Harney locals talk a lot about heritage and way of life, but they also support the destructive killing of the wildlife that supports that lifestyle. It’s time people in Harney County had a closer look at their contradictory values.

As for Harney residents who make fun of the wildlife and nature tourists, consider this. Environmental tourists—hikers, bikers, birders, astronomers, biologists, desert flower lovers, artists, people seeking spiritual enlightenment, individuals, groups, families, vacationers, (besides hunters) spend their dollars in Burns and Hines. The county seat needs this kind of business to survive as a town. Heads up all Harney farmers and ranchers–you may not like tourists who leave the occasional gate open (hunters do that too) but do you want the town to die for lack of business? Do you want only a grocery and a farm store left to purchase anything? The town has been shrinking for a while. To what degree are you contributing to the town’s poverty and demise by denigrating environmental tourists, and singling out hunting tourists as the only kind welcome in the county?

In local conversations, tourists are the brunt of jokes. They are open season as regards their lifestyle, buying habits, insufficient wealth, being from some other part of the state of Oregon such as west of the Cascades, habits such as sweating in sweat lodges, (ok, that’s a pretty funny image, but spirituality can take many forms, and who are we to say city yuppies can’t have religion–at least they are sweating benignly in lodges….) coming from California, coming from Washington, coming from large towns as opposed to small towns, being environmentalists, not being hunters, not knowing about our way of life, not being just like us, etc. etc. etc. This criticism of any tourists at all except hunters, combined with patting oneself on the back for having a country lifestyle, which is generally pretty poor by the way considering, anyhow this line of criticism is like shooting oneself in the foot. Harney County should be doing a LOT more to cater to tourists, other than hunters who kill local wildlife and leave a mess.

The northern part of the Great Basin is a beautiful place. People need to understand the fragility of this environment both fundamentally and biologically. You can’t kill nature to save it. And tourists at least support the county economy without directly killing off local wildlife, which same animals are part of a system, and which animals directly contribute to the special qualities of the place.

Instead of criticizing all tourists except the hunters, the county should be doing a lot more to support environmental tourism.

Never heard of it? Go dig anywhere south of town and you’ll find one of those freaky bugs.

Really, a TRUCKER DAY?! My husband literally just received a ticket for illegal parking on Rt 20, by McDonald’s in Burns, OR. The officer told him one of your councilmen sits across the road at his Shell station, and complains immediately, if any trucker stops along side the road to get food at McDonald,s. Doesn’t sound like this particular councilman will be on board with this idea.

I hope someone there reminds him that if it weren’t for the truckers, he would not have the ease of sitting in his lawn chair waiting to pull his weight[and I hear there is quite a bit of it]. He would be too busy trying to get food to his table, cause it wouldn’t be in the store. The chair he sits in, he would have to make himself, cause it wouldn’t be in a store either.