BAKER CITY HERALD • THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2022 A5
LOCAL & STATE
Earth Day Oregon partners with Eastern Oregon
Land Trust is raising funds
is through an in-person
JOSEPH — Eastern Oregon fundraising event on Friday,
is joining in Earth Day Oregon April 22.
for the first time.
“We haven’t had any in-per-
Wallowa Land Trust joined
son fundraisers for a couple of
the nonprofit coalition this year, years because of COVID-19,
and has partnered up with Ter- so we’re really excited about it,“
minal Gravity Brewing, Moon- Kleinhanzl said.
light Graphics and Wild Carrot
The fundraiser will include
Herbals. As well, Greater Hells silent auctions for local art, live
Canyon Council and Farmers
music, drinks, food and beer
Ending Hunger — which has
donated by Terminal Gravity
several participating farms in
Brewing. Kleinhanzl said it
Hermiston and Echo — have
would be “a chance to recon-
joined Earth Day Oregon for
nect with our community and
this year’s campaign.
raise the money for our con-
“Oregon Earth Day came
servation work.”
about more to celebrate the
“We’re really grateful for the
work that’s being done specifi- local support,” she said. “The
cally in our state that’s helping three partners that we part-
to conserve our lands and care nered with have been really
for a planet,” said Sarah Klein- supportive throughout the
hanzl, communications and
years, and we’re really glad that
outreach coordinator for Wal- they joined us.”
lowa Land Trust. “As Wallowa
The land trust does not have
Land Trust, our mission is to
specific projects for the fund-
conserve and promote healthy raiser, but money raised will be
landscapes here in Wallowa
used to help maintain ongoing
County, and so those missions operations and contracts with
obviously interlock pretty
local landowners for their con-
well.”
tinuing involvement with Wal-
One of the ways Wallowa
lowa Land Trust.
BY ALEX WITTWER
EO Media Group
Rain
tunity to make it a day, make
What we’re really excited about
it a time for bringing the state
at Earth Day Oregon is this
together and to have a really
more holistic view of what we
inclusive version of
can all do together ev-
Earth Day.”
ery April.”
Earth Day Oregon
Stevens said the
has a variety of non-
campaign has doubled
profit organization
the number of non-
partners — ranging
profits outside of the
from land trusts to
Portland metro area
food bank dona-
that had allied with
Kleinhanzl
tions. A majority of
Earth Day Oregon.
those organizations
Roughly one-third of
are in the Portland
the nonprofits are from
metro area, but Ste-
areas outside Portland,
vens has been focus-
she said.
ing on expanding the
“As Oregonians,
Alex Wittwer/EO Media Group, File campaign to include
we’ve got a pretty
Evening light sets over Crow Creek Road, Wallowa County, on the
more rural commu-
good-sized state, but
nities and nonprofits.
no matter where we
road from Zumwalt Prairie on Sunday, May 23, 2021. Two Eastern
Stevens
“When people
live, we all care about
Oregon nonprofits have joined Earth Day Oregon, including Greater
look at our website,
the beauty of this state
Hells Canyon Council and Wallowa Land Trust. Earth Day Oregon
when they see who our part-
and our communities,” she said.
is scheduled for April 22 and will include a fundraiser by Wallowa
ners are, they’re going to see
“By supporting the nonprofit
Land Trust at the Wallowa County Chamber of Commerce office in
opportunities with conserva-
partners and the many business
Enterprise.
tion nonprofits, including two partners in Eastern Oregon,
Earth Day Oregon, founded it has become a global event
in Eastern Oregon,” she said.
people are ensuring that East-
in 2019, is a revitalization of
celebrated across dozens of
“And they’ll also see groups
ern Oregon stays beautiful and
previous efforts to localize
countries.
that are working to end pov-
those ecosystems are healthy
Earth Day in the state, accord-
“It’s not the first time Earth
erty, spur local economies and and people are able to still work
ing to Kelly Stevens, executive
Day has happened in Oregon, reduce inequality. And then,
those rural lands, and have vi-
director. The first Earth Day
certainly,” she said, “but I would also, preserve our forests and
brant local ecosystems and vi-
was held on April 22, 1970, and say that we really see an oppor- our oceans and things like that. brant local economies.”
Learning
Continued from Page A1
Baker County remains in a serious
drought following one of the drier win-
ters since World War II.
The most recent month that was wet-
ter than average is October 2021, with
0.77 of an inch, compared with an aver-
age of 0.64.
And most of that rain fell on a single
day — Oct. 22, which set a record with
0.59 of an inch.
From Dec. 1 through March 29, pre-
cipitation at the airport (melted snow
and rain) totaled 1.03 inches. That’s just
one-third of the long-term average of
3.13 inches for that period.
And the National Weather Service
isn’t forecasting any more rain during
March. The next mention of possible
rain is for late on Sunday, April 3.
March did interrupt a trend of
weather that’s cooler than average as
well as drier.
Following December, January and
February, all of which were chillier than
usual, March has been a bit milder than
average.
The average high temperature through
the first 29 days of the month was 51.6
degrees. The long-term average is 49.9.
The average low temperature in
March is 27.6 degrees, compared with
the long-term average of 26.2.
would depending on terrain and
road surface.
Continued from Page A1
Three screens showed the view
through the windshield, windows,
“We feel really strongly about get- and rear view mirrors.
ting students as many certifications
An instructor chooses different
as possible,” Dalton said.
driving scenarios for the student
In healthcare, Dalton said BTI
to deal with, including inclement
has mobile labs that allow instruc- weather, a deer leaping into the
tors to work inside hospitals across road, or a blown tire or other me-
the region, including in Pendle-
chanical problem.“I’ve got to give
ton, Heppner, Wallowa, John Day, it to the truck drivers, this is not
Burns and Ontario.
easy,” Boruch said after her turn on
“We’re now building labs to be
the simulator.
able to teach medical classes from
“This is wild,” DeLong said.
here into even smaller rural com-
munities,” Dalton said.
Agriculture, health care offerings
continue to grow
Hands-on training
Dalton led the tour from the
Participants in Monday’s tour ex- simulators to the FFA greenhouse,
perienced the mobile heavy equip- where students were tending to
ment simulators, including truck
flower baskets for the Mother’s Day
driving and logistics training.
sale. It will be held in person.
“These trailers go all over the
“90 percent of our ag program
Northwest,” Dalton said.
is directed at high school students,
Patrick Raimondo, plant man-
(the) FFA program here,” Dalton
ager at Behlen Country’s livestock said. “We’ve got a full plant science
equipment factory in Baker City,
pathway and a full animal science
attended the tour along with the
pathway, both. And then we offer ag
plant’s human resources manager, business and ag technology and in-
Stacy DeLong, and Angi Boruch,
novation classes.”
The BTI ag program was voted
quality and safety manager.
program of the year for Oregon
Delong and Boruch chose the
truck driving simulator. Users set- and the region.
BTI also has an ESports team,
tle into an authentic truck seat
the first in Oregon. The team par-
that moves just as a real truck
“We have a contract with the Baker
School District, we do all their high
school CTE (career technical educa-
tion) and we ship middle school stu-
dents up here to get started,” he said.
“So, they are earning industry certifi-
cations here as high school students,
which is awesome. We’ll train about
400 during the day here up until af-
ternoon, and then at about 2:30 the
adults start coming in.”
Dalton said the average starting
salary for students who had com-
pleted classes was $56 per hour. He
Samantha O’Conner/Baker City Herald said BTI students learn to prepare
resumes, go through mock inter-
Doug Dalton, president of Baker
views, and understand entrepreneur-
Technical Institute, talks about a
ship and financial record-keeping.
computer-controlled milling machine
“We celebrate work ethic and we
assembled by students, during a tour
talk about it every day,” he said.
on Monday, March 28, 2022.
Dalton said BTI also encourages
ticipates in electronic sports tour- creative thinking among students.
naments.
Its Tormach 1100mx CNC Mill,
In health care, BTI has courses fo- a $40,000 machine that arrived in
cusing on rural medicine, including pieces in hundreds of boxes, was
wilderness first aid.
put together by Zach Morrison for
“We train everybody from physi- an engineer project.
cians that need continuing ed and
“Work ethic. We’re super proud
we’re approved through the Amer- of that. He was creative, he had the
ican Medical Association to give
work ethic, he was here every week-
them rural life support skills,” Dal- end,” Dalton said of Morrison.
ton said.
Students use the CNC Mill to
Dalton said BTI has a stu-
create projects and have robotic
dent base of about 2,000 students
tournaments and more. “Fabulous
around the area and they are con- skills and it all starts with creativ-
tinuing to grow.
ity,” Dalton said.
Prosecutor: driver who killed Report: no recidivism spike for
4 homeless people was drunk inmates released due to COVID-19
that any city or county law
must be reasonable if it reg-
ulates “sitting, lying, sleeping
or keeping warm and dry out-
doors on public property.”
Under the measure, a home-
less person charged with violat-
ing a ban on camping or loiter-
ing would have an affirmative
defense against a law that is not
objectively reasonable.
The Marion County Board
of Commissioners opposed
it, however, saying the mea-
sure “would limit local con-
trol of the homeless crisis fac-
ing Oregon.”
PORTLAND (AP) —
A preliminary report by
the Oregon Criminal Jus-
tice Commission found
some people released early
from prison because of the
COVID-19 pandemic were
not more likely to commit
crimes.
Gov. Kate Brown com-
muted the sentences of 963
people mostly considered
medically vulnerable or
near the end of their sen-
tences between July 2020
and October 2021.
Nonpartisan state agency,
the Criminal Justice Com-
mission, looked at the first
266 people granted release
between July and Novem-
ber of 2020, Oregon Public
Broadcasting reported.
The agency found 18%
were arrested within one
year of their commutation,
8% were convicted of a new
crime and 2% were reincar-
cerated.
Commission execu-
tive director Ken Sancha-
grin said those numbers
are similar to figures from
2019 involving people
granted release or parole.
The report found of the
commuted people who re-
offended, 10 involved a
crime against another per-
son.
“It doesn’t appear that
being let out early for these
folks had any type of nega-
tive impact as far as higher
rates of recidivism that we
would normally expect,”
Sanchagrin told OPB.
The agency will issue
another report in the next
year, he said.
Brown has faced some
criticism, and a lawsuit,
over the pandemic-related
commutations.
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SALEM — The man who al- blood alcohol level of 0.08%. or
legedly drove into a homeless
higher constitutes driving un-
encampment in Salem, killing der the influence, according to
four people, had roughly dou- Oregon law.
ble the legal limit of alcohol
The Salem Police Depart-
in his blood, prosecutors said
ment said on Sunday “alcohol
Monday, March 28.
may have been a contribut-
Enrique Rodriguez Jr., 24,
ing factor” in the crash. Judge
was ordered jailed without
Jennifer Gardiner appointed
bail by a judge on Monday af- a public defender to repre-
ter being charged with four
sent Rodriguez. The attorney,
counts of first-degree man-
Aaron Jeffers, didn’t imme-
slaughter, second-degree as-
diately return a call seeking
sault, reckless driving and
comment.
driving while under the influ-
The crash happened on a
ence of intoxicants.
small triangle of trees and
grass near the Willamette
The 2 a.m. Sunday, March
27, crash left a scene of chaos, River and near a new men’s
shelter and a program that of-
with people trapped under
fers emergency housing assis-
the car. Two people died at
the scene and two died at the tance, showers, food and other
hospital, police said. After the services for the homeless.
On March 3, the city of Sa-
dead and injured were taken
away, flattened tents, an over- lem cleared dozens of home-
less people from a makeshift
turned shopping cart and a
campsite located just a block
deeply scarred tree marked
the scene. Mourners left bou- away, at Marion Park. City
quets of flowers at the base of officials had posted notices
about the pending action,
the tree.
“My friends are dead and
and community providers
I don’t know what to say,”
walked through the camp of-
Mike Wade, who came to the
fering to connect them with
camp on Sunday after hearing services, the Statesman Jour-
about the crash, told the Salem nal reported.
Statesman Journal newspaper.
A new law that takes effect
Authorities identified those next year restricts how cit-
killed as Jowand Beck, 24; Luke ies and counties — including
Kagey, 21; Joe Posada III, 54;
Marion County, where Sa-
and Rochelle Zamacona, 29.
lem is located — can react to
Derrick Hart, 43, and Savan- homeless camps.
nah Miller, 18, were seriously
In 2021, Gov. Kate Brown
injured, police said.
signed a bill passed by the Leg-
Rodriguez had 0.15% or
islature to protect homeless
more alcohol in his blood,
campers in public spaces from
according to a charging doc-
being removed. It mandates
BY ANDREW SELSKY
Associated Press
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