Other Views: River Democracy Act needs passed soon

Published 6:00 am Wednesday, November 10, 2021

Coming from near and far, we chose to make our homes in Wallowa County. We were drawn by the wide-open wildness, wildlife and flowing rivers that add so much to the high quality of life here. Protecting and enhancing this quality has been our constant concern over the years.

So when a couple of years ago we heard Sen. Ron Wyden’s call to participate in an effort to protect clean and clear water, wildlife habitat and recreational opportunities, we were quick to join in. Our nominations for wild and scenic rivers were only a few of the thousands that flowed in from all across the state and from right here at home.

Conservation voices in Eastern Oregon are at times ignored, misrepresented and treated with hostility and contempt. So we were delighted when we saw special waters in our own backyards included in the recent River Democracy proposal. As written, the bill would designate just 4% of the state’s waterways (on top of the 2% already protected). The effort is, at once, historic and modest.

The senator has bent over backwards to listen to rural voices — all of them — through an open nomination process, rural town hall events and direct contact with county commissioners and other stakeholders. He made it crystal clear that a wild and scenic designation does not affect private property rights. It doesn’t prevent logging or firefighting and it doesn’t stop public lands grazing. That’s why these river protections are wildly popular and generally non-controversial. They’re important, but, if anything, insufficient.

So, when we started seeing what seems to be ideological opposition to the bill, we and over a dozen other friends and neighbors paid for an ad in this paper demonstrating local support.

That’s why we scratched our heads when, in the latest exchange between a public lands rancher and Commissioner Todd Nash, our commissioner (also president-elect of the Oregon Cattlemen’s Association) suggested he was unaware of any local support. Is Commissioner Nash so insulated that he is not hearing conservationists? Is he ignoring and misrepresenting those in the community with whom he does not agree?

There’s history here. Intimidated and fearful of possible reprisals from some commissioners and the livestock and logging industries, many remain unwilling to speak up for their values.

As the choreographed letter exchange showed, opposition appears based on ideology, fear and willful misunderstanding. Whether the act protects wildlife, clean air, clean water or salmon, it seems there is no public lands protection some will not reflexively oppose.

Commissioner Nash doesn’t mention the Nez Perce Tribe, which has occupied and defended this place for at least 16,000 years. They know this land at least as well as any logger, rancher or landowner, and they have been openly supportive of the bill. Commissioner Nash knows this.

Change is hard, but that’s why this bill is so necessary. In an age of climate change, increasing development and other threats, Sen. Wyden’s River Democracy Act is a modest step toward protecting what has made Wallowa County great for generations before the concept of a county even existed.

We applaud Sen. Wyden, and Sen. Jeff Merkley, for listening to all our voices, and not just the most powerful and entrenched. Please pass this bill soon.