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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (May 20, 2015)
REGION Wednesday, May 20, 2015 East Oregonian Page 3A 0HUNOH\:DOGHQEDFN Color run dashes back IHGHUDOUHVHDUFKVWDWLRQ PENDLETON East Oregonian A splash of color is featured in a fundraising event for the Pendleton Swim Association and Pend- leton High School cross country team. The Color Dash is Saturday, May 30 with regis- tration and packet pickup beginning at 8 a.m. and the dash starting at 9 a.m. at Roy Raley Park, 1205 S.W. Court Ave., Pendleton. Packets also can be picked up Friday, May 29 from noon to 7 p.m. at the Pendleton Chamber of Commerce, 501 S. Main St. The cost is $40 per person. In addition, family and group registrations are available. Pre-registered partici- pants will receive a T-shirt, bib, tattoo and color pack. People who plan to partic- ipate are encouraged to pre-register as T-shirts are only guaranteed for those that register in advance. For more information DERXW WKH HYHQW ¿QG LW RQ )DFHERRN$OVRIRUVSHFL¿F questions about the use of colors, visit www.cd5k. com/#about Funding would be cut in Obama’s proposed budget By GEORGE PLAVEN East Oregonian EO file photo Joyce Hughes of Pendleton emerges from a cloud of blue dust during the 2014 Color Dash. This year’s event, which raises money for the Pendleton High School cross country team and the Pendleton Swim Associa- tion, is Saturday, May 30 at Roy Raley Park. Biologists to kill off unwanted ¿VKIURP8PDWLOODIRUHVWSRQGV By GEORGE PLAVEN East Oregonian The Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife plans to use a plant-based toxicant to kill and remove unwanted ¿VK IURP HLJKW SRQGV LQ Umatilla, Union, Baker and Wallowa counties. Six ponds are located on the Umatilla National Forest, including Lugar and Boundary ponds in Union County as well as Keyhole, *UDQLWH 0HDGRZV *ROG¿VK and Yellowjacket ponds in Umatilla County. Kyle Bratcher, assistant GLVWULFW ¿VK ELRORJLVW IRU ODFW in Enterprise, discussed project details during a brief and lightly attended public meeting Monday at the Pendleton Convention Center. Other meetings were already held in La Grande, Baker City and Enterprise. Over the years, several XQZDQWHG ¿VK VSHFLHV ² including largemouth bass, EURZQEXOOKHDGDQGJROG¿VK ² KDYH EHHQ LQWURGXFHG into each of the small ponds, which compete for food and habitat with rainbow trout DQGGHJUDGHORFDO¿VKHULHV Bratcher said the intruders are sometimes dumped into waterways because anglers have a fondness for the species, or were used as bait. ,Q WKH FDVH RI JROG¿VK KH said they are often pets that have been released into the wild. It is illegal in any case to LQWURGXFH¿VKWRDQ\2UHJRQ water body, Bratcher said. “They directly compete ZLWKWKHRWKHU¿VKZHSXWLQ there,” Bratcher said. “Often we’ll see a reduction in native populations.” Biologists will use rotenone, a toxicant derived “They directly compete with the other fish we put in there. Often we’ll see a reduction in native populations.” — Kyle Bratcher, assistant district fish biologist for ODFW in Enterprise from the roots and stems of certain plants, to kill off all ¿VK LQ WKH SRQGV DQG FRPH back later to reintroduce UDLQERZ WURXW ² HVVHQWLDOO\ like hitting the restart button DWHDFKRIWKH¿VKHULHV Rotenone has been used in the past at places like Diamond Lake on the Umpqua National Forest, which was overrun with non-native tui chub. ODFW spent $1.4 million to deal with the problem in 2007, and the following year saw immediate improvements in water clarity, insect popula- tions and trout catch. The goal now is to treat the smaller ponds at a cheaper FRVW EHIRUH XQZDQWHG ¿VK can make it into larger water bodies, Bratcher said. All eight ponds are expected to cost about $10,000 total to treat. If all goes according to plan, ODFW will remove angling restrictions at the ponds from July through 6HSWHPEHU DOORZLQJ ¿VK- HUPHQWRFDWFKDVPDQ\¿VK as possible before closing the ponds in October. It will take one day to apply rotenone at each pond, which will stay present in the water for roughly two weeks. Crews will then collect DQGEXU\WKHGHDG¿VKEHIRUH reopening the areas in about two or three weeks. Rotenone is not toxic to humans, mammals or birds at the concentrations used to NLOO ¿VK ,W LV QRW PRELOH LQ soils, and has been approved for use by the Environmental Protection Agency. “This stuff just binds to everything,” Bratcher said. “It doesn’t move around very well.” By introducing undesir- able species, Bratcher said people usually have good intentions but don’t under- stand the effect it has on ¿VKLQJRSSRUWXQLWLHV ³+DYLQJ TXDOLW\ ¿VKHULHV here is pretty important,” he said. ²²² Contact George Plaven at gplaven@eastoregonian. com or 541-564-4547. :LWK VLJQL¿FDQW EXGJHW cuts looming, the Columbia Plateau Conservation Research Center can at least count on bipartisan support from Oregon’s congressional leaders in Washington, D.C. Both Sen. Jeff Merkley, a Democrat, and Rep. Greg Walden, a Republican, recently spoke up to defend the station, located on Tubbs Ranch Road between Pendleton and Adams. Part of the federal Agri- cultural Research Service, the Columbia Plateau Conservation Research Service stands to lose ²QHDUO\KDOILWV DQQXDO IXQGLQJ ² XQGHU President Barack Obama’s proposed 2016 budget. That would force the program to end its research into no-till farming for winter wheat and lay off WKUHHRI¿YHVWDIIVFLHQWLVWV Merkley, who serves as the top Democrat on the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee, said he is working with his Repub- lican counterparts to craft a bill that will fully fund the ARS. “Oregon’s economic success depends on agri- culture,” Merkley said in a statement. “Cutting local agricultural research that can respond directly to the challenges and oppor- tunities our farmers and ranchers see on the ground means missing out on huge opportunities to strengthen our economy and support Oregon families.” In March, Walden also sent a letter to the House Appropriations Committee that, among other things, asks for budgetary language directing the $56 WR VXSSRUW ORFDO ¿HOG stations. “Despite the positive impact of real world research, the Agricul- tural Research Service’s proposed reductions in dryland wheat research at their Pendleton station continues a troubling WUHQG LQ WKH 3DFL¿F 1RUWK- west,” Walden said. “It is concerning that the ARS has not laid out a clear plan for this localized research to continue.” Oregon’s other senator, Democrat Ron Wyden, sent a letter in April to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack explaining how research in Pendleton could lead to greater productivity DQG SUR¿WDELOLW\ IRU ZKHDW farmers across the country. Since 2010, researchers at the station have looked into ways no-till farming can retain moisture in soil and cut down on wind erosion, without sacri- ¿FLQJ \LHOG 6RLO VFLHQWLVWV Stewart Wuest and Hero Gollany, as well as hydrol- ogist John Williams, all work on the no-till project DQGDUHGUDIWLQJDQHZ¿YH \HDUSODQIRUWKHSURMHFW² so long as funding remains intact. The president’s budget calls for cuts at multiple ARS stations, including those in Pendleton and Corvallis, in order for the Department of Agriculture to shift money to what the administration has LGHQWL¿HGDVKLJKHUSULRULW\ projects. Wuest said farmers are slowly beginning to experiment with no-till, but it is a gradual process. Growers can’t afford to risk their crop unless they are reasonably sure something new will work. That’s where the ARS comes in with the data, he said. ²²² Contact George Plaven at gplaven@eastorego- nian.com or 541-564-4547. PENDLETON 3ROLFH¿QGIHZDQVZHUVWR¿JKW were involved in what amounted to “more hair SXOOLQJWKDQD¿VW¿JKW´DQG Pendleton police one male struck and injured continue to search for a another male who tried to man following reports of EUHDNWKH¿JKWXS $IWHU WKH VFXIÀH gunshots early Saturday after a fracas outside a according to Roberts, the WULRWROGRI¿FHUVDZKLWHFDU downtown Pendleton bar. Police Chief Stuart approached them as they Roberts in an email reported walked west on Southwest dispatchers at 2:22 a.m. told Court Avenue. The car RI¿FHUVWKHUHZDVDUHSRUWRI slowed to a crawl and they gunshots outside Crabby’s heard several loud pops. Underground Saloon, 220 Police dispatch logs show S.W. First St., Pendleton. a caller who reported the 2I¿FHUV DUULYHG EXW IRXQG disturbance said the car was no one there. Roberts said a white Toyota Celica. Roberts said police another call moments later sent police to the corner of caught up to a female and Southwest Fourth Street the car minutes later on and Dorion Avenue to meet South Main Street, ques- people with information tioned her and searched WKH FDU 6KH FRQ¿UPHG WKH DERXWWKHJXQ¿UH 5REHUWV VDLG RI¿FHUV ¿JKWEXWSROLFHGLGQRW¿QG interviewed two females evidence that backed up the and one male who said they reports of gunshots. “None of the parties were in a physical alter- cation with strangers near wished to pursue charges Crabby’s. Roberts said the and/or cooperate concerning females and another woman the physical altercation,” By PHIL WRIGHT East Oregonian according to Roberts. Video footage puts the car and the suspect in the area at the time of the inci- dent, he said, but nothing showed illicit activity. 3ROLFH DOVR GLG QRW ¿QG bullet shell casings or other evidence. Roberts said per the witness statements someone PD\KDYH¿UHGLQWKHDLUDVD show of force. No property was damaged, he said, and no one was injured. 2I¿FHUV DOVR GLG QRW ¿QGWKHPDOHZKR5REHUWV stated is a “suspect/person of interest.” Roberts said the male is a felon who recently paroled and is under the authority of Grant County Community Corrections. The chief said police at this time only want to ask him questions and there is no probable cause for his arrest. ²²² Contact Phil Wright at pwright@eastoregonian. com or 541-966-0833. Don’t miss out on today’s great Home Loan rates! 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