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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 1, 2019)
NORTHWEST East Oregonian A2 Friday, November 1, 2019 Tensions lessening between rangeland fire groups, government By CHRIS BRANAM For EO Media Group CORVALLIS — The first responders to wildfires in the remote areas of the Great Basin of Oregon and Idaho are increasingly volunteer groups of private landowners that have been authorized and trained in partnership with federal and state agencies. Rangeland Fire Protection Associations, which started in the 1960s in Eastern Ore- gon but have proliferated in the region over the last 20 years, are now responsible for protecting 25.5 million acres of federal, state and private land in the Pacific Northwest. Prior to the formation of these groups, response to wildfire was often marked by strife between ranchers and govern- ment officials. Historically, there were arguments about the author- ity of federal entities, lack of local community engage- ment, or disagreement about fire response strategies and tactics. Now, a study led by Oregon State University finds these tensions have lessened — rapidly in Idaho and grad- ually in Oregon. The study, published in the journal Disasters and funded by the Joint Fire Science Pro- gram, comes at a time when wildfires in the Great Basin have become more destruc- tive. The Long Draw fire of OSU Extension Photo/Emily Jane Davis A rangeland wildfire burns in Wasco County. Rangeland Fire Protection Associations, which started in the 1960s in Eastern Oregon but have proliferated in the region over the last 20 years, are now responsible for protecting 25.5 million acres of federal, state and private land in the Pacific Northwest. fessor and Extension spe- cialist in OSU’s College of Forestry. “Every fire where these folks work together, the ranchers learn more about fire and how agencies operate and the agencies learn more about what ranchers know about the land, especially the terrain. That’s largely positive.” For their study, the research team comprised of Davis, Jesse Abrams, an assistant professor at the University of Georgia, and Katherine Woll- stein, a doctorate student at 2012 in Southeastern Oregon burned 557,648 acres before it was contained. These megafires threaten and destroy working range- lands for cattle production; habitat for species, such as the greater sage grouse and ungu- lates; and other values, such as recreation and the western culture of the region. “These relationships are improving, and with time they continue to improve,” said study lead author Emily Jane Davis, an assistant pro- the University of Idaho, con- ducted a thorough examina- tion and analysis of RFPAs in the Great Basin region of Ore- gon and Idaho. They compiled public doc- uments, conducted 59 inter- views with key RFPA, state and BLM leaders, attended state-level RFPA meetings in 2016 and 2017, and developed case studies of four RFPAs — two in Oregon and two in Idaho. Federal government agen- cies, chiefly the Bureau of Land Management, man- age about 70% of rangelands in the western United States, where they are responsible for management as well as wild- fire suppression. A leasehold tenure system allows ranch- ers to graze cattle on fed- eral lands, so ranchers have a significant stake in their management. Rangeland Fire Protection Associations typically operate in rural and remote areas. By responding to fires when they are small, RFPAs are intended BRIEFLY Forecast for Pendleton Area TODAY SATURDAY Plenty of sun, but chilly Plenty of sun, but cool 47° 24° 50° 27° SUNDAY MONDAY Partly sunny TUESDAY Clouds and sun Partly sunny PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 54° 31° 56° 31° 55° 33° HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 48° 20° 50° 24° 54° 28° 56° 30° 56° 32° 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 57/36 45/28 49/23 Longview Kennewick Walla Walla 46/28 Lewiston 56/30 48/22 Astoria 58/36 Pullman Yakima 48/23 54/31 47/28 Portland Hermiston 58/35 The Dalles 48/20 Salem Corvallis 58/31 Yesterday Normals Records La Grande 49/26 PRECIPITATION John Day Eugene Bend 57/30 51/24 54/28 Ontario 47/18 Caldwell Burns 45° 17° 58° 36° 73° (1988) 7° (2002) 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 58/29 0.00" 0.18" 0.72" 4.94" 6.45" 7.28" WINDS (in mph) 48/19 52/14 0.00" 0.46" 1.05" 11.31" 8.15" 9.99" through 3 p.m. yest. HIGH LOW TEMP. Pendleton 47/23 59/31 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 47/24 51/26 44° 16° 57° 36° 78° (1901) 14° (2002) PRECIPITATION Moses Lake 54/29 Aberdeen 43/26 47/28 Tacoma Yesterday Normals Records Spokane Wenatchee 54/38 Today 67/34 Sat. NE 3-6 N 4-8 Boardman Pendleton Medford NE 3-6 NNW 4-8 SUN AND MOON Klamath Falls 61/24 Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2019 Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today 7:34 a.m. 5:42 p.m. 12:35 p.m. 9:26 p.m. First Full Last New Nov 4 Nov 12 Nov 19 Nov 26 NATIONAL EXTREMES Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states) High 93° in Immokalee, Fla. Low -14° in Gothic, Colo. NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY Whooping cough case at Portland high school PORTLAND — The Multnomah County Health Department has confirmed a case of whooping cough at a high school in Portland. KOIN reported the case was at Grant High School. Whooping cough, or pertussis, causes severe, violent coughing and spreads eas- ily in groups. Other signs include cold-like symptoms like a runny nose but usually no fever. There is a vaccine for pertussis, but the health department said it wears off over time. OLCC podcasts answer questions about cannabis SALEM — The Oregon Liquor Control Commission has produced a podcast that focuses on the issues surrounding mari- juana vaping and the national outbreak of a respiratory illness. “In the Weeds – The Ultimate OLCC Potcast,” is a series aimed at the recre- ational marijuana industry. The fourth epi- sode focuses on vaping. Nationwide, more than 1,600 cases of lung injuries and 34 deaths have been reported, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Preven- tion. Two of the deaths were in Oregon. The Oregon Court of Appeals temporar- ily stopped a ban ordered by the governor on flavored nicotine vaping products. But a ban on the sale of flavored THC vaping products approved by the OLCC remains in effect. It was not covered by the court ruling. Recent legal changes have caused con- fusion in the cannabis industry, and the podcasts are meant to explain state regu- lations and laws in a conversational way, according to the OLCC, which regulates recreational marijuana. But they are not meant to replace knowledge of the law, the agency said in a news release. The podcasts are available on soundcloud.com and other locations. Man who used racial slurs convicted under bias crime law 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 to help prevent large, destruc- tive rangeland fires that have become increasingly com- mon in the Great Basin and surrounding regions. The RFPA model is unique in that it incorporates non-pro- fessional, non-governmental entities in wildfire response, Davis said. RFPAs emerged due to desires of many ranch- ers to actively fight fire and protect their livestock and for- age, as well as larger policy and management objectives including more effective wild- fire suppression for purposes including sage grouse habitat conservation. As of 2019, Oregon had 24 RFPAs responsible for protecting 16.5 million acres of land. Idaho’s program, established in 2013, has nine RFPAs covering nearly 9 mil- lion acres. In Oregon, Idaho and Nevada, state laws define and authorize RFPAs. Wash- ington state has been consid- ering a similar law. In Jan- uary 2019, Davis presented the highlights of a North- west Fire Science Consortium report on RFPAs to the Wash- ington Legislature’s House Rural Development, Agricul- ture and Natural Resources Committee. Although RFPAs aren’t yet in Washington, efforts to find solutions for protecting unpro- tected and remote rangelands continue and studies such as this one may help, Davis said. 60s cold front E AST O REGONIAN — Founded Oct. 16, 1875 — 211 S.E. Byers Ave., Pendleton 541-276-2211 333 E. Main St., Hermiston 541-567-6211 Office hours: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed major holidays EastOregonian.com To subscribe, call 1-800-522-0255 or go online to EastOregonian.com and click on ‘Subscribe’ East Oregonian (USPS 164-980) is published daily except Sunday, Monday and postal holidays, by the EO Media Group, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801. Periodicals postage paid at Pendleton, OR. Postmaster: send address changes to East Oregonian, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801. Copyright © 2019, EO Media Group 70s 80s 90s 100s warm front stationary front 110s high low PORTLAND — A man convicted under Oregon’s new bias crime law for chasing a man with a shovel and yelling racial slurs at him has been sentenced. The Multnomah County District Attor- ney’s Office says Eric Eugene Scardino Jr. pleaded guilty last week to one count of bias crime and one of unlawful use of a weapon. He was sentenced to five days in jail, three years of probation and mental health and substance abuse evaluations and Subscriber services: For mail delivery, online access, vacation stops or delivery concerns call 1-800-522-0255 ext. 1 SUBSCRIPTION RATES EZPay 52 weeks 26 weeks 13 weeks Local home delivery Savings (cover price) $13/month 60 percent $173.67 41 percent $91.86 38 percent $47.77 36 percent *EZ Pay = one-year rate with a monthly credit or debit card/check charge Single copy price: $1.50 Tuesday through Saturday Circulation Dept. 800-781-3214 ADVERTISING Regional Publisher and Revenue Director: • Christopher Rush 541-278-2669 • crush@eomediagroup.com Advertising Manager: • Angela Treadwell 541-966-0827 • atreadwell@eastoregonian.com Multimedia Consultants: • Lora Jenkins 541-276-2214 • ljenkins@eastoregonian.com • Jeanne Jewett 541-564-4531 • jjewett@eastoregonian.com • Audra Workman 541-564-4538 • aworkman@eastoregonian.com Business Office Coordinator • Dayle Stinson 541-278-2670 • dstinson@eastoregonian.com possible treatment. Portland police said they responded Aug. 29 to a disturbance and found Scardino holding a raised shovel while approaching another man. Officers stopped Scardino from chas- ing the man and learned that before police arrived, Scardino had been chasing the man with the shovel and a knife while yell- ing racial slurs at the man, who is black. Scardino is the second person to be con- victed under Oregon’s “hate crime bill,” which became law earlier this year. Public comment on gray wolf management plan extended OLYMPIA, Wash. — The Washing- ton Department of Fish and Wildlife has extended the public comment period for residents to weigh in on how the state should manage the gray wolf population. KING-TV reported the public comment period has been extended through Nov. 15. The state has in recent years authorized killings of wolves or an entire pack in an effort to stop the wolves from preying on cattle. The Profanity Peak wolf pack in 2016 was shot by contractors from helicopters. Then wolves from the Sherman and Wedge packs were lethally removed. Members of the Togo pack were killed in 2018 after attacks on cattle. In August and September, the entire OPT pack and some members of the Grouse Flats pack were killed for the same reason. The state canceled wolf-related meet- ings in August, citing concerns of violence from people on both sides of the issue. Severely neglected horses removed from property CRESWELL — Authorities say sev- eral severely neglected horses have been removed from a property south of Eugene. The Lane County Sheriff’s Office says the horses were removed Wednesday by county Animal Services and other com- munity partners from the property near Creswell. The sheriff’s office says it is working with multiple agencies on criminal charges against the woman who owns the animals. The sheriff’s office says she and her hus- band had contacts in 2018 with county ani- mal services about horses in poor condi- tion and at that time care of the horses was brought up to a minimum standard. The current investigation started when the county’s animal services received photos in mid-October of horses boarded at Davies’ property that appeared to be severely neglected. — EO Media Group and wire services Classified & Legal Advertising 1-800-962-2819 or 541-278-2678 classifieds@eastoregonian.com or legals@eastoregonian.com NEWS • To submit news tips and press releases: call 541-966-0818 or email news@eastoregonian.com • To submit community events, calendar items and Your EO News: email community@eastoregonian.com or call Tammy Malgesini at 541-564-4539 or Renee Struthers at 541-966-0818. • To submit engagements, weddings and anniversaries: email rstruthers@eastoregonian.com or visit eastoregonian. com/community/announcements • To submit sports or outdoors information or tips: 541-966-0838 • sports@eastoregonian.com Business Office Manager: 541-966-0824 COMMERCIAL PRINTING Production Manager: Mike Jensen 541-215-0824 • mjensen@eastoregonian.com