NORTHWEST
East Oregonian
A2
Tuesday, June 25, 2019
Baker City group aims
to establish quiet zone
BLM mulls change
to Southeast Oregon
management approach
By JAYSON JACOBY
Baker City Herald
agreement also requires that
the amendment process look
at the livestock grazing pro-
gram and off-highway vehi-
cle use.
Jeremy Austin of the Ore-
gon Natural Desert Associ-
ation, which has offices in
Bend and Portland, said the
group is concerned with the
alternative BLM prefers in
the current draft amendment
“because it disregards the past
17 years of hard work by the
local BLM district and many
interested groups.”
In a June 18 newsletter, he
said the BLM-preferred alter-
native “doesn’t protect the
valuable wilderness-caliber
lands in this region. It ignores
decades of local stakeholder
input and leaves wild places
vulnerable to development.”
BLM says the draft EIS
analyzes five alternatives, one
of which is to take no action
and continue management
under the 2002 plan — as
amended by a 2015 record of
decision for protecting sage
grouse habitat — and con-
tinue to protect wilderness
characteristics in the 76 land
units identified as having
them.
The agency said the alter-
native it now prefers does not
propose protections for lands
By BRAD CARLSON
Capital Press
BAKER CITY — The
U.S. Bureau of Land Man-
agement could change how
it manages a swath of South-
eastern Oregon.
Vale District BLM through
Aug. 28 will take public com-
ment on the draft South-
eastern Oregon Resource
Management Plan Amend-
ment and draft Environmen-
tal Impact Statement, both
released May 31. The plan-
ning area includes about 4.6
million acres of BLM-ad-
ministered lands — mostly in
Malheur County, with some
in Grant and Harney counties.
The district is amending
a 2002 plan that was vacated
in federal appeals court, and
then subject to a 2010 settle-
ment agreement. Officials
said the amendment’s purpose
is to comply with the agree-
ment, which required BLM
to provide updated informa-
tion about lands with wilder-
ness characteristics and to
analyze various management
scenarios.
Until an amendment is
final, BLM must protect wil-
derness characteristics in all
areas where they have been
identified. The settlement
Capital Press/Mateusz Perkowski, File
The federal Bureau of Land Management is updating its plan
for managing much of southeastern Oregon.
with wilderness characteris-
tics. BLM would keep cur-
rent land-use planning allo-
cations and grazing policies
while continuing to provide
for a sustainable forage yield.
Vehicle restrictions to protect
grouse habitat would remain.
“That alternative more
closely reflects the (Trump)
administration’s stance on
multiple-use management,
so everybody can get what
they need out of some federal
lands,” BLM Vale District
Manager Don Gonzalez said.
The most restrictive alter-
native prioritizes protect-
ing all areas with wilderness
characteristics, further limits
vehicle use and adds grazing
rules.
With respect to lands
with wilderness character-
istics, “this is how BLM is
managing it now, until it gets
through this planning pro-
cess and makes a final deter-
mination if we continue to
manage any of the 76 units to
protect those characteristics,”
Gonzalez said.
Another alternative priori-
tizes protecting 27 of the wil-
derness-characterized units,
limits off-highway vehicle
use in them and leaves graz-
ing management unchanged.
Another prioritizes protect-
ing 33 wilderness units while
adding grazing and vehicle
rules.
All three wilderness-pro-
tecting approaches would
incorporate a 250-foot set-
back from boundary roads
for future management.
Gonzalez said the final
decision could incorporate
parts of each management
alternative. Once BLM final-
izes a management plan that
protects wilderness charac-
teristics, it cannot take steps
that would diminish them
long term.
The area includes sage-
brush steppe, grazing leases
and part of the federally
designated Wild and Sce-
nic Rivers corridor for the
Owyhee River.
BRIEFLY
Forecast for Pendleton Area
TODAY
WEDNESDAY
Nice with some
sun
Clouds and sun
with a shower
80° 52°
74° 51°
85° 56°
80° 55°
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
Periods of clouds
and sunshine
SATURDAY
Pleasant with
clouds and sun
Partly sunny and
comfortable
PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
70° 49°
79° 53°
70° 46°
HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
76° 54°
84° 57°
78° 50°
OREGON FORECAST
ALMANAC
Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.
PENDLETON
through 3 p.m. yest.
HIGH
LOW
TEMP.
Seattle
Olympia
66/51
72/51
79/50
Longview
Kennewick Walla Walla
79/56
Lewiston
71/53
84/57
Astoria
64/52
Pullman
Yakima 81/55
72/49
79/56
Portland
Hermiston
75/57
The Dalles 85/56
Salem
Corvallis
70/49
Yesterday
Normals
Records
La Grande
74/49
Bend
73/49
71/45
76/49
Ontario
85/53
Caldwell
Burns
BOISE, Idaho (AP)— Federal officials
have released a draft environmental analy-
sis for a proposal intended to stop rangeland
wildfires in a huge swath of the West that
hosts cattle ranching and recreation and is
home to imperiled sage grouse.
The analysis released Friday looks at the
impact of altering or removing vegetation
on strips of land up to 165 yards wide and
up to 11,000 miles long in Idaho, Washing-
ton, Oregon, California, Nevada and Utah.
The draft released by the U.S. Bureau
of Land Management follows the agen-
cy’s 2017 announcement that it planned the
review.
Fuel breaks can cost from $12,000 to
$44,000 a mile.
BLM spokesman Ken Frederick says
there’s no cost estimate yet because it’s
not yet clear what types of fuel breaks field
managers might choose.
Critics say the work fragments habitat
and harms wildlife.
0.00"
Trace
0.51"
4.42"
5.10"
5.62"
Public comments on the analysis are
being taken until early August.
Couple sentenced to life in
Newport man’s slaying
ASTORIA (AP) — Two people have
been sentenced to life in prison for the mur-
der of a 71-year-old Newport man in 2016.
The Astorian reports Christian Wilkins
and Adeena Copell were sentenced Friday
in the death of Howard Vinge.
Vinge was beaten to death inside his
RV in September 2016 and his body was
dumped down an embankment east of Asto-
ria. Prosecutors say Copell and Wilkins
lived with Vinge shortly before his death.
Prosecutors say the couple then drove
Vinge’s car to Arizona, where they were
arrested.
Wilkins pleaded guilty in May to mur-
der, abuse of a corpse and two counts of
unauthorized use of a vehicle. Copell was
convicted of the same charges in May after
a trial in Clatsop County Circuit Court.
Today
Boardman
Pendleton
Medford
79/50
CORRECTIONS: The East Oregonian works hard to be accurate and sincerely
regrets any errors. If you notice a mistake in the paper, please call 541-966-0818.
WINDS (in mph)
83/53
75/40
U.S. releases environmental
analysis of plan to stop fires
PRECIPITATION
John Day
Eugene
78°
54°
82°
55°
107° (1992) 41° (1934)
24 hours ending 3 p.m.
Month to date
Normal month to date
Year to date
Last year to date
Normal year to date
Albany
71/49
0.00"
0.09"
0.98"
9.37"
6.49"
7.49"
through 3 p.m. yest.
HIGH
LOW
TEMP.
Pendleton 70/47
72/52
24 hours ending 3 p.m.
Month to date
Normal month to date
Year to date
Last year to date
Normal year to date
HERMISTON
Enterprise
80/52
78/56
74°
47°
82°
54°
102° (1992) 30° (1904)
PRECIPITATION
Moses
Lake
73/52
Aberdeen
75/51
77/56
Tacoma
Yesterday
Normals
Records
Spokane
Wenatchee
74/54
BAKER CITY — A
group of Baker City resi-
dents has created an online
petition gauging local inter-
est in trying to establish
a “quiet zone” in which
freight trains wouldn’t
sound their horns at cross-
ings within the city except
when the train operator sees
a vehicle on the tracks or
other dangerous situation.
Cities can apply for a
quiet zone designation,
although they must also pay
to install concrete medi-
ans or other enhanced mea-
sures on streets at railroad
crossings to prevent drivers
from trying to drive around
a crossing gate arm.
According to a press
release from the Baker
City group, its effort was
inspired in part by La
Grande.
In April the Federal
Railroad
Administra-
tion granted La Grande’s
request for a quiet zone,
culminating a campaign
that began in that city about
20 years ago, according to
a story in The Observer
newspaper.
Federal rules require
train engineers to sound the
horn for 15 to 20 seconds
before the train enters a
crossing, and not more than
one-quarter mile before the
crossing. Because there are
five crossings in Baker City,
locomotives, which can
travel at 50 mph through
town, sometimes sound
their horns with little inter-
val as they pass through
Baker City.
On average about 24
trains roll through the city
per day.
“I support a quiet zone,
because it would improve
railroad safety and reduce
the horn blasts that keep
us up at night,” said Anna
Fargo, a member of the
informal Baker City group
that set up the online survey.
The idea of establishing
a quiet zone in Baker City
is not a new one.
In May 2002 the city, at
the behest of City Coun-
cilor Chuck Phegley, put on
the ballot a measure asking
voters whether they were
interested in the city poten-
tially pursuing a quiet zone
designation.
A large majority —
82% — voted no on that
nonbinding measure.
The report estimated
the cost to qualify for a
quiet zone at a minimum
of $100,000, based on the
city installing concrete
medians at two of the five
public crossings.
St. Anthony Provider Spotligh t
Wed.
WSW 6-12
W 6-12
SSW 4-8
NW 6-12
SUN AND MOON
Klamath Falls
73/39
Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2019
Sunrise today
Sunset tonight
Moonrise today
Moonset today
5:07 a.m.
8:49 p.m.
1:16 a.m.
1:15 p.m.
Last
New
First
Full
June 25
July 2
July 9
July 16
JD Ward, DO. OB/GYN
is now accepting
new patients.
NATIONAL EXTREMES
Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states)
High 108° in Thermal, Calif. Low 24° in Angel Fire, N.M.
Obstetrics and Gynecology
NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY
Education: Boise State University,
Western University of Health Science
Board Certifi cation: Board Certifi ed
American, Board of Obstetrics and
Gynecology
Insurance Accepted: Most major
insurances, Medicare, Medicaid
Special Services: Obstetrics
JD Ward, DO. OB/GYN
Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day.
-10s
-0s
0s
showers t-storms
10s
rain
20s
flurries
30s
snow
40s
50s
ice
60s
cold front
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