A16
NEWS
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, January 9, 2019
Malheur
Continued from Page A1
2007 and Best Film & TV
Music at the eWorld Music
Awards in Hollywood in
2011. Bowerman met with
Thomas and bonded imme-
diately over the project.
“Chris
jumped in
with both
feet,” Bow-
erman said.
Thomas
and
the
Bowermans
toured the Chris Thomas
refuge with
members of the Friends of
Malheur Wildlife Refuge.
While Bowerman had spent
plenty of time there, Thomas
got his first look. Like Bow-
erman, he was blown away
by the wildlife, the big sky
and the color and texture of
the hills.
“Between April and June,
there’s a cacophony of bird
sounds that washes over
you,” Bowerman said. “It’s
like the way the waves make
a continuous sound.”
Thomas recorded some
of those calls to insert
into the symphony along
with other sounds col-
lected from the refuge.
The soundtrack would join
images meant to comple-
ment the music and make
it a more full-body experi-
ence. The sound tech person
becomes another player in
the orchestra. Future orches-
tras that perform the sym-
phony are expected to use
the recordings.
“They are written right
into the score,” Bowerman
said.
Thomas said he did most
of his composing walking
ATV
Continued from Page A1
the city’s overall economic
development plans, Green
said.
The Transportation Com-
mission will consider road
speeds, road width and traf-
fic volume when reviewing
applications. They will also
consider whether to allow
ATVs on the paved road-
way, the shoulder or the
highway rights-of-way in a
designated route.
City Councilor Gregg
Haberly said he’s been
Contributed photo/Loren Irving
Two bighorn sheep spar at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.
around in nature. Ideas don’t
come when he sits down at
his computer, but when he
walks a trail, they often “hit
like lightning.” When they
strike, he sings them into his
phone’s recorder.
“It’s important to be by
myself,” he said, laughing.
In the beginning, the
two men envisioned a
12- to-20-minute piece.
After speaking with vari-
ous groups of people who
working on the legislation
for about eight years. He
noted that adjacent states
have more lenient regula-
tions for ATV use on state
highways, and it’s already
allowed in Oregon for agri-
cultural uses.
“As long as they let bicy-
cles, motorcycles and smart
cars on highways, then they
should allow ATVs too,” he
said.
Changing
the
rules
for ATVs will help the
depressed economy in Grant
County, Haberly said. His
proposal is to allow ATVs
to travel on state highways
from John Day to Prairie
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care about the refuge, things
expanded. Each of the
groups — tribal members,
birders, Friends of the Mal-
heur National Wildlife Ref-
uge and geologists — gave
different input about what
they thought the symphony
should say.
Thomas realized he had a
full symphony on his hands
with five different move-
ments. The first is “Dawn-
ing Light,” the sound of
life beginning. The sec-
ond, “Sacred Basin,” tells
the story of the thousands
of years the Paiute people
lived freely in the basin. The
third, “Thunder,” came after
Thomas witnessed a thun-
derstorm on one of his trips
to the refuge. It’s the short-
est, darkest movement. The
fourth, Thomas’ favorite,
“Curlew Scherzo,” show-
cases one of the refuge’s res-
idents, the long-billed cur-
lew, and its operatic call.
The final movement is a
big, brass fanfare called
“Awakening.”
The Central Oregon
Symphony will perform
the work at a world pre-
miere in Burns in May and
later in Bend. Thomas said
the orchestra is considering
doing a multi-city tour in the
Pacific Northwest. He hopes
his hometown is one of the
destinations.
“It would mean the world
to me to go to Pendleton,” he
said.
Bowerman couldn’t be
happier with the result.
“My hope is that this
music will help with the
healing process, including
the communities affected as
well as the land itself, and
remind people about the
special place that is the Mal-
heur refuge,” he said. “It is
pretty exciting stuff.”
Contributed photo
New signs restored ATV
use to Wickiup Road in July
2014, but officials urged
all drivers to take it slow.
City, Long Creek, Monu-
ment and Seneca.
The state advisory com-
mittee will conduct field
reviews of routes proposed
for designation and consult
with the county courts or
commissions, the sheriff’s
offices, the land management
agencies that provide ATV
riding opportunities and city
representatives where routes
would exist.
A public meeting will be
held by the advisory com-
mittee, and a report will be
submitted to the Transporta-
tion Commission. The com-
mittee is currently work-
ing on its first application,
one submitted for the Spin-
reel Dunes Access south of
Reedsport.
The Grant County Court
approved an ordinance
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Contributed photo
A group of ATV riders make their way through a wooded area of the Morrow-Grant
County OHV Park. Local officials have expressed support for allowing ATVs on
designated routes on state highways within Grant County.
in 2012 that allows Class
I, II and IV ATVs to use
all county roads, includ-
ing two-lane gravel roads,
under Grant County juris-
diction. That includes quads,
three-wheelers, dune bug-
gies, custom SUVs and side-
by-side ATVs.
Sheriff Glenn Palmer
brought the idea to the
county court after checking
with the county roadmaster.
His proposal was enthusias-
tically received by the court.
The city of John Day was
developing a similar ordi-
nance at the same time. The
city council approved allow-
ing ATVs on city roads,
except for Main Street and
South Canyon Boulevard
which are state highways,
by a 4-1 vote, and the ordi-
nance went into effect April
11, 2013.
Grant County Judge
Scott Myers told the Eagle
he would support proposed
ATV routes on state high-
ways if they are safe, closely
monitored and opened in
seasons with favorable
weather. They also must be
approved by the state so it’s
their liability, he said.
Caldwell told the Eagle
that
Umatilla,
Baker
and Lake counties have
approved similar ordinances
to Grant County’s for ATV
use.
Horses
Stout said he’s doubt-
ful of the Forest Service’s
explanation of the incident,
which he believes is illegal
and in violation of a 2013
settlement agreement in
which the agency agreed to
reduce the wild horse popu-
lation in the area.
“Why they did it, I
have no idea,” Stout said.
“It’s unbelievable, espe-
cially after going through a
lawsuit.”
Moore said he’s like-
wise skeptical of the expla-
nation that the horses were
being returned after ventur-
ing off the Malheur National
Forest.
“There’s a lot going on
here that doesn’t make a lot
of sense,” he said. “I think
they’re in damage control
right now.”
After Stout filed a law-
suit alleging the Forest Ser-
vice had violated the Endan-
gered Species Act, a federal
judge agreed that the agency
had failed to consult about
the impacts of wild horses
on threatened steelhead.
The judge dismissed
several other claims made
by Stout, and the parties
reached a settlement deal
under which the agency
agreed to lower the horse
population to about 50-60
horses by 2016.
The Dec. 14 incident is
just the latest example of
the Forest Service violating
the settlement, Stout said.
“They couldn’t wait to break
the agreement.”
Gayle Hunt, founder of
the Central Oregon Wild
Horse Coalition, said it
would be legal for the Forest
Service to return wild horses
to their place of origin, but
not to transfer horses from
another area into a national
forest.
“What’s in question here
is whether these were Mur-
derers Creek horses,” she
said.
The U.S. Bureau of Land
Management, which over-
sees wild horses, has an
“excellent” database of
DNA from the Murderers
Creek herd, which could
confirm whether the animals
originated from that area
through hair and fecal sam-
ples, Hunt said.
“If that was not done,
there’s a problem,” she said.
Continued from Page A1
is probably more than 500
horses.
95984
A TTENTION G RANT
C OUNTY
V ETERANS :
Did you know a service-connected
disabled veteran is entitled to
FREE use of Oregon State Parks?
See your Grant County Veteran Services Katee
Hoffman
Officer today for more information.
Call 541-620-8057 for an appointment
530 E. Main, Ste. 5, John Day, OR
98782