Klamath Basin Business publication

KLAMATH BASIN

Sept. 2017

Basin Business

Thursday, September 28, 2017, Herald and News

Business

Bell Hardware marks 80 years in business

— Page 5

— Page 6 Financial Focus: Retirement advice

See page 5

Homemade success story

Leadercast features all female speakers

Rural Tourism program starting up

Oregon Tech holds steady in national rankings

John Bell, above, discusses the history and future of Bell Hardware as the firm celebrates 80 years in business.

See Page 2

— Page 7

A publication of the Herald & News

Chamber: www.klamath.org

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Thursday, September 28, 2017, Herald and News

Basin Business

80 years on...

Bell Hardware weathers changing times

BY GERRY O’BRIEN

H&N Editor

B

ell Hardware is not your grandfather’s hardware store, and for good reason. It’s not a hardware store at all.

The business is marking its 80th anniversary this year, in the same location, the heart of downtown Klamath Falls.

While the name may throw people off, when one walks through its doors, it becomes obvious that Bell Hardware is something unique.

“We basically provide the access to every opening in a building,” said owner John Bell, 55, who joined the business with his father, Rod, in 1993.

The business manufactures custom steel door and frames from everything as simple as a warehouse door, to something as complex as hospital doors and building entrances.

“That includes the security level, too,” said Bell. “For example, we’re watching how schools are handling the changes in their security, and how we play a role in that entry.” It includes hardware for alarms and electronic entry keys, but also designs for a physical barrier.

“It could be one of the fastest growing areas in our business,” Bell said.

The firm is involved in what Bell calls, “A Total Opening Solution.” It is to supply and or manufacture all the components needed for an opening to work correctly including doors, frames, hardware and electronics.

“Our number one expansion point will be the electronic access to buildings. We play a role in supplying the hardware, electrified locks, card readers, and everything along that line,” he said.

Bell Hardware has been a major player in the construction of buildings in Klamath Falls. It created all

Submitted photo

Bell Hardware of Klamath Falls: Front row, left to right: Kevin Marcon, Wes Gibson, Jessica Howell, Maury Vallier, Sue Shapiro, Bob Jensen, Judy Naylor. Middle Row: Rick Ruby, Ken Schill, Tyler Keeler, Michael Rodriguez, Chris Rowan, Kennon Carlson, Brandon Hartley, Francisco Caro.

Back Row: Garnell Carter, Jeremy Chronister, Dave Wagner, Corey Groves, Gary Wagner, Nick Bell, Chris Ardolino. Not Pictured: Justin Grant, Ellen Dean, Josh Harris. the access and entry points for Sky Lakes Medical Center, as well as the new Henley grade school, the new construction at Klamath Community College, the renovation of Klamath High School, Kingsley Field, as well as the Herald and News building.

And its reach is far beyond the Klamath Basin and expanding. It is partnering with Facebook, Amazon, Google and Apple and other large data centers that need secure access and new construction in places such as Prineville, Boardman and Reno, Nev. And, as developers gravitate toward commercial uses on the ground floor, and residential on the second floor, the need for a variety of security entrances grows, which the firm is actively involved with.

John Bell displays hand-crafted The operation once was a true door frames the company offers.

hardware store on Main Street. (See related story Page 4). Bell’s grandfather purchased the business in 1937.

Back then it sold everything from paints to sporting goods, to plumbing and, of course, hardware.

John Bell grew up in the business and later graduated from Oregon State University. He worked in Seattle for a large commercial insurance firm.

“In 1992 my father approached me about coming back. The business was growing and I was married and had a child on the way. So, we moved back here in the winter of 1992 and started going back to work in 1993. It was a great time to transition; Klamath was a great place to raise a family and the city schools were great,” he said.

Today the business employs 70; with 25 in Klamath Falls, and the rest spread out among several cities in Oregon and Northern California.

That, in part, is the secret to its success.

Although the headquarters are in Klamath Falls, the strategy of Bell Hardware is to geographically diversify; that is, to have satellite offices in growth markets such as Portland, Medford, Eugene, Bend, Salem and Redding, Calif. This makes the firm local to those communities when bidding on jobs. Furthermore, it’s a chance for the firm to give back directly to that community, become recognized as part of that town.

“I firmly believe in giving back to the communities we work in,” Bell said. Bell sits on the local Sky Lakes Medical Center board as well as the Klamath County Economic Development Association. His wife, Kendall, is a city council member and a former director of the downtown association.

Expansion plans call for opening branches in surrounding states, but a

See BELL, page 3

Basin Business

Thursday, September 28, 2017, Herald and News

Bell Hardware of Eugene, from left: Albert Depew, Chris Stevens, Becky Herburger, Alan Wilkinson and Terran Markham.

Submitted photos

Bell Hardware of Bend, left to right: Andy Nibler, Sulema Kelly, Joe Haynes, Brian Hewitt, Evan Kurczewski. Not Pictured, Cole Haigh.

Bell Hardware of Medford, from left: Brian Bales, Dave Jones, Devante Lee and Theresa Jones. Not pictured: Jeff Kroggel

Bell Hardware of Redding: from left, Tony Baisden, Joe Baker, Tori Greenwell and Rich Bouille.

BELL / Continued from page 2 lot of Bell’s focus has been on incorporating technology into an 80-yearold business. “It has been a challenge but we have made great headway over the last couple of years and I appreciate our employees’ willingness to adapt,” Bell said.

Its latest growth came not in a location, but in a new company called Bell Installations based in Portland.

“We have moved from being a supply only company to now offering a complete package of supply and install. Along with this we have also been pre-installing hardware on doors in our Klamath facility and shipping it to job sites across Oregon.”

Employees are specialists who have a wide range of knowledge on building codes and regulations, architectural needs and other requirements. It gives the client insight in what needs to be done and done correctly.

See BELL, page 4

Bell Hardware of Salem, from left: Sean Atkins, David Swanson, Jeff Otjen, Marco Kaehler, Steve Harmon and Cooper.

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Thursday, September 28, 2017, Herald and News

Basin Business

Bell Hardware: A case study From a press release

Submitted photo

Bell Hardware of Portland, from left: Michael Herriges, Dave Rogers, Ian Madden, David Rodriguez, Francisco Ortiz, Andy Armstrong, Mike Meyer, Josh Crane and Sarah Perona.

A brief history of Bell Hardware Bell Hardware traces its beginning back to 1935 when Edwin and Elizabeth Bell moved to Klamath Falls and Ed was named the manager of Southern Oregon Hardware, a firm created through the merger in 1934 of two pioneer businesses, Baldwin Hardware and Klamath Hardware. In 1937 the Bells purchased Southern Oregon Hardware and changed the name to Bell’s Hardware. Two years later they moved the store one block to the northeast at 528 Main Street where it is located today.

In 1956 Ed and Bea’s son Rod joined the family business. Rod’s vision was to expand from a retail hardware store into a supplier of commercial grade hardware (locks, closers and exit devices) and steel doors and frames. He purchased a building on Walnut Street in Klamath where frames were welded together and doors prepped for hardware and then shipped out to commercial job sites. The commercial side of the business really started to grow when Rod opened up branches in Medford (1973), Eugene (1978) and Redding (1986). During this time the business expanded into wood doors In 1993, Rod’s son, John, joined the business and the expansion continued with branches in Bend (1995), Portland (1996) and Salem (2000). Also in 1995 the hollow metal door shop moved from Walnut Street to Broad Street to a much larger building to better handle the expansion.

In 2008 the Klamath operation decided to get out of the retail hardware business and sold off its inventory, then opened back up showcasing commercial hardware products. Today Bell Hardware is the premier supplier of commercial grade doors, frames and hardware in the Northwest and Northern California.

A sampling of local, statewide projects: Klamath Falls: Kingsley Field, Klamath Community College, Sky Lakes Medical Center, Klamath Union High School and Henley Grade School Bend: St Charles Medical Center, Sunriver Resort Properties, Deschutes Brewery, Les Schwab Headquarters, Facebook and Apple Data Centers Eugene: Cow Creek Casino, OSU Gill Coliseum, Mid-Willamette YMCA Medford: Lithia Headquarters & Car Dealerships, S.O.U. Science Building, White City V.A., Portland: Adidas Village, Sokol Blosser Winery, OHSU Cascadia, World of Speed Museum Salem: Goodwill Industries, Evergreen Aviation Museum, Tillamook Creamery Redding: Redding Police Department, Vista Prep Academy, Turtle Bay Exploration Park

Bell Hardware is a third-generation, family-owned business in Klamath Falls that grew from one hardware store in the 1930s into a significant supplier of commercial grade doors systems with its own fabrication operation. Today the company supplies customers in Oregon, Northern California, Southern Washington and Nevada with commercial-grade doors, frames and specialized hardware. Products from Bell Hardware have been incorporated into impressive structures such as Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Facebook data center in Prineville, and Adidas in Portland.

Bell Hardware recognizes several distinct advantages to having its hub in Klamath Falls. President John Bell especially appreciates the high-quality workforce and says they enjoy a low employee-turnover rate with most managers staying between 20 and 40 years. He has full confidence in the quality of their shop employees as well.

“I would put my crew up against anyone in the business, any day,” he said. Historic photos adorn the headquarters’ walls.

The Klamath Falls market provides consistently low operating costs for Bell Hardware, including reasonable wages, rent, utilities, and other expenses. The company also says it has had favorable trucking and delivery arrangements because of the town’s location on Highway 97, which begins at I-5 in Northern California and connects to I-84 along the OregonWashington border.

So how did this company transition from a one-store retail business to a booming fabricator that supports seven branches totaling more than 70 employees? About 20 years after the family began as a retailer on Main Street, the founder’s son joined the business with a vision to expand into the commercial hardware market. They purchased a building a couple of miles from the store so they could begin producing metal frames and doors, and eventually architectural wood door systems.

The venture was so successful they opened sales branches in Medford, Eugene and Redding between 1973 and 1986. Bell Hardware’s growth continued as the third generation of the Bell family entered the business and led the opening of offices in Bend, Portland and Salem from 1995 to 2000.

Each Bell Hardware branch handles project estimating, sales, installation and service for large-scale projects, while Klamath Falls remains home to Bell Hardware’s headquarters and showroom downtown and its distribution and hollow metal fabrication shop on Broad Street.

BELL / Continued from page 3 jobs,” Bell said. “We do some over-the-counter work for people who buy two or three doors, but the majority of our work is large construction projects.”

“It takes us about two years of on the job training for our project managers before they become proficient,” Bell said. The firm strives to encourage longevity and offers decent wages plus benefits. It has a history of low turnover, he said.

“I feel strongly about longevity, and strive to take care of our employees.”

The firm has 10 managers with an average longevity of 28 years.

“Kendall and I love being in Klamath, love being involved and we are proud to have the company headquarters based in this wonderful community.”

Basin Business

Thursday, September 28, 2017, Herald and News

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Leadercast features all-female lineup of speakers From a press release

Leadercast, known for developing leaders worth following through its interactive solutions, announces its inaugural event of all-female speakers, Leadercast Women.

The Leadercast Live one-day event is the world’s largest with more than 100,000 attendees in 700 locations and 20 countries.

The Oct. 5 women’s event will feature top female leaders who are powered by purpose; they’ll share their thoughts, ideas and experiences on applying your value, maximizing your skills and empowering you to become a leader worth following.

“The Leadercast team works every day to find valuable leadership lessons to share so we can properly serve our community,” said Leadercast CEO, Duane Cummings. “For our October experience,

we’re excited to announce that we again have a lineup of amazing leaders, who will share fresh perspectives, priceless messages and actionable takeaways, and they just happen to be female.”

Held at Oregon Tech’s College Vanderkam Union Sunset Conference Room on Oct. 5, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., the event will also be available around the world. Leadercast Women will feature some of today’s top female leaders including: n Laura Vanderkam, author, “I Know How She Does It” and “What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast;” n Dr. Neeta Bhushan, speaker, author and socially conscious entrepreneur;

n Dr. Bernice King, CEO, The King Center; author, “Hard Questions, Heart Answers;” n Ginger Hardage, former senior vice president of culture and communications, Southwest Airlines; n “Mama Jan” Smith, multi-platinum vocal coach and Grammy-nominated producer; n Shabnam Mogharabi, CEO and executive producer, SoulPancake; n Jenn Lim, CEO and chief happiness officer, delivering happiness; n Tammy Tibbetts, CEO and co-founder, She’s the First; n Molly Fletcher, Former top sports agent and author For more information about Leadercast Women, visit www.leadercast.com/pages/women.

Oregon Tech holds steady in magazine’s college rankings Oregon Institute of Technology (Oregon Tech) is once again ranked highly within the U.S. News and World Report “Best Colleges 2018” rankings, released last week, according to a news release.

The report lists Oregon Tech at No. 3 as Top Public Western Regional College, and the university’s ranking of Best Western Regional Colleges comes in at No. 6, a list which is comprised of the best baccalaureate colleges in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

In the Best Western Colleges category, Oregon Tech received the highest peer assessment score at 3.6 out of 5, and showcased that the university receives freshman who are typically in the top 25 percent of their high school graduating class. U.S. News & World Report bases the overall university rankings, which have been published annually since 1983, on a number of criteria, including graduation and retention rates, assessment of excellence, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, graduation rate performance, and alumni giving.

In the category of Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs in the nation, Oregon Tech held strong at No. 38 (No. 15 among public colleges and universities) — a list that ranks all undergraduate engineering programs accredited by ABET at non-PhD-granting universities. U.S. News notes that the rankings are

based solely on surveys of engineering deans and senior faculty at accredited programs. The university reappeared on Best Colleges for Veterans as No. 5 in Western Regional Colleges. This list provides military veterans and activeduty service members with rankings among schools that are certified for the GI Bill and participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program. Oregon Tech is also featured as a Best Value School for being one of the western regional colleges with the least student debt.

“It’s very rewarding to see our university be recognized for the hard work we put into having an exceptional and innovative education,” said Dr. Nagi Naganathan, president of Oregon Tech. “The value that we provide to our students is of our utmost focus, whether it is the high return on investment they receive for their degree or our emphasis on hands-on learning that can be applied directly upon graduation. We want to make sure our students are prepared to handle not only their future careers, but also their life.”

Highlights of the rankings of more than 1,500 four-year schools in the United States are available today at www.usnews.com/colleges. To view a full list of Oregon Tech accolades, please visit www.oit.edu/news/university-accoladesrankings.

Mark Fay, M.D. Scott Stevens, M.D. Physician/ Surgeon of the Eye Physician/ Surgeon of the Eye

Edwin Tuhy, O.D. Optometrist

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Thursday, September 28, 2017, Herald and News

Basin Business

Rural Tourism Studio program kicks off in October Klamath Basin region invited to participate through December

order to bring ideas developed during the program to fruition.

Dec. 6, 5 p.m.-7 p.m.

From a press release Oregon’s Rural Tourism Studio, offered by Travel Oregon, is open for registration. This fall and winter program will focus on the Klamath Basin region, including the communities of Klamath Falls, Bonanza, Chiloquin, Malin, Merrill, Dorris, Tulelake and the greater Klamath Basin communities.

Oregon’s RTS program is a series of tourism development workshops designed to assist rural communities interested in stimulating their local economies through sustainable tourism development, while protecting and enhancing local resources. As a result of the program, Travel Oregon hopes to see an increase in authentic experiences for travelers throughout the state. In turn, this will strengthen Oregon’s position as a premier tourism destination by enhancing community livability and healthy, local environments.

The RTS professional development program offers hands-on skill-building through seven interactive workshop sessions and networking events held over a three-month period. The program is designed to assist residents and businesses in Klamath Basin through the following goals: n Shape a regional vision and plan for local tourism development; n Identify strategies for creating unique visitor experiences from local resources; n Integrate principles of sustainable development to protect and enhance the community and its natural assets as the industry is developed; n Entice visitors with local, naturebased outdoor recreation activities n Develop experiential tourism that integrates food, farm and heritage opportunities in the region; n Shape collaborative destination marketing direction for the region and provide businesses and organizations

tangible actions to promote their business and the region as a whole to visitors; n Develop effective community action teams to move tourism development ideas into executable strategies.

Community leaders, tourism business entrepreneurs, tour operators, lodging property owners, land managers, guides, outfitters, outdoor enthusiasts, restauranteurs, event producers, visitor attractions and anyone interested in strengthening the local economy through tourism are encouraged to participate in the program.

The following workshops and events will be offered as part of the program:

Oct. 10, 4 p.m.-8 p.m.

Malin — Community Tourism Visioning & Scenario Planning Event. Determine the essence of this destination, create the future and galvanize community members in working toward the fulfillment of this common purpose.

related to these sectors and network with your peers

Nov. 15, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

Dorris — Adventure Travel & Outdoor Recreation Workshop. Work collaboratively to designs strategies and business opportunities to develop the outdoor recreation and adventure travel market for this region.

Dec. 5, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

Klamath Falls — Tourism Marketing & Communications Workshop. Learn tourism marketing best practices, how to plug into existing marketing efforts and how to develop a tourism marketing plan for your region and business.

Dec. 6, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

Klamath Falls — Teaming for Impact & Action Planning Workshop.

Establish powerful local action teams in

Klamath Falls — Community Celebration Event. Participants share their vision of tourism for the region and celebrate program completion To maximize the impact from the RTS program, it’s recommended that participants attend all workshops and events. Participants who attend at least four of the workshops will receive a certificate of completion from Travel Oregon.

The cost to participate in any one workshop is $5 (and includes lunch), or $20 for all five workshops. All networking events are free. Space is limited and is specifically designed for residents, businesses and organizations operating in the Klamath Basin. To register online, go to Industry.TravelOregon.com/KlamathBasin.

For questions, contact the local steering committee conveners: Katie Jameson and Betty Riley South Central Oregon Economic Development District, katie@ scoedd.org | betty@scoedd.org 541-8845593.

For general inquiries about the program, contact the Destination Development team at Travel Oregon: Development@TravelOregon.com.

Openings, celebrations

Oct. 11, 9 p.m.-4 p.m.

Malin — Community Tourism Planning Workshop; Set a path for sustainable tourism based on current trends and local assets

Nov. 14, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

Dorris — Cultural Heritage & Agritourism Workshop. Create ways for better connecting your local heritage and agricultural markets with the visitor industry to strengthen your local economy

Nov. 14, 5:30-8 p.m.

Klamath Falls — Cultural Heritage & Outdoor Recreation Networking Event. Learn about key tourism projects

Submitted photo

AirLink of Klamath Falls held a ribbon-cutting last month with staff and ambassadors from the Klamath County Chamber of Commerce.

Basin Business

Thursday, September 28, 2017, Herald and News

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FINANCIAL FOCUS

Consider multiple factors for retirement strategies

Jobless rates ticked up slightly in August Unemployment rates ticked up across Klamath and Lake Counties in August. Despite a small uptick to the unemployment rate over the past several months, the employment situation is significantly improved from this time last year.

Klamath County: The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose for a second consecutive month to 5.6 percent in August, up from 5.3 percent in July.

The drop in employed residents was much larger than the increase in unemployed, resulting in a notable decline in the local labor force. This drop is likely the result of retirements or out-migration. Despite the monthly decline, the unemployment rate remains down significantly from last August when it was 6.9 percent.

Klamath County added 100 jobs in August, fairly consistent hiring for this time of year.

The pace of job growth over the past year slowed slightly in August with the nonfarm payroll employment expanding 2.9 percent (+650 jobs).

Employment growth was consistent with the statewide growth rate at 2.6 percent. Job gains were concentrated in health care, construction, and leisure and hospitality. There were notable declines in professional and businesses services (-130 jobs).

Lake County: The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate ticked up to 5.6 percent in August from 5.4 percent in July. The rate was 6.3 percent in August 2016, not a statistically significant decline.

The employment situation in August remained little changed from July. Lake County nonfarm business establishments added a total of 70 jobs over the year. There were modest gains in retail trade (+20 jobs) over the past year. Local government (+40 jobs) also posted notable gains.

KLAMATH BASIN

Business

When you create your financial and investment strategies for retirement, what will you need to know? In other words, what factors should you consider, and how will these factors affect your investment-related decisions, before and during your retirement?

Consider the following: ■ Age at retirement — Not surprisingly, your retirement date likely will be heavily influenced by your financial situation – so, if you have to keep working, that’s what you’ll do.

But if you have a choice in the matter, your decision could have a big impact on your investment strategy.

For example, if you want to retire early, you may need to save and invest more aggressively than you would if you plan to work well past typical retirement age. Also, your retirement date may well affect when you start accepting Social Security payments; if you retire early, you might have to start taking your benefits at age 62, even though your monthly checks will be considerably smaller than if you waited until your “full” retirement age, which is likely to be 66 or 67.

■ Retirement lifestyle — Some people want to spend their retirement years traveling from Athens to Zanzibar, while others simply want to stay close to home and family, pursuing quiet, inexpensive hobbies. Clearly, the lifestyle you choose will affect how much you need to accumulate before you retire and how much you will need to withdraw from your various investment accounts once you do.

■ Second career — Some people retire from one career only to begin another. If you think you’d like to have a “second act” in your working life, you might need some additional training, or you might just put your existing expertise to work as a con-

sultant. If you do launch a new career, it could clearly affect your financial picture. For one thing, if you add a new source of earned income, you might be able to withdraw less from your retirement accounts each year.

(Keep in mind, though, that once you reach 70½, you will have to take at least some withdrawals from your traditional IRA and your 401(k) or other employer-sponsored retirement plan.) On the other hand, if you keep earning income, you can continue putting money into a traditional IRA (until you’re 70½) or a Roth IRA (indefinitely) and possibly contribute to a retirement plan for the selfemployed, such as a SEP-IRA or an “owner-only” 401(k).

■ Philanthropy — During your working years, you may have consistently donated money to charitable organizations. And once you retire, you may want to do even more. For one thing, of course, you can volunteer more of your time. But you also might want to set up some more permanent method of financial support. Consequently, you might want to work with your legal advisor and financial professional to incorporate elements of your investment portfolio into your estate plans to provide more support for charitable groups.

As you can see, your retirement goals can affect your investment strategy — and vice versa. So, think carefully about what you want to accomplish, plan ahead and get the help you need. It takes time and effort to achieve a successful retirement, but it’s worth it.

Submitted by: Meredith Hoffman Financial Advisor-Edward Jones 1307 S Alameda Ave, Suite B Klamath Falls, OR 97603 541.273.2483

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Thursday, September 28, 2017, Herald and News

Basin Business

September 2017 Newsletter Ore gon State Senator Dennis Linthicum – District 28 I represent the citizens of Senate District 28, which includes all, or part of Þve rural, mostly-eastern Oregon counties: Jackson, Klamath, Lake, Deschutes and Crook.

Senator Dennis Linthicum OR Senate District 28

As Senator of one of the largest Senate districts in our state, it Capitol Phone: is extremely important that my constituents remain in contact Capitol Address: with me about the issues and concerns that affect their lives.

I encourage you to use the information here as a resource and to contact my ofÞce by either phone or e-mail so that I can know how to best serve you. I am honored to be here in Salem Þghting for your freedom and liberty.

The Washington Post tells us that Congress has raised the debt ceiling 78 times since 1960. The debt ceiling is supposed to be a backstop against runaway check-kiting but it works better in theory than in practice. Technically, the national debt declined in absolute terms by about $100 billion during the Þrst six months of TrumpÕs presidency.

But it did not take long to undo those savings.

CNSNews.com reported, ÒAfter President Trump signed the legislation suspending the debt limit, the total debt immediately jumped to $20,162,177,000,000Ó Meaning, on the day it ofÞcially topped $20 trillion, the debt jumped $317,645,000,000.

503-986-1728 900 Court St. NE, S-305 Salem, Oregon 97301

E-Mail: sen.DennisLinthicum@OregonLegislature.gov Website:

Contain, Suppress or Let-It-Burn?

A couple of weeks ago the Trump Administration reached an agreement to increase the debt ceiling. The new debt limit expires in December 2017, but using the fuzzy math of the Fed it could continue to grow endlessly.

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System includes specially designated wilderness areas, wild and scenic rivers, national monuments, research and experimental areas, and other unique natural and cultural treasures.

These lands encompass 193 million acres, an area almost twice the size of California, or 270 times larger than Rhode Island.

The USFS motto is, ÒCaring for the land and serving people,Ó and their mission is Òto sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the NationÕs forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations.Ó However, I wonder if this agency has misplaced their high calling because this is not what we have been experiencing this summer across OregonÕs federally managed lands.

The status quo machinery churning in every nook and cranny of D.C.Õs bureaucratic hallways is an underlying source of this debt. This debt doesnÕt include any future obligations from Medicare, Medicaid, or Social Security. It is the result of government business as usual with budget deÞcits across the board, from increased outlays under Obamacare to an enormous panoply of programs that just keep growing.

USFS literature informs us, Òthe Forest Service is spending more than 50 percent of its budget to suppress the NationÕs wildÞres.Ó As the costs of Þghting wildÞres have grown, the agency must shift staff and resources from nonÞre to Þrerelated programs. This process, known as ÒÞreborrowing,Ó erodes its ability to serve Americans with clean air and water, protected watersheds and wildlife habitat, and opportunities for outdoor recreation. As these Þnancial resources get whisked away, timber management backlogs occur in harvesting, fuel reduction, forest thinning and timber sales.

For instance, the United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture which administers a system of 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands in 44 States and Puerto Rico. The National Forest

The USFS recognizes they have budget woes.

They also acknowledge that Þres have worsened and monies are being diverted from important budget line-items toward Þghting mega-Þres. Yet, the USFS allows their pre-suppositional

http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/linthicum preference for Þres as ÒbeneÞcial and naturalÓ to persist as their go-to policy tool. Our forest and grassland resources are now at risk due to the USFSÕs acceptance of this faulty Þre management policy. In fact, ÒForest Service scientists predict that Þre seasons could return to levels not seen since the 1940s, reaching 12 to 15 million acres annually.Ó This quote is quite telling.

Claims abound that OregonÕs current explosion of mega-Þres stem from either drought, invasive species, or severe outbreaks of insects and disease Ð all exacerbated by a climate change.

But, this apparently isnÕt true.

After all, 1940 was eighty years ago. Where are the global warming statistics from the 1940Õs or 1950Õs? Is there historical evidence from the 1940Õs that global warming caused signiÞcant stress and disturbances across AmericaÕs forests, grasslands, and watersheds?

The answer is NO. However, policy changes over this time have been signiÞcant. Instead of focusing on suppression or containment, USFS policy has shifted towards Þre management complete with Òrestoring the natural role of wild-land Þre as an ecological process.Ó The pervasive inßuence of this ideology has detrimentally impacted our nationÕs forests and continues to impede the ability of skilled foresters as they attempt to manage the forested lands in Oregon and the West.

This tragic USFS policy preference is wasting our tax dollars, destroying our natural resources, and increasing our deÞcit spending.

If we don’t stand for rural Oregon values and common-sense – no one will!