LOCAL
TUESDAY, JULY 7, 2020
HAWK
HOWARD
Continued from Page 1A
Continued from Page 1A
absorbed life-threatening
blows.
“People don’t survive
being hit trucks,” Tomp-
kins said. “Think of what
it can do to a 2-pound
bird.”
She noted the bird suf-
fered a second jolt when
it fell to the ground.
“It was a one-two
punch,” Tompkins said.
“It was blunt-force
trauma.”
Rainboth, who lives
in Cove, learned of the
injured red-tailed hawk
when a man who had
witnessed a truck hitting
it brought the predator to
her on May 9. The man
told her the truck driver
had not stopped after
striking the hawk. Rain-
both then helped get the
bird to Blue Mountain
Wildlife.
“I did not think it was
going to make it to Pend-
leton,” she said.
The center housed the
hawk fi rst in an indoor
hospital cage, where
staff fed it dead mice and
other animals, including
quail. Tompkins said
it often is hard to get
injured birds to eat, but
this was not a problem
for the red-tailed hawk,
especially after she
started giving it quail.
The recovering hawk,
which also received
anti-infl ammatory med-
ication, was later moved
to a small outdoor cage
and fi nally to a fl ight pen
when Tompkins thought
it was ready to start
testing its wings again.
“It did well in the
fl ight pen,” Tompkins
said, adding the Blue
Mountain Wildlife does
not name the animals
it cares for unless they
are for its educational
program.
An Oregon Depart-
ment of Fish and Wildlife
employee on Thursday
brought the red-tailed
hawk to
La Grande, where Rain-
both picked it up and
took it to Phys Point
Road just off Highway
237, near the site of the
raptor’s rescue.
Jenny Phelps of
Summerville and her
children, Colton and
Myranda, also helped
release the hawk.
The raptor, however,
did not immediately
come out of its travel
box.
“I was worried,” Rain-
both said, so she lifted
the box.
Fortunately the bird
was just a bit lethargic
and appeared reener-
gized after Rainboth
lifted it out.
Rainboth said the
hawk’s tail feathers indi-
cate it is at least a year
old. And the bird had a
brood patch — an area
on its belly that becomes
featherless during
nesting seasons to allow
it to better incubate eggs
with body heat.
“It probably had a
nest,” said Rainboth, who
also is the coordinator
of the La Grande School
District’s science, tech-
nology, engineering and
math education program.
The red-tailed hawk is
one of about 10,000 birds
Blue Mountain Wild-
life has cared for since it
opened around 1990.
Tompkins said about
half of the birds that
Blue Mountain Wild-
life receives are released
back into the wild. Most
of those released are
young birds.
Only about 10-15% of
the birds released have
been those injured in
traumatic accidents, such
as the red-tailed hawk
released Thursday.
“Being able to release
a bird like this (one hurt
in a serious mishap) is
always special,” Tomp-
kins said.
said. “He responded to the
steroid drug quite well, but
then the virus had a come-
back on him. It’s a sleeping
killer — a silent killer —
I’ll say that.”
Paul Howard was
readmitted to Grande
Ronde, then transferred to
Vibra Hospital of Boise,
which his brother said had
a wing specifi cally ded-
icated to coronavirus
treatment.
“We could not be there
with Paul at either loca-
tion,” John Howard said.
The family held a grave-
side service Monday.
“We’ll be quoting scrip-
ture from the Bible and
talking about Paul, remi-
niscing,” John Howard said
prior to the service.
Growing up, Paul
Howard, who John said
was a high school athlete,
was known for racing, and
he had a car that few could
beat.
“(He) enjoyed his 1969
383 Magnum Roadrunner,”
John said. “He loved to
race other people with cars
during the 70s and lived
life to the fullest. It was
one of the fastest cars in the
valley at the time.”
John said Paul, who
smoked for about four
LOOP
Continued from Page 1A
their revenue by adding
things like on-farm
lodging, RV camping and
event venues, in addition
to product sales,” Dodson
said.
Agritourism is
growing across the
United States, and
Dodson believes it is
because of a deep-rooted
curiosity that is greater
today than it was decades
ago when countless fam-
ilies were involved in
farming or many people
had close relatives who
were involved in farming
or ranching. Today
people feel more dis-
tant from agriculture and
want to get closer to it
again.
“Fewer people grow
up on farms today. They
have an urge to see where
their food comes from,”
Dodson said.
Visiting farms also
gives people a chance to
make an organic connec-
tion in today’s high-tech
world.
“They are getting
in touch with nature,”
Dodson said.
Dodson said interest
in agriculture among
the general public also
may be up because of
the coronavirus pan-
demic. She explained that
people are expressing a
greater interest in eating
food produced locally
because it is handled by
fewer people, possibly
Photo by Ellen Morris Bishop/EO Media Group
Wallowa County residents funded a Fourth of July
fi reworks display Saturday that “shook” Wallowa Lake.
Continued from Page 1A
zeroed in on one group
home.
“They came to all the
sites, all the employees, and
all the clients were willing
and able (to be tested),” she
said. “One (client) refused
a test. Public health gave us
specifi c instructions for the
next 14 days. We did all of
those things. (The client)
never showed signs or
symptoms. The employees
also were told they could
get tested in the community
(clinics).”
Slack said, to her knowl-
edge, none of the staff had
serious issues with the
virus.
“The main thing I heard
from someone is they had a
fever. I’m so grateful for my
employees,” she said.
The outbreak was one
of four the Oregon Health
Authority listed in the
workplace outbreak cate-
gory last week. The number
of cases in the county,
though, has not seen a
drastic uptick in recent
days.
Saturday was the fi rst
day the county did not
report a new case since
June 11. The Center for
Human Development Inc.,
La Grande, reported just
one case Sunday, and no
new cases Monday. Union
County now has 356 cases
of COVID-19 with 21
recoveries, 333 active cases
and two deaths.
Union County’s surge in
cases led to Oregon Gov.
Kate Brown on Thursday
naming it among eight
counties on a COVID-19
watch list, along with Jef-
ferson, Lake, Lincoln, Mal-
heur, Morrow, Umatilla and
Wasco counties.
“The spread of
COVID-19 in these coun-
ties has risen to alarming
levels in recent weeks,” the
press release stated. “Anal-
ysis by the Oregon Health
Authority showed alarm-
ingly high per capita rates
of case increases and com-
munity spread — cases
where the infections are not
attributable to a specifi c
location or event. This com-
munity spread is a serious
warning sign for health
experts.”
State agencies will mon-
itor counties on the watch
list in the coming days
while the Oregon Health
Authority and local offi cials
deploy additional resources
to control the spread of the
disease.
The the governor’s offi ce
also announced the Oregon
Liquor Control Commission
with support from Oregon
Occupational Safety and
Health fi eld offi ces will
conduct spot checks and
inspections across Oregon
during the holiday weekend
to ensure restaurants, bars
other businesses and their
patrons comply with state
alcohol laws, OLCC rules
and the requirement to wear
a face covering in indoor
public spaces.
That action comes
after the state reached a
record of 375 new cases of
COVID-19 on Thursday.
That was the fi rst of four
days in a row when there
were at least 300 new cases
in the state, adding 344
Friday, 303 Saturday and
301 Sunday. Sunday’s total
moved the state past 10,000.
There were 165 cases
added Monday, the lowest
total since 171 were posted
June 30.
Businesses that refuse to
comply with requirements
face fi nes and harsher
penalties.
OSHA and OLCC staff
have the authority to take
administrative action,
according to the press
release, including issuing
citations, fi nes and “Red
Warning Notices,” which
apply to businesses that
appear to be in “willful vio-
lation” of the governor’s
executive orders or that
refuse to take corrective
measures.
“Such businesses are
closed until the hazardous
at the Center for Human
Development Inc., and said
he was “most proud” of
what Paul did to help their
mother, Carolyn.
“We always looked up
to Paul for the courage he
had. And he’ll be missed in
our family for a very long
time,” John Howard said.
John spoke candidly
about individuals needing
to protect themselves and
others in the commu-
nity with the coronavirus
present.
“We all need to do what
we can to stop the spread of
the virus,” he said. “We just
need to be sensitive to those
that have underlying health
problems, whether they are
diabetic or have asthma.
... Some of us live without
taking medication or are
healthy, (but) we need to
be cognizant of those that
have health problems and
are struggling.”
He’s especially adamant
about it because he doesn’t
want to see anyone face
what his family has.
“I think it’s important
we wear a mask when
you’re in a store or in close
quarters, and social dis-
tance outside to stop the
spread,” he said. “I really
don’t want any other com-
munity members to go
through losing a loved one
through COVID such as
our family has.”
reducing the chance that
it was exposed to the
coronavirus.
“There is a strong
interest in knowing
where their food has
been,” Dodson said.
Stops on the Union
County Farm Loop
include Almosta Farm
at Cove, which has been
operating about three
years.
The farm, owned
by Jan Marrs and Lori
Shields, offers tours and
overnight accommoda-
tions. Visitors also have
a chance to experience
what it is like to work on
a farm.
Those coming to
Almosta Farm have
the opportunity to feed
chickens, clean animal
stalls, weed a large
garden, milk a goat and
more. Visitors also can
mingle with and pet the
farm’s eight Nigerian
dwarf goats.
“They love people and
always want attention,”
Marrs said of the goats.
One objective of the
owners of Almosta Farm
is to help people develop
a connection to their
food. Marrs said studies
indicate the more con-
nected people are to
the food they eat the
healthier they are. Marrs
and Shields once had a
foster child on their farm
who liked only junk food
when she arrived.
“French fries were
her vegetable of choice,”
Marrs said.
However, after
growing her own pro-
duce, Marrs said the girl
developed a love of fresh
vegetables.
Farms that were on
the Cove-Union Farm
Loop map and will be on
the Union County Farm
Loop map include Folly
Farm in Cove, which
is owned by Cindy and
Ralph Edwards. Cindy
Edwards credited the
loop map project with
making people aware of
the many small farms in
Union County.
She also noted an
objective of Folly Farm is
to educate people on how
easy it is to grow their
own food. Edwards said
being part of the loop is
helping her farm achieve
this goal.
A grant from the
Union County Chamber
of Commerce funds the
Union County Farm
Loop map project.
“(The chamber has)
been very supportive
and enthusiastic about
agritourism activities,”
Dodson said.
Copies of the new
map will be available
soon online at www.vis-
itunioncounty.org and
hard copies also will be
available at the Union
County Chamber of
Commerce, 207 Depot
St., La Grande, at stops
on the Union County
Farm Loop and at the
La Grande Farmers
Market at Fourth Street
and Adams Avenue each
Tuesday and Saturday
during the summer.
condition is remedied,” the
press release stated. “Vio-
lation of a Red Warning
Notice results in stiff
penalties.”
And the city of
La Grande in a press
release Monday morning
announced City Manager
Robert Strope extended
the city’s emergency dec-
laration through Sept. 4 in
conjunction with Brown’s
extension of Oregon’s state
of emergency declaration
last week.
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decades, faced mental
health issues beginning in
his 20s that affected him,
but didn’t stop him.
“He made the best of
his life, even though he
lived with that complica-
tion,” John said. “He lived
independently, was able
to socialize, was able to
work, enjoy family events,
and be a normal person,
even though he was com-
promised with a mental ill-
ness. He never once com-
plained about his illness,
never felt sorry for himself
or shameful.”
John called his brother
a man who was dedicated
to his work, which he said
included a 25-year career
Fireworks red glare over
Wallowa Lake
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