A4
OPINION
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, January 1, 2020
Third time a
charm for Blue
Mountains plan?
M
aybe the third try
will be success-
ful in cobbling
together a roadmap for
the management of three
sprawling national forests
in Eastern Oregon.
The U.S. Forest Service,
which oversees the 5.5 mil-
lion acres of forestland in
the Malheur, Wallowa-Whit-
man and Umatilla national
forests, has stumbled terribly
in its previous attempts to
revise its 29-year-old plan.
It’s supposed to be updated
every 15 years, so the
agency hasn’t even been fol-
lowing its own timeline.
Updating the Blue Moun-
tains plan has turned into an
old-fashioned goat rope. In
rejecting the latest 5,000-
page version, Chris French,
the reviewing officer and
Forest Service deputy chief,
said it was difficult to under-
stand and implement.
That’s not good, but the
biggest problems appeared
to be that Forest Service
managers had their own pri-
orities that didn’t mesh with
those of the people who live,
work and recreate in the
forests.
One such issue is trans-
portation within the forests.
Logging roads and other
access are critical to getting
around in the forests. Many
of the roads, built with pub-
lic money, have been tar-
geted for closure not only
in the Blue Mountains but
other national forests.
Closing the forests to log-
ging, firefighters, hunters,
hikers and other users made
little sense, the Forest Ser-
vice was repeatedly told in
forum after forum.
Now, the managers have
apparently come to under-
stand that the people who
live and work in the Blue
Mountains deserve a place at
the table as a third iteration
of the forest plan is devel-
oped. Representatives of
the region’s counties, tribes
and others will join the
discussion.
It is our hope that the
words “multiple use” will be
top of mind as those discus-
sions proceed. The national
forests were established
under the U.S. Department
of Agriculture in part to pro-
vide a source of building
materials and the jobs asso-
ciated with them. In addi-
tion, other uses were to be
allowed.
But most importantly, the
forests were to be managed
as a resource, not locked up.
Locking up the forests,
specifically, is what the
new round of negotiations
needs to avoid. As a public
resource, the national forests
of the Blue Mountains need
to be open for many types of
uses, and accessible to all.
Otherwise, they will fail
to fulfill their purpose and
stifle the economy of East-
ern Oregon and southeastern
Washington state.
GUEST COMMENT
The year of the community
By Quint Studer
L
et’s make 2020 the year of the
community.
If you looked only at the
big picture, you’d have to say we live
in deeply troubled times. It seems
we’ve never been more polarized.
Political discourse feels more like a
war zone than a thoughtful national
conversation. But what happens
when you zoom in closer?
That’s the question I ask myself
as I reflect on the past year spent
exploring dozens of small and mid-
sized communities across America.
I’ve talked with hundreds, maybe
thousands, of mayors, chamber of
commerce members, new entre-
preneurs, business owners and cit-
izens of all ages. I’ve sat down to
great meals in downtown restau-
rants, listened to fabulous bands and
attended some of the world’s cool-
est festivals. And what I’ve found is
that the America one sees “up close
and personal” bears little resem-
blance to the America one sees on
the national news.
I’m not saying we don’t have
real problems. We do. But we have
more bright spots than dark —
more courtesy than incivility — and
often that good news flies under the
radar. I’ve always been a believer in
shining a light on the positive until
it overcomes the negative. Grati-
tude is more powerful than grip-
ing. And what I’m grateful for today,
at the turn of the year, is America’s
communities.
Real life doesn’t happen nation-
ally. It happens locally. And at the
community level, I see people part-
nering with their neighbors to solve
problems, working hard and play-
ing hard, listening and compromising
and — quite often — making sacri-
fices for the good of others. Locally
is where we’re at our very best. It’s
where we can use our influence and
our gifts to make our communi-
ties strong and to make life better for
everyone. I view communities through
a lens of revitalization because that’s
the work I do. As things have got-
ten more dysfunctional at the national
level, the by-product is that people
on the local level have kicked in. And
what I see is that citizens aren’t count-
ing on government to “save” them.
They’re doing the hard work of revi-
talization themselves. They’re own-
ing it. They’re investing in their cit-
ies and towns. And they’re starting
new conversations: How can we make
our community the best it can be?
How can we reinvent ourselves, start
and grow local businesses and trans-
form into a great place to work, live
and play?
This mindset has kicked in every-
where: big cities, small towns, com-
munities of every shape and size.
And no wonder. The chaos and
uncertainty of the past few decades
have made us crave personal con-
nections with our friends and family.
We want our children and grandchil-
dren nearby (with good jobs to keep
them there). We want lively down-
towns with great restaurants, funky
stores, cool living spaces and plenty
of fun things to do. And we’re mak-
ing it happen.
In Thomas L. Friedman’s book
“Thank You for Being Late: An Opti-
mist’s Guide to Thriving in the Age
of Accelerations,” he talks about
how rapid accelerations in technol-
ogy, globalization and Mother Nature
are disrupting our lives and leaving
people feeling destabilized. He says
these forces are like a hurricane, one
in which the winds of change are
swirling so fast that families can’t
find a way to anchor themselves.
Friedman makes the case that
the only answer is building healthy
communities, ones that are flexi-
ble enough to navigate this hurricane
and provide stability for the citizens
within them. He quotes the words
from a ballad by Brandi Carlile,
“You can dance in a hurricane, but
only if you’re standing in the eye.”
Our communities are that eye. They
provide a firm place to stand and
find stability while all this change is
swirling around us.
My hope is that 2020 will be
the year of the community. We can
make it so. We can hold our families
close. We can reach out to neighbors
to connect with them, to help them,
to engage them in the work of mak-
ing things better. We can shop local.
We can partner with government the
right way. We can smooth the way
for entrepreneurs. We can galvanize
our small business communities to
drive positive change. And we can
act as ambassadors for our communi-
ties so that others want to invest, live,
work and play here too.
Won’t you join me? Celebrat-
ing all the good in our communities,
and working together to make them
stronger, will make for a 2020 that’s
even better than all the years that
have come before.
Quint Studer is author of “Build-
ing a Vibrant Community: How Cit-
izen-Powered Change Is Reshaping
America.” For more information,
visit thebusyleadershandbook.com,
vibrantcommunityblueprint.com and
studeri.org.
GUEST COMMENT
A decade of perseverance
2
WHERE TO WRITE
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@
centurylink.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@
cityoflongcreek.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.
SALEM
• Gov. Kate Brown, D — 254 State
Capitol, Salem 97310. Phone:
503-378-3111. Fax: 503-378-6827.
Website: governor.state.or.us/
governor.html.
• Oregon Legislature — State
Capitol, Salem, 97310. Phone: (503)
986-1180. Website: leg.state.or.us
(includes Oregon Constitution and
Oregon Revised Statutes).
• Oregon Legislative Information
— (For updates on bills, services,
capitol or messages for legislators) —
800-332-2313.
• Sen. Cliff Bentz, R-Ontario – 900
Court St. NE, S-301, Salem 97301.
Phone: 503-986-1730. Website:
oregonlegislature.gov/Bentz. Email:
Sen.CliffBentz@oregonlegislature.gov.
• Rep. Lynn Findley, R-Vale – 900 Court
St. NE, H-475, Salem 97301. Phone: 503-
986-1460. Website: oregonlegislature.
gov/findley. Email: Rep.LynnFindley@
oregonlegislature.gov.
WASHINGTON, D.C.
• The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania
Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20500;
Phone-comments: 202-456-1111;
Switchboard: 202-456-1414.
Blue Mountain
EAGLE
Published every
Wednesday by
019 is an exuberant end to the
decade. There has never been
a better time to start or grow
a small business than the current
booming economy.
The unemployment rate is at a
50-year low with 110 months of con-
secutive positive job growth. Wages
have increased 3.1% during the past
12 months. And 30.7 million small
businesses are creating two out of
every three net new jobs.
However, the 2010s had a hum-
ble beginning. Still reeling from the
Great Recession, many small busi-
nesses were still struggling and in
survival mode. Job growth was flat,
the unemployment rate was a stag-
gering 9.6% and there were only 26.8
million small businesses in the U.S.
Not only was hiring stagnant, but
lending and spending were tight too.
Survival was the goal as small busi-
ness owners felt the weight of keep-
ing their doors open, keeping their
staff employed and finding their way
in post-recession economy. It was
a difficult and stressful time to be a
small business owner.
However, true to the entrepreneur-
ial spirit and American dream, small
businesses persevered.
During the past couple years in
my role as regional administrator for
the U.S. Small Business Adminis-
tration, I’ve traveled around Alaska,
Idaho, Oregon and Washington to
meet small businesses and listen to
their journeys. I’ve met businesses
that reshaped what they do in order
to move forward. I’ve met businesses
who innovated with new cost-saving
Grant County’s Weekly Newspaper
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Editor & General Manager ...............Sean Hart, editor@bmeagle.com
Reporter ...................................................Rudy Diaz, rudy@bmeagle.com
Community News .................................editor@bmeagle.com
Sports ........................................................editor@bmeagle.com
Marketing Rep .......................................Kim Kell, ads@bmeagle.com
Administrative Assistant ..................Christy Smith, office@bmeagle.com
Office Assistant .....................................Alixandra Hand, office@bmeagle.com
MEMBER OREGON NEWSPAPER PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION
Online: MyEagleNews.com
strategies for their
customers. I’ve
even met entrepre-
neurs who started
their business
during a time most
would say they
Jeremy Field were crazy.
The common
thread is they all adapted, they all
took risks and they all had a vision
they focused on seeing through.
One local story that comes to
mind when I think of the persever-
ance of small businesses during the
2010s is the Astoria Crest Motel in
Astoria. The property overlooks the
mouth of the Columbia River, where
in 1805, Lewis and Clark’s Corps
of Discovery took in the very same
majestic view as they journeyed to
their future winter camp in nearby
Fort Clatsop. Originally known as the
Crest Motel when it first opened its
doors in 1952, the property had grad-
ually fallen into a state of disrepair
and was at risk of being shuttered in
2014.
However, Air Force veteran and
entrepreneur Marshall Doyle and
his wife, Patricia, along with busi-
ness partner Don West and his wife,
Wendy, saw this as an opportunity to
save a local treasure and strengthen
the community.
Thanks to SBA financing, the
expertise of the four owners and a
generous amount of “sweat equity,”
the Astoria Crest Motel is enjoying a
resurgence as more and more travel-
ers are discovering the hidden trea-
sures of the Oregon Coast.
1 YEAR SUBSCRIPTION RATES
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Blue Mountain Eagle
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Today, the motel serves as a ded-
icated Lewis and Clark interpre-
tive viewpoint and regularly enjoys
full occupancy in the summer as
well as becoming a popular meet-
ing space for local clubs and orga-
nizations in the community. The
business has grown its workforce
from two employees to 15 and tri-
pled its annual revenues since its
rebranding.
I’m proud that SBA programs
were able to support businesses like
the Astoria Crest Motel through
tough times. But I’m even more
impressed with the grit and innova-
tion of entrepreneurs like the Doyles
and Wests.
When small businesses share their
journeys with me, I am inspired and
I am grateful. Our economy and our
communities wouldn’t be what they
are today without the perseverance of
entrepreneurs.
As we close the decade, let’s
take a moment to pause and cele-
brate the rise from recession to his-
toric economic growth. And let’s
take a moment to thank the small
business owners who brought our
country to this high point through
their innovation, determination and
perseverance.
Jeremy Field is the regional
administrator for the U.S. Small
Business Administration Pacific
Northwest Region, which serves
Washington, Oregon, Idaho and
Alaska. The SBA empowers entre-
preneurs and small businesses
with resources to start, grow,
expand or recover.
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Blue Mountain Eagle
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