WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3, 2020 | SILVERTONAPPEAL.COM
PART OF THE USA TODAY NETWORK
$15k fine for neglect of 200 alpacas upheld
Whitney Woodworth
Salem Statesman Journal
USA TODAY NETWORK
The Oregon Court of Appeals upheld a $15,622 resti-
tution fine on a Polk County man who was ordered to
pay after he was convicted in 2014 of neglecting nearly
200 alpacas.
The restitution was affirmed Thursday after ap-
peals court judges determined that despite the fact
that Robert Silver, 79, was convicted of neglecting 17
alpacas that died before they received care, he could
still be required by the court to pay care costs for the
surviving herd.
Polk County Sheriff 's deputies hauled away 58 dead
alpacas from Jocelyn's Alpaca Ranch, a 20-acre prop-
erty in Falls City owned by Silver and his wife, Jocelyn
Silver, in 2013.
At least one baby alpaca was among the dead.
The 176 surviving alpacas were emaciated and dy-
ing. The animals were transferred to the College of Vet-
erinary Medicine at Oregon State University for emer-
gency care before they were placed with an alpaca res-
cue organization to find new homes.
A series of complaints made about the Silvers and
the mistreatment of their animals first led deputies to
respond to their ranch with a licensed veterinarian. Af-
ter finding several dead alpacas, they returned with a
warrant and found 30 more dead animals and two
more that couldn't stand.
According to Jake Kamins, the state's animal cru-
elty deputy district attorney who prosecuted the case,
the Silvers started the ranch in 2006 after moving to
Oregon.
See ALPACAS, Page 2A
Alpacas rescued from a ranch in Falls City being
treated at Oregon State University's College of
Veterinary Medicine in Corvallis in 2014.
STATESMAN JOURNAL FILE
People are driving
less, gas tax
revenue declines
Bill Poehler
Salem Statesman Journal
USA TODAY NETWORK
Owners Kay and Ron Koch (right) and u-pick worker Jackson Cook (left) at Koch Family Farm in St. Paul are
offering u-pick but recommend customers wear masks and maintain social distance. EMILY TEEL/STATESMAN
JOURNAL
U-picks prepare
during pandemic
Farmers looking to open
as safely as possible in
light of COVID-19
Emily Teel Salem Statesman Journal
USA TODAY NETWORK
In the annual Facebook announcement opening
the u-pick strawberry season at Grandpa’s Fresh Mar-
ket, farmers Mike and Chris Christensen included
precautions the farm is taking to protect against the
spread of COVID-19.
They alerted prospective pickers they would pick
into buckets sanitized by the farm, and asked people
to maintain physical distancing, avoid bringing large
groups, refrain from eating berries in the field and
(calling out the most likely culprits of in-field snack-
ing), they asked people to leave young kids at home.
For many families, u-pick is a summer tradition
that both represents a social activity and one devoted
to food provisioning.
Disappointed comments poured in, necessitating a
follow-up post:
“We know a lot of families look forward to this time.
These are guidelines that we have to follow, and we do
not wish to be shut down. We are doing our best to
make upicks possible this year, the safest way we
can.”
The Christensens farm represents one of the Wil-
lamette Valley’s hundreds of u-pick farms. Often
small scale and family-run, offering u-pick is a way for
small farms to market a specialty crop while keeping
labor costs low.
This year, in light of the ongoing coronavirus pan-
demic, these farmers are grappling with whether to
See U-PICKS, Page 3A
Girl dies after tree
falls on boats in
Detroit Lake
From Staff Reports
Salem Statesman Journal
USA TODAY NETWORK
A 13-year-old Utah girl died May 24 at Detroit Lake
after part of a tree fell on two pontoon-style boats
near the shoreline in the Box Canyon area, the Marion
County Sheriff ’s office said.
Deputies were dispatched around 3:40 p.m. after a
call that two boats tethered together near the shore-
line had been struck by the top of a large tree falling.
The caller reported at least one person was severe-
ly injured and was being taken to Mongold State Park
for help.
CPR was being administered to the teen when ma-
rine patrol deputies and emergency personnel arrived
at the Mongold boat ramp a short time later. Life
Flight had been called but the girl was pronounced
dead at the scene.
CPR was being administered to a 13-year-old girl
when Marion County Sheriff's deputies and
emergency personnel arrived at the Mongold State
Park boat ramp on Detroit Lake.on May 24, 2020,
COURTESY OF THE MARION COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE
The sheriff ’s office said the victim was at the lake
with family.
No other injuries were reported.
Additional information was not immediately re-
leased.
Vol. 139, No. 24
Online at SilvertonAppeal.com
News updates: ❚ Breaking news ❚ Get updates from
the Silverton area
Photos: ❚ Photo galleries
Serving the Silverton
Area Since 1880
A Unique Edition of
the Statesman Journal
QEAJAB-07403y
©2020
50 cents
People are driving less, but roads could suffer be-
cause of it.
Early projections are gas tax revenues in Oregon
will decline $125 million from March 2020 through
March 2021– the taxes raised $625 million in the 2019
fiscal year – in conjunction with stay-home orders
due to the COVID-19 pandemic and could fall farther
if traffic remains light.
The Oregon Department of Transportation esti-
mated traffic in Oregon dropped about 50% in early
April and is currently down about 20% despite gaso-
line being at its lowest price since 2009.
Gas taxes Oregon collects are a major funding
source for road construction and maintenance for the
state as well as counties and cities. Marion County is
projecting a $2.6 million drop in its share.
“You might have to go back to fixing holes instead
of paving roads,” Marion County Commissioner Sam
Brentano said.
Throughout Oregon, this year’s planned construc-
tion and maintenance projects are proceeding as
many of those are tied up with funds from other
sources such as local or federal governments, and
some of those projects have strict deadlines.
It’s too early to project which future projects may
have to be put off or scaled back, but some in the
planning stages will have to be rethought.
“We don’t anticipate making any cuts or reduc-
tions to projects that are already in process,” said
Travis Brouwer, assistant director for Revenue, Fi-
nance and Compliance for the Oregon Department of
Transportation.
What is Oregon's gas tax used for?
Oregon was the first state with a per gallon gas tax
in 1919, according to Robert W. Pool Jr., director of
transportation policy at Reason Foundation and the
Badger Institute.
Gas taxes, a pay-by-mile tax on heavy trucks and
fees on drivers and vehicles are the three major fund-
ing streams for the $3.4 billion state highway fund;
the gas tax makes up about 40% of that total.
The state gas tax rate is 36 cents per gallon to go
along with an 18.4 cent-per-gallon federal gas tax,
which has been the same rate for 27 years.
Counties receive 21% of the $3.4 billion and cities
receive 14% of that fund for their roads.
In addition, some cities – including Silverton (2
cents), Stayton (3 cents) and Woodburn (1 cent) – and
counties have gas taxes, but not Marion or Polk coun-
ties.
Local gas taxes in Oregon can only be used for
maintenance of streets, bridges, sidewalks and bicy-
cle facilities. They can’t be used to fund things like for
public safety, park or libraries.
When Stayton voters passed its gas tax in 2017, the
city estimated it had a $23 million backlog of repairs
and improvements to roads.
“The challenge for us, when you look at that gas
tax, the city was way behind in where we were at in
taking care of our streets,” Stayton city manager
Keith Campbell said. “The gas tax we received from
the state and the local tax had helped us in getting to
that going forward.”
Stayton’s gas tax was estimated to raise $165,000
each year. Stayton also estimates it receives
$500,000 per year from the state derived from its gas
taxes.
Gas tax revenue in Oregon has increased signifi-
cantly in the past decade as the state gas tax has in-
creased from 24 cents per gallon in 2009 and will
continue to increase to 40 cents in 2024.
The increases are due to fuels tax increases in con-
junction with the 2009 Jobs and Transportation Act
(6 cents) and the 2017 Keep Oregon Moving Bill (10
cents in four increases through 2024), and those
funds are earmarked for specific projects.
ODOT and local entities also receive some funding
from federal gas taxes.
By Oregon relying on revenue streams other than
gas tax such as registration fees, it isn’t in as dire of
straits as other states with the recent decrease in gas
tax revenue.
“Actually, that’s one of the reasons why our pro-
jects aren’t going to be as impacted as they could be,”
Brouwer said.
See GAS TAX, Page 2A