WASHINGTON - A land swap involving the former Rajneeshee commune in Jefferson County would create two new wilderness areas, under a bill introduced Thursday by U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley.
The Oregon Democrats signed on to a proposal first unveiled last fall by the Oregon Natural Desert Association to create the Horse Heaven and Cathedral Rock wilderness areas in northeast Jefferson County, spanning about 16,000 acres.
Nearly every local environmental and recreation group agreed to support the plan, as did the Redmond chapter of the Oregon Hunters Association. But at least the Bend chapter of the hunters' group is concerned that the wilderness proposal would make it too difficult to reach the Cathedral Rock parcel.
To create the new wilderness, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management would swap several fragmented parcels with two private landowners and the Young Life Christian ministry, which now operates the former commune site as the Washington Family Ranch. The BLM would trade about 14,124 acres of federal land for 10,182 acres of private land. The land values would have to be appraised as equal for the swap to go forward.
The bill "will preserve these natural treasures for generations to come and will serve as a hopeful postscript to the saga of the Rajneeshee colony," Wyden said in a written statement. "It's a win for the land owners, a win for the many species of fish, plant and wildlife, and ultimately a win for all Oregonians."
Consolidating the land and protecting it as wilderness will be better for the elk and mule deer that live there and for the salmon and steelhead that live in the adjacent John Day River, said Oregon Natural Desert Association Executive Director Brent Fenty.
"The BLM can actually manage these consolidated lands for the benefit of native fish and wildlife better than you can these isolated small parcels," Fenty said.
Currently, the private and government lands in the area are mixed together in a checkerboard pattern, which makes it tough for the public to access and for Young Life to manage, said Forrest Reinhardt, a consultant for the group.
The biggest problem has been with hunters who have to cross private land to reach the parcels of federal property, Reinhardt said.
"Over the years, especially during hunting season, you'd have folks who'd try to hunt on Bureau of Land Management land, which is very much appropriate, but they wouldn't have legal access to get there," Reinhardt said. "You'd end up with people having to trespass to get there."
Richard Nelson, president of the Bend chapter of the Oregon Hunters Association, said he's concerned that the only way to reach the Cathedral Rock Wilderness is by floating the John Day River because the rest of the area is surrounded by private land.
"They've configured the property lines in such a way that there will be no public access except for the river," Nelson said.
Roads leading to two trailheads provide access to the Horse Heaven Wilderness, Fenty said.
He said hunters aren't losing access to the Cathedral Rock parcel because it's nearly impossible to hunt in that area now without straying onto private land.
"I think it's really misleading for someone to suggest that somehow they'd be losing public access through it," Fenty said. "Those parcels just can't be used by the public for much of anything right now."
U.S. Rep. Greg Walden, R-Hood River, who represents Central, Eastern and most of Southern Oregon, said he wants to work with Wyden and local groups on the bill.
"One of the challenges we face in central and eastern Oregon is resolving conflicts between uses on public and private lands," Walden said in a statement. "Legislation that comes together from the ground up is the best way to work out the problems."
The Young Life camp is located on the site of the former Big Muddy Ranch in Wasco County, which was purchased by an Indian guru in 1981. The bearded Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and his disciples turned the arid ranch into a haven for his red-clad followers, which they called Rancho Rajneesh.
The ranch became a small city of about 6,000 residents, compared to the 40 people who lived in Antelope before the arrival of the guru.
Legal and other troubles ended the rule of the Rajneeshees by 1985. Members threatened people who challenged them. Rajneeshee "peace officers" began carrying submachine guns. Several followers were convicted of plots to kill Wasco County and federal officials.
Rajneeshee leaders, known already to be stockpiling weapons, had grown salmonella and other bacteria at the commune. They unleashed salmonella in The Dalles, slipping it onto salad bars, fruits, vegetables and coffee creamers at 10 restaurants. About 750 fell ill and 45 were hospitalized in what is still the largest germ warfare attack in U.S. history.
