Showing posts with label Oregon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Oregon. Show all posts

Sunday, January 13, 2019

New Start for San Juan: Bear Essentials January 2019

News in the West











~~ Canyon Zephyr Editor Found Innocent of Defamation Charges

"We have great news today! If you remember, The Zephyr was sued by former Moab City Manager Rebecca Davidson and Tayo, Inc co-founder Tara Smelt in the fall of 2016. That lawsuit was dismissed by Judge Anderson in February, 2017, but Davidson and Smelt appealed to the Utah Court of Appeals. We had oral arguments in front of the Appeals Court this past September and we have just today received our ruling! The Appeals Court unanimously affirmed Judge Anderson's dismissal. The ruling is a fun read. Enjoy and Celebrate!

~~ CNN  Senator Cruz and Rep. Rooney Introduce Constitutional Amendment with Term Limits 

"The amendment, co-sponsored by Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), and David Perdue (R-Ga.), would restrict senators to two six-year terms and House members to three two-year terms. A similar amendment was proposed by Cruz in January of 2017."

~~Federal Judge Drops Suit Against SJC Auditor/ Clerk: Costs are High

~~ Trump: Pushes to Ramp up Logging on Public Lands

~~ Dixie Area Nat'l Parks Continue to Function with Local Financial Support

~~Federal Government Poor Manager of Nat'l Parks: States Could Do Better

"During the 2013 shutdown, under the Obama administration, the federal government took an especially punitive position. The administration sent armed government agents to shut down the parks. It sent in extra staff to erect barriers around some monuments — monuments funded by private trusts — such as the World War II memorial in Washington, DC."


   

   ~~Who is Funding the Sunrise Movement, and their Anti-Fuels Agenda

"Linking Movements: Newly released information on the deep-pocketed backers of the growing Sunrise Movement behind the "Green New Deal" reveals that the new push in Congress is being funded by the same donors supporting climate litigation. Both the Rockefeller Family Fund and the Wallace Global Fund provide substantial financial support to EarthRightsInternational (ERI), the Washington, D.C.-based non-profit representing Boulder County, Boulder City and San Mateo County in their lawsuit against ExxonMobil and Suncor, as Western Wire reported, and now we've learned that these same foundations provided the initial funding for Sunrise."

~~ Earth Rights International Role Training Indigenous People

~~ Nature Conservancy Acting as Fed. Government's Real Estate Agent?

"The $1.025 million transaction also sheds light on the threat to traditional rural Western communities posed by one of Capitol Hill’s most insidious slush funds, the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). Created in 1964, the LWCF was originally supposed to help states develop planning for recreation areas and related facilities. But over the decades the LWCF has morphed into a piggy-bank in which deep-pocketed environmental groups collaborate with wealthy, and often, out-of-state landowners flip land to the federal government."

Friday, July 21, 2017

Oregon's Owyhee Basin Stewardship Coalition Meets with Zinke


We wanted to let you know that on July 15, Owyhee Basin Stewardship Coalition board (Oregon) member and vice chairman, Mark Mackenzie joined me in Medford for a meeting with U.S. Department of Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and Congressman Greg Walden.

We were unsure how much time we would have with these two men, but the OBSC decided it was worth the risk, so we made the trip. I am more than thrilled to report that it was time well spent!
 
Mark and I had a good 15 minutes or more, talking one-on-one with Secretary Zinke about the issues and threats we face in Malheur County, which he had already read in the report we supplied his staffers before his trip. Mark and I were very impressed with his approach on doing what is right, regardless of the threat of litigation. As he put it, and I will paraphrase his quote “…when you drain the swamp you uncover the serpents and they are mad, they come fighting back." From where I stand, I think they have met their match!
 
As a former Navy Seal Commander, Zinke has a mindset and demeanor that is ready to really lead the U.S. Dept. of the Interior, and he will lead it in the same manner that he did as a great military leader. He is tackling with a vengeance like we’ve never seen before including issues like the wild horse, Equal Access to Justice, the Antiquities Act, the Endangered Species Act, WSAs and water rights. After talking with him, we believe he is laying the ground work to restructure the BLM, which we all know desperately needs to happen.
 
We left the evening feeling very optimistic and we are sure that Secretary Zinke will not forget us. Mark invited him to visit us in Malheur County and the OBSC board members will be working to facilitate this visit, hopefully this fall. We will keep you posted when we get more details.
 
We would be remiss to not mention how gracious and helpful Congressman Walden has been in our new direction and effort. We spoke with him while in Medford and we are fortunate to have his friendship and support. Congressman Walden is ready to work with us on a plan to insure stability for Malheur County and all of us, as members of the OBSC, we should be proud to be a part of this great effort.

We will continue to keep you updated as we make progress moving forward.


Steve Russell
OBSC Chairman

Wednesday, October 19, 2016

‘Monumentalism’ – BLM Land Grab Via Misuse Of Antiquities Act in Oregon

The Federal Bureau of Land Management intends to double the size of the current 66,000-acre Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument by securing an additional 64,000 acres of existing public and some private lands — including some O&C lands (Oregon and California Railroad Revested Lands) from Oregon and about 10,000 acres from Northern California — via executive order of President Obama.
This would severely effect the traditional and customary uses of all these acquired lands, and would ultimately affect all recreational sports, including hunting.
Environmentalists at and around Southern Oregon University apparently were given special notice of the meeting ahead of other key stakeholders and opponents to the proposed massive expansion, and the environmentalists organized well in advance, even telling their supporters to wear blue. They are now using the flawed science regarding “climate change” to help justify what amounts to just another public land grab by the BLM.