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3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories 10 things to know for Tuesday Erickson reports $75 million loss in 1st quarter Most cities in Jackson County now allow pot dispensaries Since You Asked: Disc golf course planned for Chrissy Park ... in distant future Grass fire torches area near Rogue Valley Mall Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Emergency Services, May 12 Medford man sentenced in home-invasion robbery Man says he shot girlfriend for nagging Rogue Valley police receive training in dealing with LGBTQ community Man faces attempted murder in Medford choking case Politics and Elections Ashland water bills could go up to fund watershed protection Pacific Connector Gas Pipeline opponents rally in Medford BREAKING: Baltimore prosecutor charges officers in Freddie Gray's death Earthquakes hit regularly in Medford (Oklahoma, that is) Medford School Board, Position 6: Curt Ankerberg vs. Janet Lightheart Education Latino parents: More bilingual staff needed in Medford schools Medford schools still filling admin roles Appeals court rules against Central Point schools on bus outsourcing Hedrick principal to take helm at North Medford High School More kindergartners vaccinated in 2015 Environment Ashland water bills could go up to fund watershed protection Crater Lake may soon have China connection State waives college placement tests for students who hit high marks Stopping fire in its tracks Pacific Connector Gas Pipeline opponents rally in Medford State News Mom plans to sue after autistic daughter removed from plane Oregon's snowpack at just 11 percent of average Dispute over local control drives Oregon pot committee to impasse Governor Kate Brown signs bill expanding gun background checks Josephine County preps for more budget cuts Nation - World There's a $10 million precious stone hidden in plain sight at Grand Central Obituaries June Cowell Duhaime In Loving Memory of Laura (Rucker) Hisamoto Donald Kent Hoyt "Donnie" Dickie Miles Hayes Thomas B. Davis Weather Photo Galleries Since You Asked Videos Web Cams Mail Tribune 100 Shareable Patriots fan sets up GoFundMe page to help pay for team's Deflategate fine Sports Latest Stories Crusaders edge Challengers on Day 1 of district Warriors tie semifinal with rout of Grizzlies A few questions remain as Preakness nears Cavs coach Blatt owns up to late-game gaffes, LeBron bailout Comets’ surge is one to be admired Varsity 541 College Sports Oregon State AD De Carolis to step down Beavers, Utes tie in 15 OSU tosses second straight shutout Maguin steals the show Trio of Raiders shine as CC meet opens Pro Sports Warriors tie semifinal with rout of Grizzlies A few questions remain as Preakness nears Teague-led Hawks even series with Wizards Giants' Maxwell a welcome addition Brady Sacked Community Sports Bailey picks up modified win Business Latest Stories Erickson reports $75 million loss in 1st quarter Tourism stronger than ever in Southern Oregon Cars We Remember: Noted musician unravels 55-year Nash Rambler mystery Pacificorp plans solar farm at former Bly mill site People in Business Real Estate News Single-family home sales take off Never enough: New Starbucks proposed on Barnett Road in Medford Jackson County debt-ridden homeowners have an option New home in an old house Naumes plans custom-crush winery in former packing house People In Business People in Business Transportation Tourism stronger than ever in Southern Oregon Erickson finds room to work at Medford airport Lithia Motors nets $40.7 million in first quarter Lithia Motors reports second-best quarter ever Business briefs Agriculture 1-800Flowers.com reports $10.5 million loss in third quarter Naumes plans custom-crush winery in former packing house Opinion Latest Kent Bush: Moral and ethical standards need to be higher Our View: Abundant water no excuse for waste Letters to the Editor, May 12 Granlund cartoon: Grad party Dianne Williamson: Enough of ‘Say it isn’t so’ Editorials Our View: Abundant water no excuse for waste Our View: Mental health funding should be a priority Other Views: Court ruling means PERS reform is dead Our View: Could self-serve ban be on the way out? Our View: Cheers and jeers Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, May 12 Letters to the Editor, May 11 Letters to the Editor, May 10 Letters to the Editor, May 8 Letters to the Editor, May 7 Columns Kathleen Parker: Geller has the right, but commits speech abuse Guest Opinion: Oregon mothers need much more than flowers George Will: The gospel according to Huckabee Dana Milbank: A performance by Lindsey and the Jets Charles Krauthammer: Free Willy! Guest Opinions Guest Opinion: Oregon mothers need much more than flowers Guest Opinion: Child poverty and the Schneider Children’s Center Guest Opinion: Animal-killing program pulls wool over taxpayers' eyes Guest Opinion: Uniting to restore our sovereignty to we, the people Guest Opinion: This Earth Day, we celebrate the Northwest Forest Plan Lifestyle Latest stories Tammy Kelly: Add springtime crunch with cucumbers Options abound for gardens in shady spots Tricks and tips to enlarge your small bath Dr. Elaine Heffner: Mothers-in-law Prudence Hilburn: Mexican-inspired dishes easy to make, delicious to enjoy Food Tammy Kelly: Add springtime crunch with cucumbers Prudence Hilburn: Mexican-inspired dishes easy to make, delicious to enjoy Community blog: Kids in Brewpubs....... Community blog: Fruity french toast makes Mom's, or anyone's, day Community blog: Sorry, Mom, there's more than one beef stroganoff Home and Garden Options abound for gardens in shady spots Tricks and tips to enlarge your small bath Green roof gardens have several benefits Gardens: Simplicity, sanctuary, delight Furniture trends: Style and storage Health Brent St. Germain: Weight loss goes to the dogs Community blog: Don't Fall for This Part 2 Health Watch: Easy tips to drink more water throughout the day New cardiac rehab center opens at Asante RRMC Community blog: You and Me at 83... Hiking Biking Faith Religion Briefs: Friday, May 8 Religion Briefs: Friday, May 1 Religion Briefs: Friday, April 24 Religion Briefs: Friday, April 17 Milestones and Achievements Bukair-Hinkle Wedding: Stephanie Anne Obad and Mark Douglass Schmor Ashland water bills could go up to fund watershed protection Drones helping create unique wedding photos Pick your favorite wedding flowers Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories Flowers, art and music highlight Art in Bloom 5 picks for live entertainment Live Music in Local Clubs Peter Rowan, Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys at Rootsfest Dancing People Company presents 'Salon Series' Theater REVIEW: Randall Theatre's 'Little Shop of Horrors' a rollicking good time REVIEW: Carson, Patton shine in 'Arsenic and Old Lace' Some Oregon Shakespeare Festival crew members seek to unionize Randall Theatre stages 'Little Shop of Horrors' 'Much Ado' at SOU Music Live Music in Local Clubs Peter Rowan, Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys at Rootsfest The Farr Side: Mumford & Sons’ latest is full-on rock Tina Malia at SOU Music Hall in Ashland Earthquake benefit for Nepal Community Events 5 things to see at Art in Bloom Flowers, art and music highlight Art in Bloom Hip-Hop Poetry Open Mic at OSF's Black Swan in Ashland Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhiits by regional artists Master Gardener Spring Fair at The Expo Movies Movie review: ‘Hot Pursuit’ is a hot mess George Miller returns to his ‘Mad Max’ roots Tom Hardy adapts to life as Mad Max Victor D. Infante: ‘Avengers’ begs the questions, ‘Why superheroes, and why now?’ Movie review: ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ has a lot going on Dining Restaurant inspections: May 10, 2015 Wood-fired pies at Peace of Pizza Trium is a classic example of a boutique winery Restaurant inspections, May 3, 2015 Taqueria Picaro offers casual Mexican cuisine Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obits Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Special Sections Business Services NEWS NOW Erickson reports $75 million loss in 1st quarter ... Our View: Abundant water no excuse for waste ... Mom plans to sue after autistic daughter removed from plane ... Erickson reports $75 million loss in 1st quarter ... Our View: Abundant water no excuse for waste ... Mom plans to sue after autistic daughter removed from plane ... RECREATION Red tape slows plans to remove blow-down trees at Howard Prairie Red tape slows plans to remove toppled trees at Howard Prairie Comment By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Posted May. 11, 2015 at 12:01 AM By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Posted May. 11, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News As wind gusts nearing 80 mph turned the tall and aged Douglas firs into twitching overhead sticks, RV space E-18 never had a chance. The Feb. 7 winds racing across the Dead Indian Plateau snapped a large fir 20 feet from its base, hurtling the 5-foot-long trunk that shattered a picnic table in this site within Howard Prairie Resort's South Campground. Four other large firs crashed into that space during the morning windstorm, tearing out water pipes and electrical wiring, shrouding E-18 and other nearby sites under a mountain of wood fiber and boughs fit only for sprouting morels and certainly not campers. "Nothing survives something like this," says Manager Steve Lambert of the Jackson County Parks Department, which owns and manages the resort. Now the only thing bigger than this blowdown mess that has closed almost half of the resort's camping sites this season is the red tape that so far has yet to see one campsite cleared for use. That could change as early as today when two federal agencies are expected to sign off on a plan to remove the nearly 100 blown-down trees as well as damaged ones still standing from the resort's South Campground, as well as from nearby Willow Point Campground, also shuttered by damage from the same storm. The federal Bureau of Land Management, which owns the trees, has been negotiating a nearly $100,000 agreement for its sister agency, the federal Bureau of Reclamation, to pay for the removal of the trees and many of their upended root balls and buy the wood from the BLM. Reclamation officials, in turn, plan to use some of that wood and root balls to build complex wild salmon habitat in Little Butte and Bear creeks as required by a different federal agreement for helping in-stream habitat. The upper Rogue River Basin tributaries are breeding waters for wild coho salmon, which are protected as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act. It's taken more than three months to assess the damage and forge the interagency agreement "Government contracting takes time," says Douglas DeFlitch, manager of reclamation's Bend office. "The reason it takes time is there are a lot of things we have to ensure for the betterment of the public. A lot of things have to be checked and followed and rightfully so." But Lambert says he's long grown weary of all the i-dotting and t-crossing the two agencies have done while the entire South Campground's 103 spaces are off limits to campers since the resort opened a month ago. The 154 spaces in the resort's North Campground remain open, but it looks like the resort won't be ready for full capacity until early June at best, Lambert says. "If the county would have come in and cleaned it up without the federal bureaucracy, we'd have been done two months ago," Lambert says. "Here we are three months later waiting for the feds to figure it out. "It's not the people," Lambert says. "We all want to be good stewards. But when the process gets in the way of getting things done, it's a bummer." Lambert says it will take a contractor hired by the BLM nearly two weeks to remove the downed and hazard trees, then the holes left behind by the root balls will be filled in and graded. County community correction crews will finish the work by removing the smaller branches, cones and other debris before opening the South Campground, he says. When it opens, the two bathrooms will have water and electricity, but none of the campsites will, Lambert says. The sites will rent for $18 apiece, $10 off the price with electrical hookups, for the remainder of the season, he says. The county already received about $525,000 in state and federal grants last year to replace and bury that campground's electrical and water lines that ended up destroyed by the Feb. 7 windstorm, Lambert says. "If we had to take a hit, we got hit in the right spot," Lambert says. There is also a silver lining for the bureau, which will spend a fraction of the money on the blow-down logs than if the agency had to buy logs on the open market for its in-stream habitat work on Little Butte and Bear creeks, DeFlitch says. By next year, the South Campground will be better for it, Lambert says. "On the lighter side, there will be more sun on the campsites next year, and there'll be a few more morels to pick," he says. Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 541-776-4470 or [email protected] . Follow him at www.twitter.com/MTwriterFreeman . By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Posted May. 11, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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