BAKER CITY HERALD • THuRsDAY, JuLY 28, 2022 A3
LOCAL & STATE
Breaks
Continued from A1
“As an incident com-
mander, it’s a huge bene-
fit for us because a lot of
us know where these lines
are and have a good idea of
where we can catch them
when the fires start to go ex-
treme,” said Johnson, who’s a
wildland fire technician for
the Vale District.
“Any fire that started on
your urban interface area,
we’re just trying to keep it off
federal land and vice versa
— if we have a fire on federal
land, we really don’t want to
push it onto the urban inter-
face,” he said.
Fire breaks are created us-
ing tractors with metal disk
attachments that remove
vegetation and expose bare
dirt, which deprives flames
of fuel. Workers also mow
grass and use herbicides to
control grass.
When built near roads,
the breaks create a 50-foot
buffer — a zone where fire
crews have a better chance to
stop advancing flames.
Each spring or summer,
typically in May or June,
BLM workers maintain the
fire breaks, Johnson said.
They bring in heavy machin-
ery to clear out vegetation in
preparation for fire season.
Johnson said they completed
this year’s maintenance on
the breaks in the Willowcreek
fire area just two weeks before
it ignited on a 100-degree day
with gusty west winds.
“We’ve been maintaining
these man-made fuel bar-
riers over the last two de-
cades,” said Justin Robinson,
fuels technician for the Vale
District. “We’re making it
safer for our firefighters and
our communities.”
Fire break history
The idea for the fire
Child care
Continued from A1
Another challenge is time.
Most child care is available
only during the day. But some
people work night shifts or are
on call and cannot respond to
work unless they have a place
to send their children.
Preschools Provide Partial
Solutions
Preschools provide some
supervised time for three- and
four-year-olds, and have the
benefit of including an ed-
ucational foundation. Pro-
grams are offered by the Baker
County YMCA, Haines El-
ementary School, and some
churches and other organiza-
tions and by individuals. In
addition, Head Start serves
children who meet certain cri-
teria.
However, these programs
generally operate on half-day
and alternating day sched-
ules, leaving significant gaps
to be filled by working par-
ents. In addition, some of the
programs are usually full and
have waiting lists.
Community Partners Come
Together to Start YMCA Child
Care Center
Because of the high need
and the impact on hir-
ing, several employers have
looked for ways to provide
child care for their employees
or families in general. How-
ever, until recently, they have
found that the needs and
regulations for facilities and
staffing made their potential
programs unaffordable for
most families.
Since then, the Y and the
Baker 5J School District have
worked together with sev-
eral partners to open a cer-
tified childcare center at the
Baker Early Learning Center
(BELC) this year. The YMCA
Childcare Center serves chil-
dren from six weeks old to five
years old.
Several other programs are
also housed at BELC, which
is in the former North Baker
Elementary building at 2725
Seventh St. These include
Head Start, YMCA preschool,
and District 5J kindergarten.
Martinez, who helped guide
development of the project,
said it “took the stars to align”
to make the certified childcare
center a reality.
The program is operated
by the YMCA on property
owned by the school district.
Other key partners in develop-
ing the center included Saint
Alphonsus Medical Center, St.
Luke’s EOMA Clinic, Eastern
Oregon Child Care Resources
and Referral, Eastern Oregon
Early Learning Hub, and Ore-
gon Trail Electric Cooperative.
Financial support came from
many of these partners as well
breaks that helped stop the
Willowcreek fire dates back
almost 22 years.
In 2000, the Jackson fire
burned about 80,000 acres
— twice as many as the Wil-
lowcreek fire — of similar
terrain in Malheur County.
That fire prompted local
residents and BLM officials
to talk about wildfires, and
residents created the Mal-
heur County Community
Wildfire Protection Plan.
That plan included build-
ing fire breaks across public
and private land.
Johnson said the system of
fire breaks “gives our person-
nel something to work off
of,” but it’s not guaranteed,
because of varied weather
patterns, that the breaks
will stop a blaze dead in its
tracks.
“It’s all dependent on fire
activity, because you can
have fire whirls that bring
embers across the road,”
Johnson said.
But with the Willowcreek
fire, the breaks fulfilled their
purpose despite the gusty
winds.
“Being proactive saved
us from having a fire twice
as big,” said Toby McBride,
a volunteer with the Vale
Rangeland Fire Protection
District who helps maintain
the fire breaks and was on
the ground during the Wil-
lowcreek fire. “The wind was
blowing pretty good, but the
fire burned right up to the
lines and went out. I don’t
think we would’ve held it at
the road without them.”
Robinson agreed.
“Fuel breaks helped fire-
fighters contain the Willow-
creek fire without bulldozers
or other heavy equipment,”
he said. “This project’s suc-
cess shows us how important
collaboration can be to pro-
tect local communities from
wildfires.”
as the Ford Family Founda-
tion, Wilson Cattle Company
and other donors.
Tony Swart, financial direc-
tor for Saint Alphonsus, said
the hospital’s involvement was
based on the commitment to
community health and the
view that child care is “a so-
cial determinant of health and
well-being.” In addition, the
shortage of care has hindered
the hospital’s recruiting of em-
ployees. He is glad that some
medical staff are able to access
the center.
Allisa Brown, who became
director of the Y Child Care
Center in January 2022, said
the process of running a new
facility has required continual
learning. One of the biggest
hurdles, ironically, has been
recruiting and training new
staff. The existing rooms are
filled to capacity, and slots for
another room in the fall are
already spoken for, and there
is already a waiting list, as
well. One of the greatest needs
ahead, in addition to space
and staff, will be a plan for
emergency drop-in services
and staff absences.
Other Care Options
Another new opportunity
for some families is the Baker
Relief Nursery, at 1925 16th
St. It is operated by a non-
profit organization with state
support in order to provide
childcare for vulnerable fami-
lies in an effort to reduce child
abuse and neglect in our area.
The program serves children
from birth to five years old.
In addition to caring for chil-
dren, the staff offers a variety
of supports for parents to help
them cope with a wide range
of stressors that affect their
children.
Most other child care in
Baker County takes place in
private homes. Non-licensed
sites can care for up to three
children. Larger operations
must meet state licensing
guidelines. When Martinez
gets calls for childcare infor-
mation, she often asks if the
caller has thought about pro-
viding care in their home and
explains the supports avail-
able, including subsidies that
may be paid directly to the
providers.
Making Child Care Affordable
Child care is expensive, es-
pecially in a certified child
care program, but Marti-
nez said she has never seen
as much support as there is
right now. A major piece of
the funding comes from Pre-
school Promise, a program
through the Oregon Depart-
ment of Education’s Early
Learning Division which will
provide grants up to $13,650
per child for care providers.
There are also funds to help
cover startup costs. A pilot
Women can
get free map
training
BY IAN CRAWFORD
icrawford@bakercityherald.com
Contributed by Adam and Angela Robb
Dysan actively wards off a cow at the rodeo nationals in Gillette, Wyoming on July 18, 2022.
Rodeo
Continued from A1
“I was excited to be there since I had worked
hard all year and that was my goal. I was also
nervous and anxious,” Robb said, “the top four
of every state are chosen to represent their sport
and I wanted to make Oregon proud.”
He qualified in cutting, a horseback act of
separating cattle, and first participated on July
18 before a crowd of hundreds inside the Cam-
Plex Arena. Performing twice, Robb managed
138 points in his first and 132 in his last, scores
based on efficiency as well as quality and show-
manship.
“I have been cutting for three years. Our
family friend, Bert (Siddoway), asked if I
wanted to try it, so I did,” Robb said. “I have
been doing it ever since.”
The rigors of the rider event required
weekly travel to Emmett, Idaho, where Robb
and his horse, Kit, met with trainer Summer
Housely for refreshers before and between
events, Housely even hauled Kit to the Wyo-
ming nationals.
“Summer helps me in the arena and makes
program called Baby Promise,
for infants and toddlers, is be-
ing tested in select locations.
Another resource, focused
on supporting working par-
ents, comes from the Oregon
Department of Human Ser-
vices. It is called Employment
Related Daycare and also pays
subsidies directly to care pro-
viders to help working parents
maintain their jobs. The fami-
lies are responsible for a copay
based on their income and
family size.
sure I have a good turn back crew,” Robb said.
“I can’t hear very good so she gives me advice
before I enter the arena and then she goes to
the side of the arena so that I can hear her
best when I am competing.
“I was lucky she could go with and help
me.”
Robb’s combined score of 270 placed him at
47th in his first national event, and he hopes
to exceed that next year with some improve-
ments and training.
“I am going to work on breathing while I
am riding. I get nervous and hold my breath
and then I am not as relaxed as I should be
to make a clean ride,” he said. “My first goal
always is to not lose a cow. If you work hard
all year and make sacrifices, it pays off in the
end.”
He reflected on enjoying the event in his
downtime with his family and watching oth-
ers compete.
“The national finals is a chance to make
friends and have good experiences,” Robb
said. “This community is really supportive of
myself and my family and I want to also make
them proud.”
Other Resources
While state regulations are
often seen as hurdles to pro-
viding childcare, Martinez
emphasizes the need for safety
and quality service. Part of
that is the importance of adult
to child ratios to ensure ade-
quate supervision. Funding
and support are also available
in meeting state requirements
for such things as lead testing,
first aid supplies, and food
handlers training.
Martinez said providers in
rural areas such as Baker
County have access to “lots
of support every step of
the way.” This includes re-
sources, training, licensing
help and program coach-
ing, according to the East-
ern Oregon Child Care
Resources Facebook page.
Information about child
care resources is available
at 541-709-5930.
The Women Owning
Woodlands Network has set
out to host a free women’s for-
estry and hiking event, upcom-
ing out of Halfway, Oregon on
July 30 at 8 a.m.
The objective of the hike is to
teach essential map skills and
real-world application of chart-
ing compass travel. The event is
open to public enrollment and
hosted by Tiffany Hopkins at
Oregon State University.
“The plan is to learn the ba-
sics of compass, including find-
ing directions. Learning to read
maps, including commonly
used map technology, both pa-
per and digital, finding your
pace and measuring distances,”
said Hopkins, “Then going on
the hike to put all of this into
practice.
“The compass and mapping
portion will be indoors in a
classroom setting, which would
likely be hard for young chil-
dren.”
Mature children are wel-
come to attend and gain forest
skills of their own.
Hopkins has a list of to-
bring items for registrants,
but generally participants
should prepare for a hike in the
mountain air.
“WOWNet is a diverse, en-
thusiastic, group of women
who are interested in woodland
management,” said Hopkins
in a press release, “The group
encompasses many different
knowledge sources and diverse
management goals.”
WOWNet was launched in
2005 with help from Oregon
State University and the Nat-
ural Resource Extension Pro-
gram to reinforce woodland
skills and operates with a set of
goals:
• Learn about forest man-
agement
• Share forestry and natural
resources experiences
• Exchange personal knowl-
edge with other women who
are going through similar ex-
periences
To register, email Tiffany at
tiffany.hopkins@oregonstate.
edu before the gathering event.
Frank William Hermann
July 15, 2022
Patsy Knox
December 19. 1933 - July 19, 2022
Patsy Knox, formerly of
Baker City, OR and Santa
Rosa, CA, passed away
peacefully in Goodyear,
AZ on July 19, 2022,
with her daughter Kelly
in attendance. Patsy was
born on December 19,
1933, to David and Ima
Bowser in Glendale, CA.
She and her older sister,
Betty (Fiscalini), grew
up in Santa Barbara, CA.
Patsy attended Chico State
College and earned her
degree in Lab and Radiology Technology. She enjoyed
her job and worked for various medical practices
around the country, finally retiring at the age of 72 in
Santa Rosa, CA.
Patsy married Alva Raymond Knox, Jr. on January
26, 1957, in Sparks, NV and they raised a family of four
children in Oregon, California, and Nebraska. Patsy
lost her husband in 1982, just shy of their 25th wedding
anniversary. Later, she spent a loving 20 years with her
partner, Gordon Bunker (deceased 2008). She was an
active member of the International Sorority Beta Sigma
Phi from 1968-1995, holding various offices over the
years. Patsy loved beachcombing, swimming at the
YMCA, dancing, and very dry vodka martinis with
olives!
Patsy is survived by her daughter, Kelly Tronnier
& son-in-law Peter Tronnier of Buckeye, AZ, her son
Steven Knox of Murrieta, CA, and son-in-law Shawn
Jarvinen (Debbie) of Friant, CA, nine grandchildren,
John McMillan ( Katie) of Caldwell, ID; Jason McMillan
(Megan) of Rancho Cordova, CA; David McMillan of
Kentwood, MI; Drew McMillan of Rancho Cordova,
CA; Dr. Amy Tronnier of Providence, RI; Stacy
Tronnier of Salem, OR; Eric Tronnier, currently serving
at Mildenhall Air Base, England; Raymond Knox
of San Diego, CA, and Sara Knox of Riverside, CA.
Also survived by three great-grandchildren, Mattias
McMillan, Emily McMillan, & Douglas McMillan, a
niece, Gloria Fiscalini, and a nephew David Fiscalini,
as well as numerous cousins.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Raymond;
her partner, Gordon; her parents; her daughter, Pamela
Jarvinen (2007); her son, Kevin Knox (1992); her sister,
Betty Fiscalini, brother-in-law Louis Fiscalini, and
niece Patricia Fiscalini.
A visitation will be held at Chapel of the Valley-L.B.
Hall Funeral Home on August 4, 2022 from 12:00-4:30
p.m. 2065 Upper River Rd.; Grants Pass, OR 97526
541-479-7581
Graveside service and burial will be at Wilderville
Cemetery, 5145 Fish Hatchery Rd., Grants Pass, OR on
August 5, 2022 at 10:00 a.m.
The family suggests that donations be made to:
Hospice of the Valley at www.hov.org or
National Alliance on Mental Health at
www.donate.nami.org
Frank William Hermann, 65,
of Baker City, passed away July
15, 2022. A celebration of life will
be held on September 9, 2022, at
1 p.m. at the Harvest Christian
Church, 3720 Birch St. in Baker
City, Oregon.
Frank was born in Wichita,
Kansas, to Erwin “Erv” and
Mary (McMurphy) Hermann.
Frank attended school in Thornton and Northglenn,
Colorado, eventually graduating from Northglenn High
School. Throughout his youth, he played many sports
with his brothers, but baseball was where he excelled
the most. Frank attended and played baseball during
junior college in Trinidad, Colorado, then transferred
to Eastern Oregon University in La Grande, Oregon,
where he continued playing for the Mountaineers. For
many years he held the home run and slugging average
for the EOU Mountaineers. It was also at EOU that he
met his wife of 41 years, Josie Bates. They were married
in Vernal, Utah, on August 30, 1980.
After graduating from EOU, Frank and Josie moved
to Vernal, Utah, where Frank began working in the oil
fields for Haliburton. In 1981, they decided to return to
La Grande, Oregon, and Frank got a job at UPS soon
after. Frank worked for UPS as a driver and supervisor
for many years. In 1987, UPS promoted Frank and
moved him to Bend, Oregon. This was also the same
year that Frank and Josie welcomed their daughter,
Erin Nicole, and then their son, William Cody, in 1990.
There were many memories in the Bend house of
dancing to Fleetwood Mac and swimming in the hot tub
with Frank and his kids. In 1993, UPS allowed Frank
and his family to move to Baker City, allowing them
to be closer to Josie’s family and their college friends.
Frank ended up leaving UPS and working as an officer
at Powder River Correctional Facility. He worked for
PRCF for 20 years before retiring.
Baker City has been home to Frank and his family for
over 30 years. He spent many years watching, coaching,
and enjoying his kids playing sports and participating in
other activities. Frank enjoyed working on his home,
taking time to relax in the mountains, and golfing at
as many Eastern Oregon courses as possible. He also
helped his wife, Josie, with her business and enjoyed
the many trips around Eastern Oregon that being her
“bodyguard” held. Frank was an avid Colorado sports
fan, the Broncos, and John Elway being his favorite.
One recent highlight for Frank was the birth of his
grandson, Oxley William Justus. He was looking
forward to seeing Oxley play sports one day. Frank’s
children and his grandchild were the loves of his life.
Frank will be leaving behind his wife, Josie Hermann,
children Bill Hermann and Erin Justus (Daniel), and
grandson, Oxley Justus. He will also be leaving behind
his mother, Mary Hermann, brothers Ed Hermann
(Carol), Tim Hermann (Lynn), and Chuck Hermann
(Stacey), his mother-in-law, Joan Bates and brother-in-
law, Frank Bates (Riza), and many nieces and nephews.
Frank was preceded in death by his sister, Anne Marie,
father, Erv, father-in-law, Glen Bates, and favorite aunt,
Helen McMurphy.
To leave an online condolence for the family of
Frank Hermann, please visit: www.grayswestco.com.