Oregon water regulators have apparently stopped allowing the transfer of stored water among reservoirs, which irrigators hope will be rectified with upcoming legislation.

The problem was recently encountered by the Tumalo Irrigation District, which aimed to transfer storage water rights to enhance habitat for the threatened Oregon spotted frog and improve the function of its water distribution system.

By piping irrigation canals, the district is conserving water from its Crescent Lake reservoir that could then be transferred to an instream use in the Deschutes River, increasing stream flows for the frog, said Ken Rieck, the district’s manager.

Transferring stored water into the river would also generate credits allowing for groundwater pumping, which could be sold to raise money for additional piping projects, he said.

Aside from transfers to instream uses, the district wants to move water from the Tumalo reservoir into several smaller ponds that would help regulate water pressure, Rieck said.

Just as flushing a toilet can cause a home’s other water outlets to lose pressure, water diversion by a large irrigator can reduce pressure to lateral lines in a water system, he said.

Water transferred for storage in nearby ponds, however, can be pumped into the system to offset this loss in pressure, Rieck said. “We’re trying to bring our efficiency way up and this is the way to do that.”

Historically, the Oregon Water Resources Department has permitted the transfer of stored water among reservoirs, as well as the transfer of stored water to instream uses, said Elizabeth Howard, an attorney representing the district.

Over the past year or so, however, the agency has ceased approving such requests, seemingly due to a changed legal interpretation by the Oregon Department of Justice, Howard said.

It’s unclear what prompted the change, but the situation may be resolved with the Irrigation Storage Efficiency Act, which would clarify OWRD’s authority to approve such transfers.

The bill is expected to be introduced during the upcoming legislative session in February by Sen. Tim Knopp, R-Bend, who recently spoke in favor of the “legislative concept” during a hearing of the Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources.

Capital Press was unable to reach OWRD for comment as of press time.

Each transfer application would “stand or fail on its own merits,” as the legislation does not create any “shortcuts” to approval under the OWRD’s standard process, said Rieck.

The clarification would restore water management flexibility not only in the Tumalo Irrigation District but also in other areas that have similar needs, said Howard.

“The plain fact is it has a pretty significant impact on districts and irrigators who thought they had all these tools in their toolbox,” she said.

Federal wildlife officials are working to protect cattle at a southwest Oregon ranch after wolves from the nearby Rogue pack killed three calves in eight days in the same fenced pasture.

The attacks are also renewing calls from the Oregon Cattlemen’s Association to change how wolves are managed on the west side of the state, where the animals remain listed as endangered.

All three kills occurred at the Mill-Mar Ranch south of Prospect in Jackson County, which lies in the middle of Rogue wolfpack territory. John Stephenson, wildlife biologist and Oregon wolf coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said the pack had visited the ranch for years without preying on livestock.

That changed Thursday, Jan. 4, when investigators confirmed the pack was responsible for killing a 500-pound calf. Two more incidents were confirmed Wednesday, Jan. 10, and Thursday, Jan. 11.

“It’s something we’re very concerned about,” Stephenson said. “We can’t just trust anymore that (wolves) are going to come visit and not cause problems. Things have changed in that regard.”

In each case, GPS-collar data from OR-54 — a member of the Rogue pack — showed the wolf was nearby when the calves were killed. Biologists collared OR-54 in October 2017 to help track and learn more about the pack.

The Rogue pack was established in 2014, when the famous wandering wolf OR-7 and his mate had their first litter of pups. OR-54, an 80-pound female, is believed to be directly related to OR-7. Stephenson said he believes the pack now has between seven and 12 individual wolves, with a territory that covers parts of Jackson County and neighboring Klamath County to the east.

Rancher Ted Birdseye said he was aware wolves were present in the area when he purchased the Mill-Mar Ranch two years ago. In a recent interview with the Capital Press, Birdseye said he was growing concerned about chronic predation.

“I hope (wolves) don’t come in once a week over the next few months,” he said. “There’s nothing I can really do about it.”

Gray wolves are listed as a federally endangered species west of highways 395, 78 and 95. East of the highways, wolves were removed from the state endangered species list in 2015, enabling ranchers and wildlife officials to shoot wolves in certain situations to prevent or deter repeated attacks on livestock.

Last year, the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife authorized kill orders for members of the Harl Butte pack in Wallowa County, as well as the Meacham pack in Umatilla County. Stephenson, with the USFWS, said lethal control will not be considered for the Rogue pack.

“We’re still looking to try an effective deterrent that keeps them out of the pasture,” Stephenson said. “We’re not looking at anything beyond that at this point.”

Stephenson said deterrents may include some combination of fladry, electric fencing and increased human presence to haze wolves from the area. In fact, Stephenson had just arrived at the ranch Jan. 10 to help replace fladry when he discovered the second dead calf.

After the third calf was killed, Stephenson remained at the ranch in his truck, with a spotlight and shotgun to haze wolves should they return.

“It did appear Thursday night that they were coming back to the ranch that evening, and then redirected,” Stephenson said. “I think it’s likely they were coming down and saw my headlights, spotlight and human activity, and took off and went somewhere else.”

Steve Pedery, conservation director of the environmental group Oregon Wild, said the organization has spoken several times with Birdseye and offered to provide financial assistance or volunteer labor for non-lethal deterrents.

“We’re hopeful we can get past the immediate situation,” Pedery said.

The Oregon Cattlemen’s Association, however, is looking for broader changes in western Oregon wolf management to protect ranchers and livestock.

Rogue Valley rancher Veril Nelson serves as co-chairman for the OCA wolf committee, focused on western Oregon wolves. He said the association would eventually like to see the species delisted, but knows that may be a lengthy battle in court.

“It could be years and years and years before the courts make decisions and go through with appeals,” Nelson said.

Nelson said the association is also working on changing the rules for endangered species that would allow ranchers to kill wolves caught in the process of attacking livestock, or agencies to authorize killing wolves that repeatedly attack livestock similar to how they do in eastern Oregon, Washington and Idaho.

“Once wolves start preying on livestock, they tend to continue,” he said.

With just a few dozen known wolves in western Oregon, Pedery said he is frustrated by the notion of delisting the species. He added he has been impressed by Birdseye, who seems genuinely interested in trying new solutions.

“We’re eager to work with him,” Pedery said.

ODFW estimated there were at least 113 known wolves statewide at the end of 2016. An updated population estimate is expected to be released in March.

LONDON (AP) — The death of The Cranberries lead singer Dolores O'Riordan is not being treated as suspicious, British police said Tuesday. A friend said the singer sounded excited and "full of life" just hours before her death.

Colin Parry, the father of an IRA bomb victim, has paid tribute to Cranberries singer Dolores O'Riordan, who died on Monday (15.01.17).

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Laws in Idaho and Washington that allow people to salvage roadkill have yielded some benefits, according to wildlife officials in both states.

Idaho and Washington have passed laws allowing people to salvage roadkill, provided they fill out a short form with the state wildlife agency to get a permit.

Washington’s law, which took effect July 1, 2016, allows for deer and elk only, The Spokesman-Review reported. Between then and the end of 2017, 3,099 animals were salvaged off Washington roads, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife said.

Idaho’s law, which took effect six years ago, is much broader, listing nearly 50 species of mammals and birds as salvageable. Most animals are fair game, provided they’re not endangered, threatened or otherwise protected by federal or state law.

Deer and elk top the list in Idaho. But Idaho residents have also hauled away 419 moose, 55 black bears, 51 wild turkeys and 39 beavers since the law went into effect.

Under a law passed last year, Oregon will begin allowing permit holders to salvage roadkill in 2019.

Salvagers don’t have to say what they intend to do with the animal. Gregg Servheen, the wildlife program coordinator at Idaho Fish and Game, said salvagers, in addition to eating, may be practicing taxidermy, looking for hides to display, gathering items for crafts or regalia or making their own fishing lures.

Idaho’s roadkill data is more detailed than Washington’s, with a greater variety of species and occasional notes from the salvager. The species is often a best guess from the salvager.

In Washington and Idaho, the locations of salvaged animals are reported by the people who take them home. People fill out the permit form online and have the option of clicking a point on a map or listing a highway and milepost.

Most of the animals end up along highways and major roads, as well as along smaller roads traveling through national forest land. Mapping Idaho’s roadkill produces a scattering of dots across Montana, Alberta and Oregon. Washington’s extends into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Aberdeen.

Wildlife officials in both states say they haven’t seen negative impacts from the law on other wildlife populations. Health districts haven’t complained, either.

Their hope is that having fewer carcasses sitting alongside the road will prompt raptors and scavengers to stay away. That might mean people see fewer eagles in the wild, but it doesn’t mean they’re not there.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Oregon lawmakers are considering a major change in how the state will go about reducing its contributions to climate change.

Right now, there’s nothing to stop a lot of Oregon businesses from pumping carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

The Clean Energy Jobs Bill introduced last week would launch a cap and trade system that would limit some of those emissions and charge businesses for the right to pollute.

The system would be similar to existing programs in California and some Canadian provinces.

The state would set a cap on total greenhouse emissions, and about 100 companies in the state’s largest industries would be required to buy pollution permits to cover their emissions.

The bill requires permits for any business that emits more than 25,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent. That includes a variety of large manufacturers, paper mills, fuel distributors and utilities.

Over time, the cap on emissions will come down and there will be fewer pollution permits available. So companies will have to reduce their emissions, spend more on permits or buy credits to offset their emissions.

This system would create a new marketplace for pollution credits that companies can buy and sell. It would be designed to link up with existing markets in California and Canadian provinces, so a company in Oregon could buy pollution credits from a business in California.

It also creates a market for offset projects, so a forest landowner in Oregon could sell the carbon sequestration credits from not cutting down trees. Buying an offset credit may be a cheaper option for companies that need to reduce their emissions or buy a pollution permit.

Creators of the bill call it a “cap and invest” program because the state could make an estimated $700 million a year from selling pollution permits. That money would then be invested in projects that expand public transit, solar power, electric vehicles and home energy efficiency upgrades that will help reduce the state’s overall greenhouse gas emissions.

The bill mandates reductions down to 80 percent of 1990 emission levels by 2050. Supporters say that’s the only way the state is ever going to meet its targets for reducing carbon emissions. Right now, the state is way behind on the climate goals it set in 2007.

“That’s what brings urgency to this,” said state Sen. Michael Dembrow, who helped create the bill as the chair of the Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee. “It’s very clear we’re not going to get there if we don’t have the discipline of a program that sets a cap each year and gradually brings us down.”

Environmental groups point to California’s cap and trade program and its recent renewal as proof that this kind of system can reduce emissions and generate revenue without hurting the economy.

A lot of industries are opposed to a cap and trade system in Oregon because they say it will inevitably raise prices for all kinds of energy, which affects businesses as well as the cost of living for everyday people.

Oregon Business & Industry, the Oregon Farm Bureau and Northwest Food Processors Association, which together represent thousands of businesses across the state, have all spoken out against the Clean Energy Jobs Bill.

“This legislation is harmful to farmers and ranchers in Oregon because it increases our cost of production and makes us less competitive,” said Jenny Dresler of the Oregon Farm Bureau. “Raising the price of gas, electricity and natural gas on everybody will simply make it harder for Oregon family farms to survive to the next generation.”

The bill is designed to address some of these concerns by setting revenue aside to help low-income families, displaced workers and rural areas adapt to the new policy and the effects of climate change.

There’s a chance the bill will pass this session but it will depend on what else lawmakers have to tackle. If Measure 101, the so-called health care “provider tax,” doesn’t pass, lawmakers will likely be too busy with health care issues to address cap and trade.

After months of work group sessions, though, lawmakers now have a detailed proposal to work with. The program isn’t scheduled to launch until 2021, so the Legislature could also pick it back up next year.

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown issued a statement outlining her requirements for signing any bill that creates a cap and trade system for the state. They include protecting people from utility rate hikes as the state transitions away from coal-fired power and investing revenues to help rural and under-served communities make the shift to cleaner energy sources.

“It must both grow our economy and reduce pollution,” she said. “Specifically, the policy needs to ensure that as we reduce emissions, Oregon small businesses and manufacturers are not put at a competitive disadvantage in global markets.”

The Metropolitan Police have confirmed Dolores O'Riordan's death is not being treated as suspicious.

Dolores O'Riordan's death has sparked a surge in sales of her solo and Cranberries work with the band's latest album sales up by 913,350 per cent.

LONDON (AP) — Dolores O'Riordan, whose urgent, powerful voice helped make Irish rock band The Cranberries a global success in the 1990s, died suddenly on Monday at a London hotel. She was 46.

Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about Tuesday:

LONDON (AP) — Dolores O'Riordan, whose urgent, powerful voice helped make Irish rock band The Cranberries a global success in the 1990s, died suddenly on Monday at a London hotel. She was 46.

The Cranberries - Fergal Lawler, Noel and Mike Hogan - are "devastated" by the death of Dolores O'Riordan, who passed away on Monday (15.01.18) at the age of 46.

Diplo and James Corden have led tributes to Dolores O'Riordan, the frontwoman of The Cranberries, who tragically passed away in London on Monday (15.01.18) at the age of 46.

Dolores O'Riordan's death is being treated as "unexplained", a Met Police spokesperson has confirmed.

A publicist says Dolores O'Riordan, lead singer of Irish band The Cranberries, has died aged 46. Lindsey Holmes says O'Riordan has died suddenly in London, where she was recording. The Limerick band became international stars in the 1990s with hits…

KTVZ
Cranberries singer Dolores O'Riordan dies at age 46
KTVZ
(CNN) - Dolores O'Riordan, the lead singer of the Irish band The Cranberries, died in London on Monday, according to a statement from her publicist. O'Riordan, who was 46, died "suddenly" according to the statement, but no details were given on the ...
Cranberries singer Dolores O'Riordan dies suddenly aged 46BBC News

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KTVZ
Cranberries singer Dolores O'Riordan dies at age 46
KTVZ
(CNN) - Dolores O'Riordan, the lead singer of the Irish band The Cranberries, died in London on Monday, according to a statement from her publicist. O'Riordan, who was 46, died "suddenly" according to the statement, but no details were given on the ...
Cranberries singer Dolores O'Riordan dies suddenly aged 46BBC News

all 827 news articles »

The Cranberries singer Dolores O'Riordan - famous for hits such as 'Linger', 'Zombie' and 'I Can't Be With You' - has died at the age of 46.

TheWrap
Dolores O'Riordan, Cranberries Singer, Dies at 46
TheWrap
Dolores O'Riordan, lead singer for Irish rock group The Cranberries, has died at age 46. A publicist for the singer said that she died suddenly on Monday. She had been recording in London. The cause of O'Riordan's death was not immediately available.
Cranberries singer Dolores O'Riordan dies suddenly aged 46BBC News

all 827 news articles »

LONDON (AP) — Publicist: Singer Dolores O'Riordan of Irish band The Cranberries has died aged 46.