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