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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 28, 2016)
News Blue Mountain Eagle Southworth Brothers Ranch receives national range management award Blue Mountain Eagle Contributed photo Southworth Brothers Ranch employees are credited for their knowledge and willingness to learn best land management practices. Contributed photo Downed poles and small logs are left along trailing routes to minimize any erosion and improve their appearance – while still allowing for livestock to be herded effectively to the next scheduled grazing area. dense stands line both sides of the Silvies River, which meanders across the ranch. It didn’t look like this when Jack was growing up. In fact, he remembers using a tractor to pull the very last willow clump out of the ground, un- der orders from his father, when he was 12. Jack and his wife wrote out a three-part goal statement for their ranch. The irst two parts focus on community and live- stock well-being. The third reads: “To bring about the quality of life and products we desire we need a dense stand of perennial grasses with some shrubs. We want the ground between plants to be covered with decaying plant litter. We want the streams to be lined with willows, home to beaver and good habitat for trout. We want the pre- cipitation we receive to stay on the ranch as long as pos- sible and to leave here as late season stream lows or plant growth.” Ranch hands keep them- selves up-to-date with recent natural resource objectives and goals on the forest. Con- sistently showing a willing- ness and open-minded atti- tude, their daily herding and summer allotment work has evolved and adapted with forest standards by individu- ally developing and currently using successful herding and pasture rotation methods. Jack and his ranch hands regularly participate in for- mal trainings with forest con- sultants and range managers on their allotments about measuring livestock use and stream health. Annual livestock use mon- itoring documents short-term use levels from herding and pasture rotation strategies. Trend results are later compared with annual levels of livestock use to observe successful levels of use and opportunities for new ideas. Increases of young willows, beaver activity, abundant na- tive trout and narrow streams are welcomed and frequent occurrences in Southworth Brothers allotments where cattle still graze. Ranch hands frequently move the cattle in collected herds to portions of the large pastures with adequate feed and water. Natural boundaries such as rim rock, ridges and stretches of partially fenced streams are often used strate- gically to hold cattle for short periods until they are moved again. Speciic areas within a large pasture are often grazed in a different order each grow- ing season through herd con- trol to promote good plant community diversity, health and resilience. As a beneit of their land ethic, wildlife abounds throughout their property, which provides year-round Your Rural Fa mily Health Clinic Ferrioli wins national ‘Guardian of Small Business’ award Blue Mountain Eagle State Sen. Ted Ferrioli (R-John Day) was recently presented with the Guardian of Small Business award by the National Federation of Independent Business, the nation’s largest small-busi- ness association. “I am honored to receive the Guardian award from NFIB,” Ferrioli said in a written statement. “Small businesses are the backbone of our communities, and provide countless Orego- nians with jobs to provide for their families. Rural communities in particular rely on their small businesses to create jobs, provide goods and services for their families and keep rural economies strong. I will continue my work in the Legislature to protect Oregon’s small businesses, and provide more opportu- nities for growth.” Ferrioli supported the largest tax cut for small busi- nesses in Oregon history, consistently opposed efforts to increase taxes, fees, and regulations and championed efforts to give rural commu- State Sen. Ted Ferrioli nities land use lexibility to attract new business. “Where would small business in Oregon be today without Senator Ted Ferri- oli’s leadership? I wouldn’t even want to speculate,” said Anthony K. Smith, Or- egon state director for the National Federation of Inde- pendent Business, in a state- ment. “Sen. Ferrioli clearly understands the issues that are on the minds of Ore- gon small business owners, and he’s always willing to stand up for them in Salem. NFIB’s member-business- es are extremely grateful for his consistent and pas- sionate support for those Oregonians who make up the economic engine of our economy.” Rough Country Fencing, llc Joe & Brandy Stills CCB#211284 We do all types of fencing, corrals, spring rehabs and much more. PO Box 202 Spray, OR, 97874 roughcountryfencing@gmail.com 541-419-7403 • 541-408-2947 Grant County HEALTH Department 528 E. Main, St. E, John Day Monday - Friday 8am - 5pm Karen Triplett, FNP Services Provided: Jack and Teresa South- worth, owners and opera- tors of Southworth Brothers Ranch of Seneca and permit- tees on the Emigrant Creek Ranger District, recently re- ceived the prestigious Forest Service National External Range Management Award. Nominated by the Malheur National Forest for their con- tinued commitment to sound management, their passion for public rangelands and their involvement in the numerous different public projects, the Southworth’s summer grazing allotments total over 25,000 acres. Heavily timbered up- lands and mountain meadows make up a majority of their allotments on the national for- est, according to a Forest Ser- vice press release. The Southworth Ranch started with a 160-acre home- stead established by Jack’s great-grandfather, William Sawyer Southworth, in 1885. It was the irst fenced home- stead in Bear Valley and was originally settled as a place to provide hay for the oxen he used for his sawmill near Fall Mountain. Jack’s great-grandmother, Minnie, was the irst post mis- tress for the original Seneca Post Ofice in 1895, located at the present-day ranch head- quarters and shop. The Southworths also ran a store and did some freighting, which allowed them to pur- chase additional homesteads that became available later. Jack’s grandfather, Ed, and his brother Webster “Tepty” Southworth partnered in the original Southworth Brothers Ranch. Jack’s parents, Bill and Jo, took over in 1948, and Jack and Teresa took over management of the operation in 1978. “My father wanted grass right to the edge of the water and nothing else,” Jack re- calls. “The trouble was, that’s not what the river wanted. Soon we had a big problem.” Without adequate vegeta- tive protection, the river banks began to erode. Alarmed, his father began to deposit old cars in the water in a desper- ate attempt to stem the ero- sion. It didn’t work. When Jack took over the ranch right out of college, he tried a dif- ferent strategy. He decided to plant willows and fence the cows out. His father wasn’t at all pleased. “My dad was a tough old World War II Marine and he was pretty well set in his ways,” said Jack. “Maybe it was a generational thing. Dad tried to control the land. My approach is to go with what nature gives you.” The allotment pastures containing streams are man- aged to promote healthy wil- lows along the stream banks. Ideas to maintain and increase healthy willows and good stream condition are most of- ten initiated by Jack, his live- stock managers and riders on the forest. Jack may be most proud of his willows. Healthy, habitat for elk, deer, antelope, small mammals, ish, raptors and other birds, as well as seasonal habitat for migratory birds that visit their looded meadows in the spring. Learning the needs of healthy natural resources on national forest, the behavior and responses of livestock in the forest environment and constructively putting them together takes time. Jack has allowed time for his riders to observe livestock behavior and appreciate the forest. A variety of skills in Jack’s crew also allows for other mem- bers to help with the ranch’s management needs other than herding livestock and moni- toring livestock use on forest allotments. Most recent experiences, as described by rangeland management specialists on the Malheur National Forest, include frequent interaction in the ield on his permitted grazing allotments to contin- uously share ideas for even further improvements toward managing the resource. Suc- cessful ideas to improve are most often initiated by Jack’s knowledgeable and experi- enced livestock managers after communication about grazing standards and goals with the forest rangeland managers. The current Harney Coun- ty Restoration Collaborative Leader, Jack can now add this accomplishment to his grow- ing list. The 2010 Grant County Stockgrower of the Year award is one of several awards the Southworths have received in recognition of their contribu- tions to agriculture. The ranch was a recipient of the Con- servation Farm Award from Grant County Soil and Water Conservation District in 2009. Jack has also been inducted into the Oregon State Uni- versity Agricultural Hall of Fame. A7 Wednesday, September 28, 2016 • 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! 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