NORTHWEST
East Oregonian
A2
Saturday, June 29, 2019
Judge says he’ll rule on Hammonds’
grazing allotments in July
Wildlife Refuge. In 2012,
Dwight and Steven Ham-
mond were convicted of
arson on public lands.
Standoff leaders cited their
punishments in that case
as the reason for the refuge
takeover. President Donald
Trump pardoned the Ham-
monds a year ago, and Inte-
rior Secretary Ryan Zinke
restored their grazing rights
on his way out of office in
January.
The order granted the
Hammonds, prominent in
the Harney County ranch-
ing community, the right to
graze cattle on 26,000 acres
of federal land.
As part of the lawsuit,
Wildearth Guardians, the
Western Watersheds Proj-
ect, and the Center for Bio-
logical Diversity raised
concerns not only about
the environmental effects
of grazing cattle, but also
laid out past abuses on pub-
lic lands committed by the
Hammond family.
Earlier Friday, the fed-
eral government floated a
proposal that would allow
for a mix of grazing and
conservation on some of
the land discussed in the
lawsuit.
Simon encouraged the
two sides to come to an
agreement.
“If you’re both moder-
By CONRAD WILSON
Oregon Public
Broadcasting
PORTLAND — After
hours of testimony, a fed-
eral judge in Portland
extended a temporary
restraining order as he con-
siders whether or not to pre-
vent a controversial Harney
County ranching family
from grazing their cattle
on certain parcels of public
land in southeast Oregon.
On Friday, U.S. Dis-
trict Court Judge Michael
Simon granted the exten-
sion to allow for more evi-
dence. After that, he said he
would rule on whether to
not to grant a preliminary
injunction, a more perma-
nent decision that would
stay in place until the case
is resolved.
In May, a trio of envi-
ronmental groups sued the
Bureau of Land Manage-
ment. They’re trying to pre-
vent the federal government
from allowing the Ham-
mond family from grazing
cattle on what the environ-
mental groups argue is sen-
sitive lands for sage grouse
and redband trout.
The Hammonds and
their run-ins with federal
officials were at the cen-
ter of the 2016 occupation
of the Malheur National
ately unhappy that’s gen-
erally a good sign,” Simon
said.
But an attorney repre-
senting the environmental
groups declined the offer
and instead pushed for a
preliminary injunction.
Hours of testimony
from experts followed on
the subjects of sage grouse
“leks” used for mating,
native grasses, sage brush,
cheat grass, wildfire and
riparian zones.
Clait Braun, a sage
grouse expert, testified
about the negative impacts
of cattle grazing on the sage
grouse habitat. He said it
will take 40 to 60 years
for some of the land the
Hammonds want to graze
to recover from previous
grazing.
“Resuming
graz-
ing would make the issue
worse,” Braun said.
In order to grant a pre-
liminary injunction the
environmental groups must
prove grazing cattle on
certain public lands near
Steens Mountain will cause
“irreparable harm.”
The U.S. Department
of Justice, which is repre-
senting the BLM, said the
environmental groups don’t
have a strong enough argu-
ment for Simon to make
that finding.
Forecast for Pendleton Area
TODAY
SUNDAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
Partly sunny and
pleasant
Mostly sunny and
nice
Pleasant with
partial sunshine
Partly sunny and
nice
Mostly sunny and
nice
82° 53°
87° 58°
PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
87° 58°
79° 57°
81° 56°
HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
87° 56°
92° 61°
92° 62°
86° 59°
87° 60°
OREGON FORECAST
PENDLETON
through 3 p.m. yest.
HIGH
LOW
TEMP.
Olympia
69/52
76/49
83/51
Longview
Kennewick Walla Walla
82/57
Lewiston
76/54
86/56
Astoria
68/53
Pullman
Yakima 83/54
77/50
82/57
Portland
Hermiston
80/57
The Dalles 87/56
Salem
Corvallis
76/51
Yesterday
Normals
Records
La Grande
75/48
PRECIPITATION
John Day
Eugene
Bend
80/51
75/46
78/49
Ontario
89/58
Caldwell
Burns
77°
51°
84°
55°
107° (2015) 40° (1964)
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
78/51
0.05"
0.13"
0.56"
4.55"
5.10"
5.67"
WINDS (in mph)
87/55
80/43
0.04"
0.29"
1.02"
9.57"
6.49"
7.53"
through 3 p.m. yest.
HIGH
LOW
TEMP.
Pendleton 73/45
79/53
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
82/53
84/57
72°
46°
83°
55°
109° (2015) 40° (1908)
PRECIPITATION
Moses
Lake
76/52
Aberdeen
78/53
79/57
Tacoma
Yesterday
Normals
Records
Spokane
Wenatchee
76/56
Idaho workgroup begins efforts
on salmon, steelhead recovery
By KEITH RIDLER
Associated Press
BOISE, Idaho — Idaho
Gov. Brad Little told a salmon
and steelhead recovery group
Friday it should focus on
achievable goals that can bol-
ster the state’s struggling fish
populations.
Little also told the nearly
two dozen environmental-
ists, ranchers, recreationists,
power company and state
officials at their first meet-
ing that it will help define
the state’s position on fed-
eral efforts to save salmon
and steelhead in the Colum-
bia Basin.
Billions of dollars have
been spent in Idaho, Oregon
and Washington to save 13
species of Columbia Basin
salmon and steelhead pro-
tected under the Endangered
Species Act. Four of those
species are in Idaho.
“I just feel strongly that
helping salmon thrive and
fostering a strong Idaho econ-
omy produces good jobs,”
Little said. “Those two things
are not mutually exclusive.”
The Republican cautioned
the group not to get bogged
down in discussions about
breaching four dams on the
Snake River in Washington.
“I remain unconvinced at
this time that breaching the
dams will recover salmon in
Idaho,” he said. “In order to
keep this diverse group of
stakeholders (together), we
will put polarizing issues
aside and focus on pragmatic,
achievable solutions.”
A federal judge ruled in
May 2016 that the U.S. gov-
ernment hasn’t done enough
to improve Northwest salmon
runs and ordered an environ-
mental review, urging offi-
cials to consider removing
the dams.
Federal agencies are
working on that document
that involves 14 federal proj-
ects on the Columbia River
system.
“This workgroup’s effort
should help inform Ida-
ho’s position on this massive
undertaking,” Little said.
Idaho
Conservation
League Executive Direc-
tor Justin Hayes, a panel
member, questioned Little
about appearing to take dam
breaching off the table. But
he also said Little forming the
panel showed he cared about
healthy salmon and steelhead
populations.
“Seeing Gov. Little com-
mit resources to bringing
people together to try to find
solutions is a step in the right
direction,” Hayes said.
Republican Rep. Fred
Wood of Burley, another
panel member, said perhaps
it is time to look again at the
issue that has been simmer-
ing since the 1990s.
“I asked myself, ‘What
has changed?’” he said. “Of
course, it’s a new governor.
So let’s take a fresh look at it
and a fresh look at the science
that is currently available and
see where we go from here.”
ALMANAC
Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.
Seattle
AP Photo/Pete Zimowsky, File
In this Oct. 21, 21012, file photo, a fisherman works the Salmon River downstream from Rig-
gins, Idaho.
Today
Boardman
Pendleton
Medford
84/53
Sun.
WSW 4-8
NW 6-12
N 4-8
N 6-12
SUN AND MOON
Klamath Falls
78/43
Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2019
Sunrise today
Sunset tonight
Moonrise today
Moonset today
5:08 a.m.
8:49 p.m.
2:55 a.m.
5:38 p.m.
New
First
Full
Last
July 2
July 9
July 16
July 24
NATIONAL EXTREMES
Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states)
High 109° in Mesa, Ariz. Low 24° in Bodie State Park, Calif.
NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY
Man convicted of killing corrections
director released during appeal
PORTLAND (AP) — A
man who has spent nearly
three decades in prison for the
1989 killing of Oregon’s pris-
ons director was freed Friday
while the state appeals the
ruling that led to his release.
Frank Gable left prison
after a U.S. magistrate found
in April that the trial court
made an error in excluding
evidence of third-party guilt,
The Oregonian/OregonLive
reports.
U.S. Magistrate Judge
John V. Acosta also found
that Gable’s attorneys pro-
vided him with “ineffective
assistance in failing to assert
Gable’s federal due process
rights in the face of the trial
court’s error.”
Gable, now 59, left the
prison in Lansing, Kansas,
and had to report directly
to a federal probation offi-
cer in Kansas City. He’ll be
allowed to live with his wife
in Kansas.
“We don’t really want to
talk about the case or nothing,
just glad to be out,” Gable told
Fox 4 News.
“He thanks those who
believed in his innocence all
these years,” said Nell Brown,
one of two assistant federal
public defenders who repre-
sented Gable in challenging
the murder conviction.
Gable was convicted in
the stabbing death in Salem
of prisons chief Michael
Francke, 42, and sentenced to
life in prison without the pos-
sibility of parole.
Francke’s brothers, Pat and
Kevin Francke, have been
staunch defenders of Gable
and believe he was wrongly
convicted.
Gable must participate
in drug and mental health
assessments and counseling
as directed by the U.S. Pre-
trial Services Office. He was
not placed on electronic mon-
itoring, although the state
urged it.
The April ruling came
after multiple witnesses
recanted their testimony
and defense lawyers cited a
record of improper interro-
gation and flawed polygraphs
used to question witnesses
and shape their statements to
police.
Acosta then ordered Gable
to be released or retried
within 90 days of his order.
The state’s appeal con-
tends another man’s confes-
sion was unreliable because
he had changed his account
multiple times.
Acosta agreed to put his
order to retry Gable on hold
while the state’s appeal is
pending before the 9th U.S.
Circuit Court of Appeals.
BRIEFLY
Animal advocates raise funds
online for wolf fence
KLAMATH FALLS (AP) — A South-
ern Oregon animal advocacy group has
launched an online fundraising drive to
help safely separate wolves and livestock.
The Herald and News reports that KS
Wild set up a GoFundMe account to raise
money for an electric fence to keep wolves
off private property in Prospect.
The crowdsourcing drive by the Ash-
land-based group has collected $1,500 of its
$6,000 goal for the fencing that will stand
6 feet high.
The fence is expected to cost about
$45,000 with additional funding from the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Ore-
gon Department of Agriculture.
Property owner Ted Birdseye says he has
lost cows to an area wolf pack.
The rancher has cared for wolf pups in
the past, but he wants to keep his family and
livestock safe.
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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