Cottage Grove Sentinel
Community & Lifestyle
B1
•
THURSDAY | APRIL 30, 2020
CONTACT SPORTS REPORTER NICK SNYDER AT
942-3325 OR NSNYDER@CGSENTINEL.COM
Be on the lookout
for nesting birds
Spring time is nesting
time so here are some
tips for handling
wildlife
2020 Governor’s
Arts Awards ‘Call
For Nominations’
COURTESY PHOTO
Governor Brown to offer
state arts awards for fi rst
time since 2017
In celebration of the uplifting
power of art and its value to Ore-
gonians’ quality of life, Governor
Kate Brown today announced a
call for nominations for the 2020
Governor’s Arts Awards. Estab-
lished in 1977, the awards are held
periodically as funding allows. A
call for 2020 nominations is now
posted on the Arts Commission
website.
A partnership between the Of-
fi ce of the Governor and the Arts
Commission, the Governor’s Arts
Awards recognize and honor indi-
viduals and organizations that have
made signifi cant contributions to
the arts in Oregon. Awardees will
be honored during an evening
Governor’s Arts Awards ceremony
on Saturday, Sept. 12, at the Che-
halem Cultural Center in New-
berg. (Note: If social distancing
prevents a public gathering, the
event will be produced as a live-
streamed Facebook event by Art-
slandia.)
The 2020 Governor’s Arts
Awards are funded in part by The
Harold & Arlene Schnitzer CARE
Foundation with generous event
support from the Chehalem Cul-
tural Center.
“Art is a fundamental ingredient
of any thriving and vibrant com-
munity,” Gov. Brown said. “Art
sparks connections between peo-
ple, movements, and new ideas.
To put it simply, art makes life
better. I am thrilled to celebrate
Oregon’s best artists and art sup-
porters through the Governor’s
Arts Awards.”
The Governor’s Arts Awards are
open to any individual, organiza-
tion or community that currently
resides in or has a signifi cant pres-
ence in Oregon and has made out-
standing contributions to the arts
in the state. The 148 past recipi-
ents of a Governor’s Arts Award
are not eligible.
“The Governor’s Arts Award is
the most prestigious honor an Or-
egon artist can receive,” said Arts
Commission Chair Anne Taylor.
“We are extremely grateful to
Governor Brown for her commit-
ment to formally recognizing the
contribution of Oregon artists and
arts supporters to our collective
quality of life.”
Nominations will be reviewed
by a committee comprised of a
representative from the Gover-
nor’s Offi ce, an Arts Commission-
er and three to fi ve arts leaders
from across the state. They will
recommend three to fi ve awards
based on the nominee’s regional,
national or international recogni-
tion for his/her/their contributions;
role in improving the quality of
arts experiences and appreciation
for the arts in Oregon; contribu-
tions to advancing the arts’ posi-
tive impact on Oregonians’ quality
of life; and length of service to the
arts in Oregon. Gov. Brown will
have fi nal approval of award re-
cipients.
Nominations must be received
by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, May 26. Re-
cipients will be notifi ed by July 13
and must be available to partici-
See ARTS 2B
A black-necked stilt chick waits on the ground for its parents
to return. This species of shorebird is often found on coast-
lines and in wetlands in the Americas, including Oregon.
ODFW biologists have
been responding to an in-
creased number of calls
about nesting birds. April
through July is a critical time
for most bird species as they
care for their young.
ODFW reminds Orego-
nians that taking and keep-
ing an animal from the wild
as well as moving or de-
stroying an active nest is not
only against the law, but may
harm or kill birds.
Please consider these tips
if you do encounter a nest or
baby bird:
Leave fledgling birds
alone. It is natural for fledg-
ling (mostly feathered and
on the ground) birds to be
awkward while learning how
to fly. If you see one on the
ground, leave it alone and
keep your distance. Bring
your pets under control and
indoors if possible. The bird’s
parents will feed it for several
See BIRDS 2B
COURTESY PHOTO
Magnolia Gardens Senior Living residents Carol and Jim Williams safely visit with their daughter Tracy Williams-Tooze wear-
ing gloves and facemasks while observing social distancing outside the entrance of Magnolia.
Magnolia Gardens accepting new admissions
Senior living center also begins offering visiting options to families with social distancing in mind
ing currently accepts new res-
idents for assisted living and
memory care. Families often
Although following stringent struggle to provide care for
restrictions of social distancing
during the COVID-19 crisis
has altered the way families live
their lives, many individuals
find ways to adapt and continue
to enjoy life while following the
current laws and policies.
Restaurants and other busi-
nesses must close temporarily
due to the current restrictions,
but individuals continue to
need assisted living and mem-
ory care, and new admissions
continue as an essential service.
While observing strict guide- loved ones with dementia, or
lines and statewide policies, those who require assistance
Magnolia Gardens Senior Liv- with daily activities. Magnolia
By Gary Manly
Cottage Grove Sentinel
Gardens continues to reach out
to the community, offering as-
sistance and apartments to new
residents and families in need.
ing the staff to carefully sani-
tize each of the new resident’s
belongings before anything is
moved into the community
buildings. Social distancing is
observed by everyone (includ-
ing staff and residents), wear-
ing facemasks is required, as
is monitoring temperatures of
residents and staff.
“Initially, we had mixed feel-
ings on the safety of admitting
new residents to our communi-
ty for fear of bringing the virus
in,” said Tara Blount, Executive
Director at Magnolia Gardens
Senior Living. “We reviewed
the risks and developed a new
The process for moving in has plan, because at the end of the
changed significantly, requiring
See MAGNOLIA 2B
strict practices such as requir-
“Initially, we had mixed feelings on
the safety of admitting new residents
... We reviewed the risks and devel-
oped a new plan, because at the end
of the day, seniors in our communi-
ty still need us. Some need us more
than ever.”
Bigfoot returns for wildfire season
The Oregon Office
of State Fire Marshal’s
(OSFM) Bigfoot: Believe
in Fire Safety campaign
is returning for the 2020
wildfire season, asking
Oregonians to protect
their communities by
preventing wildfires.
“This really comes
down to protecting com-
munities and preventing
wildfires,” says State Fire
Marshal Jim Walker, of
the OSFM’s Bigfoot cam-
paign. “Wildfire preven-
tion begins with all of us.
Together we can make
a positive impact. Since
most wildfires are started
by people, please do your
part to prevent them.”
In response to the chal-
lenges of recent wildfire
seasons, the OSFM en-
listed Pacific Northwest
icon Bigfoot, friend in
fire prevention, to inspire
the public to take action
and reduce risks of hu-
man-caused wildfires.
The campaign first
launched in spring 2019.
From the start, Bigfoot
served as an iconic mes-
senger to encourage Or-
egonians and visitors to
protect our communities
and homes from hu-
man-caused wildfires.
OSFM’s Fire Preven-
tion Coordinator Steph-
anie Stafford made the
connection that wildfires
occur where Bigfoot
“lives,” which created
the opportunity to pro-
mote awareness around
fire prevention in the
wildland urban interface
(WUI). Data show the
most costly fires in recent
years nationally all oc-
curred on WUI lands.
Wildfire threats to Or-
egon’s communities have
led to longer and costli-
er fire seasons for state
and local agencies. The
wildfire problem also has
captured the attention of
Oregonians. Statewide,
they see the effects of
fires on forests, as well as
on homes in the wildland
urban interface.
In the past two years,
data collected in Or-
egon for the National
Fire Incident Reporting
System show there were
14,971 outdoor fires with
554,196 acres burned.
Most of these outdoor
fires were caused by unin-
tentional human ignition
rather than natural sourc-
es such as lightning.
The OSFM will be
working with its more
than 300 Oregon fire
service partners to help
share
Bigfoot-themed
education and branding
materials that encourage
Oregonians to “believe in
fire safety,” around their
homes and when recreat-
See BIGFOOT 2B