Two members required to fulfill ODA requirements
By Jennifer Jenks
Burns Times-Herald
The Harney County Court is seeking two wolf advocates in the community who would be willing to come forward and serve on the local wolf compensation committee, to fulfill the requirement of the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA).
The ODA requires two people to serve on the committee who either advocate for wolves or support compatibility with living with wolves.
Anyone interested in serving on the committee can contact Commissioner Dan Nichols at 541-493-2440.
Nichols made the request at the Harney County Court meeting last Wednesday, March 21. He also updated the court on a planning meeting he recently attended regarding juniper utilization and management.
A lot of headway is being made on juniper use and management statewide, he noted. However, he noticed that curiosity was expressed several times throughout the meeting as to where the restoration should occur with the limited amount of funds available. “It raised red flags with me,” he said. “This is something we need to keep an eye on.”
On a positive note, Nichols noted there were six juniper businesses interviewed in this process, with 13 to 15 full-time jobs in manufacturing and sales of juniper in Oregon beyond firewood and restoration, and six of those full-time jobs are in Harney County.
The industry statewide exceeded $1 million in 2011 and is expected to double that in 2012, and Harney County has half of that money, Nichols said, because of the county court pushing very hard and because of the entrepreneurs in this community.
The juniper industry is not just about creating jobs, Nichols stressed. It is also extremely beneficial and necessary environmentally. The Burns Bureau of Land Management, Southeast Oregon Regional Alliance, grazing permittees, landowners, Harney County Soil and Water Conservation District and local businesses have helped immensely in getting the juniper industry off the ground in this area, Nichols said.
“It’s a win-win,” Nichols stated. “It puts people to work and helps the environment, and private individuals can do the work for a lot less than it would cost the government.”….