Think Out Loud

As new data centers are headed to Eastern Oregon, opponents share their concerns

Earlier this year, Amazon recently purchased more than 1,000 acres near Boardman, OR. As reported in the Oregonian/OregonLive.com [http://oregonlive.com], it could be the site for the state’s first “exscale” data center. [https://www.oregonlive.com/silicon-forest/2026/03/plans-call-for-oregons-first-exascale-data-center-on-amazon-site.html]    Kaleb Lay, director of policy and research at Oregon Rural Action, says that an uptick in data centers brings a number of concerns to the group, including water contamination, water use and growing demand for electricity. He shares more on their concerns.

CTUIR sees lower fish returns than last year

The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation have seen lower fish returns this year. According to Jerimiah Bonifer, the program manager for the tribe’s fisheries program, there are a number of factors that could be influencing this, including ocean conditions and drought.   At the same time, the tribe has recently completed the Coonskin Creek Fish Passage Project, making it easier for fish to pass through. Bonifer joins us to discuss the low fish yields and more.

Stakeholders weigh in on Blue Mountains Forest Plan revision

The Blue Mountains — nearly 5 million acres that span the Malheur, Umatilla and Wallowa-Whitman national forests — is long overdue [https://www.opb.org/article/2026/06/18/trump-blue-mountains-forests-logging/] for a new management plan. The current plan was developed in 1990, but efforts to revise it have proved so contentious that they have failed twice. The management plan was supposed to be revised every 15 years to respond to changes in forest conditions.   The latest proposal [https://www.fs.usda.gov/r06/umatilla/planning/blue-mountains-forest-plan-revision] was published in early July, and the period for public comment will wrap up at the end of September. The issue has remained controversial, as public lands stakeholders have conflicting priorities for the area. [https://www.opb.org/article/2026/07/06/as-trump-focuses-on-timber-in-blue-mountains-elk-hunters-fear-habitat-could-diminish/] We’ll hear from three different stakeholders: Jamie Dawson [https://www.hellscanyon.org/staff-and-board], the conservation director with the Greater Hell’s Canyon Council; Andy Geissler [https://amforest.org/staff/andy-geissler/]; the Director of Forest Policy for the American Forest Resource Council; and Tyler Dungannon, the conservation director [https://oregonhunters.org/] for the Oregon Hunters Association.

Tribal native nursery in Eastern Oregon aids in salmon habitat restoration, recovery

Two decades ago, there were roughly 10 indigenous plant nurseries in the country. Since then, that number has blossomed [https://modernfarmer.com/2021/04/indigenous-plant-nurseries-look-to-revive-landscapes-and-cultures/] to around 100, including one operated by the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. The nursery only grows native plants, with its primary goal to grow vegetation to aid in restoration of natural habitats in Eastern Oregon. Gail Redberg is the CTUIR Nursery Manager. She gives us a tour of the facility, shares some of what they grow and why it’s important.

Umatilla County cities partner with nonprofit to provide temporary housing

The nonprofit Stepping Stones Alliance [https://stepping-stones-alliance.org/] formed in 2020 to provide a year-round shelter for people experiencing homelessness in and around Umatilla County. The organization partnered with [https://www.hermiston.gov/commdev/page/project-path] several cities and the county to build a temporary housing project, which opened in 2023 [https://www.opb.org/article/2023/12/08/umatilla-county-homeless-shelter-holds-grand-opening-months-of-delays/]. The facility includes an overnight shelter, as well as individual shelter units where “members” can receive wraparound services while seeking more permanent housing.   We’ll hear more about how the project is going from Executive Director Jesalyn Cole, who took us on a tour of the site. We’ll also talk with member Sean Scanlon, who came to Stepping Stones last year.