Help with cougars

A number of letters have been written that are critical of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and the way it handles cougars.

It is the job of ODFW to manage all wildlife in Oregon, but the voters of Oregon have taken away their main management tool, hunters, from cougar management.

The voters decided that hunters should not be allowed to use dogs to hunt them, which leaves them basically uncontrolled.

By having intruded into the animals’ habitat for the last 200 years and forcing the native species to adapt to our taking over their prime habitat of valleys, riparian areas and land that produced their food, water and cover, we have forced them to live in marginal areas.

We can never have a “balanced” nature of animals anymore unless we move out of the prime habitat, demolish our cities and leave. We have let cougars and wolves interfere with this by not allowing management of them.

We need to let the dedicated experts at ODFW do what they know is best for our wildlife.

If there are others who think they know better, then they should do something with actions and money. I would like to know how many of the people who write these letters buy a Habitat Conservation Stamp from ODFW or donate to the Nongame Wildlife Fund, also through ODFW.

There are many groups in this area who provide time and money for improving our habitat, which we have so poorly mismanaged, so that all wildlife can thrive.

Join up.

Jim Persing

Redmond

Barney Prine’s is not closed

As a resident of Prineville, I wish to inform you of an error in reporting that Barney Prine’s Steakhouse was closed. It is not. It has moved to a bigger and better location on Fourth and Deer streets.

It has some fabulous food and should be considered a definite competitor to Pioneer Club!

Please do the honor of apologizing to the owner of Barney Prine’s, as he has put a lot of time, money and skill into his place, and he should be proud.

Deborah Core

Prineville

Solar plans will change rural area

Two solar power-generating facilities have been proposed for the east edge of Bend on Neff and Erickson roads. These two projects would total 167 acres and are planned for an area near working farms, residential homes and Big Sky Park, only a mile from Bend’s city limits.

The solar array would be surrounded by 8-feet-tall chain-link fences topped with strands of barbed wire. The solar panels would be 12 feet high and placed as densely as possible without blocking the sun from other panels. No trees or wildlife would exist inside the solar development area.

Each of these two projects alone would be the largest solar power-generating plants in Oregon.

There are solar developments in the Arizona and California deserts and in Washington; however, none is located near populated areas.

Although solar power production is desirable and efforts to make it available are commendable, placing them on acreages that are too small to shield surrounding properties would bring an industrial setting to this rural area east of Bend.

I strongly urge our County Planning Division and our county commissioners to carefully study the implications of such projects and suggest that these power production facilities be sited on larger blocks of land with substantial buffering for surrounding farms, ranches and homes.

There will be formal hearings for these two projects, which will be announced in The Bulletin. Please consider contributing your thoughts on the potential change this will have on the east side of Bend.

Cathy Jensen

Bend