REGION Saturday, September 26, 2020 East Oregonian …€­„­  ­€ ‚     ≤   ≤    ­€‚ƒ„…  ‹Š ‰ ‡‹ ¡•”† Œ † Œ¢‹Š†‰ŠŠŒŠ‰‹ †£ˆ‹‹†¤≤—ž›† Œ †¥ ‹† Š ‡•Š†‹‡† Š£ ‡‹‚ ­„­ “Ÿ ƒ­„­  ­… —“Ÿ ““Ÿ —œŸ ††‡ ˆ‡† ‡‰Š‡‹Œ‰‹ ŽŠ‹Š Œ “žŸ šŸ A3 ‹Š†£ˆ‹‹†‡ ˆ£‹ ‹‹¢‹Š‡•Š†‹‡† Š£ ‡‹‚ ≤   ≤  … ƒ­­€­ €€ ­€­Ÿ ­≤ž™ €‚    ‚ ƒ ‘’ ‰ ‡‹ “”•“– “— ˜™ š•“— —› œ™ ”›• ž “š ”™ —”•—– “ž “™ Š‹ „„ „ „„ „ „ „„ „„ „ ”› “› Š‹Œ ††  „ …†‡ˆ†‚‰ City council to consider local improvement district By JADE MCDOWELL East Oregonian HERMISTON — The Hermiston City Council will consider forming a local improvement district for the South Hermiston Industrial Park during its Monday, Sept. 28, meeting. The district, if formed by the ordinance up for a vote in the Sept. 28 meeting, would result in 18 property owners splitting $500,000 in costs for a $3 million project that would add roads, water and sewer infrastructure to the industrial park. The remain- ing funding would come from a $1.5 million federal Eco- nomic Development Admin- istration grant, $250,000 from the city of Hermis- ton, $50,000 from Umatilla County and $700,000 that the Port of Umatilla would be assessed under the district. According to a staff report by Assistant City Manager Mark Morgan, the project would create new “shovel EOC3 highlights threats of climate change on native bees By ALEX CASTLE East Oregonian PENDLETON — Roughly 75% of fl ower- ing plants and 35% of crops, amounting to $3 billion worth of production, are believed to rely on the presence of bees to pollinate them each year. In Oregon, much of that work is done by more than 625 native bee species that equally rely on the surround- ing ecosystem and their inter- actions with it to survive. Those bee species, includ- ing those native to Eastern Oregon, could face a litany of challenges brought by a changing climate. Those challenges were the topic of a virtual presen- tation delivered by Sandy DeBano, an associate pro- fessor in Oregon State Uni- versity’s Department of Fish and Wildlife, during the East- ern Oregon Climate Change Coalition’s monthly meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 22. DeBano, who is sta- tioned at the OSU Agricul- ture Research and Extension Center in Hermiston, high- lighted the potential danger of warming temperatures in the region resulting in “range compression” for bee species in Eastern Oregon. “The hypothesis is that species that are adjusted to cooler conditions are going to move from lower lati- tudes and elevations to higher ones as the climate warms,” DeBano said. While a lack of regional data doesn’t allow for defi n- itive conclusions on how increased temperatures will impact regional bee popula- tions, DeBano said, prelimi- nary data alludes to the dan- gers they face. At three separate locations — the Boardman Grasslands, Zumwalt Prairie in Wal- lowa County and the Starkey Experimental Forest — stu- dent researchers documented a variance of naitve bumble bee species that aligns with the difference in the average temperatures in July at each location. This data suggests that as temperatures rise in the region, the variance and quantity of bumble bee spe- cies may decline. “Certainly other factors are contributing to bumble bee species richness, but a lot of these papers are con- sistently fi nding that some aspect of temperature is con- sistently playing a major role in determining or infl uenc- ing bumble species richness,” DeBano said. The potential for earlier summers may also disrupt the phenology of bees and plants in Eastern Oregon, DeBano said, which refers to the cycles of plants’ fl owering times and bee activity to pol- linate them. “The result might be less food for bees and fewer plants being pollinated,” she said. Debano also noted con- cerns that perennial streams in the region, which fl ow throughout the year, will become more intermit- tent and negatively impact resources that bees need for food. Other risks brought by cli- mate change include exacer- bated wildfi res, which can kill native bees and disrupt their habitats in Eastern Oregon. These impacts and infl uences are still being researched and evaluated, DeBano said. “The long-term effects are diffi cult to predict and are really dependent on the sys- tem,” she said. But DeBano also high- lighted some actions that individuals can take to address the potential dangers of climate change on bee pop- ulations, particularly by using pesticides responsibly. “We can conserve habi- tat where native bees are, we can enhance existing habitat, we can increase habitat, and I think really important is that we can reduce stressors,” she said. IF YOU GO The Hermiston City Council meeting starts at 7 p.m. at the Hermiston Community Center, 415 South Highway 395 and will be livestreamed on the city of Hermiston YouTube Channel. The full agenda packet can be found at hermiston. or.us/meetings. ready” parcels of industrial land ranging from half-acre sites similar to those already fi lled along the nearby Kelli Avenue and Campbell Drive, and give access to larger par- cels for big industrial projects. If 60% of affected property owners oppose formation of a local improvement district it cannot go forward. Morgan stated in his staff report that fi ve owners submitted offi cial remonstrances in opposition, but those fi ve make up less than 60%, and the city also did not consider three of the remonstrances valid because the property owners had pre- viously signed legal agree- ments not to oppose forma- tion of an LID, in exchange for not having to pay for those improvements when they fi rst developed their property. The council will also con- sider a supplemental budget, which would authorize the expenditure of $540,000 in CARES Act funds the city has received, add $159,890 to the reserve fund from the city’s insurance payout for fi re damage to city hall, and increase the capital outlay for the city hall construction fund by $9.6 million to pay for building a new city hall and remodeling the base- ment of the Hermiston Public Library. The council will also hear several reports, including the August fi nancial report and an update on the Eastern Ore- gon Trade and Event Center. LOCAL BRIEFING Cultural organizations get grant relief UMATILLA COUNTY — More than a dozen cul- tural organizations in Uma- tilla County are set to receive more than $500,000 for relief from the coronavirus pan- demic, according to a press release. A total of $25.7 million in grants is being distributed to 621 organizations through- out the state by the Ore- gon Cultural Trust, which is working with local cultural coalitions to provide relief for organizations that have suffered economic losses due to the pandemic. “The funds were made available through a $50 mil- lion relief package for Ore- gon culture approved by the Emergency Board of the Oregon Legislature in July,” the press release stated. Organizations receiv- ing funding across the state include cultural institutions, county fairgrounds, cultural entities within federally recognized Indian Tribes based in Oregon, festivals and community event orga- nizations, along with some for-profi t organizations that have been recognized as having a “signifi cant” cul- tural impact. In Umatilla County, the Eastern Oregon Trade & Event Center ($209,548) is slated for the largest sum of funding. Other notable funding awards included Happy Canyon Company Inc. ($67,208), the Confed- erated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation ($59,383) and Stadium Entertainment, LLC ($51,925). “Funding was deter- mined based on an award allocation formula that established a base amount of funds per county or Tribe and the organization’s fi s- cal size and eligible request amounts,” the release stated. “COVID-19 expenses pre- viously reimbursed by other federal CARES Act pro- grams were not eligible.” The most valuable and respected source of local news, advertising and information for our communities. eomediagroup.com Oct. 6 candidate forum scheduled HERMISTON — The Hermiston Chamber of Commerce is planning a forum for Hermiston City Council and Umatilla County Board of Commis- sioners candidates on Oct. 6. The forum will begin at 6 p.m. and will be held at the Hermiston Community Center, 415 South High- way 395. Limited seating, spaced 6 feet apart, will be available and masks will be required. The event will be livestreamed by Hermiston School District online. Dan Dorran and HollyJo Beers are running to replace Bill Elfering on the Umatilla County Board of Commis- sioners. David McCarthy, Rod Hardin, Doug Prim- mer, Nancy Peterson and Maria Duron are running for the four, at-large seats on the Hermiston City Council. — EO Media Group DEQ Public Notice Woodgrain Millwork, Inc. Pilot Rock Lumber Pilot Rock, Oregon Has applied for an Oregon Title V Operating Permit Renewal The Department of Environmental Quality is providing an opportunity for public comment. For a copy of the draft permit and review report call Nancy Swofford at 541-633- 2021 or call toll free in Oregon at 866-863-6668. You can also access the draft documents from DEQ’s “Public Notices” page at www.oregon.gov/deq/Get-Involved/Pages/Public- Notices.aspx