Metolius River Forest Homeowners Association

A place for posting matters of importance to Cabin Owners and their visitors, along the Metolius River in Deschutes National Forest, Camp Sherman, Oregon

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Monday, June 7, 2010

C2 & Cabin Owners Attend Wyden Hearing ~Message from Sharon Karr~

June 6th, 2010 at 21:10

Last Friday, Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) was in Bend, OR to hold the second hearing on his bill, S. 2895, to overhaul management of Central and Eastern Oregon forests. With him were the Energy and Natural Resources Public Lands and Forests subcommittee, which he chairs, his D.C. and Oregon staff, and Frank Gladics, minority staff member of the subcommittee.

The national forests included in this bill also include eleven cabin tracts with a total of 424 cabins, with fees ranging from $350 to $5,500. The tracts I’ve visited exist in forest conditions where cabins have burned in forest fires and permits were lost when rebuilding wasn’t allowed. The forest conditions need attention and this seemed like an opportunity to hear both sides of the debate and see Senator Wyden at work, perhaps learning a little about his style of chairing a hearing.

When C2 has a companion bill (to H.R. 4888) in the Senate, the hearing will be held before Wyden and this subcommittee. Wyden knew his topic well. His questions and dialog with the 11 witnesses was a no-holds-barred style, demanding answers and when the answer wasn’t forthcoming, asking the witness to get back to him with the information. All sides of the debate were presented, from the timber industry, the conservation and environmentalist movement, and the Native Americans who reside and work within the east-side reservations surrounded by national forests.

What was very interesting to me was the timber industry is divided internally as are the environmentalists. This deeply perplexed Senator Wyden. He asked repeatedly why one timber operator hasn’t spoken with the opposing timber operator; why one conservationist group opposes what other environmental groups support. He wanted everyone at the table to communicate, with one another, with him, and with his staff.

I find a valuable lesson in Wyden’s insisting everyone communicates in all directions. C2 has followed the model of communicating and sharing information since the beginning. Continuing to talk, meet, answer questions and educate the agency and political staffers in a bi-partisan way is to C2’s advantage and will appeal to Wyden.

Thanks to the local cabin owners from Crescent Lake, Diamond Lake and the Metolius who attended the hearing, showing your interest in Senator Wyden’s proposal for central and east-side Oregon forests. By simply signing in as a cabin owner on USFS land lets Wyden, his staff and the committee know cabin owners and C2 are organized, still working and serious about a solution. Although the hearing lasted almost three hours, your time was well spent, using this as an opportunity to let Wyden know cabin owners are united and are vested in the health of the forests and the future of our cabins.

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MRFHA - Camp Sherman

MRFHA - Camp Sherman
Metolius River