News
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, October 28, 2015
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By Sean Ellis
Blue Mountain Eagle and Capital Press
DAM
Continued from Page A1
out, and they have actually
seen it protect the communi-
ty in past flood events. The
dam, built in the 1960s, has
also provided a scenic rec-
reational area.
“The dam has been there
for 52 years,” said Gregg
Haberly of John Day. “If
it was built on such unsta-
ble ground it would have
washed out a long time ago.”
The Grant County Court
proposed leasing the dam
from the state for one year
to determine if it can be re-
paired or if it needs to be re-
moved.
“It’s our resource. It’s our
playground,” County Com-
missioner Boyd Britton said.
“Even though it’s on your
property, we consider it ours
and we don’t want to lose
that precious commodity.”
The county also suggest-
ed sending its engineer Doug
Ferguson to examine the site
before the state makes its fi-
nal decision.
Ferguson stated he didn’t
have enough time or post-
fire information to deter-
mine if the state was right
or wrong to take down the
dam.
Canyon City resident
Jesse Madden asked if
the court could file an in-
tional Conservation Area, they
permanently lose multiple-use
provisions – including grazing
rights.
Malhuer County is Oregon’s
No. 1 cattle producing county. Ac-
junction. Rep. Cliff Bentz
(R-Ontario) said anyone
could, but would require a
bond to accept liabliltiy for
all potential loss, life and
property.
The state officials were
open to working with the
county, but said time is run-
ning short to get work done
before this winter.
“The state’s decision
was made to move forward
with the removal, but we
want to work with the coun-
ty on conversations we are
having on the front of new
impoundment opportunities
and strong feelings about
this particular one,” Brown-
scombe said.
Unable to convince the
state to stop its plans, the
county court changed the
discussion to have a new
dam built on the creek. The
county asked for a commit-
ment from the state to as-
sure a new dam is built.
“I don’t think there is
anyone here saying that is
not an option,” Browns-
combe said. “We need to
see what the proposal looks
like. There is a process and
money. There is an intent
and commitment. We can
talk about formalizing that.”
Brenda Bateman, from
the Oregon Water Resourc-
es Department, explained
how the county can apply
for grant funding to have
a new dam built. The State
cording to Oregon State Universi-
ty, agriculture generates over $370
million annually in the county, of
which $134 million comes from
cattle.
According to Sergio Arispe, a
Legislature has set aside
$54 million for such water
projects.
Residents
remained
skeptical that a new dam
would come in once the cur-
rent one is removed.
Brownscombe addressed
the concern by saying the
removal is solely based on a
risk to public safety and not
a perceived dam removal
agenda.
“We would not be having
this conversation right now
if it was not for the Canyon
Creek Complex Fire and the
additional risk it brought to
this situation,” he said.
Bruce Eddy, from the
state department of fish and
wildlife, said the potential
for a serious landslide or
flood being backed up by a
fragile dam could very like-
ly cause the dam to fail.
“That makes it worse by
a quantum level,” he said.
The county court ended
its hearing with the state by
requesting more time and
more clarifications on an
approach for a new dam.
Despite its concerns, the
A TTENTION G RANT C OUNTY V ETERANS :
Did you know Grant County
Veterans Services Officer is available
to assist YOU in applying for all VA
benefits you may be entitled to?
See your Grant County Veteran Services
Officer today for more information,
located at Grant County Court House.
you have decimated the economy.
It would change our way of life.
Not only farmers and ranchers,
but everybody around here is up
in arms about it.”
ONDA and other regional and
national conservation groups and
businesses are gathering signa-
tures to back their effort. Ac-
cording to ONDA’s web site, “a
variety of legislative and adminis-
trative options (are) being consid-
ered to permanently protect this
place.”
According to a news release
from Rep. Cliff Bentz, R-Ontar-
io, it is anticipated the groups are
planning to ask President Barack
Obama to use his power under the
Antiquities Act to designate the
land as a national monument, wil-
derness area or national conserva-
tion area.
Wallowa County Commis-
sioners unanimously approved
resolution in opposition to the
proposal in September, joining
Lake, Marion, Grant, Lincoln,
Wheeler, Columbia, Harney, De-
schutes, Tillamook, Baker, Union,
Linn and Yamhill counties in
opposition.
The Malheur County Court had
already spent two years develop-
ing an alternative Wilderness Area
in the southern part of Malheur
County consisting of 45,414 acres.
Affected ranchers and the Malheur
County Court endorsed that pro-
posal.
county court ultimately ac-
knowledged the decision is
up to the state.
“To the state of Oregon,
the dam is yours, the per-
mit is yours, the decision is
yours,” County Judge Scott
Myers said. “I guess if we
have not compelled you to
do otherwise, we have no
other option than to take
the dam out. It appears that
your plan to proceed would
be your option.”
The Blue Mountain
Eagle was unable to con-
firm the status of the dam
with ODFW Tuesday af-
ternoon before going to
press.
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Grant County commissioners
have added their letter – along
with State Representative Greg
Walden and county courts from 13
other Oregon counties – protest-
ing the move by the Oregon Natu-
ral Desert Association (ONDA) to
carve off 2.5 million acres of Mal-
huer County as a wilderness area.
That area, Walden said, is “larger
than the states of Rhode Island
and Connecticut combined.”
The county encompasses 6.5
million acres.
The Owyhee Canyonlands
Conservation Proposal would set
aside both lands and hundreds of
miles of wild and scenic rivers in
a county that already has 4.5 mil-
lion acres (73 percent of the land
in the county) under federal man-
agement.
Grant County Commissioners
plan to attend a town hall meet-
ing Thursday at the Adrian High
School gym. The commissioners
are looking to pass a resolution
later if needed.
Malheur County Soil and Wa-
ter Conservation District Man-
ager Linda Rowe, who opposes
the monument proposal, said that
2.5 million acres would equal 43
percent of the county. Once fed-
eral lands are converted to spe-
cial use lands, such as National
Monument, Wilderness Area, Na-
livestock and rangeland agent at
Oregon State University’s Mal-
heur County Extension office,
locking up that much land would
eliminate about 33 percent of the
county’s total grazing land.
If the county’s economically vi-
tal cattle industry was devastated
by such a conversion, a lot of hay,
corn and other grains wouldn’t be
grown here (either), Rowe said.
Malheur County Cattlemen’s
Association
President
Chris
Christensen was blunt: a monu-
ment designation “would destroy
the community and the business
of agriculture as it’s being done
in this area right now,” Chris-
tensen said. “If this thing comes
to pass, it would have a devastat-
ing effect on the ranching com-
munity and agriculture in Mal-
heur County. Anybody involved
in agriculture in Malheur County
isn’t going to be in favor of this
thing.”
Oregon Natural Desert Asso-
ciation (ONDA), which is lead-
ing the monument effort, says the
proposal would “allow working
farms and ranches to continue to
operate.”
But Jordan Valley rancher Bob
Skinner, former president of the
Oregon Cattlemen’s Association,
said area residents believe the op-
posite would happen.
“There are cattle everywhere
out there,” Skinner said. “If you
take cattle out of (this) economy,
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