Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (July 26, 2017)
A4 Opinion Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, July 26, 2017 Zinke asks key questions about Cascade-Siskiyou monument I nterior Secretary Ryan Zinke played his cards fairly close to the vest when he visited the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument in Southern Oregon and Northern California. The original 53,000-acre monument was created in 2000, but last year President Obama added roughly 47,000 acres. It’s one of 27 national monuments created in the last two decades that are under review by the Trump administration. Zinke’s recommendation to the president for potential changes to the Cascade-Siskiyou monument’s boundaries is due Aug. 23. We’re unlikely to fi nd out what that recommendation will be until Zinke reports to the boss. He didn’t say while in Oregon. But he did drop some hints. Most intriguing of all: Zinke says he can’t fi nd anyone at the Department of Interior willing to admit to having set the boundaries of last year’s expansion, or who can explain how the decision was reached. That’s interesting. If the administrative state within the Interior Department accepts that the biodiversity of the region is so unique that it deserves special protections — and Zinke is willing to accept that — it should be easy for them to explain their justifi cation. Why these 47,000 acres in particular? It’s an important question to ranchers who now fi nd their private land encircled by the national monument, and who worry about their grazing allotments on what was national forestland. Critics of the monument say they’ve seen the economic damage caused by the original designation, leading them to expect similar restrictions on grazing and logging within the expanded boundary — despite assurances to the contrary. Zinke said any changes to the national monument would be based on science — which areas contain watersheds, plants, animals, soils and geological features that should be protected. He is also examining how the boundaries affect traditional economic uses, such as grazing and timber, as well as recreational uses, including hiking, snowmobiling and horseback riding. That makes sense. Those who opposed the expansion can take some comfort in the fact that Zinke is a proponent of multiple-use of federal lands. That’s what supporters of the expansion are afraid of. They should not worry. The 47,000 acres added to the Cascade-Siskiyou were public lands before the expansion, and will remain public lands should the boundaries be altered. They will enjoy the protections that have preserved them for more than a century. G UEST C OMMENT Help paleo institute do more By Jeffrey Key To the Blue Mountain Eagle I appreciate those who have supported the Oregon Paleo Lands Institute (paleolands.org) over the last few years. Our six active vol- unteers and one part-time paid staff person continue to provide information to thousands of visi- tors and educational programs to hundreds of students. At our center in Fossil, and on our website, information on geo- logic resources and local com- munity visitor services have been available 24 hours a day 365 days a year. Despite only having staff resources to open the center’s door for up to three days a week, in 2016, we continue to provide important services. We want to do more. As part of our Center Sustain- ability Project, we have partnered with Bonneville Environmental Foundation (b-e-f.org) and are moving forward to install a solar photovoltaic system on the cen- ter in Fossil. This project will re- duce our monthly utility cost for OPLI by producing more elec- tricity than it uses. The project is also being designed to provide an emergency electrical source for the community should PUD electricity not be available. An in- formational kiosk will be on site to show visitors how our system works. An accompanying edu- cation program will be available to local educators that will in- clude workshops and curriculum materials. The board is recruiting for additional volunteers to help us move toward achieving our mis- sion and expand our services. We believe strongly that the center should be open at least five days a week during the peak visi- tor season from May through Sep- tember. The center was built pri- marily with public money and should be open more to service citizens. More support is need- ed through increased financial support and additional volunteer commitment. When the Oregon Paleo Project was started in 2002, the thought was that the institute could pro- vide information and services that the National Park Services could not. It would be an organization to support the John Day Basin gate- way communities by sharing what services were available where. We have been doing that, but we want to do more. Our group has recently moved the plesiosaur sculpture off the floor to increase space available to accommodate visiting groups and new exhibits. Please consider joining us to work toward fuller utiliza- tion of this valuable public re- source and share the stories of the John Day River Basin. Come by and visit with our people and consider helping us build a stronger community-support- ed facility dedicated to sharing the wonders of the John Day Basin. Jeffrey Kee, a Grant County ranch manager, is the board pres- ident of the Oregon Paleo Lands Institute, an educational, commu- nity-based nonprofit in Fossil. F ARMER ’ S F ATE Carrots, eggs and dead crabs By Brianna Walker To the Blue Mountain Eagle W HERE TO W RITE GRANT COUNTY SALEM • Grant County Courthouse — 201 S. Humbolt St., Suite 280, Canyon City 97820. Phone: 541-575-0059. Fax: 541- 575-2248. • Canyon City — P.O. Box 276, Canyon City 97820. Phone: 541-575-0509. Fax: 541-575-0515. Email: tocc1862@centu- rylink.net. • Dayville — P.O. Box 321, Dayville 97825. Phone: 541-987-2188. Fax: 541- 987-2187. Email:dville@ortelco.net • John Day — 450 E. Main St, John Day, 97845. Phone: 541-575-0028. Fax: 541- 575-1721. Email: cityjd@centurytel.net. • Long Creek — P.O. Box 489, Long Creek 97856. Phone: 541-421-3601. Fax: 541-421-3075. Email: info@cityofl ong- creek.com. • Monument — P.O. Box 426, Monument 97864. Phone and fax: 541-934-2025. Email: cityofmonument@centurytel.net. • Mt. Vernon — P.O. Box 647, Mt. Vernon 97865. Phone: 541-932-4688. Fax: 541-932-4222. Email: cmtv@ortelco.net. • Prairie City — P.O. Box 370, Prairie City 97869. Phone: 541-820-3605. Fax: 820-3566. Email: pchall@ortelco.net. • Seneca — P.O. Box 208, Seneca 97873. Phone and fax: 541-542-2161. Email: senecaoregon@gmail.com. • Gov. Kate Brown, D — 254 State Capitol, Salem 97310. Phone: 503-378- 3111. Fax: 503-378-6827. Website: www. governor.state.or.us/governor.html. • Oregon Legislature — State Capitol, Salem, 97310. Phone: (503) 986-1180. Website: www. leg.state.or.us (includes Oregon Constitution and Oregon Revised Statutes). • State Rep. Cliff Bentz, R-Ontario (Dis- trict: 60), Room H-475, State Capitol, 900 Court St. N.E., Salem OR 97301. Phone: 503-986-1460. Email: rep.cliffbentz@state. or.us. Website: www.leg.state.or.us/bentz/ home.htm. • State Sen. Ted Ferrioli, R — (District 30) Room S-223, State Capitol, Salem 97310. Phone: 503-986-1950. Email: sen. tedferrioli@state.or.us. Email: TFER2@aol. com. Phone: 541-490-6528. Website: www. leg.state.or.us/ferrioli. • Oregon Legislative Information — (For updates on bills, services, capitol or messages for legislators) — 800-332-2313. Blue Mountain EAGLE P UBLISHED EVERY W EDNESDAY BY All things are possible with cof- fee and cowboy boots — at least that’s what I told myself as I threw a bag full of toys and snacks into the swather for the kids. Swathing has got to be one of my favorite jobs. I think the only task I enjoy more is driving forklift. Things were going smoothly. The kids were happily entertained, there was an enjoyable program on the radio and there were minimal gopher mounds in the field I was cutting. In that moment, life was perfect. Then a funny thing happened. Bang! The platform to the right of the cab appeared to break. I stopped, but other than having fallen a few inches, it looked OK. Odd, but nothing too serious. A few more rounds and I noticed it had fallen even farther and was now starting to rub on the inside of the tire. I stopped — time to call in help. Ten minutes later my husband looked miserable as we stared at a broken drive hub. The platform hadn’t moved at all. It was the wheel that had tilted sideways — a long and expensive fix. I packed up the toys, coffee ther- mos and kids, and we all piled into the pickup. My husband Brianna looked dejected. Walker This spring had been so wet it had been nearly impossible to get into the fields — and now that we were in, we were broke down. Some- times farming is like playing five- card poker with four cards. As we were driving home, my husband started listing all the things that were broke or in dire need of attention. It reminded me of a story my grandmother used to tell. “Everyone in every walk of life faces hardships and adversi- ty. It’s how we react to them that changes the outcome,” I told my husband. “If you were to drop an egg and a carrot in boiling water, the egg would toughen up, and the carrot becomes mushy and gross.” My husband rolled his eyes, “What about the crab that just turns red and dies?” “Ahhh. You’re ruining the analogy. There’s no crab. Carrot or egg. You can only pick between the two,” I give an exaggerated sigh. “OK, I pick the egg,” he smirks at me, “because then you can have deviled eggs for lunch!” Analogies can be cute — but sometimes boiling water just brings out the devil in us! A few hours, several phone calls and a lighter pocketbook lat- er we were bringing back a new swather to finish out the first cut- ting. I threw back in the bag of toys and a new thermos of coffee and climbed into the freshly Ar- mor All-ed cab. The kids immedi- ately started pressing handprints into the shiny glass windshield while I enjoyed the easy straight lines that auto-steer provides. I began thinking about eggs, carrots and dead crabs, and I real- ized that my grandmother left out an integral part of the story: cof- fee grounds. You don’t have to be a mushy carrot, a deviled egg or a dead crab. When faced with ad- versity, you can smile and use it to make coffee. Add cowboy boots, and all things become possible! Brianna Walker occasionally writes about the Farmer’s Fate for the Blue Mountain Eagle. WASHINGTON, D.C. • The White House, 1600 Pennsylva- nia Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20500; Phone-comments: 202-456-1111; Switch- board: 202-456-1414. L etters policy: Letters to the Editor is a forum for Blue Mountain Eagle readers to express themselves on local, state, national or world issues. Brevity is good, but longer letters will be asked to be contained to 350 words. No personal attacks; challenge the opinion, not the person. No thank-you letters. Submissions to this page become property of the Eagle. The Eagle reserves the right to edit letters for length and for content. Letters must be original and signed by the writer. Anonymous letters will not be printed. Writers should include a telephone number so they can be reached for questions. We must limit all contributors to one letter per person per month. Deadline is 5 p.m. Friday. Send letters to editor@bmeagle.com, or Blue Mountain Eagle, 195 N. Canyon Blvd., John Day, OR 97845; or fax to 541-575-1244. Grant County’s Weekly Newspaper P UBLISHER ............................... M ARISSA W ILLIAMS , MARISSA @ BMEAGLE . COM E DITOR .................................... S EAN H ART , EDITOR @ BMEAGLE . COM R EPORTER ............................... R YLAN B OGGS , RYLAN @ BMEAGLE . COM C OMMUNITY N EWS .................... A NGEL C ARPENTER , ANGEL @ BMEAGLE . COM S PORTS ................................... A NGEL C ARPENTER , ANGEL @ BMEAGLE . COM M ARKETING R EP ....................... K IM K ELL , ADS @ BMEAGLE . COM O FFICE M ANAGER ..................... L INDSAY B ULLOCK , OFFICE @ BMEAGLE . COM 1 YEAR SUBSCRIPTION RATES (including online access) Grant County .....................................$40 Everywhere else in U.S. .....................$51 Outside Continental U.S. ....................$60 Subscriptions must be paid prior to delivery MEMBER OREGON NEWSPAPER PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION Email: www.MyEagleNews.com Phone: 541-575-0710 Periodicals Postage Paid at John Day and additional mailing offi ces. POSTMASTER send address changes to: Blue Mountain Eagle 195 N. Canyon Blvd. John Day, OR 97845-1187 USPS 226-340 Copyright © 2017 Blue Mountain Eagle All rights reserved. No part of this publication covered by the copyright hereon may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means — graphic, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, taping or information storage and retrieval systems — without written permission of the publisher. www.facebook.com/MyEagleNews @MyEagleNews
