10 — THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS
FRIDAY, APRIL 10, 2015
Local
Kids enjoy Huntington egg hunt
By Eileen Driver
Eileen@TheBakerCountyPress.com
Early in the morning
of Saturday, April 3, the
Easter Bunny arrived
in Huntington and left
hundreds of beautifully
decorated Easter eggs hid-
den all over the lower field
at Huntington Elementary
School. On that cool but
sunny morning at 10 a.m.
all the children in town,
from 0-10 years of age,
gathered at the edge of the
field, with their buckets
and baskets in hand and
stared in awe and wonder
at the bounty before them.
At just the right moment
they were let loose on that
field and enthusiastically
hunted down all the eggs
that were hidden on the
side of the hill, buried in
large tufts of grass, cradled
in small holes in the earth
and hidden by rocks, while
their parents, grandparents
and friends watched and
encouraged them from the
sidelines.
Three lucky kids found
Special Easter Eggs, which
said “Grand Prize” on
them. They each were al-
lowed to trade those Grand
Prize eggs for a large Eas-
ter Basket full of goodies.
The lucky hunters were
Gage Roby, Emily Sul-
livan and Donivyn Boyd.
All the children went home
with their baskets and
buckets full of Easter Eggs
and bright, shiny smiles on
their faces.
The annual Easter Egg
Hunt is sponsored by the
Huntington Sorority and
organized by Mary
McKinney Howard and
Sterling McKinney with
the help and assistance of
many community mem-
bers, and the generosity
of the Huntington School
District’s loan of the field,
for the benefit of the chi -
dren of our community.
OTEC celebrates
linemen April 13
America’s electric cooperatives have designated the
second Monday of April as National Lineman Apprecia-
tion Day.
On April 13, 2015, Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative
will honor the hard working men and women who often
work in challenging conditions to keep the lights on.
The full text of the resolution, which the National Rural
Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) Board ad-
opted unanimously, follows:
“Whereas linemen leave their families and put
their lives on the line every day to keep the power on;
Whereas linemen work 365 days a year under danger-
ous conditions to build, maintain and repair the electric
infrastructure; Whereas linemen are the first responders
of the electric cooperative family, getting power back on
and making things safe for all after storms and accidents;
and Whereas there would be no electric cooperatives
without the brave men and women who comprise our
corps of linemen;
Therefore be it resolved that NRECA recognize the
Second Monday of April of each year as National Line-
man Appreciation Day to recognize the contributions of
these valuable men and women to America’s Electric
Cooperatives.”
“We proudly recognize all of our linemen and trades-
men for the services they perform,” said OTEC’s Direc-
tor of Engineering and Operations Ned Ratterman. “They
work around the clock, all hours of the day, often in
hazardous conditions far from their families, going above
and beyond to restore power to their communities and
protect the public’s safety. Electric linemen and trades-
men do not often receive the recognition they deserve.
They truly deserve this special day of appreciation.”
OTEC invites its members to take a moment to thank a
lineman/tradesmen in Baker County for the work they do
and show support for the people who light our lives.
Baker County Linemen/Tradesmen: Tim Banister,
Mark Dyer, Rich Eskew, Tony Hellbusch, Richard Jen-
sen, Casey Mitchell, Mike Mitchell, Gene Nelson, Chris
Peppers, Larry Robb, Myles Schwebke, Bud Scott, Mike
Wilson, Rod Wolf.
Ways & Means to
meet in La Grande
Eileen Driver / The Baker County Press
Children from all across Huntington turned out in force over the weekend to
hunt down beautifully decorated Easter eggs hidden all over the lower field at
Huntington Elementary School.
The Senate and Representatives from the Joint Ways
and Means Committee will be touring Eastern Oregon.
There are two scheduled stops:
Friday ~ April 10, 2015, 5:30-7:30 p.m., Gilbert Cen-
ter on EOU's Campus in La Grande.
Saturday ~ April 11, 2015, 12:30-2:30 p.m., SAGE
Center (Port of Morrow).
Everyone is encouraged to take part in the hearing and
testify on issues important to them. Guests will be able
to meet face to face with the committee members. Please
call if you have any questions: 503 986-1458.
MSHA classes, medallion raffle ahead for EOMA
By Todd Arriola
Todd@TheBakerCountyPress.com
Last Friday, April 3, 2015, the Eastern
Oregon Mining Association (EOMA) held
its monthly Board meeting at 6 p.m., and
its general meeting at 6:40 p.m., in the
Council Chambers of Baker City Hall.
In attendance were President Ken Alex-
ander, Vice President Ed Hardt, Execu-
tive Director Chuck Chase, Director of
Governmental Affairs Terry Drever Gee,
Mineral Policy Director Jan Alexander,
Recording Secretary Carmelita Holland,
and Treasurer Bobbie Danser, and Board
of Directors members Wanda Ballard and
Alice Knapp.
The attendees also included Baker
County Commissioner Bill Harvey, Frank
Vasconcelles, Charlie Cree, Charles and
Eileen Stewart, Tork Ballard, Gary Hol-
land and Judith Cox.
The Board meeting was called to order,
shortly followed by a reading of the min-
utes by Holland from the Board meeting
held on Friday, March 6, 2015. There
were no additions or corrections to the
minutes noted, and Hardt made a motion
to accept the minutes, with a second from
Jan Alexander. The motion carried.
Danser gave a Treasurer’s report, which
included the general account balance, de-
posits, checks and other withdrawals, bank
statement balance, checkbook balance,
bills, transfers, and other information.
Ken Alexander asked if there were any
questions regarding the Treasurer’s report,
and there were none stated. Jan Alexander
moved to accept the report, with a second
from Gee, and the motion carried.
Danser gave a medallion report, and
stated that there were 44 left for sale
which were minted in 2012, 43 minted in
2013, 10 minted in 2014, and 43 minted in
2015. These are specially-minted, silver
EOMA medallions.
Jan spoke about forming a committee to
address mining Reclamation Bonds with
the United States Forest Service (USFS)
and the Bureau of Land Management
(BLM), including initial payments and
yearly fees, and Ken echoed that thought,
saying the details need to be worked out.
Attorney Charlie Vaughan of Baker City is
assisting EOMA in this process.
Danser said that for the last two to three
years, the majority of people registered for
the Mine Safety and Health Administra-
tion (MSHA) classes has been non-EOMA
members, and she was concerned about
the continued cost to the EOMA for pre-
senting the training, including room rental
and supplies. In March, she said, EOMA
paid around $228, and April’s cost to the
group is around $215.
The group discussed whether attend-
ees of the training should be required to
become EOMA members, and whether
donations at the training site could be
suggested, but this conversation will be
continued at a later date, since this year,
these ideas most likely wouldn’t be imple-
mented.
Danser began a conversation about the
number of EOMA monthly newsletters
that are sent out, in electronic and print
form, citing issues with the amount and
whether certain members have computers,
and Chase discussed problems with the
mailing list. Ken stated this is an issue
for the group to keep in mind for now, and
to address it in the future, if the cost to
EOMA becomes a significant concern
At 6:32 p.m., the Board meeting was
adjourned.
During a break between meetings, Ken
mentioned the medallion raffle, which was
to be held at the conclusion of the general
meeting. This raffle was for a silver
EOMA medallion, minted in 2012, and
tickets were sold for six for $5.00. Chase
informed the attendees also at this time of
a petition sign-up sheet, titled “Vote no on
Baker County Initiative 1-63.”
At 6:40 p.m., the general meeting was
called to order, and Holland read the
minutes from the March 6, 2015 general
meeting. She listed the elected officers
for 2015, and Hardt noted the absence of
his name and position, Vice President,
on the list and in the monthly newsletter.
Hardt moved that the report be accepted
as amended, with a second from Gee. The
motion carried.
Ken mentioned briefly the MSH
classes, to be held April 15-17 at the
Extension Building, located at 2600 East
Street, beginning at 8 a.m. each day.
Jan gave an update regarding the Granite
Creek Watershed Mining Projects Draft
Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS).
Noting the short period in which to
provide comments on the DEIS, the
deadline of which was originally stated as
April 6, 2015, she said that the large docu-
ment covers only 28 Plans of Operation, a
total of 104 acres analyzed for disturbance
in a 94,480 acre watershed.
In addition, she said the United States
Forest Service (USFS) has made a deci-
sion not to approve one of the 28 opera-
tions, leaving only 27, with many of them
affecting only one acre over ten years.
Knapp also mentioned the difficulty in
using the index, and Jan commented that
the document was poorly constructed.
These were among other issues and con-
cerns pointed out by Jan and others, with
the emphasis that comments on the DEIS
are very important. Chase and Hardt
voiced their opinions that lawsuits would
most likely be part of the process.
Commissioner Harvey drafted a request
addressed to Wallowa-Whitman National
Forest Supervisor Tom Montoya, for an
extension of time to review and comment
on the DEIS, on March 31, 2015, which
was approved to be sent by the Board of
Commissioners on April 1, 2015, at the
regular session.
Ken spoke with optimism and sup-
port for House Resolution (HR) 1555,
the Forest Access in Rural Communities
Act of 2015, introduced by 2nd District
Representative Greg Walden in late March
23, 2015, a bill which would require the
USFS and BLM to obtain the consent
of locally affected communities before
implementing any travel management
plans affecting access to National Forest
System (NSF) lands.
During the meeting, Jenny Long of
Long’s WaterWorks on 10th Street
stopped by to say hello to the group and
drop off some business cards.
Chase spoke about the discussion
he had with Representative Cliff Bentz
about mining issues during the town
hall meeting held in Haines on Friday,
March 27, 2015. Chase said that Bentz
mentioned efforts are being made to gain
more support for access and use of mining
resources.
Vasconcelles, a visitor from Walla
Walla, Washington, discussed issues with
his mining claim on the North Forth of the
John Day River, including conflicts with
permits and restricted salmon habitat ar-
eas, and dredging operations. He showed
a map to the Board, showing restricted
waterways related to salmon habitat, and
stated he’s having some issues working
with the USFS and the Department of
Environmental Quality (DEQ), and that
enlisting EOMA’s help may be a possibil-
ity.
The general meeting was adjourned at
7:30 p.m., followed by the raffle drawing
for the EOMA silver medallion. Alice
Knapp took home the medallion, a $50
value, for the first time after many tries,
she said.
The next Board and general meetings
are scheduled to be held on Friday, May 1,
2015, at 6 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. respectively,
in the Council Chambers of Baker City
Hall.