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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 7, 2018)
A4 I Opinion Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, November 7, 2018 Protect ranchers, not wolves magine for a moment that you have a new job. You are to manage an alpha predator, known to be one of the most efficient and voracious hunters in the wild. This predator doesn’t just hunt for food, it teaches its young by practicing how first to isolate an animal, chase and wear it down and then grab it from behind and tear it apart while it’s still alive — altogether a horrific scene. Now imagine that near your predators are farms and ranches, where families have raised cattle, sheep and other livestock for generations. They were making a living on those ranches long before your predators were allowed back into the region. Yours is a thankless job. You know that most of your predators will stay away from livestock, but you also know that it is inevitable that some of the predators will hunt cattle, sheep and even llamas. You know that a cow, a calf, a ewe or any other animal has no chance against your predators. Considering these facts, what is the first step you’d take in your new job? Cross your fingers and hope the predators find enough elk and other wildlife and stay away from livestock? Make excuses for the predators every time they tear a calf or a lamb into shreds? Pretend the attacks were by an “undetermined” animal? This scenario and these questions have been played out across the West as state and federal wildlife managers try to figure out what they’re doing in managing wolves. In varying degrees, they have succeeded in losing the trust of the people who live in wolf country. Ranchers are forced to stand by as tens of thousands of dollars of livestock are repeatedly killed, injured and traumatized by wolves. Then the ranchers are blamed for “not doing enough” to stop the attacks. It’s much the same argument as telling a crime victim that you “deserved” to be attacked and it was “your fault” because you were in the “wrong place.” It got so bad last summer in Washington state that a researcher was treed by wolves — twice — while wildlife managers dawdled after she called for help on her satellite phone. A helicopter crew from another agency rescued her. If it weren’t for that state Department of Natural Resources crew, who knows what would have happened. The researcher probably would have been blamed, though. Since the mid-1990s when the first 66 wolves were put in Idaho and Yellowstone National Park, wildlife managers and some members of the public have laid all blame on ranchers and others. It continues today, as wolves from British Columbia arrive in Washington state and wolves from Idaho spread across Oregon and northern California. In every instance, the onus is put on the ranchers to protect their livestock from the predators. This is backwards. It should be up to the wildlife managers to assure the wellbeing of livestock. The ranchers have done nothing wrong. In some areas they are not even told where wolves are so they can move their cattle. In other areas, the implication is that just by having cattle the ranchers are at fault. Washington and Oregon are in various stages of rewriting their wolf plans. In Oregon, a group of conservationists and ranchers, working with a mediator, have developed a proposal to have wildlife managers work proactively with ranchers to protect livestock. While this may seem obvious to any neutral bystander, it marks a breakthrough in common sense, if nothing else. Many ranchers have lost faith in wildlife managers. They don’t even report wolf attacks on their livestock. They don’t trust them. After so many years, it’s time wildlife managers worked to earn that trust. The ranchers and their livestock need protection, not the wolves. F ARMER ’ S F ATE 3 rings and 30 seconds By Brianna Walker For the Blue Mountain Eagle “Hi, my name is ...” “... you say you are from?” “... and your favorite hobby is?” BBBBZZZZZZZZZZZZZ! I smiled and grinned at — John? Jim? Jack? What did he say his name was? The next John, Jim or Jack sat down, and I stuck out my hand for another handshake. “Hi, my name is...” “... your favorite movie is?” BBBBZZZZZZZZZZZZZ! He stood up, and the chair was briefly vacant before another young face sat staring at me. I have often wished that people would come with a 30-second movie trailer, so you would know what you’re get- ting yourself into before you buy the three-hour movie — but I may have to rethink that, as 30 seconds may be too long for some people! I crossed my legs then leaned forward in the chair. The young man sitting across from me leaned back. “I didn’t quite catch your name,” I said, leaning closer, try- ing to read his name tag. He strained back as far as his chair would allow while he mum- bled incoherently. I smiled, my most “it’s OK, I am not going to bite you” smile, and nodded as if I had understood his mumbled name. “Are you from this area?” I questioned. He moved his head. I couldn’t tell if it was in the affirmative or not. “Family?” I asked. Again the same head move- ment. “Activities? Hobbies?” Nothing. “Coffee?” I asked in despera- tion. I had no idea just how long a minute could be. BBBBZZZZZZZZZZZZZ! This time it was the fire alarm that ended the conversation. I don’t know who was more relieved to be finished as he near- ly knocked over the chair heading for the nearest exit. I had happily Brianna left the world of Walker dating 14 years ago. I left it with no regrets, no feel- ings of unfulfilled experiences or unmet expectations — I had found the man who would become the tractor to my baler, the butter to my popcorn, the crimson to my gray. When we married, getting to know your significant other was still a slow and relatively tradition- al process: no texting, no social media — and certainly no speed dating. Although if there would have been, I am sure I could have se- quenced my questions for maxi- mum speed of elimination. Water- melon or cantaloupe? John Deere or Massey Ferguson? Komatsu or Hyster? You don’t know the dif- ference? Next! I may have saved myself some painful dating expe- riences. While I may have escaped ac- tual speed dating, tonight’s event was based on the same concept. I had accepted a position as a freshman mentor at the local col- lege. To facilitate the meeting be- tween the students and mentors, the college had set up the room with the musical-chair/speed-dat- ing concept. Occasionally the 30 seconds would fly by, the buzzer cutting the conversations short, while others hung long and painfully pregnant in the air, begging for the buzzer to signify an end to this misery. Many times I wished my shirt had a giant QR code on the front — just scan it and save us both the stilted conversation. Either that or a 30-second commercial of myself that I could just set on repeat. Hours later, I fell into my hus- band’s arms at home. “How did it go?” he asked. “Great,” I sighed, kicking off my boots. “There’s nothing like ‘speed-dating’ to make you real- ize just how long 30-seconds can be!” Later that night, I was snuggled on the couch reading a chapter to the family before bed. I closed the book when I noticed my sleeping family. The baby was snuggled with the cat, my oldest had nodded off still clutching his colored pen- cils and my husband snored softly in the recliner. I once read that a man reserves his deepest and most true love not for the woman in whose company he feels electrified, but the one in whose company he feels tender drowsiness. I smiled contentedly for a moment before whispering loudly in my husband’s ear, “BBB- BZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!” “What?!” He woke up sputter- ing. I smiled. “It’s so great when you find that one person you want to an- noy in 30-second increments for the rest of your life!” He glared at me groggily, “It’s also true what they say about the three rings of marriage ...” “BBBBZZZZZZZZZZZZZ, your time is up!” I tried to interrupt him. “First, the engagement ring ...” “BBBBZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!” “Then the wedding ring ...” “BUZZ BUZZZ BUZZZZZZZ!” I whisper-shouted. “Then the suffer-ring.” Brianna Walker occasionally writes about the Farmer’s Fate for the Blue Mountain Eagle. L ETTERS TO THE E DITOR People still read newspapers W HERE TO W RITE GRANT COUNTY • 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 Blue Mountain EAGLE P UBLISHED EVERY W EDNESDAY BY • 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@cityoflong- 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. To the Editor: According to a recent online article in Editor & Publisher, a Nielsen Scarborough study sug- gested “that in an average month, 169 million adults read a U.S. newspaper. They may be reading it in one or more iterations — in print, on the web, via a mobile app, cour- tesy of an e-newsletter or through a social media news feed.” (edi- torandpublisher.com) Some 58 percent of people ages 16 and older reported they regularly read newspapers. There are not noteworthy differences across communities in the num- bers of people who regularly read newspapers. But 57 percent of suburban residents and 56 percent of urban dwellers are more likely to read their newspapers on handheld devices than 45 percent of rural residents, according to a 2012 ar- ticle by the Pew Research Center. (pewinternet.org) “Print isn’t going away. If you are from Cleveland, then you were probably one of the thou- sands who wanted a print copy of the Plain Dealer that was re- leased the day after the Cavaliers won the NBA Championship… So why in the digital era would people from all over want the print version? Nostalgia. The print newspaper is memorabilia people can keep forever.” (ad- vance-ohio.com) “A newspaper is the center of a community, it’s one of the tent poles of the community, and that’s not going to be replaced by Web sites and blogs,” declared Michael Connelly. And I agree. Melissa Martin Wheelersburg, Ohio 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 ............ ..................... C HRIS R USH , CRUSH @ EOMEDIAGROUP . COM E DITOR & G ENERAL M ANAGER ... S EAN H ART , EDITOR @ BMEAGLE . COM R EPORTER ............................... R ICHARD H ANNERS , RICK @ 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 A DMINISTRATIVE A SSISTANT ........ M AKENNA A DAIR , OFFICE @ BMEAGLE . COM O FFICE A SSISTANT .................... A LIXANDRA H AND , 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 offices. POSTMASTER send address changes to: Blue Mountain Eagle 195 N. Canyon Blvd. John Day, OR 97845-1187 USPS 226-340 Copyright © 2018 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
