A2 The BulleTin • Wednesday, sepTemBer 21, 2022
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LEGAL NOTICES
Environmental groups requesting
updates to the Columbia River Treaty
BY CAROL RYAN DUMAS
Capital press
Pacific Northwest groups represent-
ing conservation, clean energy, wild-
life, fish and other interests are urging
U.S. officials to modernize the Colum-
bia River Treaty to avoid what they de-
scribe as an ecosystem collapse.
The 32 organizations sent a letter
to the U.S. State Department, Bon-
neville Power Administration and
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers urg-
ing them to provide information to
the region on efforts to overhaul the
treaty and involve citizens and tribes
in decisions.
“Chronic hot water is killing salmon
and degrading Columbia and Snake
River health today, with worse coming.
A modern treaty must give Northwest
people greater standing and more tools
to withstand this rising damage,” the
groups said.
Signed in 1961 and ratified in 1964,
the treaty coordinates flood control
and power generation through a sys-
tem of dams and reservoirs in Canada
and the U.S.
The groups are asking U.S. negotia-
tors to partner with Canada to add the
health of the river as a third, co-equal
treaty purpose. They are also urging
the administration to include Colum-
bia Basin tribes in treaty governance,
matching Canada’s recognition of the
role of indigenous nations.
The groups’ final request concerns
flood control.
The U.S. currently benefits from a
collaborative flood-risk management
plan that depends on assured Cana-
dian water storage to minimize flood
risk in the U.S. That critical collabora-
tion ends on Sept. 16, 2024, if negotia-
tions fail to extend it, the groups said.
Capital press file
The Columbia River at Crescent Bar, Washington. Groups representing conservation, clean energy, wildlife and other interests want
U.S. officials to update the Columbia River Treaty with Canada.
The treaty’s Permanent Engineering
Board warns the general lack of plan-
ning leaves “...no guidance on the op-
eration of the Canadian storage system
with significant consequences in both
Canada and the U.S. for power gen-
eration, flood risk management and
social and environmental objectives,”
they said.
If a new agreement isn’t reached, the
terms of the current treaty will shift
responsibility for flood control from
Canada to the U.S., potentially forc-
OTHER SERVICES
all Bulletin payments are accepted at the
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p.O. Box 6020, Bend, Or 97708. Check
payments may be converted to an
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periodicals postage paid at Bend, Or.
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6020, Bend, Or 97708. The Bulletin retains
ownership and copyright protection of
all staff-prepared news copy, advertising
copy and news or ad illustrations. They
may not be reproduced without explicit
prior approval.
The U.S. lacks comprehensive plans
for the shift of responsibility, said John
DeVoe, executive director for Water-
Watch of Oregon.
“And we have grave concerns that
federal agencies will further deprior-
itize the health of fish and wildlife to
manage flood risk. Upsetting opera-
tions for fish and wildlife, agriculture,
hydropower and other river uses due
to inadequate planning and minimal
consultation is an unnecessary and un-
acceptable outcome,” he said.
Oregon’s tuition-free preschool Man pleads guilty to
program hitting major delays vandalizing Planned
Parenthood clinic
associated press
Thousands of Oregon
families who expected their
children to start tuition-free
state-provided preschool this
month remain in limbo be-
cause of staffing shortages that
caused delays getting contracts
to nearly 250 involved pre-
schools.
The Early Learning Divi-
sion, which has overseen the
Preschool Promise program
since its 2016 inception, took
over contracting duties from
the Oregon Department of
Education this year and has
struggled to get contracts
inked. It has yet to send pa-
perwork to most of the 248
preschools in the program
that serves families living at
or below 200% of the federal
poverty line, The Oregonian
reported Tuesday.
Many facilities new to the
program or those expanding
services are hesitant to accept
children enrolled in Preschool
Promise until they have a
signed contract and payment
for the care is assured, the
newspaper reported.
The agency now says the
preschools chosen to serve
an estimated 6,381 children
must open no later than Oct.
30. It could not say when all
contracts would be signed.
The total number of children
marks an expected increase
of more than 2,000 slots from
last year.
“It’s super hard on families,”
said Molly Day, director of
Early Learning Multnomah,
one of 16 regional hubs that
helps coordinate Preschool
Promise enrollment. “If you’re
counting on your child to be
in school while you’re work-
ing, that’s very disruptive.”
Day said her team has re-
ceived hundreds of calls and
emails in recent weeks from
anxious parents seeking an
update.
While the burden falls on
regional hubs to field parents’
questions and complaints, hub
coordinators hardly have a
better idea than parents do of
when the Early Learning Di-
vision will complete the con-
tracting process.
The state has directed pre-
schools new to the program
not to begin serving children
until their contracts are firmly
in place. It also has told pro-
grams that are continuing or
expanding in the program that
they don’t have to serve chil-
dren without the contractual
guarantee of funding.
“We need a way to figure
out how to communicate
these delays to families,” Day
said.
Marion Suitor-Barnes, di-
rector of communications
and outreach for the Early
Learning Division, wrote in an
email that the agency has em-
ployed an “all hands on deck
approach” to processing the
contracts. The agency has only
hired two of nine planned em-
ployees for its new procure-
ment office, she said.
“We recognize this delay is
affecting families, and we sin-
email .....................legals@bendbulletin.com
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ing operational changes at eight dams
and reservoirs in Washington, Oregon,
Idaho and Montana, Brian Brooks, ex-
ecutive director of the Idaho Wildlife
Federation, said in a press release.
Given the lack of transparency to
date, the groups “are increasingly wor-
ried about how the federal government
will deal with uncertainties and oper-
ational changes while protecting fish
and wildlife, honoring tribal obliga-
tions and supporting river communi-
ties,” he said.
LOCAL BRIEFING
COVID-19 community
levels for Central Oregon
The Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention mon-
itors levels of COVID-19 to
help communities decide what
prevention steps to take based
on the latest data.
Levels can be low, medium
or high and are determined by
looking at hospital beds be-
ing used, hospital admissions
and the total number of new
COVID-19 cases in an area.
Data released Thursday by
the CDC showed three Or-
egon counties — Wallowa,
Union and Baker — at high
levels of community spread,
five at medium and 28 at low.
The agency listed the follow-
ing levels for Central Oregon:
Deschutes County: Low
Crook County: Low
Jefferson County: Low
For communities at low
levels, the CDC recommends
staying up to date on vaccines
and getting tested if experienc-
ing symptoms.
— Bulletin staff report
cerely apologize. We are com-
mitted to ensuring families
have access to the early learn-
ing and child care supports
they need,” Suitor-Barnes
wrote.
Day said her team is still
waiting to hear back from re-
turning providers whether
they will serve children ahead
of getting a contract exten-
sion. While larger schools may
choose to take children be-
fore receiving funding, home-
based providers with less re-
sources may not be able to
take the risk, she said.
“Every provider is going to
have to make that choice if
they want to be matched with
families without a guarantee
to be paid,” Day said.
Preschools that don’t start
until late October will likely
have to extend the school day
or school year to meet the re-
quirement that children re-
ceive the 900 hours of instruc-
tion that Preschool Promise
guarantees, Suitor-Barnes
said.
Defendant said he
broke 5 security
cameras, a window
and sign at Grants
Pass clinic
associated press
A man who broke win-
dows and security cameras
at a Planned Parenthood
clinic in Grants Pass because
he opposed abortion has
pleaded guilty to two counts
of violating the federal Free-
dom of Access to Clinic En-
trances Act.
Devin Kruse, 27, of Grants
Pass pleaded guilty Monday,
The Oregonian reported.
Kruse admitted he broke
five security cameras, a
window and a sign at the
Grants Pass clinic on Nov.
23, according to his plea
agreement. He also said he
returned several days later
and threw a concrete block
through a window, tore
down an intercom system
and broke lightbulbs, docu-
ments said.
He told officers who ar-
rested him that all Planned
Parenthood facilities needed
to be shut down, according
to the agreement.
“The First Amendment
does not allow individuals to
violate the civil rights of oth-
ers. In this case, Mr. Kruse’s
destructive and intimidating
acts prevented women from
accessing vital reproductive
and pregnancy health ser-
vices,” Natalie Wight, Ore-
gon’s U.S. attorney, said in a
statement.
At a sentencing set for
early next year, prosecutors
will recommend that he face
two years of probation, one
for each count. He has also
agreed to pay restitution to
Planned Parenthood in an
amount to be determined.