Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 16, 2020)
A4 OPINION Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, December 16, 2020 Forest management must be top priority C ome with us on a virtual road trip. We’ll start in the Cascade Range near the Willamette Valley of Oregon and head south on Interstate 5. We’ll stop in towns with names like Detroit, Gates, Blue River, Vida, Phoenix and Talent. Or at least they used to be towns. They — and the people who lived there — were victims of the ferocious wildfires that blew through parts of Washington and Oregon on Labor Day. In Oregon, Washington and California, wildfires destroyed 14,689 homes this year, and 6.3 million acres of forests were burned. Surveying the damage, we shake our head and ask a simple question: Why couldn’t forest managers do a better job? That’s a simple question, but it has complex answers. It’s not just a matter of cut- ting trees to create fire breaks. In the 21st century, forest man- agers are hogtied by politics, poorly written laws and envi- ronmental groups that use those laws to stop thinning and other types of projects. Left out of the mix are tax- payers. They — we — are the victims of a triple whammy. First, we get to run for our lives when our homes are threatened or destroyed by fires. Then we get to pay for fire- fighters. This year fire suppres- sion costs topped $3.2 billion that came straight out of taxpay- ers’ pockets. Then taxpayers pay to indemnify those who suffered losses. In California alone this year, those losses topped $2 billion. Throw in the deaths, losses of livestock, outbuildings and other property and wildlife hab- itat and the whole system can best be described as a shambles. That’s why it’s critically important that forest managers be allowed to do their jobs. It’s not easy. Our sister paper, the Capital Press, recently fol- lowed a single forest treatment plan from beginning to end. In the case of the Five Buttes Project in Oregon’s Cascade Range, the plan took four years to complete. The environmen- tal impact statement alone was 459 pages. Instead of massive clear- cuts, the plan designated 60 areas totaling 7,800 acres that, when treated, would help pre- vent massive fires and pro- tect Northern spotted owl habi- tat. The total size of the project was 160,000 acres, so only about 4.9% of the area would be directly impacted. But then the lawyers got involved and everything ground to a halt. Hired by environmen- tal groups and armed with laws such as the Endangered Species Act, the National Forest Man- agement Act and the National Environmental Policy Act, they stopped the Five Buttes Project a year after it was approved. A judge went along with their arguments. Only after the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals saw through the legal chatter and gave its approve was work on the project allowed to proceed. By the time the work was finished, 12 years had passed. That, in a nutshell, is a major reason foresters cannot keep up with the need to properly man- age the 67.3 million acres of federal forests in Oregon, Wash- ington, California and Idaho. That’s an area about the size of Colorado. Other reasons for delays include a lack of money — though it would surely be less costly than spending billions of dollars a year fighting monster blazes — and a lack of political will on the part of elected offi- cials, many of whom still seem to believe the best forest is an unmanaged one. Back to our road trip. As we drive through blackened forests it’s easy to reach the conclusion that the system is out of balance. One lawsuit can shut down a treatment project for years, but the good it would do — and the money it would save taxpayers — gets short shrift. That’s not right, and Con- gress owes it to the American public to fix it. We can man- age the forests now, or pay more later to clean up the mess. BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Support your fellow business W e’ve talked in previous articles about ways to improve sales during this wild roller coaster ride we’re on. Here are more ideas that may not only benefit your bottom line but help give another business a boost. It begins by thinking outside the box. Perhaps instead of see- ing another business as a competi- tor, think of them as another poten- tial customer and be creative about working together. Consider the following: • Initiate an after-hours Zoom call inviting a variety of differ- ent business owners. Brainstorm on ways you can cross-promote and directly support each other. Much of what you can do won’t cost a penny. • Write a positive review or testi- monial on social media. Talk about a great item they carry or a specialty service they offer and post a picture preneur a competitive edge. It’s helping ensure that as many busi- nesses in your community survive as possible. Finally, most people are more committed than ever to shopping locally. Vibrant businesses work- ing together have a better chance of anchoring customers. Also, by showing your own support both as a business owner and private indi- vidual, you’ll garner goodwill and help ensure the business community — which includes your own com- pany — will have a brighter holiday and future. Greg Smith is the director of the Eastern Oregon University Small Business Development Center located at 1607 Gekeler Lane, Room 148 in La Grande. For free, confi- dential business advising, call 541- 962-1532 or email eousbdc@gmail. com. on your Facebook page (personal and business). Ask them to the same. • Go live on Facebook. Share the name of your Greg Smith favorite restaurant and suggest a spe- cial menu item. Maybe send a gift card from your business to a stand- out server. • Consider a mini “shop-hop” in which customers are entered to win a gift basket featuring items from each establishment. • Cross-market gift items. Per- haps your killer gourmet marinades and sauces are offered at a specialty meat market across town. Obviously, the goal is to generate more revenue for your business, but do not be afraid to work together. It’s not about giving a fellow entre- LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Check out youth activists ‘Children deserve ‘A holiday present on earthguardians.org. Escort Big Oil from museums and off the right to an to parents and education’ friends interested in campus. Demand that cultural and educational institutions stop climate change’ To the Editor: taking money from coal, oil We have seen this year how challenging and stressful dis- tance learning can be, as well as how much children need to be sur- rounded by their peers. In the upcoming Oregon state legislative session in January, a bill will be introduced that will remove chil- dren from the school system and force them into distance learn- ing or homeschooling. The time is now to say enough is enough. Par- ents should be allowed to give their child the educational options that best fit their family. Please call or write to your Ore- gon state representative and senator and tell them you oppose LC 1701 and that it should not be brought to any committees as a bill during this or any future legislative session. Visit oregonlegislature.gov/find- yourlegislator/leg-search.html to find the name and contact informa- tion of your legislators. All of Oregon’s children deserve the right to an education as their families see fit. Claire Young Medford To the Editor: Think about giving this book as a holiday present to parents and friends interested in cli- mate change and doing something about it: “The Parents’ Guide to Climate Revolution – 100 ways to build a fossil-free future, raise empowered kids, and still get a good night’s sleep” by Mary DeMocker, New World Library, 2018. Mary deMocker has written an inspiring book jammed packed with over 100 ways to empower your children to learn about cli- mate change and do something about it. The ideas are not only a prac- tical guide for helping kids but a practical guide for living. It’s about working with others in the community to get things done. There are so many good ideas and suggestions on how to take action to demand a fossil fuel free future only a few are noted here. Become politically active. Get facts from web sites like fact- check.org and opensecrets.org. and gas companies and remove industry representatives from their boards. Ask friends, colleges, churches and insurance compa- nies to divest from fossil fuel stocks. Read Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical addressed to every person living on the planet that calls for bold climate action to treat global warming as a moral issue. See laudatosi.org. Other reli- gious leaders have joined the chorus. Make polluters pay with carbon pricing. Join Citizens Climate Lobby to put a fee on carbon at citizens- climatelobby.org. Identify top polluters at car- bonmajors.org. At the end she calls on us to jump in to build a bridge to a future in which chil- dren thrive. A future that is healthy and equitable. For more information, visit marydemocker.com. Marjorie Thelen Burns 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. Blue Mountain EAGLE Published every Wednesday by Grant County’s Weekly Newspaper Editor & General Manager ...............Sean Hart, editor@bmeagle.com Reporter ...................................................Rudy Diaz, rudy@bmeagle.com Reporter ...................................................... Steven Mitchell, steven@bmeagle.com Sports ........................................................sports@bmeagle.com Marketing Rep .......................................Kim Kell, ads@bmeagle.com 1 YEAR SUBSCRIPTION RATES (including online access) Grant County .........................................$45 Everywhere else in U.S. .......................$57 Outside Continental U.S. ....................$60 Subscriptions must be paid prior to delivery Online: MyEagleNews.com POSTMASTER send address changes to: Blue Mountain Eagle 195 N. Canyon Blvd. John Day, OR 97845-1187 USPS 226-340 Office Assistant .....................................Alixandra Hand, office@bmeagle.com MEMBER OREGON NEWSPAPER PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION Periodicals Postage Paid at John Day and additional mailing offices. Phone: 541-575-0710 Copyright © 2020 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. facebook.com/MyEagleNews @MyEagleNews
