Worried La Pine residents share post-Darlene 3 Fire concerns with Rep. Bentz over camping rules enforcement on public lands

(Update: adding video, comments from Rep. Bentz, local residents)

La PINE, Ore. (KTVZ). -- Rep. Cliff Bentz, R-Ore., visited La Pine Tuesday for a "focused tour" and discussions with worried La Pine residents and officials about public lands management in the wake of the nearly 4,000-acre Darlene 3 Fire that threatened the town late last month.

Bentz first attended a community meeting hosted by the Newberry Regional Partnership, then held a discussion with representatives from the Bureau of Land Management, Forest Service, Deschutes County and the La Pine Rural Fire Protection District.

"I think I speak for most of us when I say that all of us want to just start with compassion," said La Pine resident and business owner Fallon Bandemer, whose property backs up to BLM land. "But it has become not just a fire risk, but a safety risk, a risk of property, a risk of many, many things."

Among those on hand for the first roundtable discussion were the mayor of La Pine, city councilors, Deschutes County commissioners and residents affected by the fire.

Mayor Daniel Lee Richer said, "The Forest Service and the BLM both have a lack of enforcement officers in in this area."

Another resident said "nobody's enforcing" the rules that limit camping on public land. "We wanted to know what the federal government can do with - that's federal land, so let's either deputize the local authorities to enforce that or get BLM enforcers to do it."

A common sentiment was the issue of homeless living in the forests that pose fire and safey risks to the community.

Ann Gawith said, "People and businesses in that area feel that they're being held hostage by the campers and the illegal activities that are happening out there."

Another issue: Who the authority figure is to enforce the rules set by the BLM and the Deschutes National Forest.  

Gawith said, "They feel that they can live the way that they want to live, without any repercussions as it happens, because there hasn't been any. They move constantly, and so they stay just ahead of what little bit of law enforcement there is."

Bandemer added, "There just seems to be a lack of jurisdiction who can actually do this."

Bentz spoke with the federal representatives to gain a better understanding of current fire preventative measures. 

He told them, "The idea is to place the issues, as I see them, squarely before you and with some of the people here who have been heavily involved.. You can explain to the forest service (officials) that we have here today your concerns and what you should do, and then we'll ask the agencies to to respond as best they can."

Bentz told NewsChannel 21, he repeatedly asked how the Darlene 3 Fire started. The response was that while specifics were not confirmed, it began in or near a homeless encampment.