LOCAL & STATE
SATURDAY, JUNE 13, 2020
BLM braces for fiery summer
By Ardeshir Tabrizian
The Malheur Enterprise
VALE — Fire season is
underway in Malheur County,
and the Vale District of the
Bureau of Land Management
has already responded to a
number of recent fi res.
The Vale BLM is expecting
a much more active and severe
fi re season than in 2019, said
Al Crouch, fi re mitigation and
education specialist in Vale.
The BLM began to see fi res in
the Vale District in May, and
the area is on track for a dry
year, Crouch said.
While the dryness has
slowed down due to recent
rain, he said hotter weather
can rapidly change that.
He said it was too early to
predict the fi re potential in the
Vale District this summer.
The 2019 fi re season was
well below average for Mal-
heur County, Crouch said, with
a decrease in all forms of fi res.
“Last year, it was wetter and
greener,” he said. “This year,
we’re not expecting that at all.
We’re expecting it to be hot
and dry.”
The next three weeks will be
critical to determine moisture
content in range fuels, such as
grasses.
Those fuel conditions will
depend on the amount of
lightning, how much moisture
comes with it and what people
do to prevent wildfi res, Crouch
said.
Fuel is measured in four
classes, with the highest being
found typically in larger logs,
he said, and it is indicative
of long-term drought. This
dead fuel level was above
average entering June in the
Northwest and well above it
in Eastern Oregon, which will
likely see less than average
precipitation between June
and September, according
to a Wildland Fire Potential
Outlook from the National In-
teragency Fire Center issued
June 1.
Increased moisture leads to
grass growth, creating fuel for
Interagency Dispatch Center
website for information about
current fi re restrictions in
Eastern Oregon.
The Vale BLM has seen
more shooting-caused fi res, he
said, which people can help
mitigate by following the fi re
prevention order prohibiting
tracer ammunition, incendiary
ammunition and exploding
targets and fi reworks on BLM
lands. He also advised against
shooting hard targets, trash or
anything metal.
“Just exercise good shoot-
ing ethics — shoot safely, pick
up trash and enjoy yourself,”
Crouch said.
The BLM has also seen a
spike in the number of unat-
tended or abandoned camp-
fi res in the Vale District, which
is both a threat for causing
wildfi res and a violation that is
subject to a fi ne, said Crouch.
He urged campers to keep
their fi res attended, ensure
BLM photo that the area around a camp-
A Bureau of Land Management fi re crew conducts pile
fi re is clear of fl ammables up
burning of cut juniper at Hunter Mountain, north of Jun- to 10 feet, keep fi res small
tura, on May 13.
and contained with a metal
or rock ring, don’t burn when
wildfi res, while dry conditions BLM-administered lands are it is windy and “make sure
will cause brush fi elds to dry
human-caused, with the rest
your fi re is dead out before you
out faster — both posing risks being a result of lightning. Of leave.”
for fi re potential, Crouch said. the human-caused fi res, 70%
Crouch also said it is
Flashy fuels can increase
are caused by some form of
critical that landowners and
more quickly in taller, dried
equipment, he said.
homeowners do their part
grass than timber in forests,
Nationally, humans cause
in helping prevent wildfi res.
said Jennifer Smith, spokes-
an average of 87% of wildfi res Embers can collect and ignite
person for the National Inter- every year, according to a set
on roofs and in gutters, as well
agency Fire Center.
of “Talking Points” from the
as enter unscreened openings
There has been early drying NIFC.
around houses, according to
along the river corridors, which
In the rangeland, wildfi res
a May 4 news release from
have recently drawn abnor-
mostly occur as a result of
Oregon State Fire Marshal
mally high recreational use,
lightning when there are
Jim Walker.
Crouch said. The combination sparks in dry land, said Ta-
“Keep your roofs, gutters
“makes for a potentially bad
mara Cannon, secretary of the and eaves clear of all leaves,
mix for wildfi res,” he said, and Vale Rangeland Fire Protec-
pine needles and other fl am-
fi res have already occurred in tion Association.
mable debris,” Walker said.
those areas.
Crouch advised that people
Fire offi cials “suggest remov-
The Vale BLM has respond- should check equipment to
ing dead vegetation a mini-
ed to six human-caused fi res
ensure it works properly and
mum of 30 feet around homes
this year and a few lightning
doesn’t produce sparks, keep
and other structures,” as well
fi res, but those do not include vehicles off of dry grass —
as pruning trees and keeping
fi res under the jurisdiction of a especially in low elevations
grass short and green to help
fi re department or district, or — and check regulations. He
ensure that potential fi res are
the rangeland fi re protection
recommended calling the BLM close to the ground and more
associations, he said.
offi ce, as well as visiting its
manageable for fi re crews, the
About 30% of fi res on Vale
website or the Blue Mountain news release said.
BAKER CITY HERALD — 5A
FUNDRAISER
Continued from Page 3A
While the Rachel Center hopes to collect most of the
bottles (and donation-filled envelopes) by the end of July,
Grove said it’s not unusual for contributions to continue to
flow in throughout the year.
Just recently she had bottles returned from last spring’s
campaign.
“We take bottles full of money any time,” Grove said.
The Rachel Pregnancy Center offers help to both men
and women who are dealing with financial or emotional
problems related to an unplanned pregnancy. The annual
Baby Bottle Drive is its main fundraiser for the year.
The center’s spring newsletter lists these services pro-
vided in the community:
Pregnancy Help
• Free pregnancy testing
• Information about pregnancy options
• Adoption referrals
• Maternity clothes
• Referrals for free ultrasound scans.
Grove said that service became available in Baker City
when Allyson Howarth, a nurse practitioner who works at
Dr. Randy Alanko’s office, joined the Rachel Center Board.
“Lots of times when they see an ultrasound they decide
not to have an abortion,” Grove said.
Parenting Help
• Encouragement
• Baby clothes up to Size 3
• Diapers and formula if needed
• Baby furniture and items
Grove said clients have the opportunity to voluntarily
participate in the center’s Earn While You Learn program,
which includes classes ranging from prenatal to parenting
instruction about infants, toddlers and older children as
well. A Bible study also is included.
“Baby Bucks” earned through Earn While You Learn
can be used to purchase baby furniture from the center,
gift cards for gas and groceries and to obtain car seats
from the Baker City Police Department.
Post-Abortion Recovery and Other Counseling
Camille Hearne, a child and family counselor, volun-
teers to provide free counseling for women healing from
an abortion and for others in special circumstances, Grove
said.
Volunteers
The center’s volunteer team includes client advisers,
receptionists, clothing assistants, Earn While You Learn
instructors, church advocates, technical support, donation
partners and a board of directors.
Patricia Hoelscher is board chairwoman and Cathy
Blankinship is treasurer. Other board members are Jesse
Whitford, Howarth and Grove.
The Rachel Center helped 151 families at a rate of
40 clients per month in 2019, according to the spring
newsletter.
More information is available by visiting the office or
calling 541-523-5357 during business hours. Grove also
may be reached by email at rpc.director1@gmail.com or
visit the center’s Facebook page.
OREGON LEGISLATURE ANTICIPATED TO CONVENE FOR SPECIAL SESSION LATER THIS YEAR
People of Color Caucus proposes police reform bills
By Peter Wong
Oregon Capital Bureau
The nine minority-group
members of the Oregon
Legislature will promote bills
to tighten the accountability
of police after the death of
George Floyd in Minneapolis
and the subsequent protests
in Portland and other cities.
The People of Color Caucus,
which numbers two senators
and seven representatives
among the 90 legislators,
seeks two bills during an
anticipated special session of
the Legislature later this year
and another measure for the
2021 session.
“I am pleased to see allies
from all colors now stepping
forward to do something
about this,” Sen. Lew Fred-
erick, D-Portland, said at a
news conference last week. “It
is time. We have had enough.
I want to see some action and
I hope we will.”
The Portland City Council
on Thursday promised to
support the bills. Many other
issues were raised in a joint
work session Thursday morn-
ing during the wide-ranging
discussion, from reforming
the state’s training system for
new police offi cers to requir-
ing them to live in the com-
munities in which they serve.
One measure is a new
version of Frederick’s Senate
Bill 1567, which cleared the
Senate unanimously, but
died in the House without a
vote after the 2020 session
ended abruptly on March 5. A
similar measure he sponsored
(Senate Bill 383) also passed
the Senate in 2019 but died
in a House committee.
Under the bill, if an arbitra-
tor concludes there was police
misconduct, the arbitrator
cannot lessen any disciplin-
ary action taken by the police
“I am pleased to see
allies from all colors now
stepping forward to do
something about this.
It is time. We have had
enough. I want to see some
action and I hope we will.”
— State Sen. Lew Frederick,
D-Portland
agency against the offi cer
based on that misconduct.
The other bills may face a
tougher legislative road.
One measure would
require the Oregon Depart-
ment of Justice, led by the
elected attorney general, to
investigate deaths or serious
physical injuries when police
use deadly force. Those inves-
tigations are now conducted
by police — though not the
agencies employing the of-
fi cers involved in the use of
force — and district attorneys
in Oregon’s 36 counties.
The other measure would
direct the House Judiciary
Committee to convene a
bipartisan work group to look
at Oregon’s law governing po-
lice use of deadly force when
making an arrest or prevent-
ing an escape. The measure is
intended to prompt recom-
mendations for change in
the 2021 session. The basic
law goes back to 1971, and
in 2007, the Legislature
required use-of-force plans on
a county-by-county basis.
House Speaker Tina Kotek,
D-Portland, said in a state-
ment:
“Oregon has an opportu-
nity to address abuses that
have gone on for far too long.
We must rise to the challenge
of this moment and make
real change to create a safe
and supportive community
for all Oregonians.”
Democrat Rob Wagner of
Lake Oswego, the new Senate
majority leader, pledged his
support for the measures. He
said in a statement on his
Facebook page:
“As elected leaders, we have
the power to change the ways
our laws uphold institutional
racism and systems of op-
pression, and we cannot wait
any longer to take action.
The People of Color Caucus
(members) … have put forth
policy proposals to improve
police accountability and act
against injustice. I am eager
to work with my colleagues to
advance these important poli-
cies. We must act now.”
Caucus of nine
In addition to Frederick,
the caucus members are Sen.
James Manning of Eugene
and Reps. Teresa Alonso
León of Woodburn, Janelle
Bynum of Clackamas, Diego
Hernandez of Portland,
Akasha Lawrence Spence
of Portland, Mark Meek of
Oregon City, Andrea Salinas
of Lake Oswego and Tawna
Sanchez of Portland. All are
Democrats. Lawrence Spence
isn’t seeking election, but the
caucus is likely to add to its
ranks Nov. 3.
“I look forward to support-
ing the POC Caucus as they
fashion their proposals into
effective legislation,” Attorney
General Ellen Rosenblum
said in a statement last week.
“We must dismantle rac-
ism. Doing so requires looking
at our systems from every
angle. Dismantling racism
demands thoroughly listen-
ing to those voices and issues
that make us uncomfortable.
Dismantling racism man-
dates acknowledging that the
answers haven’t been found,
the solutions haven’t been
enacted, that many promises
have turned up empty.”
In 2015, the Legislature
barred police use of profi l-
ing, a practice of identifying
criminal suspects based on
broad personal characteristics
such as race.
In 2017, at Rosenblum’s
urging, another law required
agencies to collect informa-
tion on traffi c and pedestrian
stops by police.
The fi rst phase involved
reports by Oregon’s 12 larg-
est agencies, including the
Oregon State Police, sheriff’s
offi ces in the three metro-
area counties and police in
Portland, Gresham, Hillsboro
and Beaverton. Their data
was released last year by
the Oregon Criminal Justice
Commission, which eventu-
ally will collect informa-
tion from all Oregon police
agencies to see if there are
patterns where police are
stopping minorities dispro-
portionately.
Past and present
During the news confer-
ence last week with Gov. Kate
Brown, Frederick referred to
past incidents when police
have stopped him as he was
going to and from his home in
Portland’s Irvington neigh-
borhood, where he has lived
since 1977.
He recounted one incident
in the early 1990s, when he
was a reporter for Portland
television station KGW and
his station car was stopped in
King City with his photogra-
pher at the wheel. “He sud-
denly saw the barrel of a gun
right across his face, pointed
at me,” Frederick said. (The
mayor of King City since 2016
is Ken Gibson, who is black.)
Brown said in the after-
math of Floyd’s death —
caused when a Minneapolis
police offi cer put his knee on
Floyd’s neck for almost nine
minutes — that Oregon’s
elected leaders must do more
to address these issues.
“To everyone who is hurt-
ing right now, I want to say
I see you. I hear you. I stand
with you. And I add my voice
to yours,” she said. “Years and
years of failure to reform po-
lice practices. Years of failure
to hold police offi cers account-
able. Years of failure to bring
real reforms to our criminal
justice system, which incar-
cerates Black Americans at
fi ve times the rate of white
Americans.
“I count myself as one of
the many white politicians
whose good intentions haven’t
done enough to tackle the
scourge of systemic racism.”
TREAT DAD TO THE BEST
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Prime Rib Dinner
with triple chocolate truffle mousse.
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Also featuring regular menu items
Open for dinner: M-W-Th-F at 4:30 pm
Saturday - 3:30 • Closed Tuesday
Open by reservation for private parties
541-856-3639
10 miles north of Baker City on Hwy 30, in Haines, Oregon.
www.hainessteakhouse.com