A4
Opinion
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
Five big issues
to watch in ’15
I
t’s a new year, and here are
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big stories in 2015 in Grant
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• The Blue Mountain
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starts, the multi-forest proposal
was released last year to little
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The Eastern Oregon Counties
Association rejected all the
alternatives, fueled by concerns
about the sustainability of local
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Other groups focused on
concerns about road closures
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concern is the possibility that
a regionwide approach may
undercut forest health advances
already in process on the
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are meeting with an array of
community partners this month
to hash out how the work will
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remains a work in progress, and
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• The new John Day Fire
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bond measure last year, clearing
the way for construction of a
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City and John Day Rural
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manager and general contractor
for the project, and work has
begun with Pinnacle Architect
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The agencies are hoping to
begin construction in the late
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celebratory open house would be
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• The progress of the
Malheur National Forest’s
10-year stewardship contract,
a sweeping effort to restore
this region’s ecosystems,
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and bug-resilient, and bring
economic stability to the local
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The latter appears to be on
target, despite some discouraging
news this past week as Malheur
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of its recently hired second
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painful for those involved and
the community, appear to be
a business decision based on
supplies and capacity, and not
a signal that something’s awry
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In 2015, we’ll be watching to
see how this new and evolving
strategy for forest restoration
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as the 10-year contract has
drawn regional and national
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favor: The diverse partners that
crafted this plan continue to be
committed to bettering the forest,
as well as the community and
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• The outcome of two lawsuits
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over sexual orientation slurs in a
hiring meeting more than a year
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or be settled? Either way, we can
expect the proceedings to have a
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At least part of the blame for
this situation rests on the County
Court, which in recent years
has treated human resources
management as a passive and
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say municipalities that neglect
personnel and management
training do so at their own peril
– and at considerable cost to the
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The Court was on course
to create a dedicated human
resources position late last
year, but got derailed as
commissioners pondered whether
the duties could be handled
instead by County Clerk Brenda
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It’s not clear how a tag-team
approach would be effective or
proactive, nor is it clear how this
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with – or interrupt – the duties
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Those questions have yet to
be answered, so the process is
stalled, leaving the county in
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will change soon, regardless of
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• On a statewide level, we’ll
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his fourth term this week amid
continuing controversy over
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of her own business interests
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and privileges she enjoys as
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continuing barrage of public
records requests, and with an
ethics review in the wind, this is
one story that won’t end quietly
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Stay tuned, and thanks for
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Blue Mountain
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L ETTERS TO THE E DITOR
State needs ID law
Ernie’s contribution is par-
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To the Editor:
ble, congenial, ready to work, he
The Oregon Legislature should made freight hauling a seamless
grant the authority and appropri- HQGHDYRU 7KLV \HDU D EUHDN LQ
ate the necessary funding to meet plans resulted in the forklift not
WKH5($/,'$FWVWDQGDUGV7KHVH being available to load the pallets
standards increase privacy protec- of heavy containers packed with
tions for Oregon driver’s license VKRHER[HV (UQLH FRXOG KDYH MXV-
card holders and mitigate the risk tified a furrowed brow, but rather,
RIOLFHQVHIUDXG
he stepped right up and, with ex-
2Q 'HF WKH 2UHJRQ '09 ertion and muscle power, loaded
provided the Oregon Transpor- WKHPDOOE\KDQG
tation Commission with a report
Some good things are subject
detailing progress in meeting the WR HQGLQJ DQG (UQLH LV UHWLULQJ
REAL ID standards, noting a $4 We wish him active and gratify-
million price tag to achieve full ing years to come, and he will be
FRPSOLDQFH $GGLWLRQDOO\ WKH UH- PLVVHG
port stated that the DMV did not
Three cheers for Ernie Hopper
have the legislative authority to and Oak Harbor Freight Lines!
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Zola Pike
Specifically, Oregon does not
Operation Christmas Child
conduct background checks on
employees who have access to ODFW and wildlife
VHQVLWLYH SHUVRQDO GDWD ,QVLGHU management
IUDXGLVDUHDOLVVXHLQ'09V2I-
ten, motor vehicle employees are
paid from $1,000 to $5,000 to pro- To the Editor:
Here we go again! The ODFW
vide licenses to individuals under
D IUDXGXOHQW LGHQWLW\ %DFNJURXQG always blames bad habitat for a
checks mitigate that risk, ensur- GHFOLQHRIDVSHFLHV1RZLWLVWKH
ing that employees who have been JUHDWHUVDJHJURXVH7KH\VD\WRR
convicted of certain crimes do not many juniper, magpies, ravens,
have access to sensitive personal skunks, coyotes, and badgers just
WRQDPHDIHZ7KH\DOOORYHHJJV
GDWD
Moreover, when renewals are When these predators eat all of
issued, Oregon does not reverify the eggs, you get no reproduc-
that a Social Security Number is WLRQV:KHQ\RXJHWQRUHSURGXF-
YDOLG:KHQ D GULYHU¶V OLFHQVHV LV tion, the old ones eventually die
issued, nearly all the states require RII
The magpies and the raven
that an applicant provide a Social
6HFXULW\FDUGDVSURRIRILGHQWLW\ can’t even be controlled because
The information on the card, the WKH\ DUH SURWHFWHG ,¶P VXUH WKH
name and number, is then verified ODFW could get authority to
with the Social Security Admin- FRQWURO WKHP , FDQ WHOO \RX ZKDW
istration to ensure that the card is they have proposed – getting rid
of the junipers and cutting back on
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Many states reverify with the WKHJUD]LQJ±LVQ¶WJRLQJWRZRUN
Social Security Administration Maybe that is what they want?
that a SSN is still valid and issued They can take the grazing from
to the right person at the time of the ranchers and run the public off
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Before I worked for them and
tity, Social Security Numbers
have to be changed and cards re- after I worked them, the Game
LVVXHG7KLVKDVEHFRPHFRPPRQ Commission said the three main
as black markets are dealing in things in wildlife management
whole identities that are sold and DUH KDELWDW KDELWDW KDELWDW 1RZ
the three main things in wildlife
UHVROG
The catalog of crimes associ- management should be predators,
ated with driver’s license fraud predators, predators!
Kenneth R. Moore
aside (and it is far reaching), for
Mt. Vernon
victims recovering from identi-
ty theft and fraud usually takes
\HDUV QRW PRQWKV RU GD\V 7KH Oregon gets D+
Legislature should move quickly
and grant the Oregon DMV the To the Editor:
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necessary authority to move for-
ward, not only because it’s a fed- dog safe during trapping season”
eral law, but because it’s good for 'HF%OXH0RXQWDLQ(D-
gle), even the Oregon Department
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Andrew Meehan, of Fish and Wildlife warns of the
policy director danger and indiscriminate nature
Coalition for a Secure of wildlife traps, and the dead-
Driver’s License ly toll they can have on family
Washington, D.C. SHWV
Every year, innocent dogs and
More kudos for driver FDWV³QRQWDUJHW´ZLOGDQLPDOVRU
threatened species are caught in
To the Editor:
traps intended for wild furbearers,
This is reinforcement to Bob ORVLQJWKHLUOLPEVDQGOLYHV7UDSV
Watt’s applause last week for Oak will catch any animal unfortunate
Harbor Freight driver Ernie Hop- enough to cross its path – whether
SHU)RU\HDUV2DN+DUERUDQG it’s a beloved dog, cat, or even a
Ernie have transported, free of FKLOG
charge, the hundreds of shoeboxes
Research has shown that for ev-
assembled by Grant County citi- ery target animal captured, at least
zens each year and shipped under WZRQRQWDUJHWDQLPDOVDUHFDXJKW
the organization of Samaritan’s The only way to protect pets and
3XUVH &DOOHG ³2SHUDWLRQ &KULVW- wildlife from these inhumane
mas Child,” these boxes are filled traps is to ban the use of these ar-
with gifts that bring excitement chaic devices on public, state and
and joy to children in impover- IHGHUDO ODQGV %RUQ )UHH 86$ UH-
LVKHGFRXQWULHV
FHQWO\ODXQFKHG6DIH7UDLOVZZZ
L
ERUQIUHHXVDRUJVDIHWUDLOV ZKLFK
educates the public on the dangers
of wildlife traps and how to keep
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information about the dangers of
traps to companion animals and
what people can do in emergen-
cies, including how to release
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6WDWH UHJXODWLRQV YDU\ ZLGHO\
Born Free USA’s State Trapping
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assigned Oregon a D+, in part be-
cause the state allows for most all
kinds of traps including leghold,
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been maimed terribly and even
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No animal, wild or domesticat-
ed, deserves to suffer such a hor-
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Kate Deylewsky,
Born Free USA staff
Washington, D.C.
Equal opportunity
for all?
To the Editor:
I can think of very few things
more healthy and wholesome than
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that takes the bikers off crowded,
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I was, therefore, disappoint-
ed to read that our County Court
abruptly shot down a proposed
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What really got my goat were
statements made by local rancher
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raises cattle for a living and who
is outraged about a little addition-
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Good grief! Can’t he see the ex-
treme double standard of his state-
ments?
I know of no other activity in
Grant County that pollutes our
land and water more than mass-
es of cattle doing their business
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summer Grant County rivers are
discolored from cattle excrement,
a result of flood irrigation of hay
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This activity overheats the water
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We recently saw local ranchers
band together to shoot down a pro-
posed land deal that would have
created another state park in our
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have such self-inflated views of
their importance? Is it that nothing
belongs here that is not in keeping
with their traditions, or doesn’t
benefit ranching?
I am reminded of an incident in
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photographing birds from a coun-
ty road, an activity as innocent as
bicycling, when a rancher flagged
me down and demanded to know
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While he wasn’t aggressive, it
aggravated me that he assumed a
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Our conversation and disagree-
ments ended as he drove off de-
claring he didn’t know if I had a
right to photograph birds perched
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I personally hope that the
County Court will take another
look at the proposed Logan Val-
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ect that deserves to be considered
IURPDOOSRLQWVRIYLHZ
Terry Steele
Ritter
etters policy: Letters to the Editor is a forum for Blue Mountain Eagle readers to express themselves on local, state, national or world issues. Brevity
is good, but longer letters will be asked to be contained to 350 words. No personal attacks; challenge the opinion, not the person. No thank-you letters.
Submissions to this page become property of the Eagle. The Eagle reserves the right to edit letters for length and for content. Letters must be original and
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p.m. Friday. Send letters to editor@bmeagle.com, or Blue Mountain Eagle, 195 N. Canyon Blvd., John Day, OR 97845; or fax to 541-575-1244.