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About Wallowa County chieftain. (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Or.) 1943-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 3, 2018)
A8 From A1 wallowa.com October 3, 2018 Wallowa County Chieftain favor the project’s implemen- tation. She added that the loss of life and property would be astronomical in the event of a major wildfire in the Lostine. “What the forest service has laid out for the big pic- ture will not hurt the corridor; it will help,” she said. “It will help with the landscape; it will help with the stream. You get that stuff cleaned up and water, snow and rain can get to the ground. It grows forage and will also provide water to the stream.” According to Roberts, the county will follow through with the lawsuit to the end. Parry Brown concedes appeals are difficult to win, but the stakes for rare plants and wildlife are too high not to continue. “Our claims are com- pelling and worth present- ing to a panel of three appel- late judges,” she said. “Judge Simon has only been with the District Court since 2011, so it’s unlikely many of his cases have been appealed.” The groups aren’t wor- ried that their appeal may set precedents for future lawsuits. Parry Brown said that most of the issues were already well-litigated while some of the issues raised under the Healthy Forest Restoration Act have not been addressed by an appellate court. “We believe our interpreta- tion of what that Act requires is correct and look forward to presenting those arguments to the Ninth Circuit,” she said. According to Parry Brown, attorney fees did not factor into the decision to appeal. If the groups win the appeal, the attorneys can recover reason- able fees for their time spent on the case. Roberts added that the Eagle Cap District Ranger Kris Stein has told her the project is moving forward despite the litigation, although it is probably too late in the year for significant steps to be taken. It couldn’t happen too soon for the commissioner. “I think if any place in this county needs a categorical exclusion to be able to get in there and work, that one can- yon is probably at the top of the list,” she said. The case will like be heard in open court although no hearing is currently sched- uled. Parry Brown said that if the groups lose the appeal, it’s unlikely another appeal would be filed. make the current 4G relatively obsolete. Sands named greater access to telemedicine as one of the benefits of the new technology. “Someone in Imnaha could be conversing face-to-face with their doctor, sending vital signs or other things the doc- tor could observe,” Sands said. Sands said one of the big- gest impressions the trip made on him was the diversity of the group. People from Montana, Wyoming, Mississippi and rural areas from all over the U.S. attended. The group met with various legislative aides from mem- bers of both the House and Senate to discuss the possible benefits of broadband, which even included its benefits to agriculture and logging. Sands said the whirlwind trip was all business with an early morning meeting follow- ing the day they arrived. The participants were divided into groups to talk to different leg- islators and lined out on the talking points to present before heading out to Capitol Hill. The group met with legisla- tors for the rest of the day as well as the morning of the fol- lowing day. Sands spoke with aides from Oregon Rep. Greg Walden and Sen. Jeff Merk- ley’s office along with aides from Sen. Cory Gardener of Colorado and Jerry Moran of Kansas. Sands said all the aides seemed receptive to the group’s message. CHAPLAIN CORRIDOR Continued from Page A1 Two judges, Magistrate Patricia Sullivan and District Court Judge Michael Simon have found in favor of the project and rejected claims made by the plaintiffs that the Forest Service improp- erly used a categorical exclu- sion that allows the project to move forward while bypass- ing some environmental assessments. The judges also found the Forest Service did not violate the river’s wild and scenic designation or the forest plan and that the project met the legal definition of being done in collaboration. Darilyn Parry Brown, executive director of the council, based in La Grande, explained the group’s reason- ing behind the appeal. She said it is the group’s belief that the District Court got the facts wrong. For example, she contends the Forest Service did not provide required scientific support for its conclusion that commer- cial logging and road-build- ing in the Lostine Canyon wouldn’t significantly impact rare and imperiled plants and wildlife. “The Lostine is simply too special to give up on,” she said. The director also said the district court “rub- ber-stamped” the magistrate’s findings and recommenda- tions, which is at the heart of the appeal. They did not agree that the project was designed using a transparent and collaborative process as required by fed- eral law. Wallowa County Commis- sioners Susan Roberts said that the county, which has sta- tus as intervenors in the case, expected the appeal. “I wasn’t surprised,” Rob- erts said. “It seems that win- ning the case, no matter what it causes in public or private losses if anything should hap- pen in that corridor, is far more important than any- thing else. I think it’s unfor- tunate that we have followed the process, the forest service has followed the process; they (the groups suing) have filed their suit and had their day in court –– twice, and it’s not enough.” Roberts said that the majority of county residents BROADBAND Continued from Page A1 Nash, who had visited Washington once before on the matter, was told by West- ern Skies Strategies, a Wash- ington-based lobbying group, that the voice of a small-town mayor could help further the group’s cause. Nash suggested Sands, who readily accepted on only a week’s notice. Sands and Nash were in Washington specifically to support Senate Bill 3157, the “Streamline Small Cell Deployment Act.” Small cell deployment can provide a cost-effective solution for enti- ties looking to improve cel- lular coverage while increas- ing capacity of their mobile networks. This is accomplished through low-power, high capacity access points on power poles and other loca- tions. The bill was already introduced to the Senate and is awaiting a floor vote. “They (Western Skies) put the push on to get as many votes as possible,” Sands said. Sands said that the Federal Communications Commis- sion, which oversees Internet Courtesy Photo Joseph mayor Dennis Sands, right, visits with Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley’s aide Olivia Woods, along with Wallowa County Commissioner Todd Nash. The two visited Washington D.C. to advocate for broadband access to rural areas. related issues, has indicated that it is considering defining broadband as download speeds of 100 megabits per second. Currently, the term “broad- band” refers a large range of Internet speeds. The city of Joseph isn’t anywhere near the magic 100 number for speed. “Our fastest is like 24 or 25 megabits per second, and it goes down from there,” Sands said. “A lot of cities already have 100 megabits or even faster. It’s becoming the standard.” Sands added that such advantages in the city puts rural areas even further behind in the employment curve. “If we had real broadband speeds throughout the county, people could do a lot more remote work,” he said. Sands said he’s heard of those who would like to move to Wal- lowa County but their work is too dependent on broadband access. Such people and their chil- dren could move to Wallowa County, improving both the tax base and public school enrollment. The mayor said that slow speeds leave the city far behind the curve. He also men- tioned that many companies are working on 5G (fifth-gen- eration mobile phone tech- nology) networks, which will Free Presentation Series Continued from Page A1 you come from a tragic fire, how do you deal with that? Is anybody there to just listen?’” Agnew had also been talking to others about trage- dies that had happened in the county, such as the accident on Dug Bar Road in March 2009, which resulted in the death of youth pastor Jeff Gaertner and serious injury to five teen-aged boys. “Image you are the first officer on the scene and you’ve already had a domes- tic case and a traffic accident and then you come up on this scene,” Agnew said. “First responders are exposed to trauma on a regular basis. It’s as if you get a drop in your bucket every time and even- tually you top off. What I was seeing (as I heard these sto- ries) is that there was a void of spiritual and emotional aftercare that wasn’t psychi- atry and psychology.” Fish, for his part, was accustomed to working with police chaplains in his previ- ous positions and knew the Walden, McLeod-Skinner will debate on Friday U.S. Rep. Greg Walden has agreed to a televised debate against his challenger, Jamie McLeod-Skinner. The two face off at 7 p.m. Oct. 5 on Bend television sta- tion KTVZ. But first they had to agree to terms. McLeod-Skinner, a Dem- ocrat from Terrebonne, first challenged the 10-term Republican incumbent to a debate two months ago in Joseph. McLeod-Skinner, in a recent letter to Walden, took Thurs, Oct 4 • 7pm Defrosting America’s Icebox: Myths and Realities from the Frontlines of Changing Climate in Alaska Health Line 541.426.3413 Mon-Thurs 9 to Noon/1-5pm; Fri. 9-1 Joan Gilbert (org. photo: Oregon State University) 519 W. North Street, Enterprise Call 541-426-4567 to subscribe ELECTRICAL & WATER SYSTEM CONTRACTOR PUMPS • IRRIGATION HARDWARE• APPLIANCE PARTS Randi Jandt, MS Fire Ecologist Alaska Fire Consortium Natural History Discovery Center 508 N. Main • Joseph • 541-263-1663 • wallowology.org INVEST IN COMMUNITY VALUES: GeT THE weekly wednesday Wrap- up issue with the debate’s dura- tion, format and sponsor. Instead of the debate being 30 minutes and in a closed TV studio, McLeod-Skin- ner had sought a 90-minute debate that is hosted by the City Club of Central Oregon and is open to the public. She also suggests two more debates in eastern and southern Oregon. Local election agencies will begin mailing out bal- lots to voters Oct. 17. Elec- tion Day is Nov. 6. ELECTRICAL & PLUMBING SUPPLIES The Physical Basis and Impacts WALLOWA COUNTY value of the program. “It’s a special assign- ment,” Fish said. “I think it’s important to have someone there to provide support for officers or members of the public who need that support. I think Micah learned quite a bit about how different the job is from being a pastor.” Agnew has already used his training in next of kin notifications. “It was far more intense than I was thinking,” Agnew said. Nevertheless, he is happy to be a police chaplain and provide the support that all of his training, both as a chap- lain and a pastor, has pre- pared him to offer. “My primary concern is just the health of the offi- cers and to be a friend with no agenda,” he said. “If they want to talk, we can talk. There are no consequences to talking to me.” Agnew has had the full support of the Wallowa County Ministerial Associa- tion and his own congrega- tion at Abundant Life, mem- bers of which offer prayers for first responders regularly. HEALTHCARE, EDUCATION, & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT JAMIEFOROREGON.COM AUTHORIZED AND PAID FOR BY McLEOD-SKINNER FOR OREGON • PO BOX 1894, REDMOND, OR 97756 208 S. RIVER ST. • ENTERPRISE, OR www.jbbane.com • 541-426-3344
