Valley Folks can help Eastern Oregon Folks

This is a subject that is near and dear to my heart.  I love Eastern Oregon.  I have dreamed all of my life of being a real live cowboy so the idea of ranching is something I would give my right arm to do.  I love the great ranchers and farmers of the area.  I have met so many over the years and I spend a good chunk of time there every summer.  I grew up in Redmond, spent time helping my rancher friends in high school and have never lost that love for the wide open spaces of Eastern Oregon, so when I saw the horrors of the wildfires, my heart was broken.

Over the last couple months, our fellow Oregonians in Harney and Malheur Counties have suffered greatly by some of the most devastating wildfires in over 150 years.  The fires rage on near Frenchglen.  There seems to be a real disconnect with the folks in the Willamette Valley of Oregon and the folks in Eastern Oregon as I have pointed out many times.

We in the Valley go about our business, talk politics, have our backyard barbecues and all the things that make life enjoyable here.  Meanwhile the plight of the rancher in Eastern Oregon is ignored by the Valley TV and radio stations.  No news except when it's catastrophic such as the wildfires.  There is so much more to tell.  I don't have the time to tell the stories of cattleman I have talked to in my many visits to Eastern Oregon.  These are some of the most patriotic people you'll ever meet.  They love America and they love Oregon, but they don't understand why we in the Valley seem to ignore them.  Yes, they're nearest neighbor may be 25 miles away on another ranch, but that doesn't stop them from stopping their hard work on any given day to help that neighbor.  It's time WE helped to.

The ONLY member of Oregon's Congressional team to step up and actually, tangibly do something for the cattleman of Eastern Oregon?  Congressman Greg Walden.  He has tirelessly worked for relief, not in the way of dollars from Washington D.C, but in the kind of relief that cattleman would want.  Land.  Land to allow the cattle to graze.  Land for the cattle to be taken to for their safety.  Land that the Federal Government has said "off limits" to cattle to keep it in it's "pristine nature".  The ranchers of Eastern Oregon care more about that "nature" than ANYONE as it affects their livelihood and their futures. 

Congressman Walden is the only Congressman or Senator to make several trips to Eastern Oregon during this time of wildfires and he held several town hall meetings in those wonderful little communities.  (See story compilation here, courtesy of KTVZ in Bend) 

Now one could make the argument "he's helping his own district".  I would counter: anyone remember the Congressman who came to Oregon during the flooding in Tillamook?  I can cite many other cases.  Greg Walden is an Oregonian through and through.  He cares about ALL of Oregon.  It's too bad that Senators Merkley and Wyden and Congressional representatives Blumenauer, Schrader, DeFazio and Bonamici are more interested in what's good for Washington D.C. and not Oregon. 


Here's how you and I can help out these wonderful people and keep this pioneering spirit alive in Eastern Oregon (which by the way takes up over 72% of Oregon's land mass).  
Oregon Cattlemen Set Up Fire Victim Fund 

To make a charitable contribution to the Fire Victims Relief Fund, or to offer in-kind or relocation assistance, please contact Kay Teisl, Executive Director of the Oregon Cattlemen’s Association, at 503-361-8941 or via email kayteisl@orcattle.com

 

A Year Without Hunting

This year, due to my son's knee injury in football and a combination of other factors, I could not go deer hunting.
Even though I know that an ENTIRE group of women at my church pray against me every year, I have for the most part had success.
Now I know, I don't hunt to put food on the table, those days are mostly long gone, but it is good to have some fresh deer steaks, chops and sausages. I will miss that this year.
More than the meat is the hunt itself. I have hunted Eastern Oregon and Western Oregon over the years and I find myself today, reminiscing about some of the fantastic times I had hunting with my Grandpa, Dad and Uncle over East.
Long walks through canyons and arroyos, with grandpa perched on a nice high spot at the end, Dad, Uncle Arnold and I would try to push a buck out of that area and down towards Grandpa.
One year we heard a buck running out in front of us, knowing it was headed right towards Grandpa's perch. A shot rang out, then another. Then a long silence.
My dad yelled out: "Papa, did you get him?" We didn't hear anything for a long time, so we hustled towards the end of the canyon.
When we got down there, we still couldn't see Grandpa. After another shout to him he calmly answered: "yep, he's right down there, drag him on up here for me!".
True to his word, he had shot a nice buck and we obediently dragged him up the canyon wall and got him dressed out.
I miss Grandpa and Uncle Arnold a lot and greatly look forward to seeing them both again in Heaven, but man, the smell of Fall in Oregon really makes me want to go hunting.
I hope to make those same sort of memories for my son.
If you have a hunting story you would like to share please feel free.