VIEWPOINTS
Saturday, June 4, 2022
East Oregonian
A5
Project PATH will bring proactive answers to homelessness
DAVID
STOCKDALE
OTHER VIEWS
E
very city and county in the
state of Oregon is impacted
by homelessness, and the
impact is growing each year.
People without housing are less likely
to have access to health care, employ-
ment and education. They are more
likely to suffer from chronic mental and
physical health effects like substance
abuse disorders and disability, and are
at a higher risk of abuse and violence.
They are also members of our commu-
nities. We have a responsibility to provide
access to services in accordance with state
guidelines and our own guiding principles.
The societal cost of homelessness is
broad and too large for a single entity
to solve, but also too diverse and indi-
vidualized for a one-size-fits-all solu-
tion. Breaking the cycle requires
collaboration and investment.
That is the mission of Project PATH
(Practical Assistance through Transitional
Housing), a joint effort among Hermiston,
Umatilla, Stanfield, Echo and Umatilla
County. We have been granted $1 million
from the State of Oregon to launch a pilot
project, and we are intent on getting the
best return on that investment by focus-
ing our efforts on a single sustainable
program for the west end of the county.
support of my colleagues Hermiston
City Manager Byron Smith and Umatilla
County Commissioner Dan Dorran.
The next step is to issue a Request
for Proposal (RFP) to find a commu-
nity partner that can best provide the
services we need. A shelter or warming
center is a temporary solution, but a tran-
“THE SOCIETAL COST OF HOMELESSNESS IS
BROAD AND TOO LARGE FOR A SINGLE ENTITY
TO SOLVE, BUT ALSO TOO DIVERSE AND
INDIVIDUALIZED FOR A ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL
SOLUTION. BREAKING THE CYCLE REQUIRES
COLLABORATION AND INVESTMENT.”
The first step was a historic joint
public meeting on May 23 where the
city councils of Hermiston and Umatilla
and the Board of Umatilla County
Commissioners discussed the project
and took public testimony. It was import-
ant that we start off on the right foot
and gather feedback from elected offi-
cials and the public. I write this with the
sitional housing program that connects
its residents to health care, education,
employment and stable housing is a long-
term answer that will improve lives.
The City of Umatilla will be able to
annex a two-acre property on the corner
of Lind and Bensel roads to locate the
project. A coalition of the represented
governments will review the submit-
ted RFPs. Umatilla, Hermiston, Stan-
field, Echo and Umatilla will create an
Inter-Governmental Agreement to act as
oversight of the project as it develops.
We look forward to engaging with
applicants to help develop a program
that addresses not only the needs of the
homeless community, but the concerns
of residents. Security, staffing and
measures of success are all an import-
ant part of the strategic plan we will
develop after awarding the contract.
Ultimately, this project is about
using public resources in the way they
are intended. Public parks and rights of
way were not built to be used as tempo-
rary housing, and public safety offi-
cers are not equipped to treat mental
health disorders. We have resources
within our community that can provide
these services, and with proper plan-
ning we can make the most of them.
This is a work in progress, but we
are making sure Project PATH lives up
to its name and creates a way forward
for homeless residents seeking a health-
ier, safer and more stable lifestyle.
———
David Stockdale is the Umatilla city
manager.
TRICIA
MOONEY
OTHER VIEWS
Safe schools
start well
outside the
classroom
W
e are heartbroken by the trag-
edy at Robb Elementary School
in Uvalde, Texas. Though the
events unfolded many miles away, we
all feel the impact of violence when it
touches a school. Our thoughts extend to
the families, students and community that
is in so many ways similar to our own.
The Board of Directors and I want
you to know that Hermiston School
District works hard every day to
keep students safe. When these trag-
edies occur, it is understandable that
parents put themselves in the shoes
of those dealing with the aftermath of
horrific events. We feel that deeply.
Our best protection is a community
that looks out for one another and cares
for those who are struggling, combined
with daily vigilance, purposeful plan-
ning and clear protocols at every school.
The process doesn’t start when trag-
edy strikes and doesn’t end when the
national spotlight on school safety fades.
When it comes to facilities, the Herm-
iston community has consistently invested
in upgrading and maintaining buildings
with clear lines of sight at entries and exits
and modern security systems in place.
We have specific measures in place for
the safety of all students and staff across
the district that are specified for each
building, and we work continuously to
improve those measures. The Hermis-
ton Police Department is immediately
alerted for any non-planned fire alarm,
and staff and students are trained on how
to respond in any kind of emergency.
But safety planning goes beyond
drills and security cameras. It takes
thoughtful, well-trained staff to provide
support for our students, including
counselors, our student services team,
safety support specialist, mental health
specialists, campus monitors, teach-
ers and many others. We tell every
student who walks through the doors
that they are important and cared for,
and we take that promise seriously.
Our partnership with the Hermis-
ton Police Department is not just as
an emergency response team, but to
build relationships day in and day out.
Resource officers are an integral part
of our schools and, along with teach-
ers, counselors and other staff, help
mentor and watch over students.
Hermiston schools must be safe,
welcoming places for all students
and staff to learn and thrive. It’s our
commitment to provide both. You
can read about our safety and secu-
rity measures on the school’s website
at www.hermiston.k12.or.us.
We don’t always know how a student
will be affected in a crisis like the one
in Uvalde and the news coverage and
conversations that follow, but parents
know their children the best of anyone.
We ask that you talk with your students
and remind them that their school is a
safe place and that we are united in our
commitment to the safety of our schools,
staff and students. Thank you for the care
you give to our community of children.
We join together as a community
in grief and in solidarity with Uvalde.
We are shaken but not shattered.
———
Tricia Mooney is the superintendent of
the Hermiston School District.
We need to do better in our approach to fires
ROB
KLAVINS
OTHER VIEWS
H
ere in Eastern Oregon, our iden-
tity and way of life is deeply
connected to our public lands.
Landscapes of deep canyons, snow-
capped peaks, dense forests and deserts
are quite literally our backyard.
They provide clean cold water,
abundant wildlife, freedom and
a core piece of our identity.
In post-colonial times, our relation-
ship with the land has been based on what
we can take from it. Thankfully, many
of us are rethinking that relationship.
The idea of logging big old trees and
intact forests runs counter to Orego-
nians’ deepest held values. It also runs
counter to science showing the irreplace-
able values these forests provide. Keep-
ing forests functioning is one of the
best things we can do to slow climate
change and the extinction crisis.
But change is hard. Romantic notions
of Manifest Destiny persist, and many
influential voices are intent on trying
to move into the future with their eyes
glued to the rearview mirror. The now-in-
famous West Bend project is an exam-
ple of the conflict that creates.
When a biker noticed blue paint on some
big old pines — meaning they were slated
for logging — on a popular trail near Bend,
the nature-loving city became embroiled
in conflict. That frustration was justified.
Aggressive logging
But the West Bend project is not an
isolated case, nor is it the most egregious.
Across Eastern Oregon, timber sales
billed as “restoration,” “thinning,” “fuels
reduction,” and “collaboration” are deci-
mating our forests. Too often, they are
just labels applied to justify the same
aggressive logging that many Orego-
nians thought we moved past long ago.
It’s partly our fault.
As the “timber wars” came to an end,
and environmental safeguards were put
into place, we played a major role in creat-
ing forest collaboratives. These groups
sought to bring interested parties together
to find common ground and guide public
agencies to develop projects. As a state that
prides itself on our green values, and abil-
ity to get along – some call it “the Oregon
Way” – it seemed like the right thing to do.
Collaboratives initially focused
on restoring forests damaged by
logging, fire suppression and overgraz-
ing. They worked to protect healthy
forests, clean water, old growth and
wildlife habitat. Many succeeded.
Fast forward to today.
Environmental protections have been
eroded and extractive interests have
taken over. Most collaboratives priori-
tize getting to “yes” for its own sake.
Anything other than greenwashing Forest
Service logging projects has become contro-
versial. Rural politicians, timber execu-
tives and extractive interests run the agenda
and marginalize those without a financial
interest. Anything not involving chainsaws
and bulldozers is not worth discussing.
That’s why the Wallowa Whit-
man National Forest was able to invoke
collaboration to get away with logging
centuries-old trees in the Lostine
“safety” project. The results were
lawsuits and an increased fire risk.
Now the same planners are doubling
down with the Morgan Nesbitt Proj-
ect, which would nearly clear cut
virgin forests from the edge of the
Eagle Cap Wilderness into the Hells
Canyon National Recreation Area.
The Umatilla National Forest proposed
logging over 27,000 acres of pristine
forests and some of the biggest trees in
Eastern Oregon on the Ellis Project. Next
door, with no environmental analysis,
they are developing Parkers Mill, which
would allow more logging of roadless
forests than has occurred across the lower
48 in the last two decades combined.
Last summer, we bore witness to
old-growth logging in a project called Big
Mosquito. The project’s stated goal was to
thin small trees to protect old growth from
fire. It was touted as yet another success of
the Blue Mountain Forest Partners Collab-
orative. But once the celebrations subsided
and the logging equipment rolled in, the
big old trees were considered a danger,
splashed with blue paint, and cut down. It
was only due to diligent conservation advo-
cates that we learned of the carnage. The
collaborative and agency remain silent.
These projects are like West Bend,
but over tens of thousands of acres and in
places further away from the watchful eye
of the public and objective media outlets.
Over the last 20 years or so, tax dollars
have rained down on these logging collab-
oratives. With the groups always eager
to tell their success stories, and silence
dissent, there’s been little to no oversight.
Millions of dollars
The latest round of funding for “collab-
orative restoration” is counted in the tens
of millions of dollars. It is being celebrated
by the agency, collaborators and decision
makers. If folks like U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden
and Jeff Merkley are serious about their
commitments to protecting our forests,
slowing climate change and supporting
healthy rural communities, they need to put
sideboards in place, empower all members
of the public and provide meaningful over-
sight and accountability. They also need to
defend basic environmental protections.
One easy and concrete step would be
to call on the Biden Administration to
restore long-standing protections for big
and old trees called “the Screens” that
were eliminated by the Trump admin-
istration just hours before Inauguration
Day. This shouldn’t be controversial.
Wyden rightly endorsed the presi-
dent’s Earth Day executive order to begin
creating long-term protections for mature
and old growth forests. He and Merk-
ley need to do the work to ensure the
Forest Service stops the bleeding now.
———
Rob Klavins is the Northeast Oregon
field coordinator for Oregon Wild. He lives
near Enterprise and helps run the family
farm and business.