Ecola, Chapman Points and 4 more coastal areas gain state protection
Haystack Rock recently gained some company on the state’s list of protected coastal areas. On Thursday, the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development Commission approved six more sites on the coast for special protection designations. Two of those, Ecola Point and Chapman Point, had been under review for the past few years as part of an update to the state’s management strategy for rocky shores under the Oregon Territorial Sea Plan. The sites, which cover more than 4 miles of shoreline and about 184 acres, will be treated similarly to Haystack Rock. Harvesting marine plants and invertebrates will be forbidden, volunteers will roam and monitor the areas to educate the public, as well as protect sensitive species like black oystercatchers and sunflower sea stars. Other sites that earned protective status include Cape Lookout, Fogarty Creek, Cape Foulweather and Blacklock Point. (Nicole Bales/Daily Astorian)
Ranchers, county official fear state water quality plan will be harmful
Efforts by state regulators to reduce the concentration of certain bacteria in Oregon’s rivers and tributaries have ranchers worried. One of those ranchers, Chris Martin of the North Powder area, fears the Department of Environmental Quality is laying too much blame for the bacteria on cattle, specifically their feces, and farming. The bacteria in question include fecal coliform and E. Coli, which can both make people and animals sick. Under the federal Clean Water Act of 1972, streams get tested regularly for contaminants and if they exceed federal limits for safety they’re added to a list that triggers added rules, such as building fences to exclude cattle from streams. According to the DEQ, sections of more than a dozen streams in the Powder River Basin exceed standards for bacteria. Martin and others are on a state advisory committee to discuss the issue. (Jayson Jacoby/Baker City Herald)
Oregon’s list of top commodities has a newcomer: industrial hemp
The Oregon Department of Agriculture recently updated its list of the top 20 most valuable agricultural commodities statewide and there’s a newcomer on the list. For the first time ever the list includes industrial hemp, which earned $247.7 million in 2021 and put it No. 8 on the list. Hemp isn’t expected to stick around long, though. Production fell in 2022 as the price per pound for hemp flowers dropped from $106 to $53. As for the rest of the list, greenhouse and nursery plants remained at the top, earning approximately $1.3 billion in 2021. That was an increase of 10% over the industry’s value in 2020. Cattle and calves came in second at $676.2 million, up from $587.8 million the previous year. Grass seed recovered from a dip and jumped two spots from fifth to third place, at $639.2 million — a 28% increase over 2020. Wine grapes also came back, landing at No. 7 with $271 million. (George Plaven/Capital Press)
Bend homeless shelter gets funding to reopen
The city of Bend and Deschutes County recently forged an agreement to partially fund and fully reopen the motel that is now known as the Franklin Avenue Shelter. That is welcome news for those experiencing homelessness in a region where options for families with children have become nonexistent, said Evan Hendrix, associate director of the Lighthouse Navigation Center operated by Shepherd’s House Ministries. “We’re seeing more families, young families, hitting the street and even reaching out to us in anticipation of that and kind of asking what the options are,” Hendrix said. Deschutes County commissioners approved $750,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds to be allocated to the city of Bend so Shepherd’s House can operate the 50-room, 60-bed shelter. (Anna Kaminski/The Bulletin)
PeaceHealth plans to cut beds, nurses at Bend hospital
PeaceHealth plans to close dozens of hospital beds at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart RiverBend in Springfield and PeaceHealth Sacred Heart University District in Eugene. The hospital group also intends to shut down an entire medical unit at Riverbend. The move brings the total closed beds at both hospitals to about 87 out of the 455 the area hospitals are licensed for, according to the Oregon Nurses Association. But PeaceHealth officials said the number of beds closed and the length of time they are closed will depend on staffing levels, adding that they anticipate the closures to last “a matter of months.” In a statement, the nurse’s union said the closure would lead to higher turnover and increased vacancies as nurses leave due to the upheaval and uncertainty. (Tatiana Parafiniuk-Talesnick/The Register-Guard)
Want to vote in Oregon’s next election? You need to register as a voter ASAP
Oregon’s next election is coming up on May 16, and Tuesday is the last day to register to vote in that election. Voter registration cards must be postmarked by Tuesday or submitted online no later than 11:59 p.m. All Oregon counties will elect representatives for local offices, such as school boards, water districts and transportation districts. To register to vote, check your registration status, or see what’s on your county’s ballot this year, visit oregonvotes.gov. (OPB staff)
US Supreme Court sides with Frank Gable against Oregon Justice Department
The U.S. Supreme Court has denied an appeal in the case of Frank Gable, who was charged with killing the head of Oregon’s corrections department in 1989. The Portland Tribune reports the high court made the decision on Monday. The Oregon Justice Department had appealed two lower court decisions that claimed Gable was innocent and didn’t receive a fair trial. Another man had confessed multiple times to the killing, and prosecutors never found DNA evidence tying Gable to the scene of the murder. Gable had been sentenced to life in prison without parole. But he was released under federal supervision in June 2019. Now the case will likely go back to the U.S. District Court. The Tribune reports the Marion County district attorney will then decide whether to drop the case or grant Gable a new trial. (Jim Redden/Portland Tribune)
