Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 18, 1979)
No wilderness The Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon, Thursday January 18, 1979-NINE TiinBeF9 grazing and elk are treed in USFl plan A land management plan that calls for increased timber and grazing production while maintaining areas for elk habitat and semi-wilderness recreation is being proposed by the U.S. Forest Service for the Heppner Unit of the Umatilla National Forest. The Forest Service's "pre ferred alternative" for the 271,155-acre Heppner Unit is included in a draft enviromen tal statement available for public review at the Heppner Ranger Station. Public com ment on the proposal is sought prior to a Feb. 19 deadline, after which final deliberations will be made on the Heppner Unit's long-term use. A total of five alternative plans were drafted by the Forest Service during the preliminary planning process. The alternatives ranged from a proposal to designate the Unit's six RARE II roadless areas (Texas Butte, Hell's Half Acre, Potamus Basin, Skookum, Kelly Prairie and Baloney Basin) as wilderness areas closed to logging and development, to a "no action no change" alternative, in which the entire Unit would be managed with increased tim ber and livestock grazing production as its chief object ives. The Forest Service's prefer red alternative takes a middle-of-the-road approach, attempting to balance the interests of "amenity" oriented hunters and recreationists with the interests of the "commodity" oriented forest users loggers, mill operators and livestock grazers. Elk first, timber second in Type-3 area Under the preferred alter nativeAlternative E just over 90,000 acres in the Unit's northeastern prairie land and in the Baloney Basin area, would be designated a type-3 land management allocation, in which timber harvesting or grazing would be allowed only when "elk habitat could be maintained or enhanced." The type-3 designation also re quires that habitat be main tained for other old growth dependent wildlife species. An additional 12,000 acres in the Skookum and Potamus areas are designated type 3-a under the preferred alterna tive, meaning that the same consideration is given to maintaining elk habitat as called for in type 3, but more restrictions are placed on road use and development. Accord ing to the draft statement, "none of the future roads in the Skookum area and only a small portion of the roads in the Potamus area would remain open for general public use following logging activities." Type-2 5 semi-remote Some 24,200 acres in the Texas Butte, Madison Butte and Hell's Half Acre areas are earmarked for a type-25 management allocation, in which timber could be logged only to the extent that elk habitat could be maintained or enhanced, and that old-growth be maintained for other dependent species. The type 25 designation varies from 3-a in the use of roads by the public. All of the roads to be constructed in the Hell's Half Acre area and most of the roads in the Texas Butte area would be closed to public motor traffic during specifjc periods of the year. These closed roads may be opened periodically to allow the public access to firewood, mushroom or berry picking and other seasonal activities, including snowmobiling. Timber production king in Type-6 area But the largest portion of land under the preferred alternative would be allocated type-6, in which logging and grazing are considered the primary values. The objective for managing the 144,518 acres included in the type-6 alloca tion calls for optimizing "wood fiber production on commercial Forest lands" and obtaining optimum forage output for domestic grazing animals. While "maximizing commodity output" is stressed, allocation 6 still requires that Streamside Management Units to protect aquatic life be maintained, and that the Heppner Unit's visual quality objectives be met. Type-6 also calls for retaining some old growth areas, and managing elk habitat to the extent possible "without reducing wood fiber yield." Elk population will remain high Under the type 3, 3-a arid 25 ' designations, "what we're saying is that commodity production is important, but elk is king," commented District Ranger Ben Seminoe. The more than 126,000 acres included in allocations 3, 3-a and 25 nearly half of the Unit's total acreage "would be greatly constrained for what you can do with timber production," he said. The current summer elk population supported by the Heppner Unit is estimated at 4,440 one of the largest in any single unit in the National Forest system. Under the preferred alternative, sum mer habitat would be provided for an estimated 3,963 elk a reduction of 477 animals. Under the "no-change", commodity-oriented alternative, the elk population would dip to 2,591, and under the RARE II-styled wilderness alterna tive, the elk herd would increase to an estimated 4,879, according to Forest Service estimates. Seminoe noted that Oregon Fish and Game biologists have set 3,621 as the optimum number of elk to be maintain ed on the Heppner Unit. This means that under the prefer red alternative, the Heppner Unit's elk population would exceed the Oregon Fish and Game objective by 342 animals, even though there will be a reduction in herd size. Allowable cut to rise The estimated annual pro grammed timber harvest, or allowable cut, is expected to rise to 39.3 million board feet under the preferred alterna tive, up slightly from the current rate of 38.5 million. Domestic livestock grazing would also increase slightly under the preferred alterna tive, up to 16,400 AUM's (animal unit months) from the current level of 15,700 AUM's. off -road rules modified under new plan The preferred alternative would also modify current off-road vehicle use regula tions for the Heppner Unit. The type-25 areas at Texas Butte and Hell's Half Acre would be closed to off-road use, except for snowmobiles. Snowmobile use would be closed from three days prior to the start of elk season to the end of the hunting period. Some areas adjacent to the type-25 areas will be closed to all motor vehicles from three days prior to the opening of elk season until the end of the season. The road to Madison Butte lookout would remain open to the public. iVo wilderness areas The draft enviromental statement notes that the preferred alternative GENERAL AREA MAP HEPPNER PLANNING UNIT UMATILLA NATIONAL FOREST PLANNING UNIT BOUNDARY CZDPRIVATE LAND WITHIN FOREST r v., ! t A V I v: -i-Mv;v vmVv . - - itrr " t D 1 r SKOOKUM AREA . .' ' .r' l' ' , "' ::- 1 i ' 5 tkmage the oamercial timber resource to its potential yield while providing forage for domeetia livestock and wildlife graning. Maintain and enhance elk habitat. Maintain uildlifc habitat that vrill provide for viable populations of snag and cavity users. Manage the commercial timber resource to its potential yield while providing forage for domestic livestock and wildlife graning. Maintain and enhance elk habitat. Maintain wildlife habitat that will provide for viable populations of snag and cavity users. Limited road acaeee. Manage the commercial timber resource to its potential yield while providing forage for domestic liveetoak and wildlife grazing. Manage the oamercial timber resource to its potential yield while providing forage for domestic livestock and wildlife graning. Maintain and enhance elk habitat. Maintain isilJ life habitat that will provide for viable populations of snag and cavity users. Provide opportunities for semi remote recreation experiences. allocates absolutely no acre age to activities that prohibit road construction or timber harvest. According to the draft statement, "all roadless Cont. on page 10 ! Mixed Scotch Doubles i Tournament January 19 & 20 Friday 7 p.m. Saturday 5 p.m. & 8 p.m. $ 1 000 Entry Fee Per Couple Cash only once with same partner All entrants use highest average 21 games or more for 1978-79 season. Must Have An Established Average Bowlers Needed For Tuesday Night Ladies League For more information call HEPPNER BOWL 676-9200 Komi FIffil OMStlFlICtl!! 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New rooffsand repair off existing rooffs. Nojoh is too mall to handle. (5iF(&5(Q)SH Ken Fifield Constructitiii Co. Heppner, Oregon
