28
Wednesday, June 7, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
KILLDEER: Mother
feigns broken wing
as decoy
Riding for a cause
By Kathryn Godsiff
Continued from page 15
from the nest trying her best
to get the attention of the per-
son, dog, cat, whatever, all
the while extending her “bro-
ken” wing and doing her best
to convince the intruder she’s
about to die and the intruder
should follow her. If that
strategy doesn’t work, she’ll
then put herself in jeopardy
by approaching the intruder
closer and closer and putting
on the broken wing act with
even greater drama.
Once, on a warm day
when I accidentally dis-
turbed a momma killdeer
on her nest, I stuck with her
through her whole magnifi-
cent routine, slowly walking
toward her nest. At that point
I was filled with guilt, as she
all but threw herself right at
me to turn me away from her
eggs.
And speaking of eggs,
most ground-nester, at least
all the plover, eggs are
unique in that they have a
pointed end. I once asked
a young man on an OMSI
field trip years ago why that
was as we stood looking
at them in a nest over near
Malheur National Wildlife
Refuge. He didn’t hesitate:
“There has to be room for the
beak.”
Actually the pointed eggs
keep the eggs from rolling
out of the nest…
Ya’ know, that young
man went into OSU wildlife
management school when he
graduated high school, grad-
uated from OSU and went
to work for Idaho Fish and
Game, and is now retired.
And here I am, headin’ for
90 and I still remember that
day.
Correspondent
Riding down the horse
trails out of Sisters Cow
Camp on the first Saturday
of June is a tradition some
riders won’t miss. Especially
when they know that every
mile they ride brings much
needed and appreciated dol-
lars to St. Jude Children’s
Research Hospital, located in
Memphis, Tennessee.
This year’s Saddle Up for
St. Jude ride was no excep-
tion, with between 50 and
60 riders heading out at their
own pace on a cool morn-
ing to wind their way on a
marked trail for either 10 or
13 miles. The trail followed
the Metolius-Windigo for
a while, then branched off,
headed up a ridge and through
a cool, grassy forest toward
Pole Creek, eventually tying
back into the Metolius-
Windigo across another ridge
with expansive views to the
west. When riders got back to
camp, hamburgers and home-
made cookies were available
for purchase. The fellowship
around the table was free.
The Central Oregon chap-
ter of Oregon Equestrian
Trails organizes the ride. OET
is a group of horse people
who advocate for responsible
trail use, maintain and build
horse camps and maintain
multi-use trails. And raise
money for worthy causes. For
18 years, Sisters Cow Camp
has been the site of the ride.
Pat and Rhonda Marquis, and
a team of sturdy helpers, have
been in charge for 13 years.
S t . J u d e C h i l d r e n ’s
Research Hospital was
founded in 1962 by enter-
tainer Danny Thomas and
from its humble beginnings
it now ranks as one of the
leading research and treat-
ment hospitals for childhood
cancer and other catastrophic
diseases of children. The
hospital treats all patients at
no charge and those patients
come from every state and
many foreign countries.
“The hospital does great
things and has a very high
cost to run,” said Pat Marquis.
Requiring over a mil-
lion dollars a day to oper-
ate, it needs every dollar that
comes in through fundraising
efforts. The Saddle Up for St.
Jude events occur across the
country and typically are trail
rides but can also be horse
shows or rodeos. They join
a multitude of other sporting
events that enhance bequests
and other forms of public
support.
For the past five years,
Saddle Up for St. Jude sup-
porters Zane and Susan Smith
PHOTO PROVIDED
Saddle Up supporters brought a check from the Local 290 Plumbers and
Steamfitters Union for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
have brought in a substantial
donation from Local 290
Plumbers and Steamfitters
Union. This year a check
was presented for $1,000.
The Smiths are both retired
steamfitters from Terrebonne,
and each year submit an
application to the charitable
fund of Local 290. The appli-
cation makes its way through
the system, eventually
being voted on by the union
membership.
Pat Marquis recalls that
one time a family arrived
at the registration table.
They weren’t riding, but
had recently lost a child to a
childhood disease and wanted
to make a donation through a
Saddle Up event.
Combining good hearted
people, horses, and a beauti-
ful forest ride is an effective
way to raise money. Marquis
is grateful for the riders who
took time to gather sponsors,
make donations and ride for
a cause.
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