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-
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would limit mechanical thin-
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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
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making ends meet as the cost of
living inevitably rose, he said.
Teenagers and college students
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ZRUN DV HQWU\OHYHO MREV ZHUH
cut. Farms, restaurants and
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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
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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
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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.
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541-575-1637
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