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A10 News Blue Mountain Eagle TIMBER Continued from Page A1 Predicted annual timber harvests across all three forests combined ranged from 47-243 million board feet in the origi- nal 2014 alternatives — though Beverlin said the Forest Service did not believe the alternative representing the upper end was sustainable. The next highest was Alternative E at 162 mil- lion. Alternative E Modifi ed in- creases the predicted annual harvest to 205 million, while meeting the non-declining fl ow requirement to sustain harvest volumes in perpetuity. Alter- native E Modifi ed-Departure — including a temporary sus- pension of the non-declining fl ow requirement — increases the harvest to 326 million for 20 years before shrinking to about half of that fi gure after the back- log of dense forest is treated. Recent average harvests, from 2013-2015, have been 101 million annually, according to Forest Service documents, de- spite the fact the old plan from 1990 lists a predicted harvest volume of 599 million, because new rules — including a prohi- bition on harvesting trees larger than 21 inches in diameter — and legal challenges drastically reduced harvest volumes. In the 1980s on the Malheur National Forest, the annual harvests were routinely great- Forest Plan Revision timber harvest by alternative Malheur National Forest timber harvest by alternative (For Malheur, Umatilla and Wallowa-Whitman national forests. Recent harvest average, 2013-15: 101 million board feet.) Existing alternatives Predicted annual timber harvest (milion board feet) Timber jobs All jobs* 87 47 243 162 107 650 288 2,040 1,330 838 3,737 2,822 5,413 4,496 3,909 205 326 † — — — — B C D E F New alternatives E Modified E Modified-Departure Source: U.S. Forest Service † For L OCAL ARTISTS DISPLAY TALENT 16 † For Did you know Grant County Veterans Services Officer is available to assist YOU in applying for all VA benefits you may be entitled to? See your Grant County Veteran Services Officer today for more information, located at Grant County Court House. Jeff Wilcox 05172 increases, not just from the tim- ber industry. “We heard it from both sides of that issue,” he said. “We weren’t doing enough to cope with climate change. We weren’t doing enough to cope with wildfi res that we’ve seen. We weren’t doing enough to sustain the local infrastructure.” One goal of the proposed increases is to improve forest resilience, or reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfi res and in- sect and disease outbreaks. Matthew Rathbone, a silvi- culturist on the Blue Mountains Plan Revision Team, said in a public conference call, “We know we have high-risk for- ests. E Modifi ed is meant to address that.” Course of action On Feb. 16, 2016, Sethan Charles Sprague, Boquist’s oldest son and a 31-year-old Navy veteran, took his own life. Although Boquist did not mention his son, he did talk about the three Army veterans under his command who took their own lives after returning from Iraq. He said during his years in the House and Sen- ate, going back to 2005, he has kept an index card on his desk. “On that card are (the names of) the people I sent to die,” he said. “There is not a serving general offi cer who sent more people to die than I have — not one,” said Bo- quist, who leads the Senate Veterans’ Committee. “For 12 years, this Legis- Alt. F Alt. E Alt. E Modified Modified- Departure Sean Hart and Alan Kenaga/EO Media Group He said E Modifi ed focused on treating the highest densi- ty areas most at risk. A Forest Service newsletter states the al- ternative would plan to increase thinning to 33 percent of the dense, dry upland forest within 20 years. The departure alternative calls for “frontloading” the har- vest to catch up on the backlog of growth, Rathbone said. It would increase thinning to 70 percent of the dense, dry up- land forest. However, Rathbone said the harvest decline after 20 years would lead to a “boom and bust” cycle that could have a substantial negative impact on local economies. Post-fi re salvage guidelines were also updated in the new alternatives. Rathbone said, in- stead of an arbitrary distinction mandating 50 percent of post- fi re source habitat to remain unlogged, the new alternatives would allow offi cials to base post-fi re salvage on desired conditions. Rathbone said the new al- ternatives also exclude the rule preventing the harvest of any live trees larger than 21 inches in diameter, one component of what are known as the East- side Screens. Some large or old trees could be removed to meet management objectives, such as removing fi re-prone grand fi rs in dense stands or reducing fuel loads in the wildland-urban interface. “Clearly, we’ve seen a need to have more fl exibil- ity with old forest manage- ment,” he said. “The diameter limit may be causing more lature has struggled on what to do about veterans’ suicides and veterans and suicide in general.” According to the Cen- ters for Disease Control and Prevention, Oregon record- ed a suicide rate of 19.3 per 100,000 in 2016 — and it is rising faster than the growing national rate. No Democrat spoke other than Majority Leader Gin- ny Burdick of Portland, who closed debate and praised Boquist for his courage and integrity. “By identifying signs that a person may be suffer- ing trauma and temporarily separating them from their fi rearms, we can effectively protect veterans and others in crisis so that they can get the help they need,” Burdick said. she said. “There is something that is just not addressable by legislation, and that is the unpredictability of the human mind. “I have no doubt that this legislation brought forth was out of concern and caring. But it comes down to words on paper. I do not think it will make any difference.” Sen. Alan Olsen, R-Can- by, also an Army veteran, said the real answer is an expansion of mental health services. “We are the problem be- cause we have not solved it,” he said. “It looks good, feels good, but it does not help anyone.” Boquist said he agreed, but he took a political beating when he teamed up in 2013 with Senate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem, to se- cure more money for mental health through higher tobac- co taxes. He referred to incidents in April in Gresham and West Linn. In the April 12 incident in Gresham, police say the man shot his two daughters before taking his own life. On April 21, West Linn police shot a man dead in an incident ruled as a suicide. Days ago, the Senate passed a bill requiring police to undergo training in how to avert suicide. What opponents said Perhaps because a fellow Republican was its chief manager, Republican oppo- nents refrained from harsh criticism. Sen. Kim Thatcher of Keizer, one of two Repub- licans to oppose it in the Senate Judiciary Committee, complained it was too vague. Thatcher teared up in her closing remarks. “I am not a veteran (pause) but my family has been touched by suicide,” Sonshine Teachers Needed We ame looking fom people who ame intemested in FRI & SAT (12:45) (3:45) 6:45 9:45 (12:45) (3:45) 6:45 9:45 SUNDAY MON-THURS (12:45) (4:00) 6:45 9:45 BORN IN CHINA G of the Sonshine teaching staff. You must possess ministmy oppomtunities, by becoming a membem vamied qualities as listed in the job mequimements, pmofessional, spimitual and academic leademship FRI & SAT (12:45) (4:10) 7:10 9:40 SUNDAY (12:45) (4:00) 7:10 9:45 MON-THURS (12:45) (4:00) 7:10 9:45 THE CIRCLE PG-13 skills. You must be willing to submit to a Tom Hanks & Emma Watson. A woman lands a dream job at a powerful tech company called the Circle, only to uncover its nefarious agenda. backgmound check befome being considemed fom FRI & SAT (12:45) (4:00) 7:00 9:35 SUNDAY (12:45) (4:00) 7:00 9:45 MON-THURS (12:45) (4:00) 7:00 9:45 $9 Adult, $7 Senior (60+), Youth positions can also be picked up at the chumch employment. Ministmy oppomtunity fom staff 05564 PO Box 185 Canyon City, OR 97820 Alt. E Set to the backdrop of Awesome Mixtape #2, and continues the team’s adventures as they unravel the mystery of Peter Quill’s true parentage. Disney Nature documentary that follows the stories of three animal families in the wilds of China. 05573 Payments may be made at the Tax Collector’s Office at the Grant County Courthouse in Canyon City, or the payment may be mailed and postmarked no later than May 15th, 2017. Please remember that delinquent taxes accrue interest at the rate of 16% per year. If you have any questions, please call the tax office at 575-0107 or 575-0189. Alt. D Source: U.S. Forest Service GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, VOL. 2 PG-13 The third installment of the 2016-17 property tax is due Monday May 15th, 2017 by 5:00 p.m. Alt. C 20 years before reductions. 20 years before reductions. Boquist said similar pro- cesses already are in place in several states, among them Connecticut, California and Washington, where voters in 2016 approved a ballot mea- sure containing it. He said the Washington law is broader than SB 719. Attention Grant County Veterans: 37 31 Continued from Page A1 The Eagle/Angel Carpenter 84 56 GUNS Artists Jennifer Mooney of Canyon City and Mary Snyder of John Day look at a painting by June Shull of Prairie City Saturday at the 11th annual Community Art Show at the airport in John Day. The exhibit, with over art 100 pieces on display, was open for visitors Friday and Saturday. 87 2017 target: 75 MBF Sean Hart and Alan Kenaga/EO Media Group er than 200 million. However, while the 1990 plan lists a pre- dicted harvest of 234 million for the Malheur, the average actual harvest from 1995-2014 was only 32.8 million. The harvest volume on the Malheur has increased recently, to 60 million in 2016 and to a projected 75 million in 2017. These volumes actually exceed most of the predicted amounts from the original alternatives. Where Alternative E’s predict- ed harvest for the Malheur was 56 million, the new Alternative E Modifi ed is 84 million, and Alternative E Modifi ed-Depar- ture is 134 million. Beverlin said the chang- es were in response to many comments received calling for 134 † (Predicted annual harvest, million board feet) Alt. B *Jobs from timber, range and ecosystem restoration. Wednesday, May 3, 2017 office. Sonshine Chmistian School 521 E Main Stmeet, John Day (541) 575-1895 PUBLICATION FOR SONSHINE CHRISTIAN SCHOOL problems than it’s actually solving.” Tom Montoya, supervisor for the Wallowa-Whitman Na- tional Forest, said on the call the predicted harvest levels are not commitments or targets but desires and goals. He said actu- al harvest levels will depend on many factors, some of which, such as budgets, are beyond Forest Service control. Montoya said, while the plan will provide management guid- ance on a broad level, site-spe- cifi c projects with separate pub- lic comment periods will move the forest toward the desired conditions. After the fi nal en- vironmental impact statement has been released, Montoya said Pacifi c Northwest Regional Forester Jim Pena will make the fi nal decision on the plan, which may include any combination of the alternatives. The Forest Service respond- ed to many comments with the new alternatives, he said, in- cluding removing “designated routes” from the plan entirely and removing the 21-inch rule. “For those that have been following the forest planning process ... you know better than anybody that forest plans are very complex documents,” Montoya said. “We have been listening to you. ... As we move forward, we will roll out that (fi nal environmental im- pact statement), and hopefully you’ll see that your voices were heard.” “That is unfortunately the training we have given them: Show up, talk the guy down, and if it doesn’t work, use your Glock,” Boquist said. “But that is not what we need to be doing in this state.” Reaction from groups The bill drew expected criticism and praise from the usual interest groups. The National Rifl e Asso- ciation’s Institute for Legis- lative Action called the bill “unnecessary and goes far beyond existing law,” but avoided personal references to Boquist. Oregon Firearms Feder- ation, which bills itself as a no-compromise group, de- scribed Boquist as a “former- ly pro-gun Republican” and SB 719 as “one of the most dangerous pieces of legisla- tion the anti-gunners have ever dreamed of.” There were other views. “Today the Oregon Senate took an important, biparti- san step to making Oregon safer from gun violence,” said Jenn Lynch, president of the Oregon Alliance for Gun Safety. “Oregonians can work together to fi nd effec- tive solutions to make our communities safer.” Americans for Respon- sible Solutions, the gun vi- olence prevention group co-founded by former Ari- zona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and her husband Mark Kelly, offered this statement from Multnomah County Sheriff Mike Reese, member of the advisory committee for Or- egon Coalition for Common Sense: Reese said: “Throughout my career, I have seen how guns in the hands of individ- uals who are at risk of harm- ing themselves or others can lead to tragedy. Today’s vote by the Oregon Senate is a positive step towards giving law enforcement the tools we need to help people in crisis and make our state a safer place to live.” Sonshine Christian School will be accepting pre-registrations for the 2017/2018 school year. Registration fee for students is $75.00. Pre School students must be 3 years of age before September 1 of the school year and able to attend to toileting without staff assistance. Their classes will be offered 2 days a week from 9-11am. Pre-Kindergarten students must be 4 years of age before September 1 of the school year. Their classes will be offered 3 days a week from 9-11:30am. 05534 Registration packets can be picked up at the church office, 521 E Main Street, John Day. The office is open Tuesday-Thursday 9am-3pm. For information call (541) 575-1895 or e-mail Trace at the church e-mail address, judy@johndaynazarene.com 541-523-6377 541-963-6577 541-573-6377 541-523-6377 05370