BASEBALL: Hodgen distributing places third in Baker | SPORTS, B1
E O
AST
143rd year, no. 179
REGONIAN
Tuesday, June 25, 2019
$1.50
WINNER OF THE 2018 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD
Federal judge
dismisses suit
over driving
suspensions
Two members of the
Confederated Tribes of the
umatilla Indian Reservation
among plaintiffs
By PHIL WRIGHT
East Oregonian
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
David Johnson, director of the Global Owl Project, holds a trio of 6-day-old owlets.
Giving a hoot
Owl expert david
Johnson makes
annual trek to depot
See Suspensions, Page A8
GOP strike in
Oregon enters
5th day
By KATHY ANEY
East Oregonian
U
MaTILLa — david H.
Johnson found his passion
for owls one moonlit night in
Minnesota.
now, an international owl expert,
Johnson was only 11 then, camping in a
pup tent. He heard the whinnying sound
of a descending screech owl, and then
the bird landed. He could see the owl’s
silhouette through the canvas.
“For 20 minutes, he called,” Johnson
said. “I was inside. He was outside. We
were inches apart.”
From that time on, he said, owls
became “ever-present in my life.” He
loves their silent flight, eye structure,
predatory nature and diversity around
the world.
Johnson, the director of the Global
Owl Project, jokes that he even looks
like an owl with his body shape,
Groucho Marx eyebrows and nocturnal
tendencies.
Johnson started coming to the for-
mer umatilla Chemical depot in 2008
to rescue a fading population of bur-
rowing owls. On this windswept sage-
brush prairie dotted by concrete bun-
kers that once held deadly chemical
weapons like sarin and mustard gas, the
owls once thrived. When the Oregon
department of Fish and Wildlife relo-
cated some pronghorn antelope there,
things changed. The antelope did well
at first, them declined, probably because
of inbreeding in their isolated territory.
Coyotes were blamed initially though,
Johnson said, and trapping began. Bad-
gers got caught up in the traps along
PORTLand — a federal judge recently
shot down a class action lawsuit seeking to
end Oregon’s practice of suspending driver’s
licenses for people who can’t pay fines. Two
members of the Confederated Tribes of the
umatilla Indian Reservation were among the
six plaintiffs suing Oregon over “traffic debt.”
The nonprofit Oregon Law Center filed the
lawsuit in september 2018 in federal court
in Portland on behalf of Cindy Mendoza and
Gloria Bermudez of Portland; Jeremy Chase
of Vancouver, Washington; Karl Wade Rob-
erts of Baker City; Rebecca Heath of Pend-
leton; and Cekais Toni Ganuelas of Mis-
sion. according to the complaint, the Oregon
department of Motor Vehicles division “sus-
pended Oregonians’ driver’s licenses 334,338
times for failure to pay fines, costs and fees
arising from minor traffic citations, and the
senate unable to conduct
business because of
Republican boycott
By SARAH ZIMMERMAN
Associated Press
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
three burrows, are spaced about a quar-
ter-mile from one another. On Wednes-
day, Johnson and his intern, anya nel-
son, checked on four of the 43 active
nesting sites. at one of the locations, they
parked their van and trekked to the first
site and its two burrows. Johnson car-
ried a pair of 10-foot-long plungers. nel-
son lugged a bucket filled with tools for
banding and digging. Johnson kneeled
in the sandy soil and inserted a plunger
in the front entrance of one burrow and
slowly pushed it through the tunnel. The
procedure gently herded the owls into
an inner chamber. That done, Johnson
popped out a plastic bucket serving as
a cork to the chamber and reached in.
soon, he held a wide-eyed owlet in each
hand. nelson quickly banded them on
their left legs. Johnson set them in front
of the tunnel entrance and they scurried
saLeM — Republican state senators in
Oregon who walked out to thwart landmark
climate legislation didn’t show up for work
for a fifth day on Monday, with the GOP
insisting they’ll continue to stay away and
democrats saying the minority party was
stirring up “dangerous sentiments.”
The 11 GOP senators, who are in the
political minority, fled the Oregon Legis-
lature on June 20 to deny democrats the
quorum that’s required to vote on any leg-
islation. Gov. Kate Brown, a democrat, acti-
vated the state police to seek out the rogue
lawmakers and bring them back to the state-
house for the vote, but on Monday the sena-
tors were still absent.
Many have fled the state, where the Ore-
gon state Police has no jurisdiction.
The debate over the cap-and-trade bill
gets at the heart of a widening gap between
the liberal priorities of Oregon’s populous
urban centers, such as Portland, and much
of the rest of the state where conservative
causes hold sway with most rural residents.
It has become a flashpoint for both sides.
See Hoot, Page A8
See Climate, Page A8
David Johnson, director of the Global Owl Project, checks on the health of a ju-
venile burrowing owl as his intern, Anya Nelson, looks on while banding the
birds recently on the former Umatilla Chemical Depot outside of Hermiston.
with the coyotes, and since burrowing
owls depend on abandoned badger dens
for nesting, the owl population crashed
to only two or three nesting pairs.
Johnson and others came to the res-
cue, placing artificial burrows made of
buried 55-gallon barrels, 10 feet of flex-
ible drainage pipe and a plastic bucket.
A mesh floor prevents pocket gophers
from stealing eggs.
The next year, the number of pairs
rose to nine and continued improving
each year.
“We had a high of 65 pairs,” Johnson
said. “We’re now hovering between 43
and 55 pairs.”
What started as a rescue mis-
sion evolved into a research opportu-
nity. Johnson and his fellow scientists
banded the birds, recorded their calls
and attached geolocators to determine
their migration routes.
sites, in neighborhoods of two or
Wildhorse begins entertainment expansion
arcade, food court,
24-lane bowling alley
among projects to be
constructed
By ANTONIO SIERRA
East Oregonian
MIssIOn — The Wildhorse
Resort and Casino expansion is still in
its early stages, but it’s already experi-
enced its fair share of twists and turns.
according to June 20 press release,
Lydig Construction of Kennewick
has already erected fences and moved
equipment in anticipation of working
on Wildhorse’s latest expansion.
In the coming months, Lydig will
expand existing features, like the cin-
eplex lobby and children’s entertain-
ment center, and build new ones, like
an arcade, food court, and 24-lane
bowling alley.
sometime after that, Lydig intends
to move forward with plans to build a
second hotel tower and a new events
center.
Wildhorse CeO Gary George said
Wildhorse’s facilities will stay open
during construction, but how custom-
ers access the building will change.
The main entrance to the movie
theater will be relocated and a walk-
way rerouted. Construction will close
off some parts of the parking lot, but
Wildhorse is building a new parking
lot south of the cineplex, which is set
to open in september and will remain
open after construction ends.
The projects are meant to bolster
the ascent of the resort and casino,
which has helped the Confederated
Tribes of the umatilla Indian Reser-
vation become the largest employer in
See Wildhorse, Page A8
CHI St. Anthony Hospital Family Clinic is recognized
as a Patient -Centered Primary Care Home.
What does that mean for you?
• Better-coordinated care.
• Healthcare providers who will help connect you
• Listening to your concerns and answering with the care you need in a safe and timely way.
questions.
• Healthcare providers who play an active role in
your health.
• After-hours nurse consultation.
844.724.8632
3001 St. Anthony Way, Pendleton
WWW.SAHPENDLETON.ORG
Mon through Thurs, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. • Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.,
Sat and Sun, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.,
Walk-ins are welcome but appointments are preferred.