Polk County Living
Polk County Itemizer-observer • April 20, 2016 7A
Slug expert helps combat slimy pests
Oregon farmers battling
slugs in their fields will soon
have a new ally in Rory Mc-
Donnell, a slug and snail ex-
pert who joins Oregon State
University’s College of Agri-
cultural Sciences this sum-
mer.
McDonnell comes from a
research position at the Uni-
versity of California at River-
side, where he studies novel
ways to control the trouble-
some mollusks. His position
is new, one of several made
possible by a $14 million
legislative investment in re-
search and Extension work
based at OSU.
McDonnell plans to con-
tinue his studies on environ-
mentally friendly slug con-
trol methods, including
plant essential oils and bio-
logical control agents such
as parasitoid flies and soil-
dwelling nematode worms.
His appointment also in-
cludes an Extension compo-
nent, so he’ll be partnering
with Oregon farmers to try
some of his methods in their
fields.
Slugs are shell-less land-
dwelling mollusks that crawl
on their stomachs, and
they’re a chronic pest in
Oregon’s farms and home
gardens. The main culprit,
said McDonnell, is the gray
field slug (Deroceras reticu-
latum), a non-native species
that was inadvertently
brought into the U.S. from
Europe.
The slimy critter causes
extensive damage in grass
seed fields, “but it also feeds
on many other crops: brassi-
cas, a wide range of other
vegetables, fruits, clovers,
hops and nursery plants,”
McDonnell said. “In effect, it
competes with us for food.
Just about anything we
grow, slugs love to feed on.”
Another molluscan pest,
ENGAGEMENTS
Marx-Harrington
Gail
Wells
Ronald S. Marx and
Racee R. Harrington,
both of Rickreall, will
be married on May
14.
Ronald’s parents
are Ronald and Janice
Marx, of Rickreall.
Racee’s parents are
Larry and Mary Har-
rington, of McMin-
nville.
The wedding will
be at 2 p.m. at Cres-
cent Lake Lodge in
Crescent City, Calif.
Guest
Columnist
the European brown garden
snail (Helix aspersa), infests
nursery crops. The snail is a
quarantine species in Ore-
gon and California, which
means plants shipped out-
side those states’ borders
must be snail-free.
Poison bait is the main-
stay of agricultural slug and
snail control, McDonnell
said, but it can be expensive
to use over large acreages,
especially if it doesn’t work
— which happens often, he
said. “So one aspect of my
research has focused on
identifying new attractants
that could aid in trapping
pest slugs.”
And yes, slugs do love
beer — not the alcohol so
much as the sugar and
yeast, McDonnell said. “Re-
search has shown that the
water, sugar and yeast to-
gether do the trick.”
He is also investigating
natural predators, including
certain flies, some of them
native to Oregon, that prey
on slugs. Another potential
natural enemy is nema-
todes, microscopic soil-
dwelling worms. McDonnell
is currently studying one
that kills pest slugs and
snails.
Developing more envi-
ronmentally friendly control
strategies, he said, will help
not only farmers and gar-
deners, but Oregon’s native
slug and snail species, which
are beneficial to the envi-
ronment.
“The banana slug is one
Northwest native species
that most people would rec-
BIRTHS
Winn
PHoTo BY CoNoR DoLAN
Rory McDonnell, OSU’s new slug expert, tracks his wily
quarry in his native Ireland.
ognize,” McDonnell said.
“Banana slugs perform im-
portant functions in forest-
ed ecosystems, helping to
break down decomposing
vegetation and return nutri-
ents to the soil.”
A native of Ireland, Mc-
Donnell has a doctorate in
environmental science and
has worked to conserve na-
tive slugs and snails in his
home country. He became
fascinated with slugs as a
child, when he learned that
they have teeth sharper than
those of sharks and can
crawl unharmed over bro-
ken glass.
“I know slugs are not as
attractive as butterflies or
colorful beetles,” he said,
“but I guess I just followed
my passion. As a result, I am
one of the few people in the
world who works exclusively
on slugs and snails.”
He will join the OSU fac-
ulty on July 16.
“This is a dream position
for me,” he said. “Oregon is a
great place to be a slug per-
son.”
The Oregon legislature in
2015 allocated $14 million in
additional funds to Oregon’s
three statewide public serv-
ices, all headquartered at
OSU: the OSU Extension
Service, Oregon Agricultural
Experiment Station and
Oregon Forest Research
Laboratory.
The funding boosts a base
budget of $118 million for
2015-16 and makes possible
new research, development
and outreach work in such
areas as specialty seed
breeding, seafood safety,
rangeland ecology, juniper
harvest and manufacturing,
and community economic
development.
Arllin Dean Winn was born at 9:52 a.m. on April 5 to
Jessica Sullivan and Jeremy Kern, of Polk County, at the
Salem Family Birth Center.
He weighed 6 pounds and was 18 inches long.
Arllin is the couple’s first child.
Grandparents are Tom and Shara Sullivan, of Polk
County, Donnie Winn, of Polk County, and Sheila Lulns-
ford, of Marion County.
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
Continued from page 6A
—
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27
• 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.
• 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.
• Painting, Canvas and Cocktails — 7 p.m., The Boondocks,
318 N. Main St., Fall City. All supplies, paint, canvas and instruc-
tion provided. No experience necessary. $30, snack and cocktail
included. 503-787-2700.
• Brew and BS: The Old Testament — 7 p.m., St. Thomas
Episcopal Church, 1486 SW Levens St., Dallas. A lecture series
on the old Testament. Bring brew of choice — coffee, tea, chai,
beer, wine, cider. 435-503-4304.
24 hour
Service
Pick up &
Drop Off
MI TOWN
It’s great to be back in MI
Town again after a weeklong
visit with my sisters, Sue
and Barbara in Sierra Vista
and Bisbee, Ariz. It’s been a
week of laughter and re-
membrance, days of reading
good books on sunny after-
noons, visiting funky old
thrift and antique shops,
and evenings watching the
high desert sunsets and just
thankful we are together
again.
—
We will remember the
not-so-relaxing days at the
beach, when keeping little
children safe from harm,
tending to mosquito bites
and other incidents, none of
which were serious. Those
laughing, sunburned chil-
dren we so fretted over now
have children of their own,
ranging in age from elemen-
tary school to college. It
doesn’t seem that long ago,
P ATTY
T AYLOR
D UTCHER
Columnist
but the years have passed
more quickly than we all
can comprehend.
—
We’v e s a i d t e a r f u l
farewells to our parents and
to many friends and family
members, we’ve welcomed
daughters and sons-in-law,
precious grandchildren and
good friends along the way.
We’re experiencing those in-
evitable signs of aging —
graying hair, aches and
pains and occasional mem-
ory lapses. We have learned
to value the little things —
time spent in good conver-
sations with those we love
and respect, a simple sup-
per, a beautiful flower or a
poem long-remembered.
We enjoyed a baseball game
at a historic stadium in Bis-
bee, where well-known stars
like the legendary Satchel
Paige once played many
years ago. We’ve set aside
perceived snubs and slights
from long ago, realizing that
in these times we want to
concentrate on the future,
while remembering all the
good things.
—
A week of relaxation and
conversation has given us
time and energy to really
focus on hopes and aspira-
tions, future events and cur-
rent plans. A realization that
as the years pass, even more
changes will occur in our
lives and the lives of those
we love. None of us want to
recapture our “lost youth,”
nor do we want to go gentle
into that good night. Not
yet. There are still new
memories to be made and
shared.
—
Springtime is truly a sea-
son of renewal, of new life
and hopes and ideas. Shar-
ing time with those we love
brings even more goodness
and opportunity to discover
that we have the freedom to
spend the time to enjoy the
simple things and share
them with those we love.
—
Returning home is some-
times the best part of get-
ting away, watching for the
fields and farms surround-
ing the Eugene airport as
the plane comes nearer to
the landing strip. There is
nothing better than being
welcomed by warm and lov-
ing hugs and big dogs with
wagging tails on a spring-
time afternoon.
PEDEE NEWS
Sixteen guys from the
Pedee area drove to Willow
Springs Guest Ranch near
Paisley for a weekend of
hunting rats, fun, and fel-
lowship April 8-10. The trip,
sponsored by Pedee
Church and coordinated by
Tim Barnhart, included
Alex Russell and Leo
Mellein who went on their
first hunting trip with their
fathers, Daniel Russell and
James Mellein. Each was
thrilled to bag a rabbit
which they fried up at later
meals. They were quick to
offer meat to anyone who
wanted it as it tasted too
wild for them. The teens
(Levi Bault, Glenn Mitchell,
and Ryan McNab) didn’t
bother to cook theirs. Civil
War re-enactors David Plett
and his friend Kyle were
also on the trip and
demonstrated the use of
A RLENE
K OVASH
Columnist
muskets, which weren’t
quite as efficient as modern
weapons, but very interest-
ing for the men to see. The
trip was a terrific experi-
ence and all the guys are
excited about going to “Rat
Camp” again next year.
—
The women of Pedee
Church are planning their
own event, a “ladies’ night
out” on April 29, at Jenny
Mellein’s house. There will
be lots of food and fun, so
call Heidi Russell at 503-
838-2129 to sign up. All
women are invited — not
just the church types.
—
Judy Guida and Jason
Ronco were two of 10
members and friends of the
Polk County Saddle-ites
who went on a great trail
ride on April 9, starting at
Mill Creek west of Dallas
and going up to the top of
one of the coastal moun-
tains. The trail climbed in
elevation and by lunchtime
they had a barbecue set up
at the top and were enjoy-
ing lunch with a view of
Dallas, Sheridan, and the
Independence airport, al-
though they couldn’t see
the Cascades because of
the cloud cover.
—
It was a busy weekend.
While Judy and Jason were
riding and the guys were
shooting rats on Saturday, I
went with daughters
Suzanne Burbank and Lor-
ra i n e O d e l l , g ra n d s o n
Derek Burbank and his fi-
ancée Ashley Grucza, of
Re d m o n d , a n d g ra n d -
daughters Victoria and
Christina Odell to the
Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival
near Woodburn. The tulips
were dazzling, and the
weather was good. I think
m o s t o f Po r t l a n d h a d
joined us for the event.
—
On April 10, an old du-
plex on Cliff and Anne
Bault’s property burned to
the ground. It was at the
back of their place near
Anne’s grandmother Irene
Jefferson’s old home. It was
being used as a storage
unit, so didn’t burn anyone
out of their home, but the
Baults were sorry to lose
the contents.
FIX OUR STREETS.
TO SEE WHY, VISIT
www.citizensforabetterdallas.com
West Valley Housing Authority will hold their
Work Session Meeting on Wednesday, April
27, 2016 beginning at 11:30 a.m. at 204 SW
Walnut in Dallas, Oregon. The Regular
Meeting will be held on Wednesday, April
27, 2016 at 1:00 p.m. at 204 SW Walnut in
Dallas, Oregon. An Executive Session pur-
suant to ORS 192.660 will be held immedi-
ately following the Regular Meeting, if
required.
Agenda for the meeting is posted on the
Housing Authority website at www.wvpha.org.
The location for the meeting is handicapped
accessible. Please advise the West Valley
Housing Authority if you need any special
accommodations to attend the meeting. For
information, please call 503-623-8387, TDD
1-800-735-2900.
Matinees are all shows
before 6pm. New pricing for
matinees are: Adult $7.25
Children $6.75 • Senior $7.00
Pricing does not reflect
3D showings.
Friday - Saturday April 22 - April 23
BARBERSHOP: THE NEXT CUT (Digital) (PG13) (11:40 2:00 4:35)
ZOOTOPIA (Digital 2D) (PG)
(11:40 2:10 4:45)
THE BOSS (Digital) (R)
(12:00 2:25 4:50)
JUNGLE BOOK (Digital 2D) (PG)
(11:35 2:05 4:35)
HUNTSMAN: THE WINTER’S WAR (Digital) (PG13)
(1:30 4:10)
BATMAN V SUPERMAN:
DAWN OF JUSTICE (Digital) (PG13)
(11:50 3:00)
GOD’S NOT DEAD 2 (Digital) (PG)
(1:25)
THE DIVERGENT SERIES: ALLEGIANT (Digital) (PG13)
(4:05)
CRIMINAL (Digital) (R)
(11:50 2:15 4:55)
7:10
7:20
7:15
7:05
6:50
6:10 9:15
6:45
9:20
7:25 9:50
Sunday April 24
BARBERSHOP: THE NEXT CUT (Digital) (PG13) (11:40 2:00 4:35)
ZOOTOPIA (Digital 2D) (PG)
(11:40 2:10 4:45)
THE BOSS (Digital) (R)
(12:00 2:25 4:50)
JUNGLE BOOK (Digital 2D) (PG)
(11:35 2:05 4:35)
HUNTSMAN: THE WINTER’S WAR (Digital) (PG13)
(1:30 4:10)
BATMAN V SUPERMAN:
DAWN OF JUSTICE (Digital) (PG13)
(11:50 3:00)
GOD’S NOT DEAD 2 (Digital) (PG)
(1:25)
THE DIVERGENT SERIES: ALLEGIANT (Digital) (PG13)
(4:05)
CRIMINAL (Digital) (R)
(11:50 2:15 4:55)
7:10
7:20
7:15
7:05
6:50
6:10
6:45
7:25
Monday - Thursay April 25 - April 28
BARBERSHOP: THE NEXT CUT (Digital) (PG13)
ZOOTOPIA (Digital 2D) (PG)
THE BOSS (Digital) (R)
JUNGLE BOOK (Digital 2D) (PG)
HUNTSMAN: THE WINTER’S WAR (Digital) (PG13)
BATMAN V SUPERMAN:
DAWN OF JUSTICE (Digital) (PG13)
GOD’S NOT DEAD 2 (Digital) (PG)
THE DIVERGENT SERIES: ALLEGIANT (Digital) (PG13)
CRIMINAL (Digital) (R)
(2:00 4:35)
(2:10 4:45)
(2:25 4:50)
(2:05 4:35)
(1:30 4:10)
9:35
9:40
9:30
9:25
9:25
7:10
7:20
7:15
7:05
6:50
(3:00) 6:10
(1:25) 6:45
(4:05)
(2:15 4:55) 7:25