NEWS
BlueMountainEagle.com
Wednesday, January 23, 2019
A3
County court calls for more forest management
Letter to be sent
to federal, state
officials
By Richard Hanners
Blue Mountain Eagle
The Forest Service needs
to act now to prevent wild-
fires by changing how
it manages the Malheur
National Forest, the Grant
C o u n t y
Court stated
in a letter
to
federal
and
state
officials.
Commis-
sioner Jim
Jim
Hamsher
Hamsher
drafted the
letter with help from admin-
istrative assistant Laurie
Wright. It will be sent to
President Donald Trump,
the secretaries of Interior
and Agriculture, the regional
forester in Portland, Sens.
Ron Wyden and Jeff Merk-
ley, Rep. Greg Walden and
other officials.
The letter emphasizes
the importance of agricul-
ture and timber to the local
economy, but it also points
The Eagle/Richard Hanners
Grant County Judge Scott Myers, center, welcomes Commissioner Sam Palmer to the county court, with Commissioner Jim
Hamsher watching at right.
out how important both are
to wildfire prevention.
“Cattle grazing should
be looked upon as a tool
in forest management to
reduce fine fuels and thus
reduce wildfire risk,” the
Jan. 9 letter states.
Keeping forest roads
open is not only import-
ant for economic and rec-
reational reasons but also
Creating a vision for Innovation Gateway
By Richard Hanners
Blue Mountain Eagle
Self-reliant and inde-
pendent, resilient and prag-
matic, a family-focused
community with rural val-
ues — those are some of
the key words that will
guide initial planning for
the Innovation Gateway
project in John Day.
Representatives from
the Walker Macy land-
scape architecture firm in
Portland took feedback
from city staff and two
city advisory committees
and at an open house on
Jan. 8.
The 83-acre project will
integrate several city infra-
structure needs with a long-
term vision to promote
economic development.
Key elements include
developing the former Ore-
gon Pine mill site with a
new sewer treatment plant,
greenhouses that will meet
community demand for gar-
den vegetables, along with
a farmers market and com-
munity gathering place.
Riverfront trails will
connect the mill site to the
Seventh Street Complex,
a possible future aquat-
ics facility, the Kam Wah
Chung State Heritage Site
and downtown shops and
restaurants.
John Day City Man-
ager Nick Green character-
ized the project as a unique
opportunity that involved
18 months of work piecing
together brownfield sites
and undeveloped lands
across the city. The over-
all goal is to “keep what is
great about our community
and enhance it,” he said.
According to the city,
the guiding principles for
the Innovation Gateway
project should include cre-
ating a destination for vis-
itors, attracting invest-
ment and jobs, honoring
John Day’s identity and
character, promoting com-
munity, creating opportu-
nities for walking and bik-
ing, restoring public access
to the John Day River and
for emergencies.
“A policy that any road
that is not deemed open
is closed endangers public
safety, economic access and
recreation in the forest,” the
letter states. “We cannot
afford more wilderness and
roadless areas. Policies of
limited or no access make
it almost impossible to fight
forest fires effectively.”
The letter cited the last-
ing community impacts of
the Canyon Creek Com-
plex fire in 2015 and the
recent tragedy in Paradise,
California.
“Nearly a hundred
lives lost and thousands
of homes lost,” the let-
ter states. “The financial
losses are staggering, and
the dollar amount will truly
never be known.”
A revised forest plan for
the Malheur, Umatilla and
Wallowa-Whitman national
forests was made public
in June 2018. An objec-
tion period and a resolution
period followed. Objec-
tors met with Forest Ser-
vice reviewing officers in
John Day, Pendleton, Wal-
lowa and Baker City in
November.
In a Dec. 14 op-ed piece,
Pacific Northwest Regional
Forester
Glenn
Casa-
massa said reviewing offi-
cers will study their notes,
reflect on what they heard
at the objector meetings
and work with Forest Ser-
vice officials in Washing-
ton, D.C., regarding sched-
uling another round of
meetings.
Federal shutdown
impacts rural Northwest
By Katy Nesbitt
For the Capital Press
The Eagle/Richard Hanners
Sherrie Rininger, left, and Shannon Adair listen to a
presentation about the Innovation Gateway project in
John Day given by Walker Macy landscape architects at the
Grant County Regional Airport on Jan. 8.
The Eagle/Richard Hanners
John Day City Councilor
Dave
Holland,
left,
discusses the Innovation
Gateway project in John
Day with visitors at the
Grant County Regional
Airport on Jan. 8.
Canyon Creek, supporting
innovation in conservation
and efficiently using public
resources and land.
Funded by a state Trans-
portation Growth Manage-
ment grant, Walker Macy
will work closely with
Interfluve, a river and res-
toration firm that has been
involved in fish habitat
projects on the North Fork
of the John Day River,
designer Aaron Maples
said. Much of the Innova-
tion Gateway project area
was impacted by historical
dredge mining, he said.
Kirsten Kibler of JLA
Public Involvement said
members of the two advi-
sory committees talked
about how locals learned
to get around the river-
front after legacy trails had
weathered away, where
children put in and took out
inner tubes along the river
and what the river is like at
high flow.
Among the comments
made during the open house
at Grant County Regional
Airport were the need to
improve riverfront trails
with signage and the need
for a community meeting
place on the valley floor
rather than on top of a hill
at the airport.
Walker Macy’s work
overlaps an economic
development study by
ECONorthwest and mar-
keting work by Bell +
Funk, which is funded by
federal and state grants.
Walker Macy will hold
an online open house
March 12 and then join
ECONorthwest and the
city’s advisory committees
for a regional summit May
14. Walker Macy will pres-
ent a final report in August.
The city asks residents
to complete an online sur-
vey to provide input for
the Innovation Gateway
project at surveymonkey.
com/r/XXL62RV.
More
information about the proj-
ect is available on the city
website.
As the partial federal gov-
ernment shutdown contin-
ues into its fifth week, some
rural Northwest communi-
ties are feeling the pinch.
In western Oregon wolves
are under federal protec-
tion, but federal employ-
ees assigned to monitoring
them with the U.S. Fish and
Katy Nesbitt/For the Capital Press
Wildlife Service and USDA
Wildlife Services are on fur- The Forest Service office in Joseph has a discreet sign
lough. Steve Niemela, Ore- explaining the current federal budget impasse.
gon Department of Fish and
Wildlife district fish biolo- ing the Blue Mountains support shutting down natu-
gist in Central Point, said his Forest Plan Revision with ral resource agencies.
“I don’t agree that it
office is feeling the added Glenn Casamassa, U.S. For-
est Service Pacific North- makes sense to furlough the
pressure.
“It has an impact on us,” west regional forester, are people working on the bio-
Niemela said. “We can’t also on hold. Roberts had logical opinion in the Klam-
coordinate effectively — hoped to talk to him during ath Basin, forest fuels reduc-
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ser- the Association of Oregon tions in central Oregon,
vice is the lead agency in Counties meeting Mon- or grazing permits in east-
day in Salem regarding the ern Oregon,” Walden said.
wolf management.”
He said state and federal plan’s progress, but he was “How does a nearly month-
biologists follow a “good set unable to attend because of long work stoppage benefit
taxpayers who are waiting
of guidelines,” but the fur- the furlough.
lough makes it challenging.
While most Forest Ser- for decisions and plans and
Niemela said much of the vice grazing allotment per- permits?”
Walden isn’t the only
habitat restoration planning mittees are not running cat-
for Oregon’s fish and wild- tle on public land in January, Oregon representative con-
life is also on hold as many Rod Childers, who ranches cerned about the shutdown’s
of the projects are on land in northern Wallowa County, effects on natural resource
managed by the U.S. Forest said he normally has had his agencies. Oregon Sens. Ron
Service and the Bureau of annual operating instruction Wyden and Jeff Merkley
were two of the signers on
Land Management.
meeting by now.
“Just about everything we
“I get mine done first part a letter sent to the president
do, there is some sort of fed- of January so I don’t have to Jan. 14 urging him to fund
eral nexus,” Niemela said.
deal with it before calving, the agencies responsible for
In northeastern Ore- but that isn’t going to hap- wildfire suppression.
gon, federal funding to pen,” Childers said. “Now
The letter, signed by 12
pay employees of the Tri- I’m concerned about getting senators said, “The failure
County Weed Management it done in time for turnout in to reopen the government
Area hasn’t been received, the spring.”
puts peoples’ lives at risk
With calving season on by undermining their abil-
according to Susan Roberts,
Wallowa County Commis- his mind, Childers said he ity to respond to wildfires
sion chairwoman, so Baker, also worries about the Wild- and will only serve to delay
Union and Wallowa county life Services field agents critical forest restoration
leaders are looking for sup- who control predators being and safety projects. These
plemental money, possibly furloughed at his cattle’s young men and women put
in the form of a bridge loan. most vulnerable time.
their lives on the line to
“We are finding a way
As of Thursday, there protect the nation’s natu-
around the federal reim- appeared to be no end in ral resources and other pub-
bursements to keep our folks sight to the shutdown. Rep. lic and private property, and
paid,” Roberts said. “They Greg Walden, R-Ore., said they deserve to have the best
still have bills to pay, but we he agrees with the presi- training possible in prepara-
dent’s case for increased tion for increasingly difficult
can’t get reimbursed.”
Ongoing talks regard- border security, but he didn’t fire seasons.”
JUNIPER ARTS COUNCIL/GRANT COUNTY
CULTURAL COALITION IS SEEKING
GRANT PROPOSALS FOR OREGON
CULTURAL TRUST GRANT AWARDS
The coalition has $6,000 from the Oregon
Cultural Trust to distribute in Grant County to
organizations for projects relating to culture.
Projects may be related to the visual or
performing arts, heritage, and/or humanities.
Applications are available from Karin Barntish,
131 W. Main Street, John Day or call Kris Beal at
541-932-4892 for more information or an
application.
Grant applications will be accepted until
January 13, 2017 at 5:00 pm.
04892
541-523-6377
541-963-6577
541-573-6377
541-576-2160
99996