Several members of the Grant County Chapter of the Oregon Hunters Association attended the Forest Service field trip to the Malheur Forest. This was part of the area of the Blue Mountain Forest plan.

The area traveled by tour bus and forest service vehicles, went first to the Crescent campground on the John Day River above Prairie City, where the relation of native to non-native plant species and the effect on the riparian stream bank areas of the John Day River fish species and recreational uses were discussed.

The next stop was where the credibility of the trip took a flop. At the Huddleston Snow Park, between the headwaters of the John Day River and Summit Prairie, we were told that so-called cold mountain areas, or higher, were being inventoried as habitat for the lynx.

It was reported that skeletal remains that could have been, maybe was, or possible sometime, maybe, in the last 2,000 years, possibly might have been a lynx. All these possibilities were questioned so strenuously that the moderator stomped from the podium.

The fact that they were trying to make lynx habitat out of the area was ridiculous. We have no lynx in the Malheur National Forest, and it was felt by the commonsense people on the tour that it is just a first step in getting more of our public lands closed off from use by the public. Many of the people present thought that this lynx thing was just a sneaky shot at doing that very thing. Even if there is a remote possibility of a lynx wandering through this country, we should not start shoving public use around to accommodate that possibility.

The enviros have taken some pretty hefty shots at doing that in the past (lynx fur on a spike board).

At the Big Creek campground stop, preserving the old-growth timber was discussed and extractionism was criticized as well as various other uses of the forest. The area’s bird and animal activities were discussed.

I guess the summary of the trip was what each individual wanted to make of it. Several of those attending felt that it is possibly another step in losing what we love about our forest use.

Dean Elliott

Canyon City