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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (June 17, 2015)
News Blue Mountain Eagle A9 Wednesday, June 17, 2015 A passion for helping children CASA volunteers are a ‘voice’ in the system %\&KHU\O+RHÀHU Blue Mountain Eagle Contributed photo Tracey Blood is the new executive director for Grant- Harney County CASA. It’s a community-based program, Blood said, with lo- cal staff and volunteers work- ing to help local children. She stressed that the chil- dren served are in the system through no fault of their own. The Court Appointed Spe- cial Advocate program began every child it serves. Blood works 30 hours per week between Grant and Har- ney counties. While in her new posi- tion for only a few months, Blood’s interest in CASA was sparked back in 2004, when she was a CASA volunteer. Blue Mountain Eagle Contributed photo Homeschoolers Kate Hughes, left, and Katie Johnson of Mt. Vernon visited with Sen. Ted Ferrioli on April 16 when the two 12-year-olds served as honorary pages in the Oregon State Senate. +RVSLWDOERDUGVHWVPHHWLQJV JOHN DAY – The Blue Mountain Hospital Board of Directors will hold a series of meetings Thursday, June 18, board meeting at 5:30 p.m. The regular meeting is scheduled to have an exec- utive session regarding em- SOR\PHQWRIDSXEOLFRI¿FHU employee or agent at the end. at the hospital. The sessions include a bud- get review at 3 p.m.; the an- nual budget meeting, with op- portunity for public comment, at 4:30 p.m.; and the regular MT. VERNON – In ad- dition to its regular meeting Thursday, the Blue Mountains )RUHVW3DUWQHUVLVWDNLQJD¿HOG trip to the South Fork Complex ¿UHDUHDIURPDPWRSP this Wednesday. The tour follows a work- shop, held Tuesday at the Mt. Vernon Community Center, to examine the current sci- ence surrounding snags on the ODQGVFDSHSRVW¿UHKDELWDWDQG woodpeckers, soil impacts, and management actions to en- KDQFHIRUHVWKHDOWKDIWHU¿UHV Speakers scheduled were: &KULV 'XQQ D ZLOGODQG ¿UH researcher and post-doctoral scholar at Oregon State Uni- versity; Ari Cowan, a master’s student in forest ecosystems at OSU’s College of Forestry; and Vicki Saab, a research wildlife biologist with the Forest Ser- vice’s Rocky Mountain Re- search Station. The Partners’ regular meet- ing will be at 4 p.m. June 18 at the Grant County Regional Air- port in John Day. The group will hold a sec- 8PDWLOOD1)VXSHUSLFNHGIRUUHJLRQDOMRE Blue Mountain Eagle PENDLETON – Kevin Martin, Umatilla Nation- al Forest supervisor, has a new job as fire and aviation management director for both the Pacific Northwest and Alaska regional offices of the U.S. Forest Service. Martin said he was ex- cited about the new oppor- tunity. He reports to his new job July 12. He succeeds David Sum- mer, who retires in July. Martin has been a mem- ber of the agency’s Na- tional Line Officer Team for several years and is a coach for agency adminis- trators at the National Fire Training Center, which he helped create. He current- 27(&HOHFWVRI¿FHUV plans for transition GM for 8 years plans to retire in February 2017 Blue Mountain Eagle BAKER CITY – Oregon Trail Electric’s Board of Di- rectors named a new slate of officers this month and also began planning for a staff change in command in 2017. Officers picked at the June 2 meeting are George Galloway of Union County, chair; George “Austin” Bin- gaman of Union County, vice- chair; and Charlene Chase of Baker County, secretary/trea- surer. At a strategic planning session June 1, the board dis- FXVVHG¿QDQFLDOJRDOVFRQVHU- vation, distributed generation, renewables, rate redesign and succession planning. As part of that discussion, Werner Buehler, general manager at OTEC, announced his plan to retire at the end of February in 2017. Buehler, 61, has been in the electric utility business for over 44 years and has been general manager of OTEC for the past eight years. “I want to give the board enough time so they can adequately search and go through the long vet- ting process. I’m honored to help them with that,” he said, promising the transi- tion would be as seamless as possible. hunting. Community health is also a major interest for Blood. “I enjoy working with other health-minded people toward the common goal of improving the overall health of our com- munity,” she said. Blood said CASA is in need of new advocates, and there will be training for volunteers coming up this summer. She encourages anyone interested to give her a call or stop by the ESD building at 835 Canyon %OYGZKHUHWKH&$6$RI¿FH is located, to talk with her. It’s certainly a service about which she is passionate. “I love working together with other community mem- bers to improve the quality of living for the children who are such an important part of our community,” Blood said. &$6$ RI¿FH KRXUV DUH a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday. Call 541-575-5574 or email to casa@grantesd.k12.or.us. 7RXUIRFXVHVRQSRVW¿UHPDQDJHPHQW Y OUTH VISIT S ENATE Blue Mountain Eagle for the balance of the expenses involved. “Even if you are unable to act as a child advocate, vol- unteers can help the program with fundraising and outreach events for CASA, or by mak- ing a donation to the program,” she said. Blood is a Grant County native, and a 1999 graduate of Grant Union High School. She has a bachelor of science de- gree from Portland State, with a major in health science and a minor in psychology. Blood previously worked as a mental health specialist at an acute psychiatric facility for two years before starting at CASA. She and her husband, Da- vid, live in Mt. Vernon with their two teenage children, Kade, 15, and Tyler, 13. Her hobbies include enjoy- ing outdoor recreational activ- ities with her family, such as FDPSLQJ KLNLQJ ¿VKLQJ DQG ly is a leader in reworking national fire management leadership. The promotion was an- nounced Friday by Jim Peña and Beth Pendle- ton, regional foresters for the Pacific Northwest and Alaska regions, respective- ly. Nominate Your Educational Hero RQG ¿HOG WULS RQ )ULGD\ -XQH at the Malheur National Forest 19, to the Camp Lick project 6XSHUYLVRU¶V 2I¿FH SDUNLQJ area. Participants should meet lot. Your Rural Fa mily Health Clinic Grant County HEALTH Department 528 E. Main, St. E, John Day Monday - Friday 8am - 5pm Karen Triplett, FNP Services Provided: JOHN DAY – A new ex- ecutive director is at the helm of the Grant-Harney County Court Appointed Special Ad- vocate program. Tracey Blood oversees volunteers in both counties who are trained to advocate for abused and neglected chil- dren going through the depen- dency system. CASA’s mission, Blood said, is to recruit, train and support people who can be a voice for children in court, and educate the community regarding that responsibility. The program’s goal is to advocate for a safe, perma- nent and nurturing home for in Seattle in 1977, the idea of Juvenile Court Judge David Soukup. Ten years later, the Oregon legislature mandated that all abused or neglected children should have an ap- pointed CASA representative. Grant-Harney County CASA was launched in 1999. Blood said there are four volunteer advocates in Grant County and two in Harney County, who are able to serve about 50 percent of the chil- dren who come into care. “Our goal is to have enough CASA volunteers to serve 100 percent of the children in care in our community,” she said. According to Blood, the cost to serve one child going through the judicial system is about $1,500. She said al- though CASA is a state-man- dated program, the state only funds 30 percent of the need for Grant-Harney CASA. CASA depends on commu- nity support and grant funding • Primary Care • Acute Care • Women’s Health Exams • Men and Children Exams • Immunizations • Family Planning • Contraception • Pregnancy Testing & Referrals • HIV Testing & Referrals • Cacoon • WIC • High Risk Infants • Maternity Case Management Grant County Health Department does not discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability, or age in admission, treatment, or participation in its programs, services and activitie s, or in employment. Appointments available Call and schedule your appointment today! TOLL FREE 888-443-9104 or 541-575-0429 MEETING NOTICE NORTH & MIDDLE FORK JOHN DAY RIVER AGRICULTURAL WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT AREA PLAN The Third Meeting for the Biennial Review of the North & Middle Fork John Day River Agricultural Water Quality Management Area Plan will be held on Tuesday, June 23rd, 2015 at 6:00pm at the Monument Senior Center at 269 Main Street in Monument. Educators play an extremely important role in our community and are often underappreciated. This year, Doug’s Motor Vehicle Repair is saying “Thank you, educators” by honoring an “Educator of the Month.” Each month one local educator will be highlighted in the Blue Mountain Eagle and will receive a $50 gift certificate from Doug’s Repair. Educator of the Year will receive $1,000 to be donated to school of their choice. Contact Steve Ussery at 541-934-2141 with any questions. 02123 Nominate your Local Hero by picking up a nomination form at the Blue Mountain Eagle or Doug’s Repair, or download a copy from the Blue Mountain Eagle’s website –www.bluemountaineagle.com. Recruiting Volunteers 10 FRIDAY, JUNE 26TH 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Old West Federal Credit Union The event is open to the community with Secure Shredding provided by Accu shred of La Grande Seven members serve four year terms and meet monthly to promote public awareness and support of library services, receive public input, review and update library materials, and coordinate activities with the Grant County Library Foundation. Membership is limited to one re- appointment. Seven members (including two consumer representatives) serve three year terms and meet no less than quarterly to facilitate the provision of quality mental health services to county residents and enhance community knowledge of available programs and services. Acts as the Local Alcohol and Drug Planning Commission and Developmental Disabilities Advisory Board. Seven members serve three year terms and meet as needed to make recommendations on major and annual road decisions such as construction schedules, road vacations, budgeting and policy development, and to participate in hiring staff. As a Type-A Area Agency on Aging, five members serve a three year term and meet quarterly to define the needs of older adults, promote special interests and local community involvement, and represent senior citizens as an advocate to the local, state, and federal government and other organizations. Membership is limited to one re-appointment. Nine members serve three year terms and meet as needed to discuss issues regarding big game management and make recommendations to Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife, including tag allocation and hunting season structure as they relate to population and damage of property. 02177