan that critics say hampers development on Court Avenue from South- west First Street to Southwest 10th Street. The city adopted the River Quarter Enhancement Plan in 2010 only for the council to later admit that some of the plan’s requirements, like a multi-story building require- ment, were overly imposing and depressed development. A group of entrepre- neurs calling themselves the Court St. Business Associa- tion began regularly attending council and planning com- mission meetings to lobby for the plan’s repeal. The planning commission began reviewing the plan in March, but did not reach a consensus by a council-set deadline. The commission’s rec- ommendation is to repeal the plan, and then create an ad-hoc committee that would revise the old plan and pro- pose a replacement. The council will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the coun- cil chambers in city hall, 500 S.W. Dorion Ave. She previously worked as a senior account executive for a public relations firm, a leg- islative assistant to State Sen- ator Cliff Bentz (R-Ontario) and as district outreach direc- tor and policy advisory for House Republican Leader Mike McLane and the House Republican Caucus. Smith said in a statement that he is excited to have Crane on his team. “She has years of experi- ence working in a variety of roles within the Capitol and is a true pro when it comes to constituent services,” he said. “Her background in PR and policy analysis will also bring tremendous value to our office.” 11/16 -18 11/19 Cineplex Show Times $5 Classic Movie Cineplex Show Times $5 Classic Movie 11/21 • 12pm What Ever Happened to Baby Jane 11/21 • 12pm What Ever Happened to Baby Jane FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD (PG13) 12:40* 6:40 3:40* 9:40 FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD (PG13) 6:40 3:40* 9:40 INSTANT VISIT FAMILY (PG13) USONFACEBOOK 1:30* 4:10 6:50 9:30 INSTANT FAMILY (PG13) 4:10 6:50 9:30 DR. SEUSS' THE GRINCH (PG) 12:20* 2:30* 4:40 7:10 9:20 DR. SEUSS' THE GRINCH (PG) 4:40 7:10 9:20 BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY (PG13) 12:50* 3:50* 7:00 10:00 BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY (PG13) 3:50* 7:00 10:00 THE NUTCRACKER AND THE FOUR REALMS (PG) 12:00* 2:20* 4:50 7:20 9:50 THE NUTCRACKER AND THE FOUR REALMS (PG) 4:50 7:20 9:50 * Matinee Pricing * Matinee Pricing wildhorseresort.com • 541-966-1850 wildhorseresort.com • 541-966-1850 Pendleton, OR I-84 - Exit 216 Pendleton, OR I-84 - Exit 216 Page 3A Forest Services to hold objection meetings on Blue Mountains plans PENDLETON — The U.S. Forest Service is host- ing five meetings in East- ern Oregon communi- ties to hear objections on the revised forest plans for the Malheur, Umatilla, and Wallowa-Whitman national forests. The meetings are day- long events and include multiple two-hour break- out sessions on specific topics. The meeting sched- ule is as follows: •Nov. 27, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., at Grant County Fairgrounds, Trowbridge Pavilion, 411 N.W. Bridge St., John Day; •Nov. 28, 9:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m., at the Pendleton Convention Center, 1601 Westgate, Pendleton; •Nov. 29, 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Wallowa Senior Center, 204 E. Sec- ond St., Wallowa; •Nov. 30, 9:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m., at the Baker High School, 2500 E St., Baker City; •Dec. 1, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., at the Gilbert Event Cen- ter, Eastern Oregon Uni- versity, 1 University Blvd., La Grande. The objection resolu- tion meetings are open for the public and media to observe. The Forest Ser- vice is limiting partici- pation in discussions to qualified objectors and interested persons. Accord- ing to the Forest Service, the goal of the meetings is to provide the objectors and interested persons an opportunity to discuss their issues with Forest Service leadership, provide clar- ity around objections and discuss potential areas of resolution. For a complete agenda, visit https://www.fs.usda. gov/detailfull/r6/landman- agement/planning/?cid=f- seprd584707. Umatilla National Forest offering free Christmas trees to fourth-grade students East Oregonian Every fourth-grader in the region can cut their own Christmas tree in the Umatilla National For- est for free this holiday season. As a part of its Every Kid in a Park program, the U.S. Forest Service is offering students a free tree cutting permit as long as they obtain a paper voucher from www.every- kidinapark.gov. They can study for- est maps and submit their vouchers at forest offices in Pendleton, Ukiah, Hep- pner, Walla Walla, and Pomeroy, Washington. If someone wants to obtain a permit outside the SUBMIT COMMUNITY NEWS Submit information to: community@eastorego- nian.com or drop off to the attention of Tammy Malgesini at 333 E. Main St., Hermiston or Renee Struthers at 211 S.E. Byers Ave., Pendleton. Every Kid in a Park pro- gram, they can purchase them at Ace Hardware in Hermiston, Bi Mart or Southgate Mini-Mart in Pendleton, Zip Zone in Milton-Freewater, J&D Food Mart or Mentzer and Elliott in Pilot Rock, Athena Grocery, Rhode’s Supply in Ukiah, Alpine Outpost in Tollgate, and Heppner Mobil. Permits are $5 and lim- ited to one per household. The permits apply only to the national forest system and not private, state, or other federally managed lands. For more informa- tion, contact the forest ser- vice office in Pendleton at 541-278-3716. For a complete listing of regional events, visit easternoregonevents. com BAZAAR Gifts, Crafts and Bake Sale 1350 NW Carden Ave, Pendleton. OR. November 16 & 17, 2018 9AM to 6PM FIND US ON FACEBOOK facebook.com/scishows Seeking Vendors $25 per table. Call Gann 541-561-3024
