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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 20, 2016)
A10 News Blue Mountain Eagle PLAN updated every 10-15 years to account for the latest science and conditions on the ground. Continued from Page A1 The plan’s goals are to pro- mote ecological integrity, eco- “We’ve got to get out of nomic and social well-being. this pattern where we do noth- It’s taken more than a de- ing with these lands,” David- cade to get to this point in son said. the latest revision. In 2014, The Blue Mountains Forest the Forest Service released Plan deals with three national its draft Environmental Im- forests in northeast Oregon: pact Statement and proposed the Umatilla, Wallowa-Whit- revised Forest Plan, which man and Malheur. It does not received mostly negative DSSURYHDQ\VSHFL¿FSURMHFWV feedback in more than 1,100 but sets overall goals and de- written public comments. sired conditions for land man- In response, the Forest Ser- agement. vice took a step back in 2015 Forest plans should be and held a series of public meetings around the region to gain additional input. The last of those meetings was held in December. The agency’s preferred alternative fails to meet the management needs of the for- ests, Smith said. He provided estimates that show 73 percent of the forests are at moderate to high risk for severe wild- ¿UHV<HW WKH SODQ DV ZULWWHQ would limit mechanical thin- QLQJWRMXVWSHUFHQWRIWKH forests annually, he said. “It could take decades for the Forest Service to restore or treat these forests back to health,” Smith said. pact on the economy.” He said the Republican cau- cus believes there needs to be a “long and thoughtful discus- Continued from Page A1 sion” on the issue. But he also FUHDWH PRUH IDPLO\ ZDJH MREV said that postponing a vote until through his business develop- the 2017 session may not be ment company, so helping Or- realistic, given the ballot mea- egonians support their families sures planned for November. is a high priority for him. At the Rep. Greg Baretto (R-Cove) same time, however, he sees spent three and a half hours Eastern Oregon businesses’ tax Thursday at a public legislative returns while helping them ob- hearing on minimum wage that WDLQ ¿QDQFLQJ +H NQRZV WKDW he described as “rural Oregon many of them would have to versus metro.” lay people off in order to afford Many Portland-area res- a wage hike. idents gave testimony about “I think it’s very reasonable KRZGLI¿FXOWLWZDVIRUWKHPWR for there to be a modest in- live on minimum wage, he said, crease in minimum wage,” he but Eastern Oregon residents said. “I want people to be able who came on a bus organized to take care of their families. by Rep. Cliff Bentz (R-Ontar- But raising to $13.50 an hour, LR GLG D ³WUHPHQGRXV MRE´ RI WKDW¶VDKXJHMXPSDQG,WKLQNLW explaining who the wage hike is going to have a negative im- would hurt. Seniors living on Social 6HFXULW\ ZRXOG KDYH GLI¿FXOW\ making ends meet as the cost of living inevitably rose, he said. Teenagers and college students ZRXOG KDYH GLI¿FXOWO\ ¿QGLQJ ZRUN DV HQWU\OHYHO MREV ZHUH cut. Farms, restaurants and KRWHOVZRXOGWDNHDVLJQL¿FDQW ¿QDQFLDOKLW&RPPXQLWLHVKRS- ing to bring in new industries would watch as corporations chose to locate across the Idaho border, where wages are $7.25 an hour. At the beginning of the hear- ing, Baretto asked the governor how much research had been done into how the proposal ZRXOGDIIHFWWKHHFRQRP\MRE creation and unemployment. Brown answered the question by saying she knew there were “tons” of studies about mini- mum wage. She then stated that KHUPDMRUFRQFHUQZDVKHOSLQJ struggling families. Baretto said it seemed that those spearheading the min- imum wage hike were going into the decision based on emo- tional testimony instead of data. “That, to me, is not wise leadership,” he said. The way to help Oregonians support their families, he said, is to create a business-friendly ³3HWUL GLVK´ ULSH IRU MRE FUH- ation and recruiting businesses to the state. Baretto said he hoped East- ern Oregonians will make their voices heard as a counter to Portland-area activists as the legislative session fast ap- proaches. WAGE Your Rural Fa mily Health Clinic Grant County HEALTH Department 528 E. Main, St. E, John Day Monday - Friday 8am - 5pm Services Provided: Karen Triplett, FNP • Primary Care • Acute Care • Women’s Health Exams • Men and Children Exams • Immunizations • Family Planning • Contraception • Pregnancy Testing & Referrals • HIV Testing & Referrals • Cacoon • WIC • High Risk Infants • Maternity Case Management Grant County Health Department does not discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability, or age in admission, treatment, or participation in its programs, services and activitie s, or in employment. Appointments available Call and schedule your appointment today! TOLL FREE 888-443-9104 or 541-575-0429 Stuck on the wrong network? Get up to $650 to get unstuck. Trade in your phone and we’ll help you switch to Verizon. Wednesday, January 20, 2016 Timber harvests have al- ready dropped 90 percent in the region since the mid-1980s, and Warness said more than 17 mills have closed over the past \HDUV 7KH MREV ORVW DUHHTXLYDOHQWWRMREV in the Portland metro area, she added. As it stands, Boise Cascade is trucking in logs from nearly PLOHVDZD\MXVWWRPDLQWDLQ what few mills they have left in Eastern Oregon, Warness said. Local timber harvests must in- crease if that infrastructure is to survive, much less expand. “The way this plan is writ- ten, their standards and guide- lines don’t meet the needs of the national forests,” Warness said. “It seems fairly abstract, EXWLWZLOODIIHFWDOOIXWXUHSURM- ects.” Sabrina Stadler, team leader for the Blue Mountains Forest Plan Revision, said they are working now to assess all com- ments and decide how to shape new alternatives. She said there haven’t been any decisions yet, EXWWKDWWKHUHZLOO³GH¿QLWHO\EH changes.” The team is also still meet- ing with cooperating agen- cies, including the state, tribes and counties, to make sure everyone is on the same page. Stadler said she understands why people are frustrated with the process, but it’s im- portant to remember meetings only wrapped up a month ago. ³,W¶VMXVWDELJHIIRUW´VKH said. “It’s a lot to make sure we’re treating everyone equi- tably, and nobody is getting shortchanged.” Pace and scale of resto- UDWLRQZHUHLGHQWL¿HGDVDWRS concern throughout the pro- cess, Stadler said, along with access and wilderness issues. “We’ve been doing our best to reach out to as many SHRSOH DV ZH FDQ 7KDW MXVW takes time,” she said. Robert Burns Supper on tap in Condon Blue Mountain Eagle CONDON — The 19th annual Robert Burns Supper is coming up from 2-5 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 23, at the Con- don Elks Lodge. The event honors the Con- don area’s Scottish heritage, which was marked as far back as the 1950s when week- end-long celebrations were held. The tradition, which was revived about 20 years ago, is held on the Saturday nearest to Jan. 25, the birth date of Scot- land’s beloved poet, Robert Burns. Activities include readings of Burns’ poetry; pipers, drum- mers and other participants from Pendleton, Arlington, Redmond, Portland, Vancou- ver and the Carson, Washing- ton, area; Scottish music and food; and anecdotes from Scot- tish families who settled in the area. Local families of Scottish heritage are encouraged to share memorabilia, diaries and Contributed photo Condon Highland Guard Pipers, from left, Bill Shelton, Carson, Washington, and Rick McCaul, Portland, perform at a past Robert Burns Celebration in Condon. The celebration will take place from 2-5 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 23, at the Condon Elks Lodge this year. photographs. The Chase-Cou- sandwiches and salad bar will ture-Fatland families will be be available in the Elks Lodge featured this year. A shortbread dining room through the eve- contest has become a popular ning. Admission is $17 a per- favorite. For details on the con- son or $30 a couple. test, call 541-571-9507. For more information, A limited meal of soup, call 541-384-2421. Committee vacancies open for May primary Blue Mountain Eagle A variety of Grant County committee vacancies will be ¿OOHGGXULQJWKH0D\SUL- mary election. According to Grant County Clerk Brenda Percy, positions on the ballot will include Grant County asses- sor; commissioner No. 2; Public Forest Commission Nos. 1, 3, 5 and 7, and al- ternates Nos. 1 and 2; sher- iff; surveyor; and treasurer. 1RFDQGLGDWHVKDYH¿OHGIRU many of the positions. Candidates who have ¿OHGDUH7RQ\D&DWHVDVVHV- sor; Chris Labhart, commis- sioner No. 2; Glenn Palmer, sheriff; and Mike Springer, VXUYH\RU7KHGHDGOLQHWR¿OH is Tuesday, March 8. Dealer DP Home Entertainment 139 E Main St. • John Day 541-575-1637 New smartphone device payment activation & port-in req’d. Get up to $650 prepaid card for installmen t plan balance less trade-in value (or up to $350 prepaid card for early termination fees less trade -in value). Trade-in must be in good working condition and be worth more than $0. Line must remain activ e for 6 mos. Visa prepaid card mailed within 8 weeks after receipt of claim.