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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 21, 2019)
NORTHWEST East Oregonian A2 Thursday, November 21, 2019 Fire camera keeps eye on Wallowa County Howard Butte sends high-tech alerts when smoke detected By BILL BRADSHAW EO Media Group HOWARD BUTTE — Fire detection has come a long way in the 75 years since Smokey the Bear was first cre- ated to remind us, “Only you can prevent forest fires.” In fact, it now includes technology almost unimag- inable when Smokey was cre- ated in 1944. The first Smokey was an imaginary bear for an ad campaign, but after an orphaned bear cub was found after a 1950 wildfire in New Mexico, he was adopted by the USDA Forest Service to add life to the wildfire preven- tion effort. In his original day, fire lookout towers and public reports were the prime detec- tion efforts. Today, alongside a wooden lookout tower built in 1946 on 4,319-foot-tall How- ard Butte, stands a 110-foot- tall metal tower topped by a 360-degree, high-definition camera. It gives a 20-mile view to detect smoke visi- ble from its perch in western Wallowa County, according to Matt Howard, unit forester for the Wallowa Unit of the Ore- EO Media Group Photo/Bill Bradshaw Oregon Department of Forestry Photo Matt Howard, unit forester for the Oregon Department of Forestry’s Wallowa Unit, looks at a view transmitted from the fire-detection camera on Howard Butte on a computer in his office in Wallowa. This close-up shows the high-definition, fire-detection cam- era mounted on a 110-foot tower atop Howard Butte that re- lays views showing smoke to the Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Center in Prineville. in Prineville. Once notified of an alert, the center views the image sent by the camera, and then contacts the appropriate response units to check it out. Howard said since the cam- era was installed in July, there have been several alerts but all have proven to be legal burns. Although the state-of-the- art camera is the latest tech- nology, it’s by no means a “silver bullet” and they won’t replace human eyes, he said. “We just like having it in our tool box of different tools” for detecting fires, Howard said. That “tool box” includes a partnership the ODF has developed with the U.S. Forest gon Department of Forestry. The towers stand on 2 acres of land deeded to the ODF by what was then the Bowman-Hicks Lumber Co. for the purpose of establishing a lookout. Also there is com- munications equipment serv- ing the ODF, state and county agencies powered by a line from Pacific Power and Light, Howard said. The ACTi i96 PTZ cam- era completes a full rotation in about 15 minutes. If smoke is detected, an alert is sent via a microwave signal west to Mount Emily and down to La Grande, where the signal is relayed to the Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Center Forecast for Pendleton Area TODAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY MONDAY Service, Wallowa County and other state agencies. Paul Karvoski, fire chief for the county and the city of Enterprise, works closely with the ODF and hopes to see additional cameras located in the county. “I can’t say enough about it,” he said on the one on How- ard Butte. “I’d like to get three or four more in the county.” In particular, he’d like to see one established on Court- ney Butte overlooking Troy, which was nearly destroyed by the Grizzly Fire in August 2015. Nathan Goodrich, U.S. Forest Service fire manage- ment officer for the Wallowa Anthropology meets sociology in interdisciplinary tribal food systems East Oregonian Sunshine, but chilly Partly sunny and chilly 41° 25° 46° 28° Sun and areas of high clouds Intervals of clouds and sunshine Cooler; a stray afternoon shower PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 52° 41° 47° 28° 53° 36° HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 45° 24° 44° 26° 51° 40° 52° 32° 58° 38° 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 52/32 43/25 50/21 Longview Kennewick Walla Walla 40/26 Lewiston 50/30 44/26 Astoria 55/35 Pullman Yakima 48/23 50/27 42/26 Portland Hermiston 54/31 The Dalles 45/24 Salem Corvallis 51/27 Yesterday Normals Records La Grande 43/20 PRECIPITATION John Day 47/27 Eugene Bend 51/31 44/23 Ontario 49/20 Caldwell Burns 52° 41° 48° 32° 65° (1962) 6° (1929) 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 52/28 0.00" 0.01" 0.76" 4.95" 6.46" 8.04" Today Medford SSE 3-6 NW 4-8 SUN AND MOON Klamath Falls 49/18 Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2019 Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today 7:02 a.m. 4:19 p.m. 12:42 a.m. 2:11 p.m. New First Full Last Nov 26 Dec 3 Dec 11 Dec 18 NATIONAL EXTREMES Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states) High 88° in Falfurrias, Texas Low 11° in Bodie State Park, Calif. NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY Winnipeg 20/15 Seattle 50/34 Montreal 36/32 Billings 35/26 Toronto 44/37 Minneapolis 38/19 New York 51/46 San Francisco 62/49 Denver 31/23 Kansas City 53/28 Detroit Chicago 51/35 53/28 Los Angeles 66/52 Washington 54/49 Atlanta 66/50 El Paso 61/42 Company must pay for toxic waste on Idaho tribal land BOISE, Idaho — A U.S. appeals court has ruled a Philadelphia-based agribusiness com- pany that left millions of tons of toxic waste on tribal land in Idaho must pay the tribes nearly $20 million plus $1.5 million annually. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday upheld a lower court ruling against FMC Corp. involving a now-shuttered Idaho plant that turned phosphate into fertilizer. FMC for about 50 years, until 2001, oper- ated the fertilizer plant that produced 22 mil- lion tons of waste stored on the Shoshone-Ban- nock Tribes Fort Hall Indian Reservation. The company contended it wasn’t obli- gated to pay the $1.5 million annual permit fee to the tribes for storing the waste after closing the plant. The tribes say the money will be used for monitoring and cleanup at the site. Portland must stop charging excessive public record fees Houston 79/68 Chihuahua 75/40 PORTLAND — A Multnomah County Miami Monterrey 79/68 84/63 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 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 SUBSCRIPTION RATES 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 Indians, effective food sys- tem planning incorporates heritage, culture, territory, and community needs,” Jer- ofke said. The three undergradu- ates managed focus groups and general discussions, collecting 800 minutes of qualitative research from 25 interviewees. “This was a great oppor- tunity to collaborate with a colleague and find ways to incorporate students,” Puentes said. Puentes and Jerofke got involved because they share a background in food sys- tems, but approach the topic from different academic points of view. “It turned out to be a good pairing because we look at society and cultures in slightly different ways,” Jerofke said. judge has ruled Portland must stop charging excessive fees for routine email and doc- ument searches to fulfill public records requests. The Oregonian/OregonLive reported Circuit Court Judge Shelley D. Russell ruled Monday the city’s current system for determining records search costs is unreasonable. Russell’s order stems from a September 2018 lawsuit filed by attorney and activist Alan Kessler. He claimed the city overcharged him by requiring him to pay $311.67 for metadata from emails between a member of Port- land’s Historic Landmarks Commission and employees at the Bureau of Develop- ment Services. A trial held Nov. 4-5 resulted in Rus- sell’s ruling and her injunction against future high search charges. The city gave Kessler a $52 refund in acknowledgment it had overcharged him by overstating an employee’s hourly pay. Portland City Attorney Tracy Reeve said the city was evaluating the decision and determining next steps. — Associated Press 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. Subscriber services: For mail delivery, online access, vacation stops or delivery concerns call 1-800-522-0255 ext. 1 EZPay 52 weeks 26 weeks 13 weeks Tribe selected Jerofke and Puentes’ proposal. In Feb- ruary 2019, three students joined the two faculty mem- bers and drove about seven hours from La Grande to Usk, Washington. “One of the biggest problems for the tribe are food deserts,” Jerofke said. “There are not a lot of food options. There is a small convenience store and mem- bers have to drive at least an hour to get food and other resources that they cannot get off of the land.” Together, students and faculty worked to iden- tify regional and commu- nity needs regarding access to healthful and first foods, Puentes said. The data they collected led to a proposal for grant funding to pre- serve tribal traditions. “For the Kalispel Tribe of BRIEFLY Fri. SE 3-6 W 3-6 Boardman Pendleton 57/29 LA GRANDE — Basic groceries are at least an hour away from home for Kalis- pel Tribe members in North- eastern Washington. The tribe invited researchers to submit appli- cations about how they would identify policy solu- tions. Eastern Oregon Uni- versity anthropology profes- sor Linda Jerofke had been in touch with tribal mem- bers, and reached out to sociology professor Jennifer Puentes about tackling the problem with an interdisci- plinary study. “Linda approached me about a collaboration on this project given our mutual interests and research on food systems,” Puentes said. Out of all of the sub- missions, the Kalispel WINDS (in mph) 47/21 46/10 0.00" 0.23" 0.92" 11.54" 8.25" 10.91" through 3 p.m. yest. HIGH LOW TEMP. Pendleton 42/20 52/30 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 41/25 50/25 43° 34° 47° 32° 69° (1958) 9° (1977) PRECIPITATION Moses Lake 48/25 Aberdeen 43/25 43/25 Tacoma Yesterday Normals Records Spokane Wenatchee 50/34 Valley Ranger District of the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest based in Joseph, said there are no such cameras in his area. Although there are lookout towers, they are lack- ing in basic infrastructure required for a camera, such as power lines, cables, hard- ware and line-of-sight connec- tions to which the microwave dishes can transmit. “We’ve been looking at those (cameras) for some time now, but they’re pretty spendy to get into,” he said. “They’ve shown to be pretty successful.” But Goodrich is relatively satisfied with his lookout tow- ers that are manned during the peak fire season from June to October. “They’re invaluable,” he said. “You can’t talk to a cam- era and get more information.” Goodrich said he’d like to see a camera on Mount Ireland on the Grant-Baker County line “if we come into a little extra money.” For now, Howard Butte has Northeast Oregon’s only fire detection camera. How- ard said another is planned in Umatilla County, likely by next spring. Another is being considered for Baker County. He said such cameras are used in other areas of the state and other states, though he didn’t have statistics on those. But the cameras don’t come cheap. The one on How- ard Butte, since there already was a communications tower there, cost about $60,000, Howard said. To erect one where there is no tower, the price increases by another $50,000 to $75,000. Howard said his unit has an annual budget of about $900,000, about half of which comes from a landowner assessment and half from the state’s general fund. Oregon even has an insurance pol- icy with Lloyds of London to cover fire-suppression costs — the only state in the Union with such a policy. Howard said he believes that’s because Lloyds determined Oregon a “good risk.” 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 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
