Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 18, 2015)
A4 Opinion Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, February 18, 2015 Set acrimony aside to solve road issues T here’s no question that Grant County residents are passionate about the forest and the roads they XVHWRDFFHVVLW$FWLYLWLHVOLNH wood cutting, hunting, mining, and four-wheeling are local traditions made possible by our system of forest roads, and the loss of even one road riles SHRSOHXS As one observer noted, “it’s a way of life that’s changing, DQGSHRSOHGRQ¶WOLNHLW´ We live in a time when a lot RIRXUWUDGLWLRQVDUHFKDOOHQJHG Consider the timber industry and the changes that have wracked it over the past 30 \HDUV<HWRXWRIWRWDOVWDOHPDWH in the woods, diverse groups of people – loggers, mill owners, environmentalists, managers – KDYHFRPHWRJHWKHUWR¿QGQHZ ways to recast the approach to managing the Malheur National )RUHVW7KHWLPEHULQGXVWU\ heyday is long over, relegated to the history books, but a new PRGHOLVHPHUJLQJ With the 10-year- stewardship program and the accelerated harvest targets, people are working in the ZRRGVDJDLQ:HH[SHFWWKDW work to increase in the coming year, as the Malheur staff rolls out more landscape-scale SURMHFWV To be sure, the goals are not the same as in the past; now it’s about restoration and resilience, not simply resource H[WUDFWLRQ7KHVXFFHVVRIWKLV new paradigm is critical not just to the forest but to our FRPPXQLWLHV7KHSXEOLFKDV an important role in making that work by participating in the dialogue that shapes the GHFLVLRQV The collaborative groups, over the past eight years, have ZRUNHGWKURXJKVLJQL¿FDQW differences to help push this ZRUNIRUZDUG0RVWZRXOG admit it hasn’t been easy, and there have been some heated PRPHQWV%XWWKH\PLJKW also concede that heated talk accomplishes far less than open communication by cooler KHDGV That’s a thought for future discussions about road closures DQGSXEOLFDFFHVV,QUHFHQW weeks, we’ve seen passions RYHUURDGVHUXSWLQWR¿QJHU pointing, acrimony and name- FDOOLQJ We’re all adults, and most RIXVKDYHKHDUGZRUVH%XW is there really anyone out there who thinks derogatory talk helps make one’s point? It certainly doesn’t move the GLVFXVVLRQIRUZDUG There’s a lot at stake right now in our forests, and roads DUHDÀDVKSRLQWLQDPXFKODUJHU GLVFXVVLRQDERXWPDQDJHPHQW The debate over roads is marked by distrust between long-time residents and the Forest Service – a pattern reminiscent of that in the early forest collaborative WDONV We hope all the parties ZLOO¿QGURRPIRUGLVFXVVLRQ – passionate, yes, but also respectful – before an angry new stalemate develops and stalls out the other work being done to move us toward more active forest management and HFRQRPLFUHVLOLHQFH Blue Mountain EAGLE 195 N. Canyon Blvd. • John Day, OR 97845 541-575-0710 • Fax 541-575-1244 Grant County’s Weekly Newspaper USPS 226-340 John Day, Oregon MEMBER OREGON NEWSPAPER PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION P UBLISHER E DITOR A DMINISTRATIVE A SSISTANT E DITORIAL A SSISTANT C OMMUNITY N EWS S PORTS M ARKETING R EP C USTOMER S ERVICE R EP Marissa Williams, marissa@bmeagle.com Scotta Callister, editor@bmeagle.com Kristina Kreger, kristina@bmeagle.com Cheryl Hoefler, cheryl@bmeagle.com Angel Carpenter, angel@bmeagle.com Angel Carpenter, angel@bmeagle.com Kim Kell, ads@bmeagle.com Lindsay Bullock office@bmeagle.com L ETTERS TO THE E DITOR Senator should suit up To the Editor: The resignation of our governor is a sad day for all Oregonians, what- HYHUSDUW\\RXEHORQJWR7KHLQYHV- tigations by both federal and state prosecutors will hopefully get to the WUXWKRIWKHPDWWHU,QWKHPHDQWLPH the governing of this state must go RQ Your state senator, Ted Ferrioli, has chosen not to act as a statesman, refusing to attend the induction cer- emony of the new governor because, and I quote, “Why present the image that there is solidarity in the Senate when, despite the scandal and pos- VLEOH LPSURSHU LQÀXHQFH WKH 'HP- ocrats are running the pointlessly expensive and damaging LCFS bill over our objections?” I fully understand that the Re- publicans and Democrats differ on policy (that is what makes our coun- try work) but whatever happened to statesmanlike behavior? Maybe the problem with current politics has nothing to do with differing opinions and more to do with lack of good PDQQHUV3OHDVHEHWKHELJJHUSHUVRQ and do the right thing! Andy Jordan Bend 3HULRGLFDOV3RVWDJH3DLGDW-RKQ'D\DQGDGGLWLRQDOPDLOLQJRI¿FHV SUBSCRIPTION RATES (including online access) Grant County Elsewhere in Oregon Continental U.S., Outside Oregon Outside Continental U.S. 1 year $40.00 $48.00 $55.00 $60.00 Subscriptions must be paid prior to delivery See the Blue Mountain Eagle on the Internet www.MyEagleNews.com POSTMASTER — send address changes to Blue Mountain Eagle 195 N. Canyon Blvd. John Day, OR 97845-1187 Copyright © 2015 Blue Mountain Eagle All rights reserved. No part of this publication covered by the copyright hereon may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means — graphic, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, taping or information storage and retrieval systems — without written permission of the publisher. An invite to our enemies To the Editor: I could not believe my ears when I listened to another episode of “Amateur Hour at the White House” one recent night, as the reporter described the order from Secretary of State John Kerry’s de- SDUWPHQWZKLFKUHTXLUHGRXU86 Marines who guarded our embassy in Yemen to surrender their rifles to the Islamic rebels who overthrew Leadership needed the government a couple of weeks To the Editor: DJR It’s becoming apparent that we This order had to have been the have less leadership in our County most difficult for them to obey, but Court and more hand-wringers and was part of the evacuation plan or- GRQRWKLQJV GHUHGE\RXU6HFUHWDU\RI6WDWH$V The County Court passes an ordi- any military person knows, the last nance that protects the residents from thing you would do in any situa- wholesale road closures, but they re- WLRQLVVXUUHQGHU\RXUZHDSRQ%XW IXVHWRHQIRUFHLW7KH\IRUPDQ³DF- when the order comes from a per- cess board” to address the restriction son who is acting on orders from of motorized use and twice the board your commander in chief, you have KDV EURXJKW WR WKH FRXUW WKHLU ¿QG- QRFKRLFH ings and recommendations and the This had to be a most humiliat- court has chosen to ignore them to ing time for our soldiers, as they state “we/I do not have enough infor- turned over their weapons and PDWLRQWRPDNHDGHFLVLRQ´ boarded a plane to leave the coun- This has nothing to do with not WU\ ,W LV QR ZRQGHU WKDW RXU PLOL- having the information to make a tary and our country as a whole GHFLVLRQ WKH FRXUW KDV LW ,W KDV WR is no longer respected in so many do with a court that either supports SDUWVRIWKHZRUOG the closures of the mountains, or are President Obama’s plan for the so utterly over their heads that they Middle East, which he has labeled GRQ¶W NQRZ ZKDW WR GR , ZRXOGQ¶W “Strategic Patience,” is doing noth- state “the court supports roads clo- ing but emboldening our enemies sures” if it weren’t for a comment and will certainly be looked at by PDGHE\0U/DEKDUWPDGHLQFRXUW WKHPDVDQLQYLWDWLRQWRFRPHKHUH that he was appreciative of the Forest Ralph and Toni Goodwin Service polling hunters about clos- John Day LQJURDGVDV0U/DEKDUWVWDWHGKH¶V a hunter too and prefers the roads FORVHG Courtesy lacking It’s really not about the local res- idents of Grant County, and it’s not To the Editor: 6HQ7HG)HUULROL¶VJUDQGVWDQGLQJ about the right or wrong of freely accessing the mountains, it’s about announcement that he will not attend what the court prefers in their own the swearing-in of Kate Brown as the SHUVRQDO OLYHV:LWK LW QRW EHLQJ DQ next Oregon governor is not just an election year, the court feels secure insult to the new governor and to the in their position and their checks, 'HPRFUDWLF3DUW\LQ2UHJRQ,WLVDQ and the character of the men can tru- insult to Oregon and to his constit- O\VKRZ,IRURQHGLGQ¶WYRWHWRKDYH XHQWV As a legislator, it is his job to at- tend vital state functions in a bipar- tisan spirit and act in a courteous, respectful way toward other pub- OLF VHUYDQWV ,I KH FDQ¶W GR WKDW KH VKRXOGUHVLJQDORQJZLWK.LW]KDEHU Janine Goodwin Prairie City Making a mockery To the Editor: The Grant County Public Access Advisory Board was appointed to their positions by the Grant County Court to serve in an advisory capac- ity, which the appointees believed to be the representation for the voice of the people of Grant County and drawing upon the response of Grant County residents through public meetings, sharing information, and HQFRXUDJLQJZULWWHQFRPPHQWV Members of the Board have been GHVFULEHG DV ³DFWLYLVWV´ :LNLSHGLD description: “Activists are also pub- lic watchdogs and whistle blowers, attempting to understand all the ac- tions of every form of government that acts in the name of the people; all government must be accountable WRRYHUVLJKWDQGWUDQVSDUHQF\´ The actions of the County Court last Wednesday made a mockery of the efforts of the board to carry forward with their dedicated efforts defending public access to our lands and to uphold the Grant County Or- GLQDQFH A letter composed by the board, to be signed by the Court to Malheur Forest Supervisor Steve Beverlin, instructed them to uphold the ordi- nance and rescind all road closure orders that had been signed after the HIIHFWLYHGDWHRIWKHRUGLQDQFH6LJQ- ing of the letter was refused under the excuse of being “premature” and lacking information from the Forest Service, though Beverlin had made a previous public verbal agreement to rescind the closure order for roads UHIHUHQFHG Proof of violation had been pre- sented to the Court with evidence that the road closure documents had EHHQ VHFUHWLYHO\ VLJQHG 6HSW E\ a previous forest supervisor, Teresa 5DDI 6R PXFK IRU SXEOLF WUDQVSDU- HQF\ When Beverlin again said to “tell me what road you want to see addressed and we will give it come consideration” (understood every- thing else would be closed), yours truly made the remark “Bring your VKRYHO´ 7KLV UHPDUN ZDV SXEOLFO\ chastised by the Court as being inap- SURSULDWH+RZLQDSSURSULDWHLVWKH remark when being subjected to a continual supply of donkey donuts? If this was an attempt to insult or HPEDUUDVVPH,PXVW¿UVWYDOXH\RXU RSLQLRQ±QLFHWU\WKRXJK Judy Kerr Canyon City W HERE TO WRITE PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY BY: EO Media Group my elected representative sell me down the river and push their own personal agendas, and I’m sure you GLGQ¶WHLWKHU Those that are elected can be removed by the will of the people, and while I would have preferred not to say these words ever, maybe when their six months is up from the new election a wholesale recall vote ZRXOGEHLQRUGHU Let’s call it a referendum on the direction for Grant County for the future; if they won’t act to protect us from the motorized restrictions, maybe it’s time to protect ourselves from them and the few they feel they DUHSURWHFWLQJ John D. George Bates Grant County Grant County Courthouse — 6 +XPEROW 6W 6XLWH &DQ\RQ &LW\ 3KRQH )D[ &DQ\RQ &LW\ ² 32 %R[ &DQ\RQ &LW\ 3KRQH )D[ (PDLO WRFF#FHQWXU\OLQN QHW 'D\YLOOH ² 32 %R[ 'D\YLOOH 3KRQH )D[ L (PDLO"GYLOOH#RUWHOFRQHW -RKQ 'D\ ² ( 0DLQ 6W -RKQ'D\3KRQH )D[(PDLO FLW\MG#FHQWXU\WHOQHW /RQJ &UHHN ² 32 %R[ /RQJ &UHHN 3KRQH )D[ (PDLO LQIR#FLW\RIORQJFUHHN FRP 0RQXPHQW ² 32 %R[ 0RQXPHQW3KRQHDQGID[ (PDLO PRQX- PHQW#RUHJRQWUDLOQHW 0W 9HUQRQ ² 32 %R[ 0W 9HUQRQ 3KRQH )D[ (PDLOFPWY#RUWHOFRQHW 3UDLULH &LW\ ² 32 %R[ 3UDLULH &LW\ 3KRQH )D[(PDLO SFKDOO#RUWHOFRQHW 6HQHFD ² 32 %R[ 6HQ- HFD 3KRQH DQG ID[ (PDLO FLW\VHQHFD# FHQWXU\WHOQHW 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 signed by the writer. Anonymous letters will not be printed. Writers should include a telephone number so they can be reached for questions. Deadline is 5 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.