HELLS CANYON — Idaho farmers who rely on Snake River water for irrigation fear they could one day be stuck with a $1 billion-plus bill for a plan by the State of Oregon to help endangered fish.

As a condition of relicensing Idaho Power Co.’s three Hells Canyon dams on the Idaho-Oregon border, Oregon leaders have proposed reintroducing endangered steelhead trout and salmon into Pine Creek, which originates in Oregon and spills into the Snake River upstream of Hells Canyon Dam. Under Oregon’s draft Clean Water Act certification proposal, Idaho Power would be expected to trap the fish upstream of the dam and truck them for release downstream, enabling them to migrate to the Pacific Ocean.

Marilyn Fonseca, hydropower program coordinator for the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, said her state has developed a phased-in fish reintroduction plan spanning two decades and would expand into other tributaries based on the experience at Pine Creek. Fonseca said Oregon considers fish passage to be an integral part of meeting the state’s own U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-approved water-quality standards.

Should Oregon eventually reintroduce steelhead and salmon in tributaries upstream of the nearby Brownlee Dam, endangered fish would have access to a broad reach of the Snake River through Idaho, forcing the state to manage the system for the new endangered species. That would raise the bar on water-quality standards and place additional demands on the river’s fully allocated storage and natural-flow water rights. Snake River water users upstream predict they’d face a cascade of new expenses and regulations.

“It’s not a reach to say this could potentially impact every use of water in Southern and Eastern Idaho,” said Norm Semanko, the outgoing executive director of the Idaho Water Users Association. The association represents nearly all of the water users in the state.

Attorney Al Barker, who represents Boise Valley and Owyhee Reservoir water users, objects that Oregon’s draft certification would allow that state to unilaterally make decisions on introducing endangered fish into tributaries of a shared waterway.

Even if Oregon were to limit fish reintroduction to Pine Creek, Barker said irrigators could face new requirements to improve water quality and augment flows for the benefit of salmon and steelhead in the Hells Canyon Reservoir.

“There are consequences that need to be addressed and thought through that Oregon is not taking into account,” Barker said.

Caught in the middle of the dispute is Idaho Power, which has been working nearly 15 years to relicense the three dams that produce nearly one-third of its power portfolio and could be forced to comply with conflicting Idaho and Oregon Clean Water Act certifications.

Idaho officials saw the potential for a battle over fish reintroduction as far back as 2003, when Idaho Power first applied for a new federal license to operate the Hells Canyon dams. The legislature passed laws requiring its blessing — and the governor’s — before fish and wildlife could be introduced within Idaho’s borders. But legislators envisioned they’d be grappling with the federal government, not a neighboring state.

“This is pretty unprecedented,” said Sam Eaton, legal counsel and deputy administrator of the Idaho Governor’s Office of Species Conservation. “Does one state veto the other state? As far as my understanding, from discussions and research, there’s really nothing like this.”

In response to Oregon’s plan, the Idaho Legislature recently updated its laws, clarifying that Idaho’s primacy over introduction of wildlife within its borders applies to other states in addition to the federal government.

In a more symbolic gesture, the Legislature also passed a joint memorial expressing its opposition to fish reintroduction due to the “drastic impacts on irrigated agriculture, industry, water supply and electric generation.”

Eaton said he is encouraged that Idaho Gov. Butch Otter and Oregon Gov. Kate Brown have begun negotiating to resolve their states’ differences. But they’ll have to work quickly. The deadline to complete the Clean Water Act certifications is July 29.

They must be issued by each state’s department of environmental quality. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission — an independent agency that regulates the interstate transmission of electricity — won’t be allowed to make any changes to the certifications, and Idaho Power will be obliged to follow them both.

“We’ve finally got everybody at the table who needs to be at the table,” Eaton said. “It’s not that Oregon is backing off of (reintroduction) or anything like that, but I think they might be reassessing priorities about where they want to focus their efforts.”

Brian Hockaday, a spokesman for Brown, said the governor is committed to collaborating with Idaho to resolve the issue, and conversations are ongoing.

“We’re considering all viable options and taking a look at new approaches,” said Hockaday, who declined to offer details of possible compromises.

Several years ago, Semanko’s association commissioned an economic impact study of a federal proposal to reintroduce another endangered species, bull trout, into southwest Idaho tributaries of the Snake River. The study estimated the reintroduction would cost irrigators upward of $1 billion to make improvements such as retrofitting infrastructure with fish screens to keep the protected fish out of diversions.

Semanko considers the estimate to be conservative if applied to Oregon’s planned salmon and steelhead reintroduction, which could impact an even wider geographical area.

“The cost is just astronomical,” Semanko said. “I think it’s interesting that we haven’t heard a single retort or rebuttal to the notion that if these fish are reintroduced above Hells Canyon, there would be major Endangered Species Act and Clean Water Act requirements placed upon the residents, farmers, businesses and industries in Southern and Eastern Idaho.”

Idaho’s Committee of Nine, which represents watermasters of the major federal irrigation projects on the Upper Snake River, and the Idaho Irrigation Pumpers Association have also come out against reintroduction.

Lynn Tominaga, executive director of the groundwater users’ organization, worries about power rate increases for irrigators, based on Idaho Power’s estimate that it would cost more than $100 million for a system to capture the salmon and transport them for release below Hells Canyon Dam.

Irrigators say they are already boosting the river’s flow to help salmon below the dams. Jerry Rigby, an attorney for the Committee of Nine, emphasized Upper Snake irrigators reached an agreement with the Nez Perce Tribe in 2004 requiring them to release water, according to a formula based on the supply outlook, to help salmon below the Hells Canyon dams.

“We are already stretched to our absolute limit to do flow augmentation with the flushing flows,” Rigby said.

Kevin Lewis, executive director of Idaho Rivers United, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving Idaho waterways, contends reintroduction into Pine Creek would have little impact on Idaho, given that the fish would be confined by dams to Hells Canyon Reservoir. He also believes poor water quality incapable of supporting salmon and steelhead upstream of the Hells Canyon dams relegates expansion of reintroduction into other tributaries to a longterm possibility, at best.

“Oregon realizes they have a tributary that’s healthy, and they’re entitled as part of their water-quality certification to take that step,” Lewis said.

On Nov. 23, 2016, Idaho Power filed a petition asking FERC to intervene and resolve the dispute.

Idaho Power argued that the so-called Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution pre-empts Oregon from imposing the fish passage requirements on Idaho Power. FERC dismissed the petition on Jan. 19, deciding the request was premature.

Idaho Power spokesman Brad Bowlin said the company has since filed a motion asking FERC to reconsider its stance, but the issue remains on hold, as FERC has only two active commissioners and lacks a quorum. But Bowlin said the company remains hopeful negotiations between the Oregon and Idaho governors will bear fruit.

“That would be best for everybody concerned if we can find some middle ground,” Bowlin said.

FERC has also concluded that the current water quality in the Snake upstream of the dams is too poor for salmon and steelhead survival. Bowlin said Idaho Power has invested millions annually to mitigate for the impacts of its dams and has already launched water-quality improvement initiatives with relicensing in mind.

Ralph Myers, Idaho Power’s water quality program manager, said the company’s proposed Snake River Stewardship Program would seek to improve water quality along a 30-mile stretch of river from Swan Falls Dam to Homedale, west of Nampa in southwestern Idaho. The plan would be carried out over roughly 25 years. The project would deepen and narrow the river to increase flow velocities and decrease temperatures. Silt would be applied to shallow areas of the river by the banks — where the water flow slows and warms — creating seasonal floodplains.

Idaho Power tested the feasibility of the approach last fall, dredging a small portion of the river and applying silt to expand Bayha Island, located 5 miles downstream from Swan Falls Dam. Myers said Idaho Power also hopes to work with private landowners to plant trees and vegetation to shade about 150 miles of tributaries in the region.

He said the company is also working to convert landowners in the Grand View area south of Boise from flood irrigation to sprinkler systems to keep sediment out of the river. They’ll also be bringing in fresh gravel — which is critical for the life cycle of fish and supporting aquatic insects — in reaches where gravel has been bound by silt.

Idaho Power has also partnered with the Riverside Irrigation District to switch irrigators to high-phosphorus water from some tributaries to reduce nutrient inflows into the Snake.

Jim Chandler, Idaho Power fisheries program supervisor, said the company also invests $5 million annually in its hatchery program. The company stocks 1.8 million steelhead, 3 million spring chinook salmon, 1 million summer chinook salmon and 1 million fall chinook salmon per year.

But Lewis, with Idaho Rivers United, considers hatchery fish to be a poor substitute for their wild counterparts.

SALEM — A proposal to allow local governments in Oregon to regulate genetically engineered crops has died in the House but the battle remains alive in the Senate.

Oregon lawmakers prohibited most local governments from restricting seed in 2013, but Senate Bill 1037 would exempt genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, from that statewide pre-emption law.

A similar proposal, House Bill 2469, failed to survive a recent legislative deadline in the House Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources.

However, Senate Bill 1037 was timely scheduled for a work session on April 12 before the Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, which is chaired by Sen. Mike Dembrow, D-Portland, the bill’s chief sponsor.

While committee members didn’t take action on SB 1037, they did hear conflicting testimony about the right to self-determination among local governments versus the efficiency of statewide agricultural rules.

“We’re asking for flexibility in Oregon,” said Mary Middleton, director of Oregonians for Safe Farms and Families, a group that supported a ballot initiative banning GMOs in Josephine County.

While voters in Josephine County voted in favor of the GMO ban in 2014, a state judge has ruled the ordinance is pre-empted by state law.

Middleton urged the committee members to “honor the will of the people” by passing SB 1037, which would retroactively make Josephine County’s ordinance effective.

Proponents of SB 1037 argued that lawmakers passed the statewide pre-emption on local seed rules with the understanding that Oregon regulators would step into the breach, but that hasn’t materialized.

“Our farms remain at risk of contamination because the state has not put any protections in place,” said Carol Valentine, a Josephine County resident.

The Association of Oregon Counties opposes SB 1037 because genetic engineering is a complex issue best left to the state government, said Mike McArthur, the group’s executive director.

“This is not the proper role for a county government to be engaged in,” he said.

Lawmakers created an exception to the 2013 pre-emption bill for Jackson County, which already had a GMO ban proposal on its ballot at that point.

McArthur said the government of Jackson County is nonetheless not enforcing the GMO ban due to a lack of resources.

Craig Pope, a Polk County commissioner, said he sympathizes with the organic farming community but said county governments need to focus on public safety and other key services.

“Continuing to hammer at pre-emption is not going to solve this problem,” Pope said.

The economic threat of cross-pollination among organic, conventional and GMO crops was also debated at the April 12 hearing.

Buyers of organic seed have no tolerance for traces of biotech traits, so the risk posed by GMO crops is a “one way street” that can only damage organic growers, said Don Tipping, an organic producer in Southern Oregon.

“For us, this is an economic issue,” he said.

Helle Ruddenklau, a seed grower in Polk County who opposed SB 1037, said the problem of cross-pollination isn’t limited to GMO crops, but farmers find ways to resolve the issue.

For example, if a neighbor is planting a related seed crop, Ruddenklau establishes a buffer strip to distance her crop from the pollen, she said.

“That’s a financial burden for us, but it’s a cost of being a certified seed grower in Oregon,” she said.

PORTLAND — Urban-rural divide? Nothing like a bottle of wine to close the gap.

Between 375 and 400 people attended the annual Portland Grand Tasting put on by the Columbia Gorge Winegrowers Association, which has set its sights on attracting consumers from the big city. Extending from Hood River on the Oregon side east to Maryhill on the Washington side, the region markets itself as an alternative to the much better known Willamette Valley wine destinations.

“A lot of people are familiar with Newberg, Dayton and McMinnville, but we feel we’re almost easier to get to and definitely a beautiful drive,” said Debby Mudler, executive coordinator of the winegrowers association. “We’re right in Portland’s backyard.”

The drive east up the gorge from Portland is known for its spectacular scenery, and the transition from wet Western Oregon and Washington to the dry east side of both states is on full display in the space of 40 miles. The climate goes from about 36 inches of rain a year in Hood River to perhaps 10 at the eastern edge of the winegrowing region. That change is played out in the grapes as well, Mudler said.

“You can see it as you’re driving and taste it in the wines,” she said.

The Willamette Valley, of course, is known for its Pinot noir and Chardonnay, but the gorge grows 41 varietals and produces a wide selection of white and red wines. The area has grown rapidly as a wine-producing region, and now has 90 to 100 vineyards covering 1,300 acres, and is closing in on 40 wineries, Mudler said.

Tourists originally attracted by water sports and hiking in the gorge are discovering the wineries along the way, she said. “More and more, we’re bringing people out to do wine tasting as a destination,” she said.

The region’s next targeted market may be Seattle, she said.

SALEM — Irrigators would be required to install devices to measure their water usage in Oregon under a bill that’s won approval from an initial legislative committee.

The House Committee on Energy and the Environment voted 7-1 in favor of a “do pass” recommendation for House Bill 2705 during an April 11 work session.

However, the bill won’t immediately be voted on by the full House. It has first been referred to the House Rules Committee, where bills aren’t subject to the same legislative deadlines for action as regular committees.

Proponents of HB 2705 argue the measuring requirement is necessary for the Oregon Water Resources Department to effectively manage the state’s 89,000 water rights.

Farm and irrigator groups are opposed to the bill, arguing that water devices will be expensive to install and will overwhelm OWRD with data that it lacks the resources to analyze.

The committee delayed taking action on two other measures related to water: House Bill 2706, which imposes a $100 annual fee on all water rights, and HB 2707, which appropriates an unspecified amount of money for additional groundwater studies.

A work session on those two bills was rescheduled for April 12.

Ramesh Sagili, an Oregon State University assistant professor who studies honeybee health, was honored for his work during the annual meeting of the Pacific branch of the Entomological Society of America.

Sagili won an award for his work on insect physiology, biochemistry and toxicology. A dozen other West Coast scientists also received awards during the ESA’s gathering in Portland the first week of April.

Sagili is an assistant professor and Extension specialist in the horticulture department of OSU’s College of Agricultural Sciences. He directs the honeybee lab and master beekeeper program at OSU, and is among a cadre of researchers who are attempting to solve the mystery of Colony Collapse Disorder, which has wiped out many hives nationwide.

Originally from India, Sagili earned a doctorate in entomology from Texas A&M University in 2007 and was hired at OSU in 2009 after beekeepers and farmers pressed the Legislature to fund honeybee research. While some blame colony collapse on causes ranging from pesticides to cell phones, Sagili has maintained that a variety of factors are more likely, including the presence of parasites. He believes nutrition is key to bee health.

Pollination is critical to West Coast crops, and beekeepers truck thousands of hives to California beginning each January. They move hives north as crops blossom in rotation, beginning with almond orchards and on into berries, tree fruit and seed crops.

Low temperatures have slowed the growth of Oregon’s crops this spring, at least compared to recent years, while high moisture levels have impeded the state’s farmers.

Crop development in the Willamette Valley, for example, is roughly a month behind 2016 and 2015, according to “degree day” data compiled by Oregon State University.

Degree days represent the accumulated average daily temperatures above a certain threshold — 41 degrees Fahrenheit for many crops — necessary for plant growth.

However, crop development in 2017 is actually close to the usual average. The previous two springs were simply much warmer than typical, according to OSU.

“Even though it’s been quite cool compared to the last couple years, we’re still around the 30-year normal,” said Len Coop, associate director of OSU’s Integrated Plant Protection Center.

Meanwhile, precipitation across Oregon has been 20-47 percent above average during the current water year, which began last autumn, according to USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Saturated soils have prevented farmers from applying fertilizers and pesticides or planting vegetables and other annual crops, experts say.

“You’ve got this complication of all the work backing up,” said Tom Peerbolt, a berry crop consultant and founder of Peerbolt Crop Management.

Soggy ground and strong winds knocked over a large oak tree at a ranch near Elkton, Ore., killing two cows owned by Ed Cooley.

Cooley said he realized something had gone wrong when his electric fence failed, which led him to the fallen tree and five cows trapped beneath.

While two were crushed to death, Cooley managed to rescue the other three by removing limbs with a chain saw.

“The cows were pretty calm about it,” he said.

Plentiful rainfall tends to encourage fungal diseases like scab in apples, but low temperatures suppress the emergence of pests, such as the spotted wing drosophila and brown marmorated stink bug, said Coop.

The spotted wing drosophila needs a higher temperature threshold — 50 degrees Fahrenheit — to develop than many crops, so right now, the insect’s populations are lagging plant growth, he said.

The pest would still be at a disadvantage if the weather quickly shifts to being hot and dry, but mild temperatures would allow it to thrive, Coop said.

“They could catch up later on,” he said.

Rainy weather during blueberry bloom reduces bee activity, which could hurt pollination, though the problem is still speculative at this point, said Peerbolt.

Dampness is also conducive to mummy berry, a fungal disease, which is tough to combat with fungicides when windows of appropriate spraying weather are scarce, he said.

“It increases the risks of fungal disease pressure down the road,” Peerbolt said.

The pace of field work is sluggish this spring for growers of sweet peas, which could delay planting of other crops, such as corn and green beans, said Dan Fitzner, scheduling manager for the NORPAC food processing cooperative.

If NORPAC’s processing volume is dominated by sweet peas, that prevents the company from switching to those other crops, he said. Effectively, that means planting of other crops must be delayed or acreage of sweet peas must be decreased.

“It could be a problem if it keeps up like this,” he said.

Some Oregon crops can benefit from the dreary spring.

Perennial ryegrass, a major seed crop in the Willamette Valley, generally performs better in cooler, wetter weather, said Tom Chastain, an OSU seed crop physiology professor.

Rust disease tends to be more problematic on perennial ryegrass and tall fescue — another common grass seed crop — during warmer and drier springs, since the reproductive cycle of the fungus is sped up, Chastain said.

However, annual ryegrass, which is generally planted in poorly drained soils, won’t be helped by the generous rainfall, he said.

The cool spring is a delayed effect of the La Nina climate pattern, which is associated with low Pacific Ocean temperatures, said Coop.

“Every time a La Nina comes around, this is what we expect,” he said.

According to long-term forecasts, though, temperatures are expected to become higher than average later in spring, Coop said.

“The normal seasonal pattern should kick in pretty soon,” he said.

BANDON -- "Celebrating Differences" is the theme for this year's Will and Celia Piehl Youth Poetry Contest.

LANGLOIS -- An evening with prize-winning novelist Molly Gloss, a well-known Oregon author, will be presented at 7 p.m. Saturday, May 6, at the old Langlois Cheese Factory.

BANDON -- "Celebrating Differences" is the theme for this year's Will and Celia Piehl Youth Poetry Contest.

BANDON - A strong storm hit the South Coast and Southern Oregon Thursday night and lasted throughout the day Friday, causing widespread power outages, downed trees, damage to brush and other vegetation as well as minor property damage in the…

Capital Press

SALEM — Oregon had only two more confirmed wolves at the end of 2016 than it did the year before, a growth rate the state wildlife department described as “weak” and a sharp drop from the 27 to 36 percent growth rates the previous three years.

The state visually documented 112 wolves at the end of 2016, according to ODFW’s annual report. At the end of 2015, Oregon had 110 confirmed wolves.

Department spokeswoman Michelle Dennehy acknowledged the low population gain but said ODFW is not concerned.

“It’s one year, one data point, based on what we saw,” she said. “It’s not a trend of growth rates decreasing.”

Russ Morgan, ODFW’s wolf program manager, said the weak population gain is a “byproduct of our counting methodology,” in which wolves aren’t counted without a confirmed sighting. He called that method “very conservative.”

“You get what you get,” he said. “It’s not the actual population, but the actual minimum. You know there can’t be fewer.”

In the future, the department may rely more on pack counts than on breeding pair counts, he said, and include population estimates based on known birth rates and other information.

Oregon Wild, a conservation group long involved in wolf management issues, holds an opposite view.

In a prepared statement, Conservation Director Steve Pedery noted the report shows population growth is “stalled” and the number of breeding pairs and packs declined from 2015.

“This raises troubling questions about ODFW’s continuing drive to pursue hunting and trapping,” Pedery said. Oregon Wild and other activists believe the state may ultimately allow hunting of wolves, as it does cougars and bears.

The ODFW report lists several reasons why the wolf count is low, including disease.

Blood samples taken from wolves commonly show high rates of exposure to parvovirus; the same is true of domestic dogs, said Morgan, the ODFW wolf program manager. But in 2016, 68 percent of samples taken were positive for a specific marker that shows active or recent infections. Parvovirus can increase pup mortality rates, which would affect short-term population growth rates. However, the report indicates the finding is not expected to impact the wolf population long-term.

Another possibility is what the report calls known or unknown “human-caused” mortality. Seven wolves are known to have been killed during the year, including four by ODFW itself. The department shot members of the Imnaha Pack, including longtime alpha wolf OR-4, in March 2016. The wolves had attacked and eaten or injured calves and sheep in private pastures five times that spring.

Meanwhile, Oregon State Police continue to investigate two other wolf killings, and one wolf was legally shot by a herder when it was caught in the act attacking livestock.

Other reasons for the small population gain may include “decreased breeder success, diseases affecting pup survival, and dispersal out-of-state,” according to the report.

Dennehy, the ODFW spokeswoman, said the 2016 count was hindered by severe winter weather that grounded observation flights at times. Wolves may have been present but not counted, the ODFW report says.

Also in the report:

• Depredation investigations confirmed wolves killed 11 calves, seven sheep, one goat and a llama in 2016, compared to three calves, 10 sheep and a herding or guard dog in 2015.

• The state distributed $129,664 to 13 counties to compensate producers for dead, injured or missing livestock and to pay for prevention and deterrence programs. About $5,000 of the amount was for grant administration.

The population numbers are part of a draft wolf management plan that will be considered by the ODFW Commission at two public hearings this spring: April 21 in Klamath Falls and May 19 in Portland.

Wednesday, April 12

Multiple irrigators claim the federal government’s plans for two Klamath-area national wildlife refuges unlawfully restrict farmed acres and agricultural practices.

In the final days of the Obama administration, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued plans for managing several refuges in the Klamath basin over the next 15 years.

The Tulelake Irrigation District, Klamath Water Users Association, Tulelake Growers Association and three private farms have now filed a complaint against the agency, arguing that plans for the Tule Lake and Lower Klamath refuges violate federal laws.

The plaintiffs have asked a federal judge to overturn the management plans and impose an injunction against the farming restrictions.

“The likely effects of this shift in management will be noxious weed growth on fallowed or non-irrigated lands, wind erosion of dry topsoils, as well as detrimental social, and economic effects, all without any benefit to migrating waterfowl,” the complaint said. “Further, it would be false to assume that less agriculture will result in more water for waterfowl or wetland habitat. Indeed, the approximate is true: less agriculture will result in less water, more noxious weeds, less wetland habitat, and less food resources for waterfowl.”

Capital Press was unable to reach a representative of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as of press time.

National wildlife refuges in the region have long been leased for agricultural production, allow farmers without land of their own to plant crops and expand their businesses, according to plaintiffs.

Farmers leave a portion of grain crops for waterfowl to eat and cooperate with scientists to develop innovative “wildlife-friendly farming practices” on the leased refuge acres, the complaint said.

Under the management plans issued in January, growers leasing land in the Tule Lake and Lower Klamath refuges would be subject to numerous stipulations, such as prohibitions on post-harvest field work and genetically engineered crops, the complaint said.

The government plans also to restrict alfalfa harvests, require farmland to be flooded over winter and disallow hazing of waterfowl during tilling and planting in late winter and early spring, the plaintiffs allege.

“These stipulations would or may reduce agricultural acreage and increase the number of unharvested acres of land that remain in agriculture, as well as impair the ability to productively farm on the lease lands,” the complaint said.

According to the plaintiffs, these plans violate legislation passed by Congress in 1964, known as the Kuchel Act, which requires the Fish and Wildlife Service to “continue the present pattern of leasing” of property within the refuges.

The lawsuit also claims the government insufficiently studied the “direct and indirect adverse environmental effects” of the restrictions, while failing to show they actually helped waterfowl.

Aside from the irrigators’ complaint, the U.S. Fish and Wildife Service is also contending with a lawsuit filed by environmentalists who claim the agency unlawfully lets farmers use pesticides on leased refuge acres.

WINSTON, Ore. — Radio collared wolves have been monitored in the southern Cascades Mountains of Oregon and officials agree it won’t be long before multiple packs take up residence in those mountains, in the Siskiyou Mountains and probably in the Coast Range.

That was part of the message delivered by state and federal officials during a presentation April 6 at the annual Douglas County Livestock’s Spring Livestock Conference. A timeline is not being predicted for the permanent settlement of the four-legged animal in Western Oregon, but there was consensus that they are quietly venturing west from northeastern Oregon packs.

“Wolves are on their way, the growth curve of their population shows that,” Tod Lum, the Douglas District wildlife biologist for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, said to the audience of about 50 livestock producers.

“It’s just a matter of time before they get here,” said Paul Wolf, the supervisor of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services program in Douglas County.

“It’ll just take a little bit of time,” he added, knocking on wood.

The Rogue pack to the south of Crater Lake is established. Wolves have also been monitored in the Keno, Ore., area and three radio collared wolves have been monitored traveling through the southern Cascades south of LaPine, Ore., and into the Siskyous in California.

More recently, the OR33 wolf was reportedly seen near the Lemolo Lake-Highway 138 junction in the Cascades in eastern Douglas County last year. Then last October, a wolf, possibly OR33, was seen about 10 miles east of Roseburg, Ore. Those are considered “credible, but good unconfirmed sightings,” according to Lum. To be a credible sighting, the animal or physical evidence must be photographed and turned into an ODFW office.

Western Oregon ranchers are concerned about the arrival of wolves because they’ll be one more possible predator on their livestock, especially targeting newborn calves and lambs. Ranchers must already deal with coyotes, cougars, bears, eagles and ravens.

Veril Nelson, a cattle rancher east of Sutherlin, Ore., and co-chairman of the Oregon Cattlemen’s Association wolf committee, said one of the OCA’s biggest concerns is that in Western Oregon the wolf remains protected by the federal Endangered Species Act and even if a wolf is seen killing a calf, there is nothing the rancher can do about it.

“The association would like to see the wolf taken off the endangered list,” he said, noting the animal is already off the state’s endangered list. “We’re going to be lobbying at the federal level for that.”

Nelson said the environmental groups “are pushing for and expressing they do not want wolves to be hunted, regardless of their population.” Nelson has seen photos of wolf attacks on calves and he describes it as “bite, bite, bite, bite and there’s nothing we can do about it.”

The Oregon Wolf Plan is currently being reviewed. Stakeholders in the wolf plan met in Salem, Ore., in March and made recommendations on how to revise the plan that was first written in 2008. Those recommendations will be presented to the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission at an April 21 meeting in Klamath Falls, Ore.

According to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, “The goal of the plan is to ensure the conservation of gray wolves as required by Oregon law while protecting the social and economic interests of all Oregonians. Minimizing wolf-livestock conflict and reducing livestock losses to wolves is an important part of the Wolf Plan.”

Suzanne Stone, the Northwest representative with Defenders of Wildlife and a resident of Boise, Idaho, was also a presenter at the conference. She emphasized to the ranchers the use of non-lethal methods to discourage wolves from having confrontations with livestock. Those methods include having guard dogs live with the livestock, removing bone and carcass piles that attract predators, using sirens and air horns, hanging streamers on fences and increasing human presence around the livestock.

“Some people are interested in using the methods and want to protect their livestock the best way they can and others say they just don’t want them (wolves) here,” Stone said. “I think they will expand here, but probably not into urbanized areas. Wolves tend to avoid human contact.

“Western Oregon is going through the same thing Idaho and Montana did regarding wolves,” she said. “There’s so much misinformation out there about wolves. Don’t get waylaid and waste a lot of time and energy on rumors. Focus and work on preventive measures.”

Nelson said in some situations those non-lethal methods should be used, but “no tool is going to work for very long because those predators are smart and will adjust to get what they want.” He also emphasized that even if wolves don’t kill livestock, the predators can stress the domestic animals into lower conception rates and weight loss.

Nelson said he would be attending the April 21 Fish and Wildlife Commission meeting in Klamath Falls and added that he hoped other livestock associations would also have representatives there.

Tuesdays

SOUTH COAST — School districts on the South Coat are confused.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12

SALEM — A proposal to make lawsuits over alleged pesticide damages easier to file in Oregon has died along with several other bills that could have impacted agriculture.

Senate Bill 500 wasn’t scheduled for a work session as of April 7, killing the legislation.

Under current law, anybody who claims to be harmed by pesticides must submit a report within 60 days to the Oregon Department of Agriculture before taking legal action against the landowner or applicator.

Senate Bill 500 would have removed the requirement, which was characterized by proponents as an unfair impediment to justice and by critics as a reasonable barrier to frivolous litigation.

Critics of the bill argued the reporting requirement allows ODA to gather facts substantiating or repudiating the claims of pesticide loss, thus avoiding litigation based on weak or nonexistent evidence.

The 60-day window also ensures that accused farmers have an opportunity to collect evidence, which may not be possible if a lawsuit is filed long after an alleged incident, opponents said.

Supporters of SB 500, on the other hand, said the “report of loss” requires submitting specifics that are difficult for people to obtain, such as the type of pesticide applied and who sprayed the chemical.

Rural residents who are exposed to pesticides often won’t realize they must submit a report to ODA, according to proponents.

If they find out about the 60-day deadline too late, residents are then permanently blocked from seeking legal recourse, supporters said.

The April 7 deadline, which lawmakers set early in the legislative session, also marked the death of other farm-related proposals:

• Senate Bill 499 would have changed Oregon’s “right to farm” law to exclude pesticide usage. The statute currently protects common agricultural practices from lawsuits over nuisance and trespass, but SB 499 would have specifically allowed litigation over pesticide use.

• Senate Bill 198 would have established an Independent Science Review Board to analyze controversial decisions by state agencies, such as wolf management or restrictions on genetically engineered crops. Representatives of natural resources industries objected to SB 198, arguing that such a panel would create another layer of bureaucracy without ensuring objectivity.

• Senate Bill 866 would have held cities liable for discharging pollutants in stormwater into irrigation canals without permission. Supporters claimed SB 866 was necessary for irrigators to comply with environmental laws, but municipal governments said the bill would unrealistically require them to collect and divert all the rainwater falling within their boundaries.

• House Bill 2180 would allow workers with unpaid wage complaints to file liens against the property of their employers. Supporters of HB 2180 said the proposal would prevent employers from transferring assets to another entity to avoid paying unpaid wages. Critics countered that such liens could disrupt business transactions even without proving any wrongdoing by an employer.

• House Bill 2181 would have created a “rebuttable presumption” that employers unlawfully retaliated against workers who were fired within 90 days of filing an unpaid wage claim. Employers argued that under HB 2181 they’d be considered guilty until proven innocent.

• House Bill 2365 would have created a task force to study transferring federal land to state ownership. Such transfers are opposed by environmental groups that say state government wouldn’t be able to afford the upkeep of such lands, forcing their sale to private parties.

• House Bill 3016 would prohibit discrimination by county and city governments against any specific type of livestock in zones where livestock are generally allowed. Critics of HB 3016 worried the bill would prompt local governments to make more zones livestock-free.

An early warning system for earthquakes is expanding to Oregon and Washington — thanks to a group of universities and government agencies.

California has had the “ShakeAlert” system for a couple of years. And depending on where an earthquake hits, it can give nearby cities a warning of up to a minute or two. That’s enough for a train to stop, a lift to open, or for people to get out of a building.

University of Oregon professor Doug Toomey said a small network of sensors is now installed in Oregon and Washington, so an earthquake can be distinguished from, for example, a passing truck.

Toomey said a full network would cost about $38 million.

“It’s being rolled out slowly because we don’t have that amount of funds yet,” he said. “We’ve been lobbying at the federal and state levels over the past several years to increase the funding for ShakeAlert.”

The hope is that in the future, there will be enough sensors to justify a phone app so the general public can get earthquake warnings.

Some public utilities like EWEB in Eugene have bought their own sensors — so they can switch off dams and generators during a big shake.

HERMISTON, Ore. — New name. New building. Same familiar faces.

Following the dissolution of Pendleton Grain Growers last year, fellow agricultural co-op Mid Columbia Producers has arrived in Umatilla County to carry on the former PGG fuel division, setting up shop at a new location in Hermiston.

Based in Moro, Mid Columbia Producers was established in 1988 with the merger of two neighboring cooperatives. Mid Columbia purchased PGG Energy last December, which delivers gasoline and diesel to customers as well as bulk and packaged lubes.

The sale did not include PGG propane, which went instead to Morrow County Grain Growers — effectively splitting PGG Energy into two companies.

All 16 PGG Energy employees did keep their jobs, including Bryan Bailey, who spent 27 years with PGG and oversaw the entire fuel operation. Bailey now heads up the eastern fuel division for Mid Columbia from their new satellite office in Hermiston.

“It has been a very smooth transition,” Bailey said. “Customer retention has been very high.”

For years, PGG Energy was located on Southwest Dorion Avenue in Pendleton next to the main co-op offices and retail store. But that building was never included as part of the sale, which left Mid Columbia looking for a new venue.

“Initially we wanted to stay in Pendleton,” Bailey said. “But we could not find a building that suited what we needed.”

After searching around Pendleton for several weeks, Bailey said they found the perfect spot at 345 N. First Place in Hermiston, which used to house Stoneway Electric Supply. Bailey said the space is plenty big, which will allow them to expand their selection and volume.

For one thing, Bailey said Mid Columbia will introduce a multitude of new fuel suppliers, and a larger supply chain means more competitive prices.

“The fuel business is a business of pennies,” he said. “Any advantage you can get with pricing really helps with your success.”

Mid Columbia is also part of the Pacific Pride and CFN networks, providing additional options for commercial fueling.

More than anything, Bailey said the retention of employees has allowed Mid Columbia to retain PGG customers. A lot of trust goes into building those relationships, and he said farmers are pleased to see the same truck drivers making their deliveries.

“It was very comforting to our customers that the faces they saw out there are the same,” Bailey said.

Jeff Kaser, Mid Columbia manager, said the co-op has steadily built its fuel business since 2011. Mid Columbia made a big splash in 2012, purchasing Bend Oil, and Kaser said PGG Energy was another good fit.

“We want to be in markets where farmers can benefit from doing business with us,” Kaser said.

As a fellow farmer-owned co-op, Kaser said Mid Columbia also shares the same values as PGG in terms of service and community involvement.

“If we can do that, we’ll be successful,” he said.

Nobody wanted to see PGG dissolve, Bailey said, but he is pleased with the direction of the business going forward.

“(PGG) put these businesses in the hands of people who can run them and continue to grow them,” Bailey said. “To me, that’s a success story.”