NEWS from the PLAINS Newsletter of the OregonCalifornia Trails Association Spring, 2015 Volume XXX, No
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NEWS FROM THE PLAINS Newsletter of the OregonCalifornia Trails Association Spring, 2015 Volume XXX, No. 2 OCTA Board Protests Impacts of Northwest Power Line By Bill Martin NFP Editor The National Board of Directors of the Oregon‐ California Trails Association has unanimously passed a resolution calling for changes to the Bureau of Land Management’s draft Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed Boardman‐Hemingway power line. The power line will be “an absolute disaster for the Oregon Trail,” Board member and Northwest Chapter Preservation Oficer Bill Symms told the Board at its Mid‐Year meeting held at the historic Four Mile House in Denver in early March. The 300‐mile power line will impact about 270 miles of the Oregon Trail in Idaho and Oregon, National Preservation Oficer Jere Krakow said in National Preservation Oficer Jere Krakow makes a presentation to the a report to the Board. Krakow called the project OCTA Board meeting in Denver. “incompatible with the purposes and nature of national historic trails.” The power line and its towers, ranging in height OCTA Headed To Iowa in 2017 from 100 to 195 feet, will impact a number of key The OCTA Board of Directors has approved Council Bluffs, locations along the Trail. (See separate story on Iowa as the site of the 2017 National Convention, departing page 8.) from a long‐standing policy that conventions be awarded The resolution passed by the Board requests only to Chapter hosts. that routing for the power line be changed and Association Manager Travis Boley noted that the that where avoidance is not possible, signiicant convention site will allow access to a number of important mitigation be required. trails sites, including the Western Historic Trails Center and “The Board of Directors of OCTA opposes the Winter Quarters. Council Bluffs also was an important ‘preferred routings’ as identiied in supplemental jumping off point for travel on the Mormon, California and maps to the draft EIS in the areas of … emigrant Oregon Trails. trails class 1 through 3 and in the areas of Dates for the convention are yet to be determined. The undisturbed setting,” the resolution stated. 2015 Convention is scheduled for Lake Tahoe in September In addition, the Board said that it “rejects the and the 2016 Convention will be in Fort Hall, Idaho. notion that it is permissible to degrade or destroy The decision to convene in Council Bluffs was made portions of the trails along the route under the following a report from a special Convention Management assumption that much trail quality exists in other Review Committee, which recommended that OCTA establish a national convention planning team chaired by the locations. This statement is not supportable by Association Manager. facts.” (continued on page 3) (continued on page 3) FROM THE PRESIDENT by John Krizek, OCTA President to sit down with we trail advocates, to listen to our This year’s “Hike The Hill” event concerns about saving history. To open the in Washington (February 7 – 11) conversation with a chart showing how the value of was my irst, and I came away all those volunteer hours and contributions by OCTA with a number of impressions. members dedicated to trail preservation far Number one, I couldn’t help but outweigh any federal outlays for the same be proud to represent the Oregon‐ purposes—sure helps lead to a positive discussion. California Trails Association. Over Of course, one of our agenda items was to seek the years of dealing with trail issues and the people sponsorship for a bill to study the feasibility of we’ve had on the front lines of that cause, the designating the Southern Trail as a National Historic reputation of OCTA is secure. To see Bill and Jean Trail. That’s been an agenda item for a few years, Watson honored by the whole trails community for and we sure hope that effort pays off one of these their 30 years of work on this front, was truly uplifting. days. The trust that develops among the partners in the Another lesson is the value of maintaining contact trail “industry,” and the agencies that are the with legislators back in their home districts—where custodians of the trails—the National Park Service, the issues affecting the trails, their value historically and BLM, the Forest Service, etc.—is palpable. We could not as well as heritage tourism draws, is likely to get a achieve the measure of success we’ve had over the little more attention. We live in a noisy and crowded years without those partners, and the leverage we world, where pressure on the trails from collectively generate. development and energy needs will only increase, One cannot help but come away impressed by the and our determination and diligence—our voice sheer size and complexity of our government—and the raised on behalf of the trails—was never more effort it takes to get anything done. In a political important. environment where Congress and our government are besieged with wars, pestilence and various disasters, senators and congressmen still ind time for their staffs 2015 OCTA Board of Directors 2014‐2015 OCTA Officers NEWS FROM THE PLAINS Cecilia Bell, Silver City NM John Krizek, President Bill Marn, Editor [email protected] Presco AZ [email protected] 706 Country Club Road Brian Larson, Paradise CA Georgetown TX 78628 [email protected] John Winner, Vice President (512) 818‐1609 Placerville CA Doug Jensen, Idaho Falls ID [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Pat Traffas, Secretary Published quarterly by the Jere Krakow, Albuquerque NM Overland Park KS Oregon‐California Trails Associaon [email protected] ptraff[email protected] P.O. Box 1019 Independence MO 64051 Don Hartley, Green River WY Marvin Burke, Treasurer [email protected] Northglenn CO Phone: (816) 836‐0989 [email protected] Toll Free: (888) 811‐6282 Dick Nelson, Lenexa KS Fax: (816) 836‐0989 [email protected] Duane Iles, Past President Email: [email protected] Holton KS Loren Pospisil, Gering NE [email protected] OCTA is a 501(c)(3) Non‐Profit [email protected] Jere Krakow, Preservaon Officer Summer Issue Deadline Vern Osborne, Cheyenne WY Albuquerque NM May 25, 2015 [email protected] [email protected] Send Materials to [email protected] Bill Symms, Yachats OR [email protected] News From The Plains 2 Spring, 2015 Conventions (continued from page 1) OCTA Board (continued from Page 1) It was noted at the Board’s meeting in Denver that “The EIS does not propose any mitigation for adverse OCTA was not changing the policy that conventions be effects on historic trail resources though it does offer a awarded to chapters, but was making an exception to mitigation plan for sage grouse,” Krakow noted. “A key open an area where conventions have not been point to be made about the impacts is that sage grouse previously held. There is no OCTA chapter in Iowa. reproduce but once an Oregon Trail resource is The Convention Management Review Committee also compromised, it is forever gone.” recommended several additional steps to improve In other action, the Board: attendance and inancial results for OCTA’s annual Received the results of a inancial review supervised by conventions. the OCTA Audit Committee (see story on page 11). The committee noted that convention attendance Spent a full day reviewing and updating OCTA’s averaged 498 and income averaged $32,871 between Strategic Plan (see story on page 14). 1995 and 2004, but since 2005 the average Approved a request from an ad hoc inancial planning attendance has been 338 and income has averaged committee to develop a budget planning policy for $25,811. Part of that is attributable to declining OCTA consideration at the Board’s September meeting. membership, which has decreased from 2,700 in 1999 Recommended that the OCTA Publications Committee to 1,400 in 2014. provide recommendations for cost reductions and Among its recommendations, the committee revenue enhancements to be included in the 2016 suggested that conventions be scheduled at locations budget. that are most affordable such as National Guard Approved new policy statements for the Investment Armories, Trails Centers, museums, or civic centers. Advisory Committee and the Collections & Library In addition, it called for lexibility of convention times Committee. Both will be available on the OCTA website. to allow for travel time on weekends and recommended Heard that OCTA’s year‐end fundraising appeal was that nationally sponsored symposiums should be one of its most successful ever, raising more than revenue generating and held in conjunction with Mid‐ $37,000 as of the end of February. Year Board meetings. Was told that the Partnership for the National Trails System, of which OCTA is a member, is increasing John Krizek, OCTA OCTA’s annual dues from $1,400 to $2,200. The Vice President John Winner, Association Manager increase will be considered during the 2016 budgeting Travis Boley, and OCTA members Jerry Eichorst, Jean process. Coupal‐Smith, and Ross Marshall. Heard a report from the Tribal Liaison Committee that — Bill Martin while there is action on many fronts, tribal listening sessions will not resume until the National Park Service replaces tribal program coordinator Otis Halfmoon, NFP: Electronically who retired. Heard a report from the Mapping & Marking You can help OCTA and enjoy a more colorful Committee that chapter‐level efforts to mark historic product by signing up for free email delivery of trails are underway in many areas, utilizing OCTA’s News From The Plains. MET manual. You can help OCTA save thousands of dollars in Adopted list of recommended actions from an ad hoc printing and mailing costs each year.