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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (June 11, 2019)
A8 OFF PAGE ONE East Oregonian Summer: Temperatures expected to reach mid-90s Continued from Page A1 The Northwest Inter- agency Coordination Center shows minimal fi re poten- tial on Monday and Tues- day for Eastern Oregon. That risk increases Wednesday and Thursday, and lightning strikes would set off blazes that test the response of initial resources. The National Weather Ser- vice and the Northwest Coor- dination Center show local temperatures and the risk of fi re easing off come Friday. Temperatures are expected to be record-breaking on the west side of the state this week. According to the National Weather Service, areas near Portland, Eugene and Salem may break max temperature records for this time of year. Those areas are all slated to have temperatures in the 90s mid-next week. Southwest Oregon could see tempera- tures close to 100 degrees. Abuse: Hermiston adult foster home closed after state suspends license Continued from Page A1 a history of abusing [the alleged victim]” but she never reported the suspected abuse and told families the caregiver was laid off for fi nancial reasons. The report alleged that Sak had been seen in the hospital stand- ing over the injured resi- dent, who cried and nodded when asked if she was hurt- ing them. “Licensee’s actions are a violation of resident’s rights, are considered physical and emotional harm and con- stitutes abuse,” the report concluded. Sak did not respond to an email or phone message left by the East Oregonian on Monday morning asking for comment. According to Sinatra, state law allows licensees to reapply after a one-year wait- ing period and if Sak were to reapply, the department “would review the licensee’s history, including the facts of this case, and determine whether or not her applica- tion would be approved.” She said when an adult foster home is shut down DHS works to minimize negative impacts on resi- dents and assists in fi nding a safe and comfortable new home for each one. Earthquake: Emergency fuel could be a concern during Cascadia event Continued from Page A1 department vehicles to use. He said there could be a way for the department to provide fuel and get reim- bursement, yet how much fuel the road department could spare is tough to say. While an earthquake like Cascadia should not wreak havoc on local infrastruc- ture the way it could on the west side of Oregon, Fel- lows said road crews still have to make sure they can get to places and clear routes. Rowan said the sheriff’s offi ce is working on some state grants that would allow for the purchase of a fuel trailer for patrol cars and other emergency vehi- cles. That kind of mobile unit, he said, also would be a boon during fi re season, when fi re trucks could need to keep going in remote parts of the county. Chief Scott Stanton with Umatilla County Fire Dis- trict 1 said fuel access has come up during exercises and planning for Cascadia. “We have talked about it,” he said, “but probably not enough.” The fi re district has about 300 gallons of diesel and another 100 of gas, he said, but that would not last long. Stanton said he has been looking into bridging the gap if power goes out and vehicles can’t fi ll up at the pumps. “I think we might be OK with farmers we can buy fuel from,” he said. Oregon has no fuel refi neries, and more than 90 percent of the state’s liquid fuel reserves are along a 6-mile stretch of the Willamette River in Portland that is vulnera- ble to liquefaction during an earthquake. But Patter- son and Fellows stressed that does not mean East- ern Oregon would run dry for long. Highways should be open into eastern Wash- ington, Idaho and down to Utah, they said, and trucks should be able to haul fuel here. ——— East Oregonian reporter Jade McDowell contrib- uted to this story. Tuesday, June 11, 2019 Brown: Oregon governor critical of revised wolf plan Continued from Page A1 mum wolf population has increased from at least 21 known wolves to 137. ODFW began the latest revision process in 2016. That included a series of meetings with a profes- sional mediator, gather- ing representatives from the ranching, hunting and environmental communi- ties to fi nd areas of agree- ment and compromise within the plan. Talks began in August 2018, but fell apart by Jan- uary as the four environ- mental groups — Oregon Wild, Defenders of Wild- life, Cascadia Wildlands and the Center for Biolog- ical Diversity — left the bargaining table, arguing that ODFW was working toward a predetermined outcome. Specifi cally, they fear the revised plan will make it easier to kill wolves that repeatedly prey on live- stock, rather than focusing on non-lethal and preemp- tive strategies to prevent confl ict.{ The Fish and Wildlife Commission voted 6-to-1 to adopt the plan revisions. Perhaps most conten- tious was the new defi ni- tion for “chronic depreda- tion” in Eastern Oregon, where wolves are already delisted. Under the plan, ranchers can now request wolves be killed after just two confi rmed depreda- tions in nine months. Wolves in Western Ore- gon are still federally pro- tected, though that could change if the government goes through with its latest delisting proposal. Environmental groups also railed against provi- sions in the plan that allow for issuing “controlled take” permits to the gen- eral public. Though the plan explicitly forbids gen- eral wolf hunting, advo- cates worry controlled take could lead to that pos- sibility down the road. Sean Stevens, executive director of Oregon Wild, said the plan demonstrates “a spectacular failure of leadership” and called out Brown in his statement. “Every wolf allowed to be hunted by the public, snared in a leghold trap, or killed for eating its native prey from this point for- ward will be the direct consequence of Governor Kate Brown and majority of her wildlife commis- sion,” Stevens said. In her statement, Brown made it clear she is also not happy with the fi nal prod- uct. It was not immediately clear whether Brown can or will direct the agency to revisit amendments. “Efforts in the wolf plan to evaluate depre- dations and prevent them fail to meet the governor’s expectations for ensuring the health of the wolf pop- ulation while also meeting the needs of the ranching community,” the statement reads. “And as she com- municated to the director of ODFW last month, the plan should give no mem- ber of the public the oppor- tunity to hunt wolves.” Members of hunt- ing and ranching groups mostly urged the commis- sion to adopt the revised wolf plan, though it was clear they did not get everything they wanted, either. Jerome Rosa, executive director of the Oregon Cat- tlemen’s Association, said ranchers want more wolves fi tted with GPS collars. He also lobbied for wolf man- agement zones with pop- ulation targets, and asked to allow local offi cials — such as county sheriffs — to investigate livestock depredations. “Agriculture is our state’s second-largest eco- nomic driver, and beef is our state’s second-larg- est agricultural indus- try,” Rosa said during testimony. “Our mem- bers throughout the state have suffered enormous losses, both economic and emotional.” The wolf plan does not establish manage- ment zones, and while the agency says collaring is a valuable tool, program leaders stopped short of making any promises to increase the use of collars. Derek Broman, ODFW carnivore and furbearer coordinator, said the plan does not forbid local offi - cials from taking part in depredation investigations, but cautioned they must follow rigorous standards. “If we’re not dotting every ‘I’ and crossing every ‘T,’ we’re leaving ourselves up for quite a bit of criticism,” Broman said. “We’ll have to continue to try to maintain that level of rigor and effort.” Todd Nash, a Wal- lowa County commis- sioner and rancher, said allowing sheriffs to inves- tigate livestock depreda- tion is quicker and helps to normalize local attitudes about wolves. Wallowa County Sher- iff Steve Rogers said law enforcement is willing and able to step up and meet the demand. “Let me make it clear. We as Oregon sheriffs have every intention of being involved in inves- tigating wolf-livestock depredations,” Rogers said. “Our producers are demanding it.” Environ mentalists opposed the measure, wor- rying that investigations by elected offi cials — such as a sheriff — would be politically motivated. PROGRESS EDITION We’re taking the pulse of our community through “deep dive” stories in the areas of: • Education • Healthcare • Labor/Industry • Economics • and more This special annual edition is a great opportunity to associate your business with positive news about the dynamic region where we live, work and play. Call or email your local rep for advertising info. Ask About FREE Color! 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