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About The Bulletin. (Bend, OR) 1963-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 13, 2022)
THE BULLETIN • SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2022 A3 EASTERN OREGON Labor shortage has ODOT juggling 8-county region has 38 vacancies out of 300 total Help wanted ODOT is accepting applications for open seasonal positions. People in- terested in the positions can learn more on ODOT’s website, www.ore- gon.gov/odot. BY DICK MASON The Observer (La Grande) LA GRANDE — A labor shortage has Oregon Department of Trans- portation officials juggling schedules and resources in Eastern Oregon as the winter season’s icy grip tightens. The department’s Eastern Ore- gon region, which is composed of Morrow, Umatilla, Union, Wallowa, Baker, Grant, Harney and Malheur counties, has 300 total positions. The region now has 38 vacancies, about 25 of which are permanent and sea- sonal road maintenance positions, according to Ken Patterson, the man- ager of ODOT’s Region 5. The vacancies mean some ODOT crews may have to do more with less as they work to keep Interstate 84 and state highways clear of snow and ice. “We will do as much as we can with the people we have,” Patterson said. The employee shortage is linked to a falling number of seasonal workers, who are hired to work from Novem- ber through April. “Our No. 1 concern going into winter is seasonal labor,” said Rich Lani, the manager of the agency’s dis- Ace Clark/ODOT A trio of Oregon Department of Transportation snowplows clear the westbound lanes of Interstate 84. trict that covers Umatilla and Mor- row counties and the northern half of Union County. Stricter regulations ODOT’s labor shortage is more difficult to address today than it was two years ago because of a new state regulation that makes the process of earning a commercial driver’s license more time-consuming. The additional regulations make it harder to find potential employ- ees who are ready to begin driving snowplows and trucks. ODOT is hir- ing people without CDLs and then helping them earn the accreditation. However, a number of employees leave ODOT after receiving their CDLs because they are now able to land higher paying jobs elsewhere. “Having a CDL gives you more op- tions,” explained Ace Clark, manager of the district that covers all or por- tions of Union, Baker and Wallowa counties. Filling holes The transportation department is taking a new step this year to keep as many of its winter positions filled as possible. The state is granting travel status to employees who come to Region 5 from outside Eastern Ore- gon to help with winter road work. Employees granted travel status have their meals and lodging expenses paid for, Patterson said. The move has so far drawn in at least two ODOT employees to work in the region. Patterson, the regional manager, said it is only fair that travel status be granted to ODOT employees travel- ing from outside the region. “They are stepping away from lives they have elsewhere,” he said. Another step the agency is taking involves maintaining its Fire and Ice program, a program that involves ODOT and the Oregon Depart- ment of Forestry. Employees in the program are guaranteed year-round work by fighting fires for forestry de- partment in the summer and being employed as seasonal winter employ- ees for ODOT. █ Dick Mason is a reporter with The Observer. Contact him at 541-624-6016 or dmason@ lagrandeobserver.com. Farm exemptions for streaked horned lark come under fire BY MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI Capital Press Environmental advocates claim federal wildlife regula- tors have ignored science by doubling down on agricultural exceptions that reduce species protections for the streaked horned lark. The Center for Biological Diversity and Audubon So- ciety of Portland have threat- ened to file a new lawsuit chal- lenging Endangered Species Act regulations for the rare bird, which they say are unjus- tifiably lax. The controversy has poten- tial implications for farmers in Oregon’s Willamette Val- ley, where mowing, tilling and other practices are exempted from the federal prohibition against harming the threat- ened species. A federal judge previously criticized as “murky” the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s ra- tionale for listing the streaked horned lark as “threatened,” rather than extending more rigorous protections under an “endangered” classification. U.S. Dis- trict Judge Michael Mosman said the de- cision ap- peared to be a “post-hoc rationalization” and sent it back for reconsideration two years ago, but the environ- mental nonprofits now claim the federal government hasn’t While some larks live in other areas of Oregon and Washington, the largest popula- tion is in the Willa- mette Valley. David Leonard/USFWS learned from its mistakes. “The Service’s claim that the Lark is not currently in danger of extinc- tion is not supported by the evidence before the agency and does not represent the best available science,” accord- ing to their “intent-to-sue” let- ter notifying the government of the planned lawsuit. Streaked horned larks have a double-edged relationship with agriculture that’s highly dependent on timing. Land-clearing activities prevent vegetation from over- growing the bare ground on which the birds rely for breed- ing in springtime. Field operations may also harm eggs or fledglings, though they often occur late enough in summer to avoid disrupting nests, according to the Fish and Wildlife Service. Because agricultural prac- tices help maintain the lark’s habitat, the agency excluded these activities from the ban on “incidental take” of pro- tected species. The agency reasoned that without such exceptions, land- owners may cease farm prac- tices that are conducive to lark habitat, thus ensuring they don’t come under ESA regu- lation.
