NORTHWEST
East Oregonian
A2
Saturday, November 27, 2021
Minam River project adds 4,600 acres
The Observer
LA GRANDE — The Oregon
Department of Fish and Wildlife,
along with the Rocky Mountain Elk
Foundation and Manulife Invest-
ment Management’s timberland
business, completed the first phase
of the Minam River Wildlife Area
project, adding more than 4,600
acres of public land to the state’s
wildlife area system.
“The significance of this acqui-
sition cannot be overstated,” said
Curt Melcher, director of ODFW.
“An opportunity to protect such a
large swath of diverse habitat does
not come along very often. ODFW
has pursued opportunities to perma-
nently protect this property since
the 1960s. This acquisition would
not have been possible without the
leadership and funding from RMEF,
as well as a strong partnership with
Manulife.”
The first phase funding primar-
ily came from RMEF and the Wild-
life Restoration Program, a federal
excise tax on guns and ammunition.
To complete the second phase,
ODFW is working to secure addi-
tional funding through a U.S.
Department of Agriculture Forest
Legacy program grant, which
will be matched with previously
secured RMEF funds to purchase
the remaining 10,963 acres.
“We thank and congratulate our
partners for conserving this land-
scape that is so important for elk,
mule deer, birds, fish and other wild-
David Jensen/Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
Flowers bloom along the Minam River just before sunrise in this undated photo. The Oregon Department of Fish
and Wildlife announced in November 2021 the completion of the first phase of the Minam River Wildlife Area
project, adding more than 4,600 acres of public land to the state’s wildlife area system.
life,” said Kyle Weaver, RMEF pres-
ident and CEO. “While we pause
to celebrate this accomplishment,
we know there is still much to do
to complete Phase Two of the proj-
ect that covers nearly 11,000 more
acres.”
This project will permanently
protect crucial winter range for
elk and deer. It will also continue
to provide habitat for salmon, bull
trout and other Oregon Conserva-
tion Strategy species, including
white-headed woodpecker, Rocky
Mountain tailed frog and several
priority bat species.
Once completed, the 15,573-
acre property will be managed by
ODFW as the Minam River Wildlife
Area, the fifth-largest wildlife area
in the state. The Fish and Wildlife
commission approved the purchase
Forecast for Pendleton Area
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TODAY
SUNDAY
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TUESDAY
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Cloudy and mild
Partly sunny and
warm
Cloudy and mild
with a shower
Considerable
cloudiness
A stray afternoon
shower
Storytelling critical for
ranching, journalist says
By GEORGE PLAVEN
Capital Press
PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
57° 50°
64° 46°
53° 37°
56° 44°
61° 43°
HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
55° 50°
62° 45°
59° 42°
57° 43°
OREGON FORECAST
61° 41°
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
56/52
48/46
48/42
Longview
Kennewick Walla Walla
56/50
Lewiston
57/56
53/52
Astoria
57/52
Pullman
Yakima 48/46
56/53
54/49
Portland
Hermiston
58/54
The Dalles 55/50
Salem
Corvallis
57/50
Yesterday
Normals
Records
La Grande
50/43
PRECIPITATION
John Day
Eugene
Bend
58/50
58/52
52/44
Ontario
47/33
Caldwell
Burns
60°
42°
46°
31°
67° (1933) 4° (1993)
24 hours ending 3 p.m.
Month to date
Normal month to date
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Last year to date
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Albany
58/52
Trace
1.14"
0.92"
5.06"
3.94"
7.39"
WINDS (in mph)
49/32
50/32
Trace
1.24"
1.21"
7.27"
12.25"
11.53"
through 3 p.m. yest.
HIGH
LOW
TEMP.
Pendleton 50/39
59/53
24 hours ending 3 p.m.
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Normal month to date
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HERMISTON
Enterprise
57/50
53/47
59°
45°
45°
31°
71° (1892) 1° (1993)
PRECIPITATION
Moses
Lake
56/53
Aberdeen
47/44
43/40
Tacoma
Yesterday
Normals
Records
Spokane
Wenatchee
55/53
Today
Medford
57/44
Sun.
ESE 3-6
S 6-12
Boardman
Pendleton
WSW 6-12
WSW 6-12
SUN AND MOON
Klamath Falls
55/31
Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2021
Sunrise today
Sunset tonight
Moonrise today
Moonset today
7:11 a.m.
4:15 p.m.
12:00 a.m.
1:14 p.m.
Last
New
First
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Nov 27
Dec 3
Dec 10
Dec 18
NATIONAL EXTREMES
Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states)
High 86° in Fallbrook, Calif. Low -7° in Gothic, Colo.
NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY
earlier this year.
Located about 30 miles northeast
of La Grande in Wallowa and Union
counties along the Minam River, the
property is currently managed by
Manulife Investment Management.
In addition to creating new public
recreational access for hunting, fish-
ing and other activities, the Minam
River Wildlife Area will also
improve access to Wallowa-Whit-
man National Forest and Bureau of
Land Management lands.
“ODFW will manage the prop-
erty as a working landscape utiliz-
ing limited livestock grazing as
well as active forest management
in partnership with the Oregon
Department of Forestry to improve
forage conditions for wildlife,” said
Nick Myatt, ODFW East Region
Manager.
Recreation opportunities on the
new property could include hunting,
fishing, hiking, birdwatching, horse-
back riding, kayaking and other
activities. The proposed Minam
River trailhead will be established
on the border shared with the Minam
State Recreation Area and the wild-
life area. A footbridge over the
Minam River is being considered
to facilitate improved public access
to the historic Minam River Trail,
which travels for 6 miles through the
property. The trail connects recre-
ationists to the Wallowa Mountains
and Eagle Cap Wilderness in the
neighboring National Forest.
Public access will be allowed
from April 1 to Nov. 30 so distur-
bance on deer and elk is limited
during the sensitive winter period.
Access along the Minam River Trail
will be allowed year-round.
As with other state wildlife
areas, ODFW will pay fire protec-
tion fees and “in-lieu” of property
taxes to maintain county tax reve-
nues. Future management will be
determined through the adoption of
a Wildlife Area Management Plan.
PENDLETON — By
her own admission, Ashley
Ahearn is all hat and no cattle.
A journalist for National
Public Radio, Ahearn has
lived and worked in major
cities, including Boston, Los
Angeles and Washington,
D.C., while covering the envi-
ronment and natural resources.
Four years ago, she and her
husband moved to rural East-
ern Washington, where she
now helps move cows for local
ranchers in her spare time.
But Ahearn insisted she
is no rancher. Her passion is
storytelling, and she is produc-
ing a podcast series about
women ranchers for Idaho
Public Radio.
Ranchers need to tell their
stories, Ahearn told the annual
Oregon Cattlemen’s Associa-
tion convention, which ran
Sunday through Tuesday,
Nov. 21-23, in Pendleton, espe-
cially as more consumers veer
toward vegetarian and vegan
diets they see as more environ-
mentally sustainable.
“The story that needs to get
out is the other side of ranch-
ing, and the commitment to the
land,” Ahearn said on Nov. 22.
Since swapping city life for
sagebrush country, Ahearn
said she has witnessed first- I see journalists coming into
hand how ranchers care for the community — who will be
their land and animals. Riding the ones who talk to the jour-
through pastures, they can nalists?”
identify by sight which areas
Often, she said, the ones
are grazed and which aren’t, who talk may have extreme
and adapt manage-
views that don’t reflect
ment practices on the
the broader reality. It
fly.
can be harder to find
It has influenced
other voices on the
her own reporting,
ground to challenge
causing her to see
their claims, without
knowing where to find
ranching through a
different lens. Yet for
them.
some reason, she said
Ahearn
“There are so
not as much of that
many divisions in this
story seems to get through to country right now, and I do
the media clearly.
think the media has contrib-
Part of the issue, Ahearn uted to that,” Ahearn said.
With the narrative on beef
said, is most journalists are
based in cities — that’s where changing in the country, and
the jobs are, after all. But they startups in Silicon Valley
don’t often venture into rural investing in alternative meat
areas except during a natural technology, Ahearn said it
disaster, or a crisis like the 2016 is “game on” for ranchers,
occupation of the Malheur who need to be active tell-
National Wildlife Refuge in ing their stories through the
southeastern Oregon.
mainstream media and social
The practice, known as media.
Ahearn said she sees food
“parachute journalism,”
can lead to instances where as an opportunity to rebuild
news and communities are some of the broken connec-
presented out of context to tions between ranchers and
millions of people.
consumers — highlighting
“You show up as an outsider their commitment to steward-
in a strange community, you ship.
don’t necessarily speak the
“I think we’ve lost some of
language and you’re on dead- that connection,” she said. “I
line,” Ahearn said. “Now that do think it starts with story-
I live in a rural community and telling.”
IN BRIEF
Oregon lifts outdoor
mask mandate
SALEM — Oregonians no longer must
wear masks in public outdoor settings, state
health officials said Tuesday, Nov. 23, lifting a
COVID-19 pandemic mandate in place nearly
three months.
The state has since late August required that
everyone wear a mask in a public, outdoor space
where social distancing isn’t possible, regardless
of vaccination status.
The decision to lift the mandate reflected the
state’s success cutting cases and hospitaliza-
tions, said Oregon Health Authority Director
Patrick Allen.
But, Allen made clear, the road to a full
recovery is still long.
People should expect to keep wearing masks
indoors “for some while,” Allen said, at least
into next year. “We don’t know enough to be
able to set a useful target at this time.”
“We are not yet at a point where we can
consider relaxing mask guidelines for indoor
settings,” Allen said. “We’re still dealing with
limited hospital capacity for all patients.”
— EO Media Group
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