REGION
Wednesday, September 7, 2016
East Oregonian
Page 3A
MILTON-FREEWATER
Conservation
strategy
gets
update
Villegas stays in Identiies habitats,
jail without bail
in murder case
East Oregonian
Murder defendant Oscar
Pastor Garcia Villegas of
Milton-Freewater decided
not to go through with a
bail hearing Tuesday.
Villegas appeared in
circuit court, Pendleton,
via video from the Umatilla
County Jail. His defense
attorney, Kara Davis, told
Judge Lynn Hampton
she spoke at length with
Villegas, who conceded the
state could meet its burden
of proof to keep Villegas
behind bars.
Villegas,
26,
has
been in jail since police
arrested him May 26 at this
Milton-Freewater
home
for slaying his wife, Maria
Villegas, and trying to kill
their two children. He faces
11 counts in all, including
murder, attempted aggra-
vated murder, assault and
unlawful use of a weapon.
Davis told the court
psychologist
Terry
Templeman of Pend-
leton recently evaluated
Villegas’ mental state and
is working on a report. She
also said she anticipated a
settlement conference in
this case. The conferences,
which take place behind
closed doors, have become
common for making plea
bargains in murder cases
and other major crimes.
Hampton set Oct. 6
for the next hearing in the
case.
Earlier news stories had
“Garcia” for the defen-
dant’s last name. During
the hearing Tuesday, the
judge and others used
“Villegas.”
species in need
By GEORGE PLAVEN
East Oregonian
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service has signed off on
Oregon’s latest blueprint for
protecting native plants and
animals from the Coast to the
Blue Mountains.
The recently revised
Oregon
Conservation
Strategy was unveiled Friday,
Sept. 2, providing an overall
framework and recommenda-
tions for conservation projects
across the state.
The strategy is not a
management plan, but instead
highlights
opportunities
for everyone to voluntarily
participate in conservation. It
outlines the needs and condi-
tions of regions throughout
Oregon, detailing what
habitat could be preserved for
at-risk species.
“This document pulls
so
much
information
together,” said Meghan
Dugan, spokeswoman for the
Oregon Department of Fish
& Wildlife. “It’s trying to be
proactive rather than reactive
when it comes to conserving
non-game ish and wildlife.”
ODFW began updating
its strategy in 2014, reaching
out to more than 200 envi-
ronmental technicians, tribal
biologists, state and federal
agencies for input. The plan
was initially developed
in 2006, and the USFWS
requires states to update
their plans every 10 years to
continue receiving wildlife
grant funding.
“We relied on so many
different technical experts
and other natural resource
experts to help us,” Dugan
said. “We’re hoping that all
Oregonians will ind their role
in conservation.”
The strategy’s main goal
are to maintain healthy ish
and wildlife populations by
restoring and maintaining
habitats, and reversing down-
turns in ish and wildlife popu-
lations where possible. To do
that, the 2016 update provides
a range of Web-based tools to
research different eco-regions
across Oregon.
One of those tools is an
interactive map of “conser-
vation opportunity areas,”
listing everything from local
species to recommended
actions and potential partner
agencies. For example, in
the Grande Ronde Valley,
the strategy identiies bull
trout and chinook salmon as
strategy species, and proposes
restoring loodplains and
wetlands. It points to ODFW,
the U.S. Forest Service, the
Natural Resource Conserva-
tion Service and private land-
owners as potential partners.
The strategy also details
each of Oregon’s nine distinct
eco-regions,
including
the Blue Mountains and
PENDLETON
District considers
adding school day
in November
PENDLETON
Two juveniles go
missing Monday night
By PHIL WRIGHT
East Oregonian
Two Pendleton juve-
niles are missing from their
families.
Pendleton
Police
Chief Stuart Roberts said
Zacchaeus Otto-Allen, 14,
and Destiny Fletcher, 11,
went missing sometime
after 9:30 p.m. Monday.
Jerry and Cynthia Rickett
of Pendleton are Zacchae-
us’s parents. Jerry Rickett
said they have been out
looking for their son
throughout the night and
the day.
“We haven’t been to bed
since the night before,” he
said.
Rickett said he was
changing clothes Monday
when his son took off
from their home to break
up with the girl. A post
on Zacchaeus’s Facebook
page showed they planned
to meet between Denny’s
and McDonald’s, which
is near her home, he said,
and from there they “pretty
much disappeared.”
Rickett said they had a
report Tuesday afternoon
of Zacchaeus near Bedford
Bridge, but that proved
fruitless. Two of his friends
also claimed they have not
see the teen, Rickett said,
but he is sure his son is in
Pendleton.
Roberts said police
contacted Destiny’s family
and conirmed the boy was
at her residence around
9:30 Monday night. Then
they both were gone.
Destiny’s
grandparents
signed her as a runaway,
the chief reported, and
police are on the lookout
for the pair.
“Information obtained
from friends is that they
are together,” Roberts said
in an email, “but no one
knows or is willing to say
where they are staying,”
Zacchaeus Otto-Allen
is Caucasian, 5 feet 4
inches tall, weighs about
100 pounds and has blonde
hair and blue eyes. He
was wearing a red hooded
sweat shirt, green athletic
shorts, Chuck Taylor tennis
shoes and carrying a light
blue backpack.
Destiny Fletcher is
Caucasian, 5 feet 3 inches
tall and weighs 115 pounds.
There is no description
of her clothing. The East
Oregonian was not able to
contact her family.
If you see either teen
or have information about
them, call Pendleton police
at 541-276-4411.
The family of Matthew
Steven Johnson of Joseph
took to social media and
emails to report he was
missing in Stanield since
Aug. 20. But Stanield
Police
Chief
Bryon
Zumwalt said no one iled
a missing person report
with his department, and
he has not had any contact
with the family.
The East Oregonian in
a Tuesday story reported
there was a police report,
but that was inaccurate.
Zumwalt
said
he
received one of the
emails, which contained
a digital poster displaying
photos and a description
of Johnson, along with
a request asking people
to call Stanield police if
they had information about
him. Zumwalt said he tried
to reply to the email but
the address did not work.
He said he had no more
information than what was
in the email.
“We’d gladly take a
report,” Zumwalt said, but
someone needs to talk to
police irst.
PENDLETON
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
A Pendleton Police oficer monitors the intersection
at St. Anthony Way and Highway 395 after a power
failure inundated the area Monday in Pendleton.
Bird’s nest knocks out power
East Oregonian
A wet bird nest
knocked out electricity to
more than 1,500 Paciic
Power customers Tuesday
morning on the south side
of Pendleton.
Bill Clemens, regional
community manager for
Paciic Power, said the
nest crossed all three wires
on top of a power pole
near Hodgen Distributing,
which caused the outage.
Power was restored at
12:33 p.m., after approx-
imately two and a half
hours.
Several large customers
were affected by the power
failure,
including
St.
Anthony Hospital. Anyone
still having problems
should call Paciic Power
at 1-877-508-5088.
Columbia Plateau in Eastern
Oregon.
“The strategy does this by
identifying the species, habi-
tats and locations of greatest
conservation need in our state
and providing a list of conser-
vation actions that anyone
from a watershed council
to a private landowners can
do,” said Andrea Hanson,
conservation strategy coor-
dinator for ODFW. “Having
all Oregonians focusing
conservation efforts on the
priorities identiied in the
strategy greatly improves our
chances of success.”
The Oregon Nearshore
Strategy focuses on the same
conservation priorities, but
in Oregon’s territorial sea
and estuaries. Both strategies
can be found online at www.
oregonconservationstrategy.
org.
———
Contact George Plaven at
gplaven@eastoregonian.com
or 541-966-0825.
Construction delays start dates
East Oregonian
Photo contributed by Thomas Lossen
Paige Evans with Oregon DEQ tests a homeowner’s well as part
of the agency’s statewide groundwater monitoring program.
DEQ offering free well water
testing in Walla Walla Basin
East Oregonian
Homeowners
in
the
Milton-Freewater area can have
their groundwater wells tested
for free as part of a study by the
Oregon Department of Environ-
mental Quality.
DEQ is conducting a statewide
monitoring program to identify
areas where local groundwater
might be vulnerable to contam-
ination. The Walla Walla Basin
was chosen as a study area based
on information about the aquifer,
historic real estate transaction,
geology, soils and gaps in the
current data set.
Testing will be done on
a volunteer basis. DEQ is
looking for volunteers around
Milton-Freewater,
including
areas west of Umapine, Highway
11 along Dry Creek, the lower
part of Pine Creek, both the north
and south forks of the Walla
Walla River, Mill Creek and
down south toward Tollgate.
It is ultimately up to the land-
owner what to do with the results
of the tests. Public water suppliers
are required to test water on a
regular basis, but private wells
are not required to test unless the
property is transferred.
All results are public record
— however, addresses and
names will not be made available
to the public. DEQ will test
for things like nitrates, arsenic,
pesticides, selected metals and
bacteria. Groundwater can be
contaminated by both surface and
sub-surface pollution sources,
such as applying chemicals or
on-site septic systems.
The testing process should
only take about 30-45 minutes
and the homeowner does not
need to be present. DEQ will send
test results to the well owners and
residents on the property.
Testing is scheduled during
the weeks of Sept. 19 and Sept.
26. To volunteer, call 503-693-
5736 or email Groundwater.
Monitoring@deq.state.or.us.
Participants must have spigot
access to their water before any
treatment or iltration occurs.
Faced with a tight schedule due to construction
delays, the Pendleton School District may have
found a solution.
At a Pendleton School Board meeting Tuesday,
human resources director Brad Bixler said district
staff are considering turning Nov. 22, normally a full
day of parent-teacher conferences two days before
Thanksgiving, into a regular school day.
The construction of Washington and Sherwood
Heights elementary schools pushed back the start
date for elementary students from Aug. 29 to Sept.
19, leaving the district no wiggle room in reaching
the required 900 hours of instructional time.
While elementary students’ current schedule
just meets the state’s minimum number of instruc-
tional hours, any school days that are canceled for
inclement weather would cause the district to fall
below that threshold and would necessitate the
district explaining its shortfall to the Oregon Depart-
ment of Education.
As a precautionary measure, Bixler said admin-
istrators and union representatives agreed that
reclassifying Nov. 22 as a school day for all levels
school would work best for all parties.
Because all parent-teacher conferences would
be moved to the evenings of Nov. 21 and Nov. 22,
Bixler said elementary teachers may rearrange their
conference schedules to include a group session
with parents from the entire class while still making
time for one-on-one conferences.
Under the district’s proposal, Nov. 23 will remain
a non-school day for teachers and students.
Bixler said turning the April 13 parent-teacher
conference into a school day is also being considered
to give the district additional breathing room.
Bixler said he would want more input from
teachers and parents before recommending the
calendar change be made permanent.
Approval of the revised 2016-2017 calendar is on
the agenda for the school board’s Sept. 19 meeting.
BRIEFLY
Wolves attack
sheep in Mount
Emily unit
PENDLETON — Wolves
are responsible for killing
two adult sheep and injuring
two more in the Mount
Emily Wildlife Management
Unit, according to the
Oregon Department of Fish
& Wildlife.
A herder discovered the
dead and wounded ewes
the morning of Sept. 1 in a
forested allotment on public
land. ODFW arrived to
investigate later that day,
and conirmed it was a wolf
attack. Bite marks were
consistent with wolves,
and tracks were also found
within 20 feet of one of the
carcasses.
No other depredations
have been conirmed in the
area this year.
Grange cancels
meeting, bingo
PENDLETON — Due
to Pendleton Round-Up
activities, the White Eagle
Grange has canceled its
regular monthly meeting
and potluck Thursday and
its bi-weekly bingo event
Saturday. Bingo will return
Sept. 24 at the grange hall
between Pendleton and Pilot
Rock on South Highway
395. The next grange
meeting will be held Oct. 13,
also at the grange.
The White Eagle Grange
welcomes all interested
parties to its business
meetings, which include
a potluck dinner, held the
second Thursday of each
month beginning at 6 p.m. at
the grange.
For more information,
contact Gail Wilson at
541-276-3778.
BJ the DJ spins
bicentennial hits
MILTON-FREEWATER
— A mixture of musical
activity was heard during the
country’s bicentennial year
in 1976 — and BJ the DJ is
ready to spin some of those
tunes during Oldies Night in
Milton-Freewater.
The event is Saturday
at 7 p.m. at Wesley United
Methodist Church, 816 S.
Main St., Milton-Freewater.
Oldies Night is free and The
Frogs will offer some tasty
treats.
In ’76, some artists had
their irst number one hit in
a decade, while lots of new
artists hit No. 1 on their irst
chart appearances. Among
the latter were the Bay
City Rollers, a group from
Scotland who allegedly
used a dartboard to pick
a namesake American
city. Barry Manilow hit No.
1 with “I Write the Songs,”
which he didn’t write —
Bruce Johnston of the Beach
Boys did. The Four Seasons
reminisced about an evening
’way back in “December,
1963.” And, disco was
rolling along as the Bee
Gees admonished listeners,
“You Should be Dancing.”
It was quite a year in
popular music, and you can
experience it all over again.
Join BJ the DJ as he takes
you down memory lane —
only in Milton-Freewater.
For more information,
contact Bob Jones
at 541-938-7028 or
dubuquer@charter.net.
Voc rehab seeks
input at forums
PENDLETON —
Vocational Rehabilitation
is hosting a series of policy
forums around the state
— including in Pendleton —
and wants to hear from the
public.
People with disabilities,
their families, service
providers, employers,
students with disabilities,
teachers, advocacy
organizations, Workforce
partners and other
organizations serving people
with disabilities are all
encouraged to attend. The
forum will be offered at two
different times.
People can attend the
local meeting Tuesday, Sept.
27 from 9 a.m. to noon or
3-6 p.m. The forums will be
held in the Vert Club Room,
480 S.W. Dorion Ave.,
Pendleton.
The gatherings will
include information about
vocational rehabilitation
policies and procedures,
an open discussion about
services, and a listening
session about future
directions of the agency.
Accommodations,
including interpreters,
assistive listening devices
and materials in alternative
format are available
upon request. Organizers
request advance notice for
accommodations by illing
out the box when registering.
The forums are free, but
those planning to attend are
asked to register at www.
surveymonkey.com/r/
vrforum2016. For more
information, contact 503-786-
6082, 888-988-3228 or
jenny@factoregon.org.
Ride the Wine & Cheese Train!
Saturday, October 1
Featuring Copper Belt Winery,
hŵĂƉŝŶĞƌĞĂŵĞƌLJĂŶĚWĞƚĞƌƐŽŶ͛ƐŚŽĐŽůĂƟĞƌ
Eagle Cap Excursion Train
800.323.7330
or tickets online
eaglecaptrainrides.com