Wednesday, September 16, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
9
Commentary...
Governors Keeping a promise
want more
say in
habitat rule
for at-risk
wildlife
By Edie Jones
Columnist
Associated Press
See WILDLIFE on page 14
Sisters
Dental
different than their parents
at an early age the easier it
is for them to transition into
kindergarten and learn.
I now know that pre-
school is essential 4 for all
children. Lack of this kind
of experience will influence
more than how they adapt
to kindergarten. It will also
have a profound effect on
how they learn as they con-
tinue through the grades.
I encourage anyone who
has a preschool-aged child,
who even wonders if they
might qualify, to apply for
the Preschool Promise.
Your child9s learning will be
enhanced.
In celebrating the
Preschool Promise oppor-
tunity it is well worth men-
tioning there are now sev-
eral other well-run preschool
programs in Sisters. Please,
if you are a parent of a pre-
schooler, check them out.
Your child will thank you.
In addition to preschools,
there is another impor-
tant program for parents
with young ones in Sisters.
Together For Children wel-
comes all families with chil-
dren birth through 3 years
old to join them for play
and parent education. The
website www.together-for-
children.org provides infor-
mation about time and dates
and ways to access their ser-
vices during the pandemic.
Even though this article
is specifically talking to
parents of preschoolers it
is also intended for every-
one else in our community.
Schools can9t allow kids in
the building on a normal
basis while the virus is pres-
ent. I implore all of us do
our part in wearing masks,
washing hands, and keep-
ing our distance so schools
can get back to normal
operation.
Remember the book <All
I Really Need To Know I
Learned In Kindergarten=
by Robert Fulghum? Let9s
change those words to &
Learned In Preschool&
<Learn to share, play
fair, don9t hit, put things
away, cleanup your own
mess, hold hands and stick
together= are extremely
important lessons. If all of
us adults had learned them
well I venture to guess many
of the messes we9ve expe-
rienced this past summer
would cease to exist.
Let9s do our part so this
important promise can be
kept.
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BOISE, Idaho (AP) 4
Governors from 22 Western
states and Pacific territories
want a bigger say in how the
Trump administration defines
habitat for wildlife pro-
tected under the Endangered
Species Act (ESA).
The new definition could
have implications for how
states manage imperiled ani-
mals and plants, the Western
Governors Association said in
a letter Thursday to the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service.
The governors insist they are
<co-sovereigns with the fed-
eral government< and need an
equal role in the decision.
The Trump administration
is seeking to restrict what
land and waterways can be
protected as habitat for wild-
life facing extinction, one of
the latest ways it9s sought
to roll back environmental
safeguards.
The government is try-
ing to redefine what habitat
means for the purposes of
enforcing the Endangered
Species Act, the landmark
law that has dictated wildlife
protections in the U.S. since
1973. It released a proposed
rule in early August.
Governors said they9re
having to express their views
through a public-comment
process on the proposed rule,
saying that isn9t enough input
and they want the federal
government to consult with
states.
<It is important for fed-
eral agencies and state wild-
life managers to maintain a
close working relationship
to ensure that any new inter-
pretation or application of the
term does not result in unin-
tended consequences for state
management of species,=
according to the letter signed
by Democratic Oregon Gov.
Kate Brown, chairwoman
o f We s t e r n G o v e r n o r s
Association, and Republican
Idaho Gov. Brad Little, who9s
vice chairman.
Once an imperiled spe-
cies is listed under the act,
federal officials designate
critical habitat that it needs
to survive. That can include
where a species lives and
areas where they don9t live
but are deemed essential for
survival. Such designations
can come into conflict with
private landowners and those
'
By Keith Ridler
In the August 26 issue
of The Nugget we learned
about a promise that has
been granted to Sisters. A
promise that will change the
lives of 3- and 4-year-olds
living in our school district.
However, it is a promise that
can9t be kept while schools
are mandated to keep their
doors closed.
That promise is money
that has been awarded to the
Sisters School District to
provide 18 preschool spots
to families that apply and
qualify. Preschool Promise,
awarded through the Oregon
Department of Education
Early Learning Division,
is designed to make avail-
able publicly funded, high-
quality, local and culturally
relevant early childcare and
education programs.
The concept that we
would have enough families
living in Sisters eligible to
receive the grant may seem
unrealistic to many. After
all, it has been several years
since our district has been
able to meet the guidelines
that allow the federally
funded Head Start program
to be here. However, demo-
graphics are changing and
I applaud Joan Warberg,
principle of the elementary
school, and others who dili-
gently put forth the effort to
apply for the grant.
Receiving this money is a
really good thing! Research
indicates the benefits of such
a program are far reaching,
especially when they make
the opportunity of early
childhood education avail-
able to many who otherwise
could not afford it.
Appreciation of the
value of preschool has not
always been recognized. I
clearly remember quitting a
preschool teaching assign-
ment when three year olds
were admitted into our pro-
gram. Fully believing it was
unwarranted, I exclaimed
to my aunt, an elementary
school principle, <Those
babies should be home with
their mommas!= She quickly
admonished me with, <That
depends on the mommas! If
those mommas don9t play
with their children, engage
them in imagination, and
allow them to get their
hands dirty, those babies are
far better off in school.=
How right she was, and
how shortsighted I was,
thinking all parents thought
parenting was the most won-
derful job in the world.
We now know that the
more exposure kids have
early on to the rich envi-
ronment of a well-run pre-
school is invaluable! When
it happens, kids are far better
equipped to face all learning
that will come their way.
The more children inter-
act with peers and adults
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