Wednesday, February 24, 2021
A4
OPINION
VOICE of the CHIEFTAIN
New river
protections
may have
unintended
consequences
regon lawmakers at the state
and national level do far more
work regarding unintended
consequences when they craft new
legislation.
That isn’t an easy task, especially
when a politician is trying to get
reelected, salve the often-sharp polit-
ical edges of his constituents or is
besieged by special-interest groups.
Yet, it is a real issue that typically
goes unnoticed until a piece of legis-
lation becomes law. Then, the unin-
tended consequences are obvious and a
whole new set of problems exist.
A good case in point is a recent
proposal by Democratic Sens. Ron
Wyden and Jeff Merkley to add more
than 4,000 miles of Oregon rivers and
streams to the National Wild and Sce-
nic Rivers system.
The bill is set to greatly expand the
amount of terrain protected from a
quarter-mile strip on each side of a spe-
cific river to one-half mile.
At first glance there is something in
the bill for everyone. The fears of envi-
ronmentalists are assuaged, hikers and
other outdoor enthusiasts will see their
favorite pristine piece of land near a
river safeguarded and it’s a giant step
forward in terms of conservation.
A lingering question, though,
should be, “What would be the unin-
tended consequences to this legisla-
tion?” If you are an environmentalist,
the answer would be none. However,
if you are not firmly rooted in the con-
servation camp, what does such a bill
really mean?
Wyden said in a press release regard-
ing the bill that Oregonians made it
“loud and clear: They cherish Oregon’s
rivers and want them protected for gen-
erations to come.”
Wyden is probably correct. Gener-
ally, most people want to see our riv-
ers and mountains protected from
damage, not only now but for future
generations.
Still, what Oregonians made it “loud
and clear?” Umatilla County? Union
County? Folks in Wallowa County? If
so, how many?
We hope the lawmakers who have
carefully — we hope — crafted the
legislation have thought the idea all the
way to the end.
Making wide-sweeping proclama-
tions to appease conservation groups is
all well and good, but the impact of the
legislation to the folks on the ground
should be a key question with a readily
available answer.
Too often lawmakers develop a
grand idea that sounds great. On
paper it makes everyone happy. Then
it becomes law and someone, some-
where, loses. We think Wyden’s and
Merkley’s legislation is too important
to fall into the category of unintended
consequences.
O
LETTERS to the EDITOR
The River Democracy Act
should be opposed
If this new bill passes, 4,700 river miles
in Oregon will be included in the Wild
and Scenic designation. It’s considered a
“remarkable achievement” by some, while
others see a monster land grab, a back door
to more lock up and lock out.
Increasing the buffer zone from a quar-
ter to a half-mile on both sides of the riv-
ers creates approximately 3,008,000 acres
of de facto wilderness. Baker, Union, Wal-
lowa and Grant counties will be saddled
with 700 miles. Wallowa County alone
(will have) 440 miles. Management plans
will be developed by the U.S. Forest Ser-
vice or another agency. Presently, the For-
est Service is way over its head in manag-
ing the forest, so maybe the other agency
that is referred to in the Feb. 13 article in
the Baker City Herald, can take on the
chore.
Unsettling, upsetting, disturbing —
this is happening under the term democ-
racy. How and when did we lose control
to a room full of politicians in Washington
D.C.? Have we become so complacent this
is acceptable? Ignoring impacts and input
at the local level has become standard
operating procedure. Lack of coordination
with the counties circumvents local input
(coordination is the law). Failure to recog-
nize local concerns was the primary factor
in the Blue Mountain Forest Plan Revision
withdrawal. “Ditto,” trying it again.
No one cares more for our public lands
and waterways than the residents of East-
ern Oregon. Federal and state agencies use
many tools to protect and preserve spe-
cial places. Additional restrictions, outside
those presently available are unwarranted.
I’m urging the Eastern Oregon Counties
Association to join in and support Baker
County’s opposition to The River Democ-
racy Act.
D.M. and Wanda Ballard
Baker City
Conservatives don’t need to
feel threatened
Recent commentators in the Chieftain
pages, Devin Patton and Michael Rea-
gan, have made claims that conservatism
is “under attack,” and that it’s somehow a
“scary time” for conservatives.
This doesn’t jibe with recent events.
While the attack on the Capitol was iden-
EDITORIALS: Unsigned editorials are the opinion of the Wallowa County Chieftain
editorial board. Other columns, letters and cartoons on this page express the opin-
ions of the authors and not necessarily that of the Wallowa County Chieftain.
LETTERS: The Wallowa County Chieftain 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 letters that address concerns
Wallowa County’s Newspaper Since 1884
M eMber O regOn n ewspaper p ublishers a ssOciatiOn
Published every Wednesday by: EO Media Group
VOLUME 134
USPS No. 665-100
P.O. Box 338 • Enterprise, OR 97828
Office: 209 NW First St., Enterprise, Ore.
Phone: 541-426-4567 • Fax: 541-426-3921
General manager, Jennifer Cooney, jcooney@wallowa.com
Editor, Ronald Bond, rbond@wallowa.com
Reporter, Bill Bradshaw, bbradshaw@wallowa.com
Multimedia Journalist, Alex Wittwer, awittwer@eomediagroup.com
Advertising Assistant, Cheryl Jenkins, cjenkins@wallowa.com
Designer, Andy Nicolais, anicolais@eomediagroup.com
• • •
Contents copyright © 2021. All rights reserved.
Reproduction without permission is prohibited.
To submit news tips and press releases, call 541-426-4567
or email editor@wallowa.com
tified as perpetrated by conservatives,
that needs a deeper look. To (briefly)
clarify, it’s not conservatism to attack
and harm others, to lie or obfuscate, to
believe in falsehoods, to steal or cheat, to
destroy others’ property, to deny respon-
sibility for one’s actions then to blame
others for those same actions, or to sub-
vert the Constitution. Nor are these
behaviors any part of liberalism. Rather,
these actions describe criminality and
those Capitol marauders chose crime
over lawful behavior. To avoid holding
these people accountable, and those who
aided them, or to claim that doing so is
falling prey to anticonservative revenge
is confusing conservatism with coward-
ice of the truth.
Conservatives and liberals must rely
on truth — that which comports with fact
or reality — as the primary guiding tenet
for all. This allows for clarity as well as
increased understanding; and that, then,
promotes respect for one another. So,
conservatives don’t need to feel threat-
ened, nor should liberals. But, criminals,
on the other hand, cannot count on escap-
ing due justice or public outcry.
Lyn Westhoff
Wallowa
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.
SEND LETTERS TO: editor@wallowa.com, or via mail to Wallowa County Chieftain,
209 NW 1st St. Enterprise, OR 97828
Periodical Postage Paid at Enterprise and additional mailing offices
Subscription rates (includes online access)
Annually
Monthly (autopay)
Subscriptions must be paid prior to delivery
See the Wallowa County
Chieftain on the Internet
Wallowa.com
facebook.com/Wallowa
twitter.com/wcchieftain
1 Year
$51.00
$4.25
POSTMASTER:
Send address changes to
Wallowa County Chieftain
P.O. Box 338
Enterprise, OR 97828