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About Wallowa County chieftain. (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Or.) 1943-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 4, 2015)
A4 Opinion wallowa.com February 4, 2015 Wallowa County Chieftain Hayes on sidelines, but damage is done A t his Friday press conference, Oregon Gov. -RKQ.LW]KDEHUVDLGKLV¿DQFpH&\OYLD+D\HV will have no policy role during the remainder of his fourth term. Kitzhaber was forced EDITORIAL into that declaration by The voice of the Chieftain news reports generated E\+LOODU\%RUUXGLQWKH Salem bureau of the EO Media Group and Pamplin Media Group. While it was useful to have the governor clarify ZKHUH+D\HVVWDQGVLQWKH.LW]KDEHUDGPLQLVWUDWLRQ the question remains: Exactly what policies did she LQÀXHQFHGXULQJKLVWKLUGWHUP²DQGZKRH[DFWO\ was she working for? The Register-Guard of Eugene has asked the “question of how many shoes were still waiting to drop.” Especially when it comes to environmental policies, ZKLFKZHUH+D\HV¶³SDVVLRQ´LW¶VKDUGWRORRNDWDQ\ decision or position and not wonder who was making the wheels turn, and which wheels were getting greased. Coal exports near our corner of the state, JLOOQHW¿VKLQJDWWKHPRXWKRIWKH&ROXPELDORZ FDUERQIXHOVWDQGDUGV²WKHVWLQNRIHWKLFVYLRODWLRQV are all over them now. $QGWKDW¶VH[DFWO\ZKDWLWLV3HRSOHDUHTXLFNWR MXGJHDFWLRQVE\WKHLURXWFRPHDQGWKDW¶VZK\WKH RXWUDJHRYHUWKH)LUVW/DG\¶VVKDG\HPSOR\PHQW history has been muted. Those who are pleased with the enviro-friendly direction this administration has taken us have sort of shrugged off the $118,000 in XQWD[HGLQFRPH+D\HVWRRNIURPWKH&OHDQ(FRQRP\ Development Center in 2011 and 2012. $QGLW¶VWUXHLIWKHJRYHUQRUKDGQHYHUPHW+D\HV KHPD\KDYHPDGHWKHH[DFWVDPHGHFLVLRQV%XWWKH failure of the administration to take these violations seriously is the big problem. They point, again, to a lack of interest in serving Oregon. 7KHHVVHQFHRI*RY.LW]KDEHU¶V&\OYLD+D\HV SUREOHPZDVGHVFULEHGVXFFLQFWO\E\%UHQW:DOWK *RY7RP0F&DOO¶VELRJUDSKHUDQGPDQDJLQJHGLWRU of Willamette Week, during a talk last November to &ROXPELD)RUXPLQ$VWRULD6DLG:DOWK³,GLGQ¶W WKLQNZH¶GHYHUVHHLQP\OLIHWKHRI¿FHSXWXSIRU VDOHEXWWKDW¶VH[DFWO\ZKDWZH¶YHVHHQ´ The tragedy of John Kitzhaber stems from a mistake as old as Shakespeare. Kitzhaber has stayed too long. All politicians and celebrities nurture their myths. The reason that John Kitzhaber is having such a hard time UHFNRQLQJZLWKWKHGDPDJHWKDW&\OYLD+D\HVKDVGRQH KLPLVWKDWWKH-RKQ.LW]KDEHURIP\WKWKH¿UVWDQG second term Kitzhaber) was never this foolish. Corrections • The 2A Special District #4 wrestling tournament will be held in Enterprise on Saturday, Feb. 21. The Chieftain regrets listing the wrong date in a story we published on Jan. 28. • A musher identified as Jackie Wepruk in a photo cap- tion in our Jan. 28 issue is actually Jessie Royer, of Darby, Mont., who has competed in the Iditarod. The Chieftain re- grets the error. USPS No. 665-100 P.O. Box 338 • Enterprise, OR 97828 2I¿FH1:)LUVW6W(QWHUSULVH2UH 3KRQH)D[ :DOORZD&RXQW\¶V1HZVSDSHU6LQFH Enterprise, Oregon M EMBER O REGON N EWSPAPER P UBLISHERS A SSOCIATION P UBLISHER E DITOR R EPORTER R EPORTER N EWSROOM ASSISTANT A D S ALES CONSULTANT G RAPHIC D ESIGNER O FFICE MANAGER Marissa Williams, marissa@bmeagle.com Rob Ruth, editor@wallowa.com Stephen Tool, stool@wallowa.com Rocky Wilson, rwilson@wallowa.com Rich Rautenstrauch, rrautenstrauch@wallowa.com Brooke Pace, bpace@wallowa.com Robby Day, rday@wallowa.com Cheryl Jenkins, cjenkins@wallowa.com P UBLISHED EVERY W EDNESDAY BY : EO Media Group 3HULRGLFDO3RVWDJH3DLGDW(QWHUSULVHDQGDGGLWLRQDOPDLOLQJRI¿FHV Subscription rates (includes online access) Wallowa County Out-of-County 1 Year $40.00 $57.00 6XEVFULSWLRQVPXVWEHSDLGSULRUWRGHOLYHU\ See the Wallowa County Chieftain on the Internet www.wallowa.com facebook.com/Wallowa | twitter.com/wcchieftain POSTMASTER²6HQGDGGUHVVFKDQJHVWR Wallowa County Chieftain 32%R[ Enterprise, OR 97828 Contents copyright © 2015. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is prohibited. Forest plan needs a cornerstone By Rocky Wilson /LIHMXVWLVQ¶WIDLU Take the United States Forest Service, for instance. They have 193 million acres of IHGHUDOODQGWRPDQDJHDQGLW¶VGDUQWRXJKWR please everyone. Even the measly 4.9 million acres in the %OXH0RXQWDLQV)RUHVW3ODQ5HYLVLRQJHQHU- DWHVSUREOHPV:K\FDQ¶WZHVWXEERUQIRON in Wallowa County simply kowtow to the PDMRULW\JLYHDQDI¿UPDWLYHQRGDQGDFFHSW WKHLUSDJHGUDIWWKDWKDUGO\DQ\RQH¶V UHDG"6XUHLIDI¿UPHGLWZLOOJRYHUQ1RUWK- east Oregon forest policy for years to come and the science within might be outdated, but it took them 14 years to come up with ZKDWWKH\¶YHJRWDQGWKDWKDVWRFRXQWIRU something. $QGLW¶VRQO\DIRUHVWPDQDJHPHQWSODQ QRWWKH%LEOH 6HULRXVO\LW¶VMXVWQRWIDLU +RZ FDQ DQ\ PDQZULWWHQ GRFXPHQW equitably meet the challenge of managing three national forests when, by applying legal rights, minuscule groups like Legal :LOGHUQHVV'HIHQGHUVDQGWKH+HOOV&DQ\RQ 3UHVHUYDWLRQ&RXQFLO+&3&FDQWKZDUWWKH GHVLUHVRI%RLVH&DVFDGH//&DQGLWV employees? Which, though far fewer than %RLVH¶VWRWDORIHPSOR\HHVLVLQYROYHG LVH[DFWO\ZKDW¶VKDSSHQLQJRQ¿YHWLPEHU VDOHVQRUWKRI+DOIZD\ In that instance, under existing dictates, JABBERWOCK II the Forest Service is being hindered from what it knows it should do – treat timber as a manageable asset, not a haven for forest ¿UHV±EHFDXVHLWYLRODWHGLWVRZQUXOHVTXLWH likely in the area of elk habitat and possibly in that of old growth timber as well. This, of course, creates grounds for ap- SHDOV WKDW DUH QRW ¿QDOL]HG XQWLO IXQGV UXQ out or the Supreme Court ends the squabble. %XW ZKHUH¶V WKH DQVZHU" ,W¶V EHFRP- ing clear as a bell that writing a laborious, OHQJWK\XQUHDGSDJHSODQLVQ¶WZRUN- ing. 7KHUH¶VD%LEOLFDOSULQFLSDOWKDWLQSDUD- phrase, says the building is no stronger than the chief cornerstone. Aside from the irrefutable fact that the %LEOHDQGJRYHUQPHQWGRQ¶WPL[±LVQ¶WWKDW one of those ingrained “truths” that George :DVKLQJWRQ DQG -RKQ +DQFRFN ZHUH WKH\ around today, would say “wait a minute” to? – there might be some applicable wisdom to the cornerstone thing. 6RZKHUH¶VWKHFRUQHUVWRQHLQWKH)RUHVW 6HUYLFH¶VSODQWRPDQDJHPLOOLRQDFUHV" 7KH 86)6¶V PLVVLRQ VWDWHPHQW VD\V WR “achieve quality land management under the sustainable multiple-use management concept.” If that in any way is basis for creating a FRUQHUVWRQH LW¶V XQGHUVWDQGDEOH ZK\ OHDG- ership of the Wallowa-Whitman, Malheur, and Umatilla National Forests would take 14 years and 1,400 pages to put such on paper. %HOLHYH PH ,¶P SUHWW\ FOXHOHVV DERXW knowing how to write a forest management plan, but I do have the ability to keep my ears open and listen. Even before the Wallowa County Nat- ural Resources Advisory Committee was formed more than 25 years ago, knowl- edgeable naturalists from Wallowa County devised something called the Salmon Plan. That plan was effective because it not only had a viable cornerstone, salmon, but a VLPSOHRYHUULGLQJSULQFLSOH,ILW¶VJRRGIRU VDOPRQJRIRULW,ILW¶VQRWWU\DQRWKHUURXWH The usefulness of the Salmon Plan is IDUUHDFKLQJDQGDOWKRXJKFXUUHQWO\LW¶VQRW FRXOG EHFRPH D WHPSODWH IRU D QHZ %OXH Mountains Forest Plan Revision. Unlike the Forest Service which seems interested in SXWWLQJGRZQRQSDSHUZKDWFDQDQGFDQ¶WEH done, the Salmon Plan is a malleable, breath- ing document with no regulatory teeth. ,¶PDIDQRIWKH6DOPRQ3ODQDQGRQHGD\ DVNHGDPDQZKR¶VEHHQRQSRLQWWKURXJK- RXW%UXFH'XQQKRZVDOPRQZDVVHOHFWHG “Just lucky,” he said. 'XQQ¶V 2. EXW VRPHWLPHV KLV KXPRU and sarcasm are interchangeable. Jabberwock II columnist Rocky Wilson is a reporter for the Chieftain. Informed deer beat our system ,¶YHJRWDSDFNRI&DQDGLDQZKLWHWDLO deer that have taken over on my place outside of Enterprise, so I can sympathize with the residents of Joseph under siege by the deer. Driving through Joseph these GD\V \RX FDQ¶W KDUGO\ VZHUYH DURXQG the pothole craters of Little Switzerland without bumping into an ungulate. The worst part for me is the size on some of WKRVH UDFNV 6RPH RI XV GLGQ¶W ¿OO WKHLU GHHU WDJ WKLV \HDU VR LW¶V DQ H[HUFLVH LQ patience to drive through the petting zoo of town. I have to admire the smarts of these deer. I already knew they could read, based on how they go to the mattresses on opening day of deer season each year. :KDW,FDQ¶W¿JXUHRXWLVKRZWKH\NHHS getting a copy of the regulations. Or a FDOHQGDU $QG QRZ WKH\¶YH LQ¿OWUDWHG -RVHSK&LW\+DOOVRPHKRZDQGJRWWKHLU hooves on a copy of the statutes that ban KXQWLQJZLWKLQFLW\OLPLWV,WKLQNZH¶YH got a mole. Someone is passing the deer sensitive information and we need to WLJKWHQXSVHFXULW\/HW¶VJHWDWDVNIRUFH on this. Mobilize, people. Or we embrace the situation and plant rose bushes in the Joseph potholes as a EHDXWL¿FDWLRQSURMHFW7KLVZLOOGUDZWKH deer away from the front porches at least temporarily. Can we send them up to the head of the lake? The transition from ornamental plants to cigarette butts and snack food might be rough, but they seem WR EH VXUYLYRUV , GRQ¶W KDYH DQ DQVZHU AND FURTHERMORE Jon Rombach for how to dispose of the town deer that expire from old age and excessive rose petal consumption. Except maybe a veni- son chili cook-off every so often. Does Joseph have a Sister City in Can- DGD",IQRWOHW¶VDUUDQJHRQHDQGVHQGXS a care package of town venison via live- stock truck special delivery. Ah, but then the Canadians would get all worked up aboot smoking a pack of American deers a day and the only winner in that scenario will be the bumper sticker industry. Waaaait just a minute. Anybody in- vestigate the bumper sticker salespeople? 'LGQ¶WWKLQNVR,¶PQR&ROXPEREXWLI we search the bumper sticker headquar- WHUV²ZKLFKLI,KDGWRJXHVVZLOOPRVW OLNHO\EHLQ&DQDGD²,ZRXOGQ¶WEHWKH OHDVWELWVXUSULVHGWR¿QGWUDFHIUDJPHQWV of wolf fur from the little transplant op- HUDWLRQWKH\¶YHEHHQFRQGXFWLQJ7KHUH¶V also a chance we might turn up old copies of ODFW regulations and city ordinanc- es the Canadian bumper sticker people have been furnishing our deer with. Fol- low the money. 6SHDNLQJ RI 2'): ,¶P QRW VXUH shooing deer away from town should fall under their job description. Joseph City Council might consider instead drafting a letter to local fence builders to ask about a bulk rate for putting up garden enclo- VXUHV2ULVLWH[FORVXUHV"1HYHUKDYH¿J- XUHGWKDWRXW%XWWKHQ,JXHVVZHFDQ¶W build deer fences because I seem to recall a dustup about how high you can build a fence in town. Man, this stuff gets com- plicated. %DVHGRQP\H[SHULHQFHZLWKWKH&D- QDGLDQ ZKLWHWDLO LQÀX[ RQ P\ SURSHUW\ the only consolation I can offer regard- ing the deer problem is that there is no consolation. The only gardening I do is in WKHSURGXFHDLVOHVR,¶PQRWOXULQJWKHP in with succulents. I do have apple trees, DQG DIWHU \HDUV RI FDUHIXO VWXG\ ,¶P EH- ginning to suspect deer may have a fond- QHVV IRU DSSOHV 6R WKHUH¶V WKDW :KLOH cleaning up dog poo around my place, deer droppings outnumber the canine VSHFLPHQV DERXW WKUHH WR RQH ,¶P QRW about to pick up all the deer doody, so that becomes a strange exercise in prior- itization. What it comes down to is when I have visitors who are just thrilled to see deer up close like that. I mean, they get excited. So there you go. My approach to dealing with resident deer is to just give XSDQGEHJODGZKHQ,¶PUHPLQGHGRFFD- sionally that I live somewhere that seeing deer gets boring, commonplace and even tiresome. I just wish it was like that out in the woods. Good luck, Joseph. Jon Rombach is a local columnist for the Chieftain. Twenty-nine sign in at Yuma gathering To the Editor: LETTER TO :DOORZD &RXQW\ 6QRZELUGV ÀRFNHG WR 'RQDOG 6WRQHEULQN¶V<XPD UHVLGHQFH THE EDITOR on Saturday, Jan. 31. There was 29 county snowbirds in at- tendance, somewhat down from previous had as many as 100 show up to remember picnics. In the past 30 plus years we have past times and renew old friendships. L etters to the Editor are subject to editing and should be limited to 275 words. Writers should also include a phone number with their signature so we can call to verify identity. The Chief- tain does not run anonymous letters. <RX FDQ VXEPLW D OHWWHU WR WKH:DO- lowa County Chieftain in person; by PDLO WR 32 %R[ (QWHUSULVH 25 97828; by email to editor@wallowa. Some of the surnames noted on the sign-in sheet were: Conrad, Cornwell, )HQWRQ 3D\QH <RXQJ 'XVHN 6DYDGD 6WHLQ:LJJLQV+D\V0DUWLQ6WRQHDQG Stanley. James Stanley Beaverton com; or via the submission form at the QHZVSDSHU¶V ZHEVLWH ORFDWHG DW ZDO- lowa.com. (Drop down the “Opinion” menu on the navigation bar to see the relevant link).