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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 21, 2016)
News Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, September 21, 2016 Students plant a better future By Rylan Boggs Blue Mountain Eagle Eight-year-old Dominic Donathon digs his ingers into the root system of a mint plant, loosening them in prepa- ration to be planted. It’s dirty work, but he doesn’t seem to mind. Humbolt Elementary School has teamed up with the Forest Service to help educate kids on how to better the environment. Retired teacher Sophie Cosgrove is spearheading the opera- tion with plants she bought from Bet- ter Blooms and Garden in John Day. Better Blooms and Garden gave Cosgrove a discount on the native plants she bought to help educate stu- dents on the importance of supporting native species over invasive species. The students will be planting mint, sage, irises and Karl Foerster Feath- er Reed Grass in an attempt to attract pollinators such as bees and butter- lies. They hope, in turn, these species will bring birds and other creatures to the area. “We’re just trying to get more in- volved in the community and help bring everyone together,” Cassandra Butler, a Forest Service wildlife em- ployee, said. Butler said, even though it is late in the summer, the plants are hardy enough to survive as long as they are cared for properly and there isn’t an overnight freeze within the irst week of planting them. By Rylan Boggs Eagle photos/Rylan Boggs Gus McDaniel, 8, carries two mint plants while helping create a garden of native plants at Humbolt Elementary School on Tuesday, Sept. 13. McDaniel and other students donate their lunchtime to help plant the garden which is geared toward attracting pollinators like bees. By Sean Hart Blue Mountain Eagle Are you part of a Suicide prevention resources available Blue Mountain Eagle Bates Pond group comes close to consensus A stakeholder work group discussing the future of Bates Pond and Bates State Park inished their three planned meetings but failed to reach a consensus about a recommen- dation to the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. Grant County Judge Scott Myers, who represented the county in the group, said all but one unidentiied member agreed they would not chal- lenge one of the six proposed options. “It pretty much left the footprint of the pond about the same,” Myers said of the op- tion most agreed on. “It didn’t put a stream alongside it. It didn’t lower the dam. It didn’t fully separate the stream from the pond.” Myers said the option would enhance riparian and wildlife features above and below the pond, clean and deepen the pond and repair the lower step of the ish lad- der. He said the group plans to meet again in the spring to try to reach a consensus on a rec- ommendation. The 131-acre park, near Austin Junction at the conlu- ence of Bridge Creek and the Middle Fork of the John Day River, opened in 2011 and in- cludes a 28-site campground, camping for hikers and bicy- clists, short trails and a small pond on Bridge Creek. Debate over the best management ap- proach for the old mill pond, and especially balancing rec- reation with the pond’s effects on water quality and ish pas- sage, in part prompted OPRD to convene the group. The park currently serves around 20,000 day visitors and provides 1,600 camper nights a year. A camper night is equal to one camper spending one night in a state park. “We know the pond is im- portant as both a historical re- minder of the Bates Mill, and A3 National Public Lands Day events planned Blue Mountain Eagle Eagle file photo Peaceful and still, the deep blue water of Bates Pond is a refreshing sight while meandering the trail that encircles the pond and others throughout Bates State Park. as a recreation feature of the park,” said Park Development Manager Scott Nebeker, who represented the OPRD execu- tive team on the work group. “Balancing these facts with the need to improve water quality and ish habitat is a challenge, and we’re thankful the stake- holder group came together to work through this openly. We expect the group will be able to develop an alternative when they convene again.” National Public Lands Day, the nation’s largest sin- gle-day volunteer effort for public lands, is Saturday, Sept. 24. Volunteer projects are planned, and Forest Service recreation sites and the Bu- reau of Land Management’s Oregon Trail Interpretive Center in Baker City will of- fer free admission. The Malheur National Forest will host a volunteer project targeting the previ- ously unmaintained Reynolds Creek Trail No. 264 on the Prairie City Ranger District, just off of Forest Road 2635 in section 22. Project work will include clearing rough- ly 1.8 miles of trail through brush work and tread work. The event is planned to be- gin at 10 a.m., meeting at the trailhead. For more informa- tion, contact Susan Garner U nity Harvest Bazaar G ET YOUR HOLIDAY SHOPPING DONE EARLY ! Lots of vendors Great variety of items Saturday, Oct. 1 • 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. U NITY C OMMUNITY H ALL Door prize drawing at 2 p.m. MUST BE PRESENT TO WIN * HINT * M EN WOULD LOVE IT ! Coffee, muffins & lunch Provided by FFA N ONPROFIT in Grant County? We need your help! The Blue Mountain Eagle is working to create a master list of nonprofits in Grant County. We are looking for the NAME of the nonprofit, CONTACT PHONE NUMBER, EMAIL, ADDRESS and WEB SITE if available to be added to or updated on the list for this year’s Grant County Giving Back section, coming out in October. Either call the information into the Eagle office at 541-575-0710 or email office@bmeagle.com. Blue Mountain 195 N Canyon Blvd. EAGLE John Day 541-575-0710 Humbolt Elementary School third-graders Dominic Donathan, 8, left, Gus McDaniel, 8, and Taylor Parsons, 8, help plant a native garden to attract pollinators like bees to their school on Tuesday, Sept. 13. Cover -GCG iving2 015 - Pa ge 1 - Comp osite at 541-575-3039. Following the trail work, a barbecue and interpretive talks are planned for the volunteers. Volunteer trail and veg- etation projects begin at 9 a.m. at the Oregon Trail In- terpretive Center. The first 30 participants receive a free T-shirt, and all volunteers will be offered refreshments provided by the Trail Ten- ders volunteer group and a coupon for free admission at National Parks and federal recreation areas. For 23 years, National Public Lands Day has been a nationwide effort to help care for parks, natural ar- eas, historic sites, trails, watersheds and other public lands. An estimated 170,000 volunteers countrywide par- ticipated last year. More in- formation on events can be found at neefusa.org/public- lands-day. To raise awareness of warning signs and risk factors of suicide, former school teacher Corinne Stennett is distributing Yel- low Ribbon Suicide Preven- tion pamphlets. In the wake of a Grant Union student’s suicide, she says it is important the com- munity has access to infor- mation. The pamphlets outline risk factors, such as trou- ble with school or the law, stressful family life or the breakup of a romance, and how to identify warn- ing signs, such as abrupt changes in personality, giv- ing away possessions or a change in eating or sleeping patterns. Coping strategies such as being open with your feelings, spending time with friends and family and not tolerating abuse of any kind are also provided. The pamphlets include a small yellow card that can be cut out and given to someone to serve as a non-verbal cry for help. These cards encourage the recipient to stay with the person, to listen to what they have to say and to get help immediately. Stennett hopes putting this information in the hands of community members will help them recognize those in need of help or seek help themselves if they need it. If you or someone you know is considering suicide or are experiencing other emotional risks, call 800- 273-8255 or 866-488-7386 or text 741741. For more information visit yellowribbon.org. ADMINISTRATIVE ADVERTISING ASSISTANT The Blue Mountain Eagle is seeking a full-time administrative/ advertising assistant. This is a rare opportunity to learn multiple aspects of our business. Successful candidates will need problem-solving and computer skills, plus the ability to handle multiple tasks at once. Must be very accurate and detail oriented plus have excellent customer service and communication skills. Driving and criminal background checks will be completed pre-hire. Full time with benefits include Paid Time Off (PTO), Insurance and a 401(k)/ Roth 401(k) retirement plan. Pay starts at $9.75 per hour. Send resume and letter of interest to East Oregonian Publishing Co., PO Box 2048, Salem, OR 97308-2048, by fax to 503-371- 2935 or e-mail hr@eomediagroup.com 195 N. Canyon Blvd. John Day, Oregon 04349
