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
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-i-Mv;v vmVv . - -
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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
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OMStlFlICtl!!
Specializing In
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t J
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W m& i
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" 7
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Off
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IT? "D Tr TT
ountry
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Dob a Collcon Doirnsfli
Store
WINTER HOURS
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Sunday 9:30 - 5:30
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After
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In Business 14 Years
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Call
Prime windows. .storm
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(5iF(&5(Q)SH
Ken Fifield
Constructitiii Co.
Heppner, Oregon