LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Thanks to The World editorial board for your July 18 editorial support of reporter Chelsea Davis.

Apparently unable to mount a successful argument against the content of published articles regarding the Coos Bay schools turmoil and the schools’ superintendent, the alleged husband of Coos Bay Schools Superintendent Granger crudely publicly attacks the messenger, not the message.  According to the editorial, Mr. Granger wrote that, in addition to reporter Davis being a moron and a hack, he suggests that the reporter’s personal life is lacking.  The World has publicly confronted and responded to Mr. Granger.

Tax paying Coos Bay citizens should be furious reading crap like that stated to have originated with the husband of our embattled schools superintendent.  Publicly posted notice to the people of this planet that reporter Davis “hasn’t been laid in a few years” and suggesting that being the cause for her less than acceptable (to Mr. Granger) reporting / writing skills is direct from the gutter.  It is clear that Granger’s message was intended as a personal attack on Ms. Davis character and was a not so veiled threat to Ms. Davis and intended to embarrass her.  It appears that the man has not learned that you don’t pick a fight with people who buy ink by the barrel.

How would you react if reporter Davis was your daughter; a recent college graduate with an entry level job; half a continent from home; just starting life’s journey; and she encountered the assault of an apparent frustrated male twice her age?

Mrs. Granger desires to be our public employee.  Constructive criticism of her job performance by those paying her salary is appropriate.  There was a terrific opportunity for a rapid response to the editorial by Mrs. Granger to show her character and distance herself from the abusive comments of her alleged husband.  Apparently, she chose silence.  And, she may be correct - a good time to keep your mouth closed is when you are in deep water.  This matter has been a test of the character of the schools superintendent and her reaction to the conduct of her husband will help determine if she should remain our employee.  Mrs. Granger’s letter of embarrassment by the acts of her husband and detailed apology to Ms. Davis published in this newspaper is overdue.  What say you Superintendent Granger?

Fred Kirby

Coos Bay

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July 28, 2015
   
The Mosquitoes Return to the Coquille Valley

  On July 16, the Coos County Vector Assessment & Control Advisory Committee held their regular monthly meeting on the Ni-les’tun Unit overlook at the Bandon Marsh National Wildlife Refuge, which is the small wooden platform with a plaque dedicated to longtime Oregon Congressman, Peter DeFazio.   

  At the meeting, the chair of the committee, Roger Straus, announced that the US Fish & Wildlife Service had their biologist regularly apply BTI larvacide to the marsh and that it is currently free of mosquitoes.  However, he also admitted that there has been a severe fly-off off the refuge on property located further into the Coquille Valley near Prosper Road over to Randall Road on Hwy 42S.  
 
The Service is blaming the failure of tide gates located on property within the infested area for the cause of the problem.   

  They suspect that remaining pools of water stagnated, enabling the perfect environment for breeding mosquitoes.  The agency has offered some of the landowners to bring in equipment to dredge the area for better drainage, but suspicions remain as to their real motives.  

  One reason is that the service’s own biologists relate the current infestation directly to the marsh expansion, which is contradictory to the main storyline.  
   
  In addition, over the last few years, several property owners have been seeking permission to replace aging tide gates and they claim that the government is not granting those permits.  
   
  Which agency is responsible for granting permits?  That is right, none other than the US Fish & Wildlife Service.  
   
  The belief of the new leadership on the refuge is that the government will have to expand the marsh to contain the burgeoning wildlife, which sounds like another excuse for a land grab.  The agency can only purchase land from “willing sellers,” and claim not to have the funds for the acquisitions.  
   
  What better way to create “willing sellers” than to deny them the permits for the gates knowing those actions will cause more mosquito infestations?  Moreover, because the infestation will be off the marsh the agency can deny culpability, while acting as savior when they come in with an offer to purchase.  
   
  To add insult to injury, Commissioner John Sweet, who is the liaison between the county and The Service, has been parroting the same message of obfuscation.  Mr. Sweet said in a conversation at the county fair, “that it seems unlikely that the mosquitoes in the valley are coming from the marsh.”  
   
  The commissioner is currently facing a recall for not supporting an ordinance to preserve the Second Amendment in Coos County.  His alliance with Fish & Wildlife and caviler attitude towards this latest controversy is a risky public relations tactic, especially since he risks the backlash of his constituents. 


Proving the point, The Committee to Recall John Sweet is having a campaign meeting in the Owen Building, 201 N. Adams Street, Coquille, Oregon on Friday, July 31, 2015 at 7:00 pm.  
  
  There are several reasons for the removal of John Sweet and the recall committee is inviting everyone to come out to the meeting this Friday to learn the petitioning process.  The experience will provide the basic knowledge needed to file future initiatives, recalls, or referenda and the ability to defend the people from bad officials and even worse political policies, no matter what ideology practiced.  Equally, the group will need all the help they can get to remove such an entrenched politician.      

  Rob Taylor is the founder of a local virtual network of activists, which is located on the internet at www.CoosCountyWatchdog.com.    

http://theworldlink.com/news/opinion/editorial/your-view-are-mosquitoes-an-excuse-for-a-land-grab/article_5319b07a-f940-59db-ab2d-65bb7b08bdba.html

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 Cribbins & Sweet Snub Second Amendment Supporters Again
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Coos County Mosquito Meeting Thursday June 18, 2015
Two Bills on Wetlands in Oregon Legislature SB544 Protects Landowners
BOC ~ Vector Control Meeting in North Bend Thursday March 12, 2015
Coos County Vector Control Committee ~ Mosquito Meeting February 12, 2015
ACTION ALERT ~ Bandon City Council Meeting Jan. 5, 2015 ~ Real Mosquito Report
Fred Messerle Bankrupting Beaver Slough Drainage District to Harass Neighbor  
ODFW ~ Permit for the Winter Lake/China Creek Project,  Messerle Named Manager  
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Did the Mayor of Bandon Lie to the People of Coos County? 

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

  Oregon Recalls Scrapped Following Lack Of Support From Republicans And NRA

Three out of four recall campaigns against Oregon legislators who helped pass universal background checks were scrapped earlier this month, having received zero support from mainstream Republicans and the NRA. A fourth recall is still in progress.

The recalls targeted four left-wing legislators who supported a bill requiring background checks on gun sales and private transfers between individuals. Gov. Kate Brown signed the bill into law on May 11.

Two of the recalls failed because they weren’t able to collect a sufficient number of signatures needed to generate a recall election. A third, against House Majority Leader Rep. Val Hoyle, was abandoned after Hoyle announced she would step down to explore a run for Secretary of State. A recall against Sen. Floyd Prozanski, chief sponsor of the background check bill, is still ongoing.

Organizers of the abandoned recalls blamed the failure on a lack of logistical and financial support from gun groups and Republicans. The state Republican Party reportedly told people not to help the recall efforts and may have deliberately tried to sabotage them. The NRA apparently offered to help but never delivered on the promise.

As one of the organizers told The Oregonian, “Everyone refused to work with us.”

It is unclear why Oregon Republicans were so unwilling to support efforts that would have given them a majority in the legislature. As for the NRA’s no show, one organizer blamed it on the organization’s complete inability to function on a state level. He wrote:

“The NRA response really felt like it was an organization that is just too big to function. I don’t think they have any sort of way to function on a state level. After repeated requests for help, money or even advice their response was purely stalling. Letting me know they would get back to me with help and then providing nothing. It was clear they were wasting our time. The very first conversation they should have said ‘No we are not going to help’ instead of wasting hours of my time.”
After facing little opposition in passing universal background checks in Washington State last year, the gun control lobby said it intends to push similar laws in a number of other states.


Posted by Bruce P at 5:20 AM

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The Western United States is about to feel the weight of Washington's heavy hand.

All because of a small chicken-sized bird known as the “greater sage grouse.”

Unelected and unaccountable officials at the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) are working to impose a federal “strategy” to protect the habitat of the sage grouse in 11 Western states on an area the size of Texas.

In truth, BLM’s scheme – concocted by career bureaucrats and Obama political appointees – will do little for the bird. But it will inflict serious long-term damage on this vast region of America, on our energy resources, and especially on private property rights.

Please sign CFACT’s public statement today and together let’s tell President Obama and the BLM that their plan to micromanage the land policies of our Western states is a terrible mistake.

To make matters worse, the Interior Department may even soon decide to list the sage grouse as a federally protected “threatened” or “endangered” species to comply with a court-ordered deadline of September 30th.

Brenda Richards, president of the Public Lands Council, has warned, “If sage grouse are designated for protection under the ESA [Endangered Species Act], many ranchers may no longer be permitted to allow livestock to graze on or near sage grouse habitat.”

“This decision would not only destroy the ranching industry in the west, which is the backbone of many rural communities, it would also halt the conservation efforts currently underway by ranchers,” she added.

With the September 30th deadline approaching, this gives us less than 60 days to make our voices heard against the sage grouse being listed as “threatened” or “endangered.”

As for the BLM plan, by targeting an area of 165 million acres for severe land-use restrictions, the feds, in effect, are declaring economic activity in the rural West is incompatible with the sage grouse’s recovery.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

States in the affected region have already developed comprehensive plans that will reverse the decline of the bird and safeguard the livelihood of millions of citizens throughout the West.

State and local officials have worked with wildlife biologists to tailor their plans to the vastly different environmental conditions prevailing throughout the region. They’ve found ways to help the sage grouse and preserve the way of life of local residents together.

But the radical Greens and federal regulators will have none of it.

The state plans center on environmental stewardship based on wildlife biology. But at the center of the BLM plan, it is all about federal land-use control.

If the BLM were truly interested in recovery of the greater sage grouse, it would embrace these state plans.

Its refusal to do so exposes its real agenda: Expanding federal control over the rural West, and locking up precious mineral and energy resources that could benefit every American.

That’s why we need your signature on CFACT’s petition, and hope you’ll share it with your friends so we can enlist tens of thousands of other concerned citizens.

Farmers, ranchers, and tens of thousands of people employed in the region’s oil and gas fields are the first targets in BLM's crosshairs.

Indeed, a spokesman for the Western Energy Alliance recently predicted “The economic impact of sage-grouse restrictions on just the oil and natural gas industry will be between 9,170 and 18,250 jobs and $2.4 billion and $4.8 billion in annual economic impact across Colorado, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming.”

If the feds can get away with inflicting pain like this, it will only whet their appetite for future land grabs.

That’s why their battle is our battle.

Governors, local officials, and business people in the West are outraged over the BLM’s action. They need the support of Americans from across the country.

Please help CFACT put an end to the BLM’s land-grabbing scheme. Sign the petition. Share it with your friends.

Together let's tell the federal bureaucracy that it has already gone too far.

We, the people, are calling a halt.

For nature and people too,

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07.30.15

Neal Knox once famously said, "If you're taking flak you must be over the target."  Well, we must be over the target folks.
 

With over a month left before signatures have to be turned in, the Recall Prozanski campaign is outperforming expectations. So, as you can imagine, the nanny staters are out in force doing everything they can to interfere with, harass, and tamper with signature gathering efforts.
 

The Oregon Citizens to Recall Senator Floyd Prozanski have issued a formal election law complaint against the "Oregon Democracy Fund" and the Lane County Fair for their efforts to block and harass people who are alerting voters to Prozanski's twisted record of supporting felons and rapists and attacking law abiding gun owners.
 

Pam Duffy, the Chief Petitioner for the Prozanski recall, said in a press release " Our circulators were illegally harassed by employees of the Oregon Democracy Fund at the Lane County Fair, stopping them from gathering signatures on our recall petition. That clearly violates established Oregon law and we want the Secretary of State to investigate and fine them for each person they stopped from signing our petition."
 

The complaint also alleges that Lane County Fair employees illegally stopped recall petition circulators from canvassing inside the fairgrounds and even confiscated the circulators' clipboards and petitions while they were inside the fairgrounds. Looks like Floyd's enablers hate the First Amendment as much as the Second. While the signature gatherers lost many valuable signatures as a result of the petty harassment from the women of the "Oregon Democracy Fund" it also proves that these freedom haters are scared.
 

In the press release Pam Duffy said "We are discussing our legal options beyond making the election law complaint as we believe that the individual employees of the fair and the Oregon Democracy Fund are personally liable."
 

Clearly the gun grabbers are on the run. We still have work to do to make this recall successful. But we are making great progress. We want to thank our friends at the Recall Chuck Riley campaign who donated the balance of their PAC account to our efforts.  This battle is costly but we are closing in.
 

We have no doubts Prozanski's minions will be amping up their efforts to harass the recall campaign. We're prepared for that.

Please consider helping us pay for this very, very, expensive, but critical effort.  You can make a donation to OFFPAC, which is currently the only organization to fund this effort here. Please be sure to pick "Political Action Committee" from the "Donation Category" drop down menu.
 

Donations to our PAC qualify for an Oregon tax credit so your contribution may cost you nothing.  Thanks for your continued fight for our rights.

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American Forest Resource Council

U.S. Senate Committee Also Holds Hearing on National Forest Ecosystem Improvement Act to Improve Health of Federal Forest Lands

The Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee yesterday held a hearing on the Oregon and California Land Grant Act of 2015 (S. 132), legislation sponsored by U.S. Senator Ron Wyden to change the management of O&C timberlands administered by the Bureau of Land Management.

The committee also held a hearing on the National Forest Ecosystem Improvement Act of 2015, legislation introduced by U.S. Senator John Barrasso to expedite ecosystem restoration projects on National Forests across the country.

Representing Western Oregon forest products manufacturers, American Forest Resource Council (AFRC) President Tom Partin highlighted how the Wyden O&C proposal lacks balance and won’t address the needs of rural, forested communities. S. 132 is identical to Senator Wyden’s proposal from last year (S. 1784), which was opposed by Oregon’s forest products industry and the affected counties in Western Oregon.

“The Oregon and California Land Grant Act of 2015 would set aside 69 percent of the O&C lands as conservation areas where sustainable timber management is prohibited,” Partin said. The remaining 31 percent would be subjected to the bill’s new regulations and arbitrary forestry restrictions that will reduce harvest levels while providing no certainty that projects will actually be implemented.

Unfortunately, the bill in its present form will not help our financially-distressed counties, will not solve the socio-economic problems in our rural communities, and will put forests of all ownerships further at risk of catastrophic wildfire. The Douglas Complex fire, which burned nearly 49,000 acres of private and BLM forests in 2013, serves a reminder that the lack of management has destructive consequences.”

Despite claims the bill would “double” timber harvest levels on O&C lands, an analysis commissioned by the Association of O&C Counties suggests the legislation would result in long-term sustained harvests of only 85 to 171 million board feet (mmbf) per year, far less than the 1.2 billion board feet the O&C lands grow naturally and lower than current meager levels of approximately 200 mmbf.

“While we have serious concerns with Senator Wyden’s O&C proposal, we are encouraged that the Committee is reviewing legislation to restore the health of our National Forests such as the National Forest Ecosystem Improvement Act to improve management on federal lands across the nation,” Partin said.

Testifying in opposition to S. 132, Steve Swanson, President and CEO of family-owned Swanson Group of Glendale, Ore., said the industry remained unified in opposition to the legislation. But he expressed the industry’s commitment to working with Sen. Wyden and other members of the Congressional delegation on a solution that balances economic and environmental goals.

“Western Oregon’s rural, forested communities are in dire need of a durable, workable solution, Swanson testified. “We need a solution that provides the remaining critical milling infrastructure with a predictable supply of raw materials; we need a solution that is going to get Oregonians back in the woods proactively managing our forests to reduce disease, insect, and fire risks. And, we need a solution that reflects the unique legal mandate of the O&C Lands, which is to provide permanent, sustainable timber harvests in Western Oregon.”

Swanson testified that any effective O&C solution requires sufficient harvest levels to protect infrastructure and jobs; legal certainty against obstruction and delay; and stable and adequate funding for rural communities. He said Oregon’s industry has agreed in the past to a compromise that would set aside a majority of O&C lands for permanent conservation, and would continue to work with other stakeholders to help achieve a balanced solution.

“Our industry has come to the table – and will continue to come to the table – to find a durable, workable compromise for the O&C Lands,” Swanson said. “In fact, the timber industry supported the House O&C proposal, which dedicated more than half of the O&C Lands to conservation purposes while dedicating less than half to sustained yield timber production with sufficient legal certainty. While that was a difficult negotiation, it was the right thing to do for our communities and federal forests.”

“Senator Wyden, despite our position on your bill, I want to assure you that our industry remains totally and completely committed to working with you and the rest of the Oregon delegation to find an effective, compromise O&C solution before we see further economic declines in our rural communities. Most rural communities that are dominated by federal forest ownership can’t simply create alternative industries that defy the realities of their geography. With some of the most productive forestland in the entire world we would be foolish to even suggest it. Instead we should be taking steps to ensure that we restore active, sustainable management to the BLM O&C lands. We are excited to work with you in order to accomplish that mutual goal.”

Swanson applauded the committee for its consideration of the National Forest Ecosystem Improvement Act, testifying the bill will help expedite critical forest health projects and support forest collaboration while upholding federal environmental laws.

“S. 1691 includes important provisions to address the primary factors limiting the management of our national forests today, namely litigation and cost and time required for the Forest Service to satisfy the analysis paralysis that constrains forest management projects,” Swanson said. “With at least 65 million acres of national forest at risk to insects, disease, and catastrophic wildfire, S. 1691 includes an important – albeit modest – mandate to accomplish at least 1 million acres of mechanical restoration treatments annually. The legislation seeks to address analysis paralysis by placing reasonable limits on the size scope of the analysis required for these ecosystem restoration projects.”

The World banner headline of June 13 proclaimed “CEP vote on horizon”.  The front page, above the fold, article reported that citizens are still skeptical about this thing that is labeled CEP, SCCF and WDP.

 

Whether labeled taxes or fees in lieu of taxes, it’s the people’s money to do with as the people, not a few self - anointed, so choose.  You won’t be voting for how you want your piece of the potentially hundreds of millions of dollars spent, and neither will I.  You won’t be voting to elect any person to represent your interests and oversee the CEP, SCCF or WDP.  A majority of local citizens whose families long ago stopped using the schools systems and want their monies to go for infrastructure will not influence any vote.  But you may attend a meeting.

 

What is it that will be the subject of a vote?  Why should anybody be voting on a plan that Veresen / Jordan Cove Energy (JCEP) has not agreed to in writing or voting on how to distribute money that may never be received?  The article says that four local government entities will vote on an Enterprise Zone Agreement in August.  It’s possible that one or more of the entities may amend whatever it is that will be voted upon.  Now what?

 

It’s possible that Veresen, the Canadian parent of JCEP, a company traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange, will sell out as soon as all permits are in hand.  We have been informed that the JCEP will possibly be a seven billion dollar project.  If you are among the folks who read financial reports from Veresen, you know that Veresen has relatively very few Canadian dollars to rub together.  Why would Exxon or Shell or any investor make a seven billion dollar investment on the acknowledged most geologically unsafe location of the contiguous 48 united states?  As reported by the article, why would any astute business person build housing in Coquille to support a North Spit enterprise?  Would you welcome a Chinese company as you have welcomed a Canadian company?  Will the content of a novation agreement covering taxes or fees, if Veresen / JCEP agree, be legally enforceable against the new developer?  Why should our neighbor’s property be seized for a pipeline that benefits a Canadian company, not the US public?  And there is so much more.

 

Fred Kirby

Coos Bay

Sweet Recall Meeting
When:  7:00 pm on Friday July 31, 2015
Where: The Owen Building

201 N. Adams Street, Coquille, Oregon

https://goo.gl/maps/OT68X

Why: Update on the Recall Campaign
Connect with us on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/RecallJohnSweet

https://www.facebook.com/cooscountysecondamendmentordinance

https://www.facebook.com/CoosCountyWatchdog

Letter to the Editor

Residents of Coos Bay, have just had another sewer rate increase, 6.5 percent. And now before the City Council, two more opportunities for them to get into your pockets to fund another avoided project, streets. Council meeting July 7, 2015.

Two items, PacificCorp Franchise fee, direct pass through to Citizens electric bills, and a gas tax, where the State gets a 10 percent cut, the rest to the city. Gas tax, at the pump will have to be voted upon in an election. 

The human experience, wired for short term fix. First choice, see the effect, fix it. The underlying cause, avoid for 20 or more years. Coos Bay streets, never enough tax dollars to maintain. The three percent property tax increase yearly, that limits governments growth. They have to live within their means by supplementing with fees, and taxes. 

What percentage of these collected funds will be dedicated for the streets, and what percentage will syphon off to city staff for services surrounding street projects? What is the bang for the buck, in this short term fix?

Council created Streets Task Force, and approved updating Street Condition Survey, resulting in a plan. Solution, tax and fee the Citizens to implement. What about other solutions?  

The popular solutions already described, but the unpopular ones, lets explore. First, close the Urban Renewal, UR, Districts, make then go away. The percentage of tax revenue, about 30 percent of the UR current property tax dollars, will be new dollars to the General fund. Second, let the number of employees decrease, through attrition, without new hires. Third, stop, or reduce the cost for consultants. Fourth, eliminated open ended contracts where staff has a retainer with contractors for repeated or continued projects up to $24,999.00 without Council further approval.

Fifth, direct South Coast Community Foundation dollars toward community infrastructure. 

These solutions will make current and future property tax dollars available to start being used to maintain the streets. The Council then will have more options and solutions on the table, instead of just signing checks, and approving laws taxing it's Citizens. 

Denny Powell

Good Afternoon All!

The following is a press release from the City of Coos Bay regarding the upcoming Community Enhancement Plan Open Houses to be held around the County.

  ###

Community Enhancement Plan Open Houses July 9th – 11th
The Community Enhancement Plan (CEP) Work Group will hold three Open House sessions to answer questions and hear feedback from citizens as follows:

• Thursday, July 9th, 6pm-8pm, Blossom Gulch Elementary School Cafeteria, Coos Bay
  
  

• Friday, July 10th, 11am-1pm, The Barn in Bandon City Park, Bandon
  
  
• Saturday, July 11th, 10am-noon, Oaks Pavilion at Coos County Fairgrounds, Myrtle Point

The Community Enhancement Plan is the result of community discussions regarding the property tax implications of the Jordan Cove Energy Project and its participation in the State of Oregon’s Enterprise Zone Program.
Representatives from the South Coast Community Foundation, the Waterfront Development Partnership and the CEP Work Group will be available to discuss their plans with attendees. Handouts summarizing the activities of these three entities will also be provided to the public.

The format of these meetings allows citizens to discuss issues with elected officials and staff on a one-on-one basis. Citizens interested in providing public testimony will be able to do so when the governing bodies meet at a later date to hold public hearings on these proposals.

All meeting minutes, handouts, and draft agreements related to the Community Enhancement Plan are available on the Port of Coos Bay’s website under the “Community Partnerships” tab: www.portofcoosbay.com
For those who cannot attend the open house sessions, an email address has been created for those who prefer to provide written feedback to the CEP Work Group: cepcomments@portofcoosbay.com

The Community Enhancement Plan Work Group will meet next on Monday, July 20th at 1pm at the Coos Bay City Council Chambers to review citizen feedback. The next step will be to present the CEP to the governing bodies for approval, including the City of Coos Bay, the City of North Bend, Coos County, and the Oregon International Port of Coos Bay. For more information contact Councilor Jennifer Groth at 541-217-8293 or email at sjgroth@charter.net
                                                             ####

Please take this opportunity to attend one of the above sessions with any questions you may have and to give feedback on this potential opportunity for our community.
Sincerely,Connie Stopher

Executive Director

50 Central Avenue, Suite A
Coos Bay, OR 97420

Phone:   541-266-9753
Cell:       541-405-2494
Fax:       541-267-2753
Email:   connie@scdcinc.org

Central coast all-depth halibut fishing closes until August

July 2, 2015

NEWPORT, Ore. – After fishing last weekend nearly exhausted the available spring quota, the spring all-depth Pacific halibut fishery on Oregon’s central coast is closed until Aug. 7.

“Last weekend there was just enough good weather and good fishing to push us to within 1,500 pounds of the spring all-depth quota,” said Lynn Mattes, ODFW’s project leader for halibut. “That’s not enough quota to open any additional days this spring, but that remaining quota will be added to the summer season that opens in August.”

The spring all-depth Pacific halibut fishery for the central coast subarea (from Cape Falcon south to Humbug Mountain) was open 12 days over four different periods, resulting in the harvest of approximately 109,163 pounds of Pacific halibut.

The summer all-depth fishery will open Aug. 7 with a quota of approximately 45,000 pounds. The summer season for the central coast all-depth fishery is scheduled to be open every other Friday and Saturday until the all-depth quota is taken or Oct. 31, whichever is earlier.

Fishing for halibut in the Central Coast Subarea is still allowed seven days per week inside the 40-fathom line until the quota is reached or Oct. 31. On the north coast (the Columbia River Subarea; from Leadbetter Point, Wash., to Cape Falcon), nearshore halibut fishing is open seven days a week until the quota is taken or Sept. 30. On the south coast (the Southern Oregon Subarea; from Humbug Mountain to the OR/CA Border) the halibut fishery is open seven days per week until the quota is reached or Oct. 31.

###

Contact:
Lynn Mattes (541) 867-4741 ext. 237
Maggie Sommer (541) 867-4741 ext. 227

Posted: 06 Jul 2015 05:00 AM PDT
By Thomas Tullis

When Oregon politicians pretend to be experts on venture capital investing, it ends up costing the state millions of dollars in education money.

This is exactly what is going on with the Oregon Growth Board, a project of the Oregon Business Development Department. Tasked with generating a return on investment by financing venture capital funds in Oregon, the Board receives 10% of state lottery profits that are supposed to be apportioned to a state education endowment fund. Unfortunately for students, the Oregon Growth Account boasts a measly 1.5% return on investment over a 15-year period.

In order to justify these dismal returns, the Board claims that venture capital funds tend to lose money in the early years but then make it up as new companies mature. They also admit that they’re recovering from $22 million in losses suffered when the dot-com bubble burst 15 years ago.

State legislators don’t recognize the irony of using profits from the Oregon Lottery to gamble in high-risk investments to benefit an education stability fund. Perhaps the Oregon Growth Board would have a more reasonable ROI if they just flew to Vegas and put our education money all on red.

Thomas Tullis is a research associate at Cascade Policy Institute, Oregon’s free market think tank. He is a student at the University of Oregon, where he is studying Journalism and Political Science.

Subject: Guided Hike at New River to Explore Current Management - BLM News 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 
OR120-15-15          

Contact:  Megan Harper (541) 751- 4353    
July 1, 2015                

Guided Hike at New River to Explore Current Management

BANDON, Ore. – The public is invited to join the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for a guided hike of the New River Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC) to explore the area and learn about the agency’s current management of this unique stretch of the Oregon Coast. 

The hike will begin at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 11, and the hike will last approximately an hour and a half. Hikers should meet at the New River Nature Center. Participants should bring water, wear sunscreen and wear sturdy shoes suitable for walking in the dirt and sand. 

The hike will be the informal kick-off of the BLM’s effort to update the plan that guides the agency’s management of the site. The BLM last updated the plan in 2004.

“New River is one of our coastal treasures, and we manage it to protect the unique habitats in the area that are home to native fish, wildlife and plants,” said Kathy Westenskow, BLM Myrtlewood Field Manager. “We hope people take advantage of this opportunity to explore the site and to start thinking about what they would like to see happen at New River in the future.”

New River ACEC is located eight miles south of Bandon, west of Highway 101. Turn right on to Croft Lake Lane and follow the directional signs to Storm Ranch and the Nature Center. 

Additional information on the planning process will be forthcoming in mailings and a website. In the meantime, please contact Racheal Jones or Kip Wright at 541-756-0100 with questions. 

For additional information, please contact the BLM’s Coos Bay District Office at (541) 756-0100.

Megan Harper
Public Affairs Specialist
Coos Bay District 
Bureau of Land Management
541-751-4353