FROM PAGE ONE
SATURDAY, MAY 28, 2022
COUNTY
Continued from Page A1
terrible. It is a stressful situ-
ation. It is frustrating.”
No other position
cuts are called for in the
spending plan approved by
the budget committee.
Union County’s budget
committee voted to rec-
ommend adopting a total
spending plan of $57.906
million for 2022-23.
The proposed budget is
up primarily due to $5.204
million Union County
has received in American
Rescue Plan Act funding
plus additional govern-
ment grants, Burgess said.
EOU
Continued from Page A1
with balloons and decora-
tions, included 2020 grad-
uates who did not have
a chance to receive their
diploma in person the pre-
vious year.
In 2018, Eastern grad-
uates did not experience
the packed football sta-
dium and extra seating
typical of a regular year’s
commencement because
the university was
replacing the football fi eld
turf, a project that helped
Eastern continue to serve
as a hub for numerous
collegiate and high school
athletic events.
According to the uni-
versity’s registrar, the
2022 commencement
team and university offi -
cials are still in the pro-
cess of monitoring the
COVID-19 pandemic
trends if any poten-
tial restrictions or atten-
dance routines need to be
adjusted.
The in-person event
is open to the public.
Seating is available on
a fi rst-come-fi rst-served
basis with ADA seating
directly on the fi eld.
Viewers can also tune in
to a livestream at the fol-
lowing link, youtube.com/
user/EOUAV.
Other commencement
activities are planned
for Friday, June 10: the
Oregon Health and Sci-
The county has
received American Rescue
Plan Act funding to help
it deal with COVID-19-re-
lated issues. Burgess said
the funding is giving the
county the opportunity
to address deferred infra-
structure needs and make
equipment purchases.
The total spending plan
approved by the county
includes a proposed gen-
eral fund budget of $12.78
million, down 9% from
2021-22.
Burgess said there are
two major reasons for the
decline — the loss of the
three deputies and two
corrections offi cer posi-
tions and the fact that
TO LEARN MORE
Additional commencement
information is available
at www.eou.edu/
commencement.
ence University will hold
its annual convention
and awards ceremony at
8:30 a.m.; the Eastern stu-
dent awards assembly
begins at 1:30 p.m.; and
a special celebration for
online and onsite students
is at 6:30 p.m.
In addition, prior to
the main commencement
on June 11, there will be
a hooding ceremony for
master’s graduates at Gil-
bert Plaza at 8:45 a.m.
With the commence-
ment ceremony back in
its standard form on the
Eastern football fi eld, the
university is planning
accordingly for a large
crowd.
ADA assistance will
be provided to transport
individuals to and from
farther parking lots. All
regular campus parking
spaces will be free for
public usage.
During the ceremony,
refreshments will be pro-
vided at the stadium’s
concession stand.
No photos will be
allowed on the fi eld, as a
professional photographer
will be present to take
photos of each graduate
— photos are allowed
from the stands area.
The Observer, File
Eastern Oregon University graduate Megan Demirjian poses from
the back of a pickup truck moments before exiting to receive her
diploma on Saturday, June 12, 2021. The university held a drive-
thru commencement due to COVID-19 restrictions.
the county had $500,000
in federal funding in its
2021-22 budget to help
small businesses hurt by
the COViD-19 pandemic,
funding it does not have in
its 2022-23 budget.
The general fund is rev-
enue that comes to the
county from taxes, fees,
interest earnings, and
other sources that can be
used for the general opera-
tion of the county.
Burgess said 47% of
Union County’s general
fund revenue comes from
property taxes. The second
highest source at 9% is the
payment in lieu of taxes
funding Union County
receives from the federal
THE OBSERVER — A7
government. PILT funding
is provided to counties
with federal lands to com-
pensate them for property
tax revenue they would
have received if the land
were privately owned.
The Union County
Board of Commissioners
will vote on adoption of
the recommended 2022-23
budget at its Wednesday,
June 29, meeting.
The session will start
at 9 a.m. in the board of
commissioners meeting
room in the Joseph
Building. A public hearing
on the proposed budget
will be conducted before
the board of commis-
sioners vote.
Dick Mason/The Observer, File
Deputy Morris Capers, with the Union County Sheriff ’s Offi ce, on
Friday, May 20, 2022, returns to his vehicle after checking out the
Elgin Stampede Grounds during his patrol.
CAMPBELL
Continued from Page A1
Campbell’s list of fi rsts
include being the initial
woman to complete West
Virginia University’s mas-
ter’s program in wild-
life management, the fi rst
female forestry aide at the
Forest Sciences Lab in Mor-
gantown, West Virginia,
and the fi rst woman to serve
as a biologist on the George
Washington National Forest
in Virginia. These are just
a handful of Campbell’s list
of fi rsts for being a woman
in a certain role, which
includes many other posi-
tions in West Virginia, Mis-
sissippi and Alaska.
Campbell has always
used a conciliatory and
friendly approach when
breaking through glass
ceilings or pursuing other
objectives, said Melanie
Woolever, a colleague of
Campbell’s who worked
closely with her while she
was with the U.S. Forest
Service. Woolever said
Campbell is an unassuming
person who is intensely
loyal and has a Southern
charm. She is also remark-
ably tenacious and pas-
sionate when pursuing
something she believes in.
“She is quiet and soft-
spoken but she has a back-
bone of iron,” Woolever
said of Campbell. “She
makes things happen when
she believes in something.”
Woolever, who lives in
Colorado, cited the U.S.
Forest Service’s wildlife
budget as an example. She
said the Forest Services’
wildlife budget received
limited funding com-
pared to other divisions
in the agency when she
and Campbell were with
it early in their careers.
This changed with the help
of Campbell, who took it
upon herself to learn every-
thing she could about the
Forest Service’s budgeting
process. She then used
this knowledge to line up
funding for wildlife projects
over a long period of time.
Avoiding the spotlight
Nothing Campbell does
is with an eye on getting into
Wild Sheep magazine/Contributed Photo
Ellen Campbell conducts imprinting research in 1972 with the wild turkeys she raised and studied while
working in the USFS Forest Sciences Lab.
— Melanie Woolever, U.S. Forest Service, about Ellen Campbell
the spotlight, Woolever said.
“She does not want the
limelight,” Woolever said.
“She is very humble.”
Chuck also feels this way.
“She is not one to boast
about herself,” he said.
The trophy Campbell
received upon winning the
Artemis Award weighs
about 5 pounds and is made
almost exclusively of glass.
The award is named after
the Greek goddess of nature,
wildlife and hunting.
The Artemis Award is
among many Campbell has
received.
Another heavyweight
honor is the Jack Adams
Award, which was presented
to her by the U.S. Forest
Service in 1996 in recogni-
tion of her work for the bet-
terment of wildlife. Camp-
bell was then one of 1,100
wildlife professionals in the
Forest Service eligible for
the award.
She was the fi rst woman
to receive the national award.
The Artemis and Adams
awards both recognize
work Campbell has done
with Rocky Mountain big-
horn sheep plus other wild-
life such as the gopher tor-
toise and the red-cockaded
woodpecker.
Campbell’s eff orts as a
member of the Oregon Wild
Sheep Foundation to pro-
tect bighorn sheep includes
taking steps to prevent
them from interacting with
domestic sheep.
This is important because
bighorn sheep are suscep-
tible to a type of pneumonia
that domestic sheep carry
bacterium for.
Campbell said many
things intrigue her about
Rocky Mountain bighorn
sheep, including their ability
to live in rugged terrain.
“I just admire their
tenacity and their ability to
live and thrive,” she said.
Campbell has witnessed
with awe bighorn rams run-
ning against each other to
show dominance.
“It is amazing that
medical trauma into outpatient or
residential treatment.
OPIOIDS
Continued from Page A1
A bigger concern
inmates now go to the Oregon
Marijuana Fund, which drew up
to $270 million in grant funding
for treatment centers — the plan
originally scheduled the funds to
arrive across Oregon by the start
of 2022, but delays have pushed
that time frame back to this
coming summer and early fall.
While opinions on the mea-
sure vary and the new concept
is still in its infancy, the delay in
funding for new treatment cen-
ters amid the increasing crisis
puts the burden for services on
existing health care facilities like
the CHD.
Changing tides
As local law enforcement
have also observed, the Center
for Human Development is being
confronted with a rise in over-
doses caused by synthetic opioids
such as fenanyl. And the recent
uptick has included a signifi cant
shift from individuals accidentally
consuming fentanyl to actively
seeking it out.
“This shift makes harm reduc-
tion and lifesaving interventions
like Naloxone absolutely crit-
ical so we can keep people alive
until they get to their successful
recovery attempt,” the health cen-
ter’s staff member statement read.
At CHD, services available
Davis Carbaugh/The Observer, File
Stars with initials of Union County Adult Treatment Court graduates are displayed
at the Union County Courthouse, La Grande, on Tuesday, May 10, 2022. The Union
County Adult Treatment Court Alumni Association hosted an illumination walk
at Max Square in downtown La Grande on May 14, raising awareness of recovery
eff orts and successes in the county.
include integrated behavioral
health through counseling, addic-
tion recovery services, psychiatry,
case management and more. In
the wake of the past year’s uptick
in substance abuse, the health
center has increased its outreach
eff orts to those who have previ-
ously dealt with substance abuse,
added additional substance use
assessment slots, prioritized med-
they do not get concussions,”
she said.
“She makes things happen when she
believes in something.”
ical detox and utilized 12-step
fellowship programs for more
patients.
Substance Use Disorders teams
are also in place in Union County,
in order to increase services
available for emergencies, ICUs
and medical surgery fl oors with
patients recovering from over-
doses. The services also focus on
transitioning those patients from
Mental health remains at the
forefront of substance abuse dis-
orders. CHD recently started a
grief and loss group, which is
open to those who have expe-
rienced loss of any kind. The
group has particular relevance
for those dealing with substance
abuse or those who have seen
family members and friends lose
their lives to substance abuse.
While Measure 110 shifted
the scope of court-ordered treat-
ment requirements, programs
within the Union County Court
system still exist to assist those
dealing with substance abuse.
Kylie Ingerson, the Union
County Treatment Court Coor-
dinator, spearheads the county’s
grant-funded treatment court
program — the system maps out
a comprehensive 18-month pro-
gram to help addicts get back on
their feet.
The program was estab-
lished in Union County in
2001 and has seen 191 gradu-
ates. According to Ingerson’s
data from the treatment court,
roughly 70% of the graduates
have not returned to the crim-
inal justice system. Graduation
requires a set amount of sobriety
days, paying off court treat-
ment fees, outpatient treatment,
community support meetings,
Keeping a secret
Campbell received the
Artemis Award this winter
at the Wild Sheep Foun-
dation’s annual meeting in
Las Vegas, Nevada. She
said she had not wanted to
attend because she tries to
avoid large crowds due to
the COVID-19 pandemic.
She decided to go only
after being persuaded to
by her husband, Dale, also
a former Forest Service
employee.
Ellen Campbell never
suspected that the reason
he insisted they attend the
convention was because she
was set to receive the award.
“He is great at keeping
a secret. He knew for two
months and I had no idea,”
said Campbell, who credits
her husband with providing
remarkable support.
Four months have passed
since she received the
Artemis Award, but she
said she still feels emotional
when she thinks about it.
“I still cannot believe it,”
Campbell said. “I was so
surprised that they recog-
nized me.”
holding a steady job and more.
“It’s a pretty intense outpa-
tient process. It’s not just your
normal probation,” Ingerson
said. “Once they graduate,
a lot of them have already
turned their life around so
signifi cantly.”
However, as the state’s
approach to substance abuse
shifts, the number of individuals
receiving court-ordered treat-
ment is dropping.
“We’re seeing less people,”
Ingerson said. “At this point
we’ve put it into their hands
where they have to make the
choice to get help, instead of us
pushing them to get help.”
Like many local entities, com-
munity outreach and raising
awareness remain at the forefront
moving forward. The Union
County Adult Treatment Court
hosted an illumination walk ear-
lier this month, honoring the
recent lives lost and promoting
awareness in Union County.
For CHD, local partnerships
with law enforcement, schools,
treatment courts, elected offi -
cials and more in the commu-
nity play a key role in spreading
awareness and promoting avail-
able resources.
“Addiction impacts all of us,”
according to CHD’s statement.
“Whether we realize it or not we
may know someone struggling
with addiction and we can take
really simple steps to save a life.”