Polk County Itemizer-Observer • May 6, 2015 9A
Polk County Living
Moles, voles and gophers dig garden Sign-ups begin for
Spring brings buds and
blooms, but it also brings
moles, voles and gophers.
The small mammals take
gardeners to their knees to
peer down tunnels, set traps
and toss in everything from
kitty litter to gum. They
wage war against the critters
before they know what
they’re fighting, which can
lead to frustration.
“How you deal with them
depends on what you have,”
s a i d D a n a Sa n c h e z , a
wildlife specialist for Oregon
State University’s Extension
Service. “The traps are dif-
ferent and so are the baits
you would use.”
Moles, voles and gophers
all create tunnels and are
active underground, but
what they eat and the dam-
age they cause varies. They
all improve the soil by aerat-
ing it and mixing nutrients,
but sometimes their habits
get them in trouble with
gardeners.
Gophers favor bulbs and
roots. Voles go for grass, but
also gnaw on shrubs and
stems nearest their holes
K YM
P OKORNY
Your
Garden
and runways. Moles, which
are rarely if ever seen, prefer
non-plant food.
“People say moles are eat-
ing my garden, but moles
are adapted for swimming
through the soil to hunt
prey,” Sanchez explained.
“They just tunnel through
looking for worms, grubs
and insects.”
Mole tunnels can cause
damage to plants, though,
when their runways create
paths around roots. And the
mounds of dirt drive home-
owners crazy and interfere
with mowing.
Gophers — about the size
of ground squirrels — will
eat whole plants.
“If you see a plant disap-
pear,” she said, “it’s a gopher.
They’re famous for pulling
things below ground.”
Though voles live in little
tunnels, they spend time
above ground eating grass
and nibbling on other
plants. The mouse-size voles
leave a lot of small holes and
connecting runways
through the damaged grass
they’ve been dining on.
You can tell you have a
mole on your hands if the
mounds in your yard or gar-
den take on a volcanic,
rounded shape. Gopher
mounds, on the other hand,
are flatter on top, fan-
shaped with the hole off to
the side.
“The important part is for
people to assess the level of
damage with the level of
control,” Sanchez said. “Is
having a few holes in the
lawn enough of a problem
for you to take action?”
For those who choose
combat, stick to research-
based controls, she advised.
Gadgets and homemade
recipes have not been
shown scientifically to work,
she added.
One way to control voles
is with mousetraps, which
can be set at the entrance to
their tunnels. But because of
their high rate of reproduc-
tion, it can be difficult to
control them, she said.
Scissor-jaw traps are rec-
ommended for moles, while
two-pronged pincher traps
are effective for gophers, ac-
cording to Sanchez. In states
other than Oregon, be sure
to check regulations as laws
on which — or whether —
traps are legal.
To figure out where to set
traps, find an active tunnel
by probing about six inches
down near a fresh mound.
You can also push down on
mounds to close them and
wait to see where a fresh one
appears. Set traps in a tun-
nel near a fresh mound.
In raised beds, you can
repel moles and gophers by
using a barrier of welded
wire on the bottom. Tilling
in rows between crops may
help. Using bait is an option,
Sanchez said, but will be
dangerous to pets and other
animals. As with all pesti-
cides, read the label careful-
ly, she added.
MI TOWN
My Grandpa Robertson
used to refer to us early-ris-
ers as being up with the
chickens, and on these gor-
geous springtime mornings,
it’s a fine thing to do. The
dogs are eager to hurry to
the backyard every morning,
and sometimes there’s a traf-
fic jam in the middle of the
dining room, because the
cats are running in for
breakfast. Sitting on the back
deck for a few minutes with
the day’s first cup of coffee is
a bonus.
—
We’re right in the middle
of Teacher Appreciation
Week (May 4-8), which gives
me an opportunity to thank
all those dedicated and over-
worked folks who spend
their days — and
evenings — working with
our next generation of stu-
dents to provide them with
the best learning experi-
P ATTY
T AYLOR
D UTCHER
Columnist
ences. We’re fortunate to
have shared our cottage with
WOU students Carrie Mork
Palenske, who teaches in
Knappa; Melissa Nelson,
now teaching in Woodburn;
and Sara King, who will be
teaching at Ash Creek this
fall. I still have fond memo-
ries of my favorite teacher,
Genevieve Herrington, who
was such an inspiration to
all who knew her.
—
The Ash Creek Arts Center,
located at 311 S. Monmouth
St., in Independence, is host-
ing a Saturday Family Arts
class this Saturday for adults
and children. The class is
from 2 to 4 p.m. and is free.
This looks to be a very enjoy-
able afternoon for families.
—
Have you had the oppor-
tunity to play Scrabble with
Betty? Every Wednesday af-
ternoon at 1 p.m., an adult
group gets together at the
Independence Public Li-
brary for an afternoon of
fun. Scrabble has been
around for many years, but
each game can be challeng-
ing, and it’s a good way to
keep your mind active while
having a great time.
—
The Once Upon a Thurs-
day book club meets at 7
p.m. on May 14 at the Mon-
mouth Public Library. This
month’s book selection is
“The Orchardist,” by Amanda
Coplin. All adults are invited
to attend the meetings, and
now you have a week’s notice
to read the book and attend
the upcoming gathering.
—
If you haven’t attended
Western Oregon University’s
Spring Dance concerts in the
past, this year promises to be
better than ever. The con-
certs will be held in Rice Au-
ditorium, located on cam-
pus, Thursday through Sat-
urday. General admission
tickets are $12; students $7;
and seniors $10. For more
information and to reserve
tickets, please call the box
office at 503-838-8462.
—
The Monmouth Public Li-
brary still has free seeds
available to those who
would like to plant vegeta-
bles and/or flowers. It’s a
great way to introduce chil-
dren to gardening by starting
seeds in small containers so
they can watch the growing
process.
PEDEE NEWS
Congratulations to Pedee
Church’s pastor Daniel Rus-
sell, who graduated from
the Pacific Evangelical
School of Ministry with a
Master’s of Ministry. The
school’s commencement
ceremony was on Sunday,
April 26, in Salem. Twenty-
six members of Daniel’s im-
mediate and church fami-
lies cheered him on, includ-
ing a very proud and happy
wife Heidi and children Al-
lana, Alex, Abigail, Aliyea,
and Arwyn (better known as
Winnie). The school is
based in Portland, but has
students from around the
countr y. Pastor Daniel
preaches an uncommonly
good sermon, which you
might want to check out
sometime. Services are
from 10 to 11:30 a.m. every
A RLENE
K OVASH
Sunday.
—
The Camerons have had
a busy spring. On Easter
Sunday, Steve and Audrey
attended church at Mount
Scott Church of God in
Portland where their son
James is the worship leader.
The next week, they drove
to Astoria to visit grand-
daughter Natasha who was
o n s p r i n g b re a k f r o m
boarding school in San
Anselmo, Calif. Coming
along were son Clayton and
his new fiancee Jennifer
McCormick of Anderson,
Calif., who were busy plan-
ning their August wedding
at the family reunion at
Coffinbury Lake.
—
Audrey and her sister
Joan, who visited from Cali-
fornia the week after Easter,
celebrated Joan’s and broth-
er Bill’s April birthdays at
their sister Georgia’s home
in Astoria. Audrey and
Steve’s son James and his
daughter Eliana went to
spend Saturday, April 11,
with the family at Seaside to
visit Audrey’s niece, Esther,
who is head librarian at the
Seaside Library, while Au-
drey and the grandkids
joined daughter Stephanie
Barth and granddaughter
Anastasia in the Dragon
MONMOUTH — The Monmouth
Police Department will host a dedica-
tion and open house for the new Mon-
mouth Police Station on May 16.
The dedication will be at noon, fol-
lowed by tours of the station from 12:15
to 3 p.m.
The building was started after voters
approved a $4 million bond for the
project. The total cost of the project is
about $4.4 million.
The new station will have more
space for officers, interview rooms and
evidence storage, among other things.
The new station is the result of re-
modeling the old Boise Cascade build-
ing. The project ran into a few bumps,
Itemizer-Observer staff report
POLK COUNTY — Polk
County Extension Service
4-H Program is offering
three summer camps for
children in kindergarten-
through seventh grade in
June.
The 4-H Mini Camp for
children who have com-
pleted second through
fourth grades will be June
12-14 and will be held at
the Oregon 4-H Center in
West Salem. This two-
night camp introduces
youngsters to what it is
like to camp. Cost is $80 if
registered by May 22 or
$95 if after that date.
Wild West Camp for
children who have com-
pleted fourth through sev-
enth grades will be June
13-18 at the Oregon 4-H
Center. Campers will have
hands-on outdoor experi-
ences, including hiking,
riding horses, canoeing,
fishing, archery, swimming
and more. Cost is $225 if
registered by June 16 or
$260 after that date.
Junior Master Gardener
Camp for children in
kindergarten through sev-
enth grade will be held
twice, in Dallas June 16-18
and in Monmouth June
29-July 1.
The program is de-
signed to give youth
hands-on outdoor learn-
ing experiences with natu-
ral science, forestry, gar-
dening, herbs, flowers,
vegetables, entomology,
soils, ecology, crafts, and
more. Cost is $30 for each
camp if registered by June
5 or $35 after that date.
Children don’t need to
be 4-H members to attend
the camps. To find appli-
cations, go to OSU Exten-
sion Office at 289 E. Ellen-
dale Ave., Suite 301, Dallas
or online at: http://exten-
sion.oregonstate.edu/polk
/camp.
For more information:
503-623-8395 or email:
Judi.peters@oregon
state.edu.
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
Continued from page 8A
—
WEDNESDAY, MAY 13
• Helping Hands Emergency Food Bank — 10 a.m. to noon,
Monmouth Christian Church, 959 Church St. W., Monmouth. For
eligible community members; available every Wednesday. 541-
404-6517.
• Polk County Republican Women — 11:30 a.m., Oak Knoll
Golf Course, 6335 Highway 22, Independence. No-host lunch
available; everyone welcome. 503-623-5759.
• Polk County Relay for Life Team Believers fundraiser — 7
a.m. (all day), Pink House Café, 242 D St. Independence. Portion
of the proceeds from each order will go to Relay for Life. 503-
623-3641.
• Monmouth-Independence Chamber of Commerce Lunch
Forum — Noon, Independence Grill, 154 S. Main St., Independ-
ence. Lunch prices start at $7. 503-838-4268.
• Willamette Valley Food Assistance Program Food Bank
— 1:30 to 6:30 p.m., 888 Monmouth Cutoff Road, Building E,
Dallas. Weekly distribution for eligible community members.
503-831-5634.
• Free Blood Pressure Check Clinic — 2 to 3 p.m., West Val-
ley Hospital (surgery admitting area), 525 SE Washington St.,
Dallas. 503-623-7323
• Monmouth Senior Center Music Jam — 6:30 p.m., Mon-
mouth Senior Center, 180 S. Warren St., Monmouth. Open to the
public; musicians of all types welcome. 503-838-5678.
• Dallas American Legion Post No. 20 — 7 p.m., Academy
Building, Room 108, 182 SW Academy St., Dallas. 503-831-3971.
Monmouth~Independence Rotary Club
Run in Dallas on that day.
—
Several third- through
fifth-grade girls in Pedee,
Falls City and Kings Valley
belong to a Willamette Val-
ley “Girls on the Run,”
group which meets twice a
week for 10 weeks in the
spring. Laura Hauck of
Kings Valley is the certified
coach for the nine girls, in-
cluding McKenzie Hauck,
Allana Russell, Cameyna
Gilson, Jenica Baker, Paige
Belyeu, Eva Rain, and Na-
talie Stauffer. The girls
learn life skills through fun,
engaging lessons during
the 10 weeks, concluding
with a 5K run at the end of
M a y. C h e c k o u t g o t r-
willamette.org to find out
more about this innovative
program.
Monmouth Police to host open house at new building
Itemizer-Observer staff report
4-H summer camps
including having to cut a planned aux-
iliary storage unit and covered parking.
Even with the trimmed plans, the
new station provides much needed
space for the police and public, includ-
ing increased and easier accessed park-
ing.
For more information: Monmouth
PD, 503-838-1109.
Solution on Page 6A
Pencil
us
in!
www.polkio.com
STRAWBERRY SALE
From the same club that has been doing this for over 25 years.
30 lb. containers of fresh
locally grown strawberries
$
48
Yummy, stemmed,washed, sliced,
ready to eat, freeze or cook.
DEADLINE TO ORDER JUNE 1
PICKUP: INDEPENDENCE, DALLAS, or CORVALLIS
To place your order email:
strawberry@mirotaryclub.org
or call: 503-838-6687
www.mirotaryclub.org
Please leave your phone or email.
We will notify you when they’re ready.
TO BENEFIT ROTARY YOUTH PROGRAMS
Public Notice
West Valley Housing Authority has developed its Five-
Year and Annual Agency Plan and Annual and Five-
Year Capital Fund Plan in compliance with the Public
Housing Reform Act of 1998. It will be available for the
review period beginning May 11, 2015 at the housing
authority’s office located at 204 SW Walnut Avenue,
Dallas, Oregon 97338. The housing authority’s hours
of operation are 8:00 a.m. to noon and 1:00 p.m. to
4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday. The Plan will
also be available on the authority’s webpage at
www.wvpha.org beginning May 12, 2015.
Following the review period, a public hearing will be
held on Wednesday, June 24, 2015 at 11:30 a.m. at
the West Valley Housing Authority Conference Room,
204 SW Walnut Avenue, Dallas, Oregon. The public
hearing will be held at the beginning of the Work Ses-
sion scheduled for the same date and time.
The locations for review of the plan and the public
hearing are wheel-chair accessible. Call (503) 623-
8387 during business hours if other accommodations
are required to attend or participate in the meeting.
Written comments on the proposed plan may be
mailed to the attention of the Executive Director, West
Valley Housing Authority, P.O. Box 467, Dallas, Ore-
gon 97338. Written comments received before 4:30
p.m. on June 23, 2015 will be reviewed at the public
hearing. For information, please call (503) 623-8387,
TDD 1-800-735-2900.
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