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News
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, February 22, 2017
Area closed to firewood harvest for study
Blue Mountain Eagle
Firewood and post and
pole permits are available
from the Malheur Nation-
al Forest, but a new area is
closed to harvest this year.
Within the completed
Canyon Creek Complex Fire
Salvage Project, an area has
been closed to firewood and
post and pole harvest as well
as motorized cross country
travel until 2019. Roads open
for public use remain open
within these areas.
As part of the Canyon
Creek Fire Salvage Envi-
ronmental Assessment, the
Rocky Mountain Research
Station initiated a four-year
study to help determine how
different levels of salvage
harvest relate to nesting
densities of three species
of woodpeckers during the
first four years after a wild-
fire. Results will help iden-
tify post-fire salvage harvest
prescriptions that balance
economic benefit while min-
imizing impacts to different
woodpecker species. The
specific density of trees left
behind in each study unit is
by careful design, and these
numbers are crucial to in-
forming this research.
The price for personal use
firewood permits remains at $5
per cord with a four-cord min-
imum purchase. The personal
use firewood program allows
for a maximum of 16 cords per
household per year.
For those who wish to have
someone else collect their fire-
wood, a form is available for
both parties to sign granting
permission for a harvester to
collect the wood under the
household’s permit on record.
Both parties must sign the
form, and it must be on file with
the original permit issued.
All permits expire Dec.
31 of the year issued, whether
products were removed or not.
Detailed information may be
found online at fs.usda.gov/
main/malheur/passes-permits.
Permits may be obtained
through the Supervisor’s Of-
fice/Blue Mountain Ranger
District, Prairie City Ranger
District and Emigrant Creek
Ranger District.
For more information, con-
tact the Malheur National For-
est Supervisor’s Office at 541-
575-3000, or visit fs.usda.gov/
malheur.
B RIEFLY
The Eagle/Rylan Boggs
Grant County Commissioner Boyd Britton answers questions from the public during
a Grant County Court meeting Wednesday, Feb. 15.
G RANT C OUNTY C OURT
Airport runway
lights to be repaired
Employees to see
guaranteed hours
By Rylan Boggs
Blue Mountain Eagle
Runway lights at the
Grant County Regional Air-
port are not functioning, lim-
iting nighttime landings for
planes.
Grant County Airport
Manager Haley Walker ap-
pealed to the Grant County
Court for permission to pur-
chase a new regulator for the
runway lights at the Feb. 15
meeting. The court approved
her request to use a portion
of the airport’s budget to pur-
sue a new regulator. Walker
received quotes between
$12,000-15,000 for the reg-
ulator.
Walker also received
approval from the court to
guarantee part-time em-
ployees at least 19.5 hours a
week in order to help retain
employees and avoid costs
associated with acquiring
new workers.
The court also:
• awarded an insurance
contract to Bisnett Insurance.
• awarded the annual
audit to Oster Professional
Group.
•
approved
Grant
County senior programs
manager Veanne Wed-
dle’s request for a new
computer.
• reviewed and signed an
amendment to an Oregon
Health Authority agree-
ment regarding the treat-
ment of tuberculosis.
• approved funds spent
by Victim Assistance Di-
rector Andrea Officer for
community awareness cam-
paigns.
County Road
20 reopened
County Road 20 has been
reopened.
Grant County Roadmaster
Alan Hickerson said the road
on the Middle Fork had been
closed to all but local traffic
after five crashes happened
during severe weather.
He said, when the freeway
was closed, GPS units would
direct traffic onto County Road
20, so the road was closed to
prevent further accidents.
Dove project 45-
day objection
period open
The 45-day objection filing
period for the draft decision
notice for the Dove Vegetation
Management Project on the
Emigrant Creek Ranger Dis-
trict began Feb. 8 with publica-
tion of a legal notice in the Blue
Mountain Eagle and Burns
Times Herald.
Individuals and entities
who have previously submit-
ted specific written comments
regarding the proposed project
during the scoping period or the
30-day comment period on the
draft environmental assessment
may submit an objection.
The draft includes ap-
proximately 14,373 acres of
vegetation and activity fuels
treatments, 11,893 acres of res-
toration type treatments and ac-
tivity fuels treatments, 42,021
acres of prescribed burning, 4.9
miles of temporary road con-
struction, use of 134 miles of
existing Forest Service system
road for log haul, road main-
tenance on about 145 miles
of road, 0.50 miles of road for
opening (changing from main-
tenance level 1 to 2), 9.32 miles
of road decommissioning,
11.65 miles of road closures
(changing from maintenance
level 2 to 1), 2.85 miles of sea-
sonal road closures and confir-
mation of 15.00 miles of past
administratively closed roads.
This project also includes for-
est plan amendments to reduce
cover below Malheur Forest
Plan standards in Big Game
Winter Range (Management
Area [MA] 4A), and summer
2017
ANNUAL
MEMBERSHIP MEETING
Water project
grants, loans
available
The Oregon Water Resourc-
es Department is accepting
applications for water project
grants and loans, with about $5
million available in the 2017
funding cycle. Applications are
due by 5 p.m. April 5.
Water Project Grants and
Loans provide funding to eval-
uate, plan, and implement in-
stream and out-of-stream water
resource projects that result in
economic, environmental and
social/cultural public benefits.
Eligible projects include water
conservation and reuse; above-
and below-ground storage;
streamflow protection or resto-
ration; and water distribution,
conveyance or delivery sys-
tems. Non-profits, businesses,
governments and others are
eligible to apply.
For more information, visit
http://bit.ly/owrdwaterproj-
ects, or contact Grant Program
Coordinator Jon Unger at wa-
terprojects@wrd.state.or.us or
503-986-0869.
Nominations
sought for female
civic leadership
award
SAVE THE DATE!
Saturday, April 29, 2017
Schedule of Events
10 a.m. – Registration
11 a.m. – Business Meeting
12:30 p.m. – Luncheon
range, and to designate replace-
ment old growth areas to bring
these areas up to Malheur For-
est Plan standards.
The project documents can
be accessed on the Forest Ser-
vice website at: fs.usda.gov/
project/?project=45415, or you
can request a copy by con-
tacting Lori Bailey or Melissa
Ward at 541-573-4300 or by
emailing comments-pacific-
northwest-malheur-emigrant-
creek@fs.fed.us.
Join Us!
Drawings and Giveaways
Music by Frank Carlson
Catered Lunch
All Members are Welcome
Blue Mountain
Conference Center
404 12th Street, La Grande, OR
05312
Oregon Trail Electric Co-
operative is accepting nomina-
tions for the 2017 Peggi Timm
Civic Leadership Award, which
will be given to a woman resid-
ing in OTEC’s service territory
who most exemplifies Timm’s
ceaseless spirit of volunteerism.
Emphasis will be placed upon
recognizing individuals who
have led in the creation, revi-
talization and success of local
organizations and institutions.
OTEC will contribute
$25,000 to a qualified 501(c)
(3) non-profit organization
chosen by the recipient. The
beneficiary must be based
within the four counties of
OTEC’s service territory
(Baker, Grant, Harney and
Union). The award will be
funded through OTEC’s un-
claimed capital credit ac-
count.
Nomination forms are
available online at otecc.
com under the “Community”
tab and should be submit-
ted to OTEC’s Manager of
Communications and Gov-
ernment Affairs Lara Petit-
clerc-Stokes by 5 p.m. April
3. Nominations may be made
by an individual or group
who wishes to acknowledge
the work of the nominee or
by the nominee themselves.
Past applicants who have
not received the award are
encouraged to resubmit their
nominations. Selection of the
recipient will be made by the
OTEC Board of Directors at
the April board meeting.
Timm, a longtime Eastern
Oregon resident who died in
2013, was the driving force
behind the creation of OTEC,
serving as the first president
of its Board of Directors.