HONORING HILTON AND OTHER EVERYDAY HEROES
The
Blue Mountain
PAGE B1
EAGLE
Grant County’s newspaper since 1868
W EDNESDAY , S EPTEMBER 21, 2016
• N O . 38
• 20 P AGES
• $1.00
www.MyEagleNews.com
Maine monument’s creation
concerns Malheur County ranchers
By Sean Ellis
Capital Press file photo
A sign posted in Jordan Valley opposes the
proposed Owyhee Canyonlands National
Monument in Malheur County. Jordan Valley is
nearly surrounded by the proposed monument.
“
I think as more people see those videos ... it
will bring more awareness to what’s going on.”
EO Media Group
The president’s recent creation of a
national monument in Maine, despite lo-
cal opposition, has Malheur County resi-
dents concerned.
Ranchers and other Malheur Coun-
ty residents formed the Owyhee Basin
Stewardship Coalition this year to fi ght a
proposed 2.5 million-acre national mon-
ument in an area of the county known as
the Owyhee Canyonlands.
Malheur County residents voted 9-1
earlier this year in opposition to the pro-
posal, which is being pushed by the Ore-
Elias Eiguren
Malheur County rancher and OBSC board member
gon Natural Desert Association, an envi-
ronmental group in Bend, and Portland’s
Keen Footwear.
Monument opponents believe sup-
porters will ask President Barack Obama
to use his authority under the Antiquities
Act to create the Malheur County mon-
ument.
On Aug 24, Obama declared 87,500
acres of land in northeast Maine as the
Katahdin Woods and Waters National
Monument.
Residents who live near that site also
opposed that plan, as did the state’s gov-
ernor, legislature and congressional dele-
gation, according to the Washington Post.
See MONUMENT, Page A10
Public Forest
Commission
nullifi ed
By Sean Hart
Blue Mountain Eagle
Residents stroll armed with threat of K-9 attacks
John Day council
seeks solutions
By Rylan Boggs
Blue Mountain Eagle
S
ome John Day residents have taken to walk-
ing the streets armed because of fears of dog
attacks.
During a Sept. 13 city council meeting,
community members shared stories of re-
The Eagle/Sean Hart
peated attacks and expressed fear it was only a matter
Dayville resident Cindy Bolman
of time until a person was seriously hurt. A series of solu-
shows the dog-bite injury
tions were
requiring four stitches
brought
up,
that she sustained while
rescuing Wiley, a Corgie
including a man-
mix that was being
datory licensing sys-
attacked by a larger
tem, incentives to spay
dog in John Day.
and neuter, an animal con-
— Resident Sharon Smith
trol specialist and a code en-
forcement offi cer.
Tim Unterwegner said the prob-
lem has gotten so bad he and his wife carry pepper spray and an aluminum baseball
bat when they walk their dog for fear of attack.
A full-time animal control professional would be beyond the city’s current budget. If
it were made a county issue, there were fears the space would be too vast for one person to
cover. Other issues brought forward were the lack of a holding area for problem dogs and that
pet owners might disown problem animals once they were impounded.
“We don’t want to walk around
with ball bats. What’s an old lady
like me to do?”
See DOGS, Page A10
70 YEARS OF SERVICE
Rynearson honored for dedication to American Legion Auxiliary
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
Seventy years of service is
in the books.
Norma Rynearson was hon-
ored for her service to the Prai-
rie City American Legion Unit
106 Auxiliary, which she joined
shortly after World War II.
About 50 well-wishers
joined Rynearson for a Sept.
9 party at Valley View As-
sisted Living where she re-
sides. It was also the guest of
honor’s birthday.
“It was a double cele-
bration,” said Jan Plem-
mons, an auxiliary member.
“There were many friends,
family and auxiliary mem-
Contributed photo/Jan Plemmons
Norma Rynearson
enjoys a double
celebration Sept. 9 at
Valley View Assisted
Living, receiving a pin for
70 years of service with
the American Legion
Auxiliary on her birthday.
bers there to honor her.”
Auxiliary secretary/treasur-
er Pam Howard attended the
party and placed the pin on
Rynearson’s blouse.
Howard said Rynearson
has been “active her whole
life” in the community and
with the organization.
“She’s such a knowl-
edgeable person,” she said.
“She’s the one we always go
to when we have a question.
If she didn’t have the answer,
she knew where to go to fi nd
the answer.”
Rynearson, a long-time
resident of Prairie City, mar-
ried her late husband Floyd in
December of 1946 when he
returned from service in the
U.S. Army during WWII. He
joined the American Legion,
and she, at age 17, joined the
American Legion Auxiliary.
Norma said she’s enjoyed
her involvement in the orga-
nization and has held every
position at the local level.
“It has been a very import-
ant part of my life,” she said.
Over the years, she has
helped provide veterans with
comfort items such as slippers
and afghans, helped young
ladies attend Girls State and
has also kept a history of the
auxiliary, among other duties.
“To me, it’s an organiza-
tion that helps veterans and
their families, and they have
lots of programs for chil-
dren,” she said. “We need to
take care of the ones who’ve
taken care of us.”
Grant County voters will not
see Public Forest Commission
candidates on the November bal-
lot after a judge nullifi ed the mea-
sure that created it.
Grant County Circuit Court
Judge William D. Cramer Jr.
ruled Wednesday, Sept. 14, that
the measure creating the commis-
sion that was approved by coun-
ty voters in 2002 “confl icts with
paramount law in both the State of
Oregon and federally” in a brief
opinion letter to the county, which
defended the measure, and Mark
Webb, who challenged it.
Cramer stated the measure was
improper and granted a summary
judgment nullifying it. He said he
intends to prepare a more detailed
opinion explaining the decision
but offered the abbreviated opin-
ion to advise Grant County Clerk
Brenda Percy, who is preparing
the ballots for the upcoming elec-
tion.
Measure 12-39, which was ad-
opted by a majority of county vot-
ers through the initiative process,
established a seven-person com-
mission “with the responsibility
of managing all public lands and
natural resources within Grant
County.” The measure authorized
the commission to divide public
land into ranger districts and to
purchase, sell and trade public
land with voter approval.
Webb argued in his petition
for judicial review that the mea-
sure confl icted with state law by
authorizing the commission to
manage land currently managed
by state agencies, such as the
Oregon Department of Fish and
Wildlife and the Oregon Parks
and Recreation Department. He
argued it confl icted with federal
law by authorizing the commis-
sion to manage Bureau of Land
Management and Forest Service
land.
Webb said after the ruling
he believed the measure was “a
political statement” and that the
commission created challenges
to accomplishing work in Grant
County.
“In my view, they were a lia-
bility to the county,” he said. “I
think (this ruling) will create op-
portunities for the county to move
forward now.”
Webb said, although he is the
executive director of Blue Moun-
tains Forest Partners, he chal-
lenged the measure on his own
and was not supported by the
collaborative group. He said his
decision was motivated by having
worked with the forest commis-
sion when he was a member of
the Grant County Court.
Webb said he has “a lot of re-
spect” for Dave Traylor, whom
he said was the chief petitioner
for the measure, as well as many
of the individuals who have been
elected to serve on the commis-
sion.