Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Baker County press. (Baker City, Ore.) 2014-current | View Entire Issue (May 27, 2016)
10 — THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS FRIDAY, MAY 27, 2016 Local Herbicide giveaway proves Walden says Cover Oregon popular as always a total failure BY TODD ARRIOLA Todd@TheBakerCountyPress.com Last Saturday, May 21, from 7 a.m. to noon, Baker County Weedmaster Arnie Grammon provided about 1,000 gallons of free whitetop and scotch thistle herbicide to 200 community members, at the old Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) building, at 1050 South Bridge Street in Baker City. Citizens arrived to claim their share (up to five gal- lons per residence), with a variety of containers, dur- ing the rainy weekend. Grammon said that more people had shown up to acquire herbicide so far this year, though the timing is earlier than last year. Labels, and material safety data sheets (MSDS) were offered with the herbicide, and Grammon urges community mem- bers to read that important material. Some key information also included with the labels and MSDS: Spraying the plant to wet is sufficient, while dripping indicates too much was applied; the mix is only “good” for 24 to 36 hours, and the herbicide will break down quickly in U.S. Rep. Greg Walden (R-Hood River) today issued the following statement after the U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee released an investi- gative report on the failure of Cover Oregon: “For over a year, the Oversight Committee has inves- tigated the failure of Cover Oregon, including reviewing over 170,000 pages of emails and reports. Their report is very disturbing, but, sadly, not surprising. It is further confirmation of what really transpired and who was responsible for the Cover Oregon website debacle. Gov. Kitzhaber and his campaign advisors manipulated the process for political gain, and the Obama Administration did not do proper oversight to make sure taxpayer dollars were being spent properly. It is not often that a Congres- sional committee recommends a matter for criminal in- vestigation. Taxpayers deserve the truth, and, if laws were broken, those responsible should be held accountable.” For more than a year, the House Oversight and Govern- ment Reform committee has been investigating the col- lapse of Cover Oregon, including reviewing over 170,000 pages of emails and reports. Todd Arriola / The Baker County Press Arnie Grammon and rancher Myron Miles (right) with a mixture designed spe- cifically for lawns. water; the herbicide is pre- mixed, ready to go, and it contains herbicide, surfac- tant, and dye (it requires no dilution); one gallon of the herbicide is enough to kill approximately 1,400 square feet, about the same are of an average house; and whitetop is a deeply rooted weed, extremely hard to kill, and multiple applications over a period of three to five years will be required, to minimize whitetop infestations. Cautions include: Don’t apply the herbi- cide under the drip line of trees, as the trees may die if this advice is ignored; don’t spray if the wind is blowing above five miles per hour; and agitate the mixture just before it’s applied. This herbicide giveaway continues this Saturday, May 28, from 7 a.m. to noon, again at the old ODOT building at 1050 South Street, in Baker City; and on Friday, June 3, from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., at Hereford Hall/ Unity Hall, in Hereford and Unity. Wyden to come to Baker City Senator Ron Wyden will hold town halls next week in Baker, Wallowa and Union counties. Tuesday, May 31: · Baker County: 9 a.m., Baker High School Audito- rium, 2500 E St, Baker City · Wallowa County: 2 p.m., Wallowa Elementary School’s Beth Johnson multi-purpose room, 315 First St, Wallowa Wednesday, June 1: · Union County: 9 a.m., Eastern Oregon University, Ackerman Hall Rm 210, One University Blvd, La Grande
