Oregon Department , of , Forestry , leaders met this year at , an iconic northern tavern, where speakers addressed light money while standing in front of painting depicting nude women.
The choice to join at , Hamley &, Co.  , in downtown , Pendleton , comes a month after The , Oregonian/OregonLive reported on complaints , from Forestry workers who alleged the company’s culture is angry toward people.
The Wildfire Funding Work Group, coordinated by the , Forestry Department , and the Oregon State Fire Marshal, gathered at Hamley’s conference and event area,  , Slickfork Saloon.
Casey Kulla, position forest plan consultant for , Oregon Wild, estimated a couple hundred people, many of them express officials, attended the meeting, including State Forester , Cal Mukumoto.
Tuesday’s meeting took place before Forestry’s two-day retreat this week. All of the meetings were held at Hamley’s.
Kulla, who was there representing his statewide advocacy organization, said , Doug Grafe, Gov. In front of one of the nudes, Tina Kotek’s wildfire and military adviser gave his presentation.
” These are, like, fully naked ladies”, Kulla said. ” As one ( Forestry ) staffer put it to me,’ There are a lot of boobs in that room.'”
According to Kulla, one of the works of art, for instance, shows a naked woman petting a cat on a daybed.
Grafe did n’t respond to a request for comment, neither did Kotek’s spokesperson.
Kulla characterized the state’s official business as “hugely inappropriate” and argued that it is particularly problematic given the concerns that have been raised about the agency’s culture.
Records released last week by the , Oregon Department of Administrative Services , included complaints from multiple Forestry employees, including those who alleged the agency is an “old boys club” that sidesteps state hiring rules. Some claim that they fear retaliation if they speak out.
In a statement released on Thursday, Mukumoto stated in private that the organization is working toward “inclusivity at every level.”
In his brief public remarks, he said,” I talk and I interact with people who are very dedicated to the mission and are proud of this organization.” ” It saddens me that some of the media’s actions have given them the impression that they are being unfairly criticized.”
Mukumoto’s comments came during the Forestry Department’s two-day “fall retreat and social” at , Hamley &, Co., a century-old western store, steakhouse and saloon in downtown , Pendleton. The Confederated Tribes of the , Umatilla Indian Reservation , owns the business, which stands at , First Street , and , Court Avenue.
John James Hamley, one of Hamley’s founders, helped organize the first Pendleton Round-Up in 1910 and the company has produced more than 80 trophy saddles for the rodeo over the years.
A Hamley’s employee who in an interview with The , Oregonian/OregonLive described the art as “pictures of naked girls”, said the state requested that the three large, gold-framed pieces come down after the wildfire funding meeting.
The employee, who asked not to be identified, said he did n’t know about the artworks ‘ provenance or who created them.
In an email,  , Joy Krawczyk, a Forestry spokesperson, said no one registered a complaint about the nudes, but agency leaders “recognized that they could be viewed as offensive and worked with event staff to have the paintings taken down while we’re using the venue”.
She claimed that when it holds meetings and events outside of , Salem, the agency contracts with local businesses. She had no idea how much the state had budgeted for the meeting at the saloon.
The agency learned a lesson from the art depicting naked women, according to Krawczyk,” so it’s a lesson we’ll absolutely incorporate into our site reviews in the future.”
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