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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 20, 2016)
News Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, January 20, 2016 A9 Oregon bills seek to ratify wolf delisting By Mateusz Perkowski Capital Bureau State snow report already beats 2015 Warmer, drier weather forecast for NE Oregon By George Plaven EO Media Group Oregon started off 2016 with more snow than at any point during last year’s his- torically dry winter, though more is needed to ¿ll streams and reservoirs heading into next summer. The Natural Resources Conservation Service issued its ¿rst water supply outlook report of the new year, and the numbers are promising: on Jan. 1, snowpack was 138 percent of normal across the state compared to just 53 percent a year ago. Snowpack in the John Day Basin was 159 percent of normal compared to 95 percent last year. December precipitation was 174 per- cent of average, and precip- itation from October through December was 117 percent of average. NRCS summer stream- Àow forecasts in the basin range from 113 percent to 137 percent of average. If conditions remain similar, water supplies are projected to be near normal to above normal this summer, the NRCS reports. However, the long-range forecast is iffy at best. A strong El Niño in the Pacif- ic Ocean will likely linger into spring, and the National Weather Service is calling for warmer, drier weather in northeast Oregon over the next three months. Melissa Webb, snow hy- drologist with the NRCS in Portland, said that could de- rail snowpack in a hurry. In fact, Webb said snowpack has already dipped from 149 percent to 105 percent in the Umatilla Basin since Christ- mas Eve, showing just how quickly things can change. “A couple inches, plus or minus, is a pretty big deal,” she said. “We really need to have pretty consistent storms.” December undoubtedly delivered, with Jan. 1 mark- ing the highest snowpack to start a year since 2011. But the effects of recent drought years are cumulative, Webb said. Simply put, it’s going to take more than a month of cold and snow to complete the turnaround. Data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows that 2015 was Oregon’s warm- est year on record, and the NRCS already reported last winter yielded the lowest snowpack on record. Those factors combined mean East- ern Oregon is still in moder- ate to severe drought. Agriculture, ¿sheries and recreation were all hit hard by the 2015 drought. Without enough snow melt to recharge streams, some irrigation districts were forced to shut off water early. Low Àows and high water temperatures killed off certain populations of ¿sh, prompting the state to impose an unprecedented afternoon ban on ¿shing for trout, salmon, steelhead and sturgeon. Wild¿re season was also roughly three weeks longer in northeast Oregon, with- out snow cover to keep fuels from drying out early. “We’re very excited to have a good start to the year after the drought last year,” Webb said. “We want to make sure we keep building our snowpack to get close to normal water supplies.” Webb said she hopes the three-month forecast proves wrong. History has proven there are many different pos- sibilities when starting out with a great season like this, she said. “We are de¿nitely in wait-and-see,” Webb said. “We’ve had our share of low snowpack winters in recent years. I’d like to see us buck that trend.” SALEM — Two Oregon lawmakers plan to introduce bills that would ratify the deci- sion by state wildlife of¿cials to delist wolves as an endangered species. The proposals, which will be considered during the up- coming legislative session in February, are planned by Sen. Bill Hansell, R-Athena, and Rep. Greg Barreto, R-Cove, in reaction to a lawsuit ¿led by en- vironmental groups. In November 2015, the Ore- gon Fish and Wildlife Commis- sion voted to delist the wolves under the state’s version of the Endangered Species Act after several criteria for their recov- ery had been met. Under a management plan for wolves ¿rst created in 2005, the species could be delisted after having established four breeding pairs for three years and no longer facing a sub- stantial risk of extinction in a signi¿cant portion of its range, among other criteria. Wolves were delisted by the federal government in the east- ernmost portion of the state, but remain protected in the rest. Or- egon wildlife of¿cials have the jurisdiction over those wolves under the state ESA. However, Oregon Wild, Cascadia Wildlands and the Center for Biological Diversity recently challenged the state’s delisting decision in court, ar- guing the decision unlawfully ignored the best available sci- ence about wolf recovery. The bills, which will be in- troduced in the House and Sen- ate, will provide the Oregon Department of Fish and Wild- life — which is overseen by the commission — more ammuni- tion in defending itself in court, Barreto said. “We’re shoring up what the commission has already de- cided,” he said during a Jan. 14 hearing before the House Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources. Oregon has 81 documented wolves, but the actual popu- lation is likely in the range of 100-120 animals and a delisting is necessary for the ODFW to eventually manage the species, said Sen. Hansell. Such management could involve hunting to keep popu- Call or visit today. 541.575.3533 112 NW Valley View Drive, John Day, OR 97845 -,)&-/-&+-++ooo&nYdd]qna]odanaf_&f]l lations in check Ranchers in Oregon have abided by restrictions on wolf management for the past 10 years, so now that the criteria for delisting have been met, the state government should up- hold the wolf plan’s credibility, said Rocky Dallum, political advocate for the Oregon Cattle- men’s Association. “The goal was to strike a balance between reestablishing wolves in Oregon and meeting the needs of those producers,” he said. During the decade that the plan has been in place, ranchers have felt a great deal of “heart- burn” as state wildlife of¿cials have refused to remove wolves that repeatedly prey on live- stock, said Todd Nash, a ranch- er and chairman of the OCA’s wolf committee. Grant County Chamber Members Advertise Here Contact the Grant County Chamber for more information 541-575-0547 Are you lonely? Time to get some help? Move into Valley View today. Experience great food, housekeeping, and activities while choosing services for medication or personal care (bathing, dressing, laundry, incontinence services) if needed. Courtesy of ODFW OR-3, a 3-year-old male wolf from the Imnaha pack, is seen in 2011. JFranklin@easternoregonrealty.net The wolf plan should be fol- lowed as planned rather than al- lowing the courts to take over the process, he said. “I want to bring some sanity to this and let the scientists and wildlife managers manage, instead of some conser- vation groups and a judge.” Environmental groups op- pose the proposed legislation, claiming that it will unnecessar- ily interfere with the authority of the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission. Oregon has fewer than 90 wolves, but the state could sus- tain up to 1,400 of them, said Sean Stevens, executive direc- tor of Oregon Wild. Currently, the species oc- cupies only 12 percent of its potential habitat, he said. “The status of wolves in Oregon is still tenuous.” In the past year, wolves have only been con¿rmed to have killed four cows, while the state has more than 1.3 billion cattle, he said. The cattle industry gen- eratied more than $1 billion in revenues, making it Oregon’s top agricultural sector. “The industry’s growth has not been stymied by the arrival of wolves,” Stevens said. The proposed bills would set a dangerous precedent of the legislature inserting itself into delisting decisions on a species-by-species basis, said Quinn Read, Northwest repre- sentative of the Defenders of Wildlife environmental group. “We’re concerned by initia- tives that would circumvent the (wolf) plan,” she said. Scott Beckstead, state di- rector for the Humane Society of the United States, an animal rights group, said he’s worried about the possibility of trophy hunting of wolves in Oregon. Hunters in Idaho, where such hunting is allowed, have demonstrated a “cruelty and depravity” in killing wolves that wouldn’t be tolerated by the public in Oregon, he said. MEET YOUR LOCAL DENTIST DR. KENT CHERRY ADVANTAGE DENTAL CLINICS Advantage Dental Group, PC 750 West Main John Day, OR 97845 888-468-0022 ext. 61863 www.AdvantageDentalClinics.com Emergencies, most Insurance Plans and Oregon Health Plan Patients are all welcome.Some level of treatment inancing is available to everyone. NO ONE KNOWS YOUR EQUIPMENT BETTER. Your AGCO Parts Dealer has the parts you need when you need them. Hardware, chain, batteries, tillage, belts, cutting parts. We have the quality parts you need to keep your AGCO equipment running smoothly during the demanding harvest season. Highly trained service personnel at AGCO Parts make it all come together, so you can rest easy. Visit your AGCO Parts Dealer and get the parts and services you need to “Keep you in the Field” this season. Find out more at agcoparts.com. Grant County Chamber Monthly Newsletter First and foremost, all of the board and members of the Chamber of Commerce would like to give a very special “thank you” to Ruth Harris and Delores Bagett, who for many years have been actively involved with the board and volunteered their time and energy working on many worthwhile projects to help promote the Chamber, businesses and all the communities within Grant County. We wish them both the best in their retirement. We also want to welcome Caleb Sturgil as a new board member. Caleb was raised here in Grant County and is now working for the Oregon State University Extension Office. We look forward to working with him. With new ideas and a new generation of members, we encourage more young people to get involved and help make a difference in the future of Grant County. The Grant County Greenbacks program continues to grow. Over $10,000 worth of bucks have been purchased and are now circulating within the county. Many businesses have benefited from the program, which is intended to help keep local dollars here in Grant County. They can be purchased at the Chamber office and make excellent gifts. I bumped into John Bastian and I asked him how the snowmobiling is going this year. He stated that there are four plus feet at Huddleston Park and that they have two groomers operating. He said they have over 300 miles of trails open and that it is turning out to be one of the best snow years in quite some time, so get those sleds gassed up and enjoy our beautiful mountains. Our open business meetings these past few months have been well attended and we have had some very interesting guest speakers. Our next open meeting will be Jan. 21, 2016, at 12:00 p.m. at the Outpost. Our special guest speaker will be Megan Brandsma, who is the chairman of the Grant County Library Foundation. She will be giving us an update and more information on the progress of the new library. We hope that everyone will attend and hear what she has to say while also getting caught up on what’s going on with the Chamber and other business owners. As always, we are very thankful and appreciate our many volunteers who have been so helpful in manning our office. They are an important part of our county presence. Jerry Franklin President JOHN DAY AUTO NAPA 721 W. Main St. John Day, OR 541-575-1850 Grant County Chamber Members Advertise Here Contact the Grant County Chamber for more information 541-575-0547 03340