ANDREW CUTLER
Publisher/Editor
KATHRYN B. BROWN
Owner
WYATT HAUPT JR.
News Editor
JADE McDOWELL
Hermiston Editor
ThURSDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2020
A4
Founded October 16, 1875
OUR VIEW
Preparing
for the next
pandemic
T
he next global pandemic will be man-
aged a lot better than this one. Oregon
and the world will be more prepared.
Right?
Maybe. But panic, scramble, and then
relax is the more typical pattern of response
to a threat. Oregon should do better. The
world is not going to get less crowded or less
connected.
Can the state get better at contact tracing
and quarantining? Will local governments
stage mock pandemic exercises? Will hospi-
tals keep stocks of PPE? We can’t allow our-
selves to get sick of all the focus on sickness.
With the virus raging, now may not be
the best time to distract health policy experts
and politicians with pandemic preparedness.
At the national level, Congress needs to pass
another relief package. The Oregon Legis-
lature should do something about renters
who may be evicted when the moratorium
expires — among other things. But there are
a couple longer-term things on our mind.
Authority is one. Gov. Kate Brown’s
executive orders have faced repeated legal
challenges. A most recent one came from the
Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association.
ORLA sought an injunction that would have
ended Brown’s two-week freeze. ORLA
argued other similar businesses did not face
as extensive regulations. A federal judge
rejected it.
Earlier this year there were also questions
raised about the restrictions on places of
worship in Oregon. A U.S. Supreme Court
decision last month blocked the state of New
York from enforcing attendance limits at
places of worship while the issue continues
to be argued in court. The court said New
York’s limits did not appear to be applied
equally and singled “out houses of worship
for especially harsh treatment.”
Mask mandates and other restrictions are
sensible responses to prevent a deadly virus
from spreading. There are boundaries to
freedom. When your actions could endan-
ger others is the fuzzy line where freedom
ends. It doesn’t mean everything Brown
does is OK. Executive orders that don’t have
a foundation in science should be fought
and scrapped. But it’s not unreasonable for
Brown to compel people to try to minimize
risk to other people.
But what role should the Legislature
have in making decisions about such sweep-
ing regulation of freedom and the econ-
omy? Now its role is near zero. Is it right that
Brown should be able to revise and extend
emergency orders for month after month?
At what point should a governor be required
under the law to get Legislative approval?
Can the Legislature be nimble enough and
functional enough to play more of a role?
That issue certainly seems worth revisiting.
We were also disturbed by a law passed
during the pandemic about government
meetings. The law makes it clear that virtual
public meetings are allowed. Smart move.
But at least according to our understanding,
there is no requirement that such meetings
be broadcast live nor how much time can be
allowed to pass before a recording of a meet-
ing is presented to the public. Some govern-
ment bodies also have not been allowing the
public to comment during their meetings
with anywhere near the same welcoming
attitude of the pre-COVID world.
Those changes are a threat to the idea that
the public should be able to observe gov-
ernment decision-making and public par-
ticipation. Will they be allowed to become
permanent?
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the Cen-
ters for Disease Control and Prevention rec-
ommended that there be a national campaign
to commemorate the 1918 flu pandemic. It
was a way to remind people of the dangers
of viral pandemics — deaths, the disruption
of lives and the economy. People won’t need
that sort of messaging now. But will gov-
ernment take action to ensure we are better
prepared?
Hawks are more than targets
BILL
ANEY
THIS LAND IS OUR LAND
E
very fall, Lynn Tompkins sees an
alarming increase in the number
of injured raptors brought to Blue
Mountain Wildlife, her wildlife rehabili-
tation center in Pendleton. Many of these
injured birds have been shot with lead or
steel pellets of the sort used by hunters
pursuing upland birds or waterfowl.
The birds are brought to Lynn in hopes
that she can treat, rehabilitate and release
them back into the wild. Unfortunately,
most of the birds are too severely damaged
to survive and have to be humanely killed.
Why in the world would a hunter enjoy-
ing a day in the field in pursuit of pheas-
ants or ducks decide to shoot a hawk or an
eagle? These raptors play a key role in our
ecosystems, making their living by prey-
ing on rodents, snakes and smaller birds.
Perhaps the shooters have the misguided
belief that by killing a hawk they will
increase the population of pheasants, chu-
kars, and California quail (all non-native
species, by the way).
Misguided, because the biology is clear
that the number of game birds available
for hunting in the fall is not substantially
affected by predators. Weather during the
nesting season and habitat quality most
directly determine how many birds are
around in the fall. Late spring and early
summer wet and cool periods can devas-
tate game bird populations by wiping out
entire broods of newly hatched birds over
a large area in just a day.
In addition, the trend toward clean
industrial-scale farming with large fields,
minimal waste grain and few or narrow
fencerows provides less and less quality
game bird habitat. So, it’s not about avian
predators as much as it is about weather
and habitat.
It is true that raptors will occasionally
take domestic animals like barnyard hens
or newborn lambs. It’s just food to them.
Kathy and I know a woman who watched
in terror as a golden eagle took her York-
shire terrier from her front porch in Baker
County. As a dog lover, I can only imag-
ine how traumatic that would be to see, but
I’m still not about to shoot a golden eagle
for doing what eagles do.
I suspect that some of the raptor shoot-
ing is done by young hunters turned out
into the field by their parents without ade-
quate guidance or oversight. They get
bored when they can’t find pheasants and
get an itch to shoot anything that flies. It’s
the same reason that countless highway
road signs, outhouses and other public
structures are vandalized by shotgun pel-
lets and rifle slugs — little boys of all ages
just wanting to shoot something.
Raptors could be killed by mistaken
identity, but it’s hard to imagine any expe-
rienced hunter confusing a hawk with a
pheasant at 40 yards.
Just to be clear, all raptors are protected
under the federal Migratory Bird Treaty
Act and other federal and state laws. There
is no exception for raptors a hunter comes
across in the field, but it is difficult to catch
a hawk-killer in action.
My plea for parents or other mentors of
young hunters is to take a few minutes to
talk with your budding Nimrod or Artemis
about what it means to be a responsible
hunter. Knowing and practicing solid eth-
ics are critical to maintaining public sup-
port for hunting. Teach youngsters to cor-
rectly identify target species on the wing,
shoot only those animals they intend on
bringing home to the table, and pass up
any target that isn’t certain.
If you give want to give your youngster
a pellet gun or .22 for Christmas, consider
where and what they will be shooting.
Live animals are not appropriate targets
for plinking.
It is a tragic shame that organizations,
such as Blue Mountain Wildlife, con-
tinue to receive these magnificent birds
each fall, mangled and torn up by igno-
rant shooters. We’re fortunate to have such
an organization in our area to profession-
ally treat and release the birds that can
be saved, and to compassionately handle
those that can’t.
I am sure that the good folks at Blue
Mountain Wildlife would appreciate your
donations. They are easy to find (www.
bluemountainwildlife.org) and donating is
easy. Do it — it’ll be good for your soul.
———
Bill Aney is a forester and wildlife biol-
ogist living in Pendleton and loving the
Blue Mountains.
miles are currently protected under the
Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. Do the math
and that pencils out to less than 2% of
our state’s rivers that are currently pro-
tected. As a lifelong Oregonian, that sta-
tistic doesn’t sit right with me, as I believe
Oregonians overwhelmingly cherish our
rivers and streams and the unforgettable
memories we’re able to create on them
each year.
As such, my family was excited to see
Sen. Ron Wyden’s public call for nomi-
nations for new Wild and Scenic River
designations.
Chelsea Cassens
Imbler
fund was established, naturally, in the
context of the Black Lives Matter (BLM)
“activism.”
The fund was not subject to voter
approval or to public oversight. There
are a number of constitutional issues,
something that is seemingly disregarded
and disrespected by the BLM activists
and their supporters. It surely violates
the 14th Amendment to the Constitu-
tion; it also violates a central premise of
our body of laws — by making all living
Oregonians responsible for putative past
offenses. In other words, assigning col-
lective guilt to present citizens for alleged
crimes in the yesteryear.
There’s no doubt the pandemic has
caused many, regardless of heritage, fur-
ther economic vulnerability. And we, as
a nation, need to address that. Yet, if the
activists and their supporters are really so
concerned about providing for a specific
group, they should take up a private col-
lection for their cause. That’s what Davy
Crockett would have advised.
Keith Gallagher
Condon
YOUR VIEWS
Oregon’s rivers need our
protection
I grew up hunting and fishing on pub-
lic lands and waters all throughout Ore-
gon; and now as a mother, I cherish what
those memories, experiences, and adven-
tures do for my own children now. My
children thrive while experiencing the joy
of nature and all it has to offer them. I see
the importance of the outdoors through
the lives and eyes of my children, espe-
cially when we are out exploring our pub-
lic lands and waters.
Spending time on a river makes me
happier, more attentive, more inclusive,
and more nurturing, and has an enor-
mously positive effect on the relationship
I have with my children. The world today
is hard to navigate, but when we are out-
doors, we are focused on the present situ-
ation — the clean air, the clean water, the
wildlife, and the landscape. Wild and Sce-
nic Rivers across the state of Oregon have
improved the quality of life for my family.
Across Oregon, there are 110,994
miles of river. Only 2,173 of those river
Oregon Cares Fund has
constitutional issues
Correctly, there are challenges to the
Oregon Cares Fund, a taxpayer-sup-
ported, state-administered fund aimed
to financially boost, exclusively, Black
Oregonians and Black-owned businesses
navigate the COVID-19 pandemic. The
EDITORIALS
Unsigned editorials are the opinion of the East Oregonian editorial
board. Other columns, letters and cartoons on this page express
the opinions of the authors and not necessarily that of the East
Oregonian.
letters that address concerns about individual services and products
or letters that infringe on the rights of private citizens. Letters must be
signed by the author and include the city of residence and a daytime
phone number. The phone number will not be published. Unsigned
letters will not be published.
LETTERS
The East Oregonian welcomes original letters of 400 words or less
on public issues and public policies for publication in the newspaper
and on our website. The newspaper reserves the right to withhold
SEND LETTERS TO:
editor@eastoregonian.com,
or via mail to Andrew Cutler,
211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801