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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (June 28, 2017)
News Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, June 28, 2017 A3 BMW motorcyclists ride again The Eagle/Angel Carpenter Dayville Assistant Fire Chief Tim Briggs, right, chats with Chet Day about the previously owned fire engine the department recently acquired. Briggs brought the engine to the DMV in John Day for registration. Dayville Fire volunteers ready with new engine By Angel Carpenter Blue Mountain Eagle 450 riders join the BMW Chief Joseph Rally of riders through the sce- nic Sheep Rock Unit Friday, which included a stop at the Thomas Condon Paleontolo- gy and Visitor Center. Anoth- er guided tour was planned for Saturday. Fiedor donates the money he receives from the “Geolo- gy Rocks! Tour” to the local Juniper Arts Council. Other organizations raise funds, including Friends of the Fair and a 4-H group, both groups providing breakfast for the riders. Doug and Joyce Knights of Salem arrived at the rally Thursday and reviewed their map as they donned helmets for a morning ride on Friday. “It’s just gorgeous,” Doug said. “Everything between Salem and here was just per- fect, and the community is great.” Motorcyclists have banded together since the year 2000 for the Chief Joseph Rally in John Day. Riders from as far away as New Zealand gathered at the Grant County Fairgrounds June 23-25 for the annual event, sponsored by BMW Riders of Oregon. There were 450 in atten- dance at the rally. “We get quite a diverse group. Last year’s youngest rider was 17, and the oldest was 82,” said rally master Linda Tewksbury, who shares the title with her husband, Doug. She added some attendees have been members since the organization started 41 years ago. Tewksbury was pleased to show visitors this year’s event program, which features an art logo designed by Grant Union Junior-Senior High School student Paige Gerry of John Day. “There is a wall with the entries, so people can see the brilliant artwork the students did,” she said. “We were thrilled with the response. A total of 108 entries from Grant Union and Prairie City schools were on display at the fairgrounds pavilion. John Fiedor of Dayville doesn’t ride a motorcycle, but the retired John Day Fossil Beds park ranger led a group Diverse groups restore upper Camp Creek Interagency assessments for fish habitat delay ranchers’ access Blue Mountain Eagle Blue Mountain Eagle June 1-4, 20 volunteers for the Oregon Natural Desert Association per- formed riparian restoration work as part of an ongo- ing project on upper Camp Creek, a Middle Fork of the John Day tributary in the Malheur National Forest. The project is a coopera- tive effort led by the nation- al forest involving many interest groups including ONDA and local ranchers. For two days, ONDA vol- unteers from around the state helped repair wildlife exclosures, rebuild pasture boundary fences and repair in-stream structures. The improvements in stream habitat have already shown payoffs for the anadromous Mid-Columbia River steel- head that use the creek for spawning and rearing hab- itat. It has also benefited nearby vegetation as show- cased by the new green carpet of sedges and rushes along the creek. “The vegetation has already started to change. This area was just dry, sparse grass last year. The structures we installed and high water from a big snow year has allowed Camp Creek to access its flood- plain again.” Jeff Nelson, a fisheries technician with the Malheur National For- est, said. ONDA volunteers are providing labor for several similar projects throughout the forest in 2017. Register- ing early is advised, as trips typically fill up fast. Grazing allotments conflict with steelhead and bull trout habitat By Rylan Boggs Blue Mountain Eagle Delayed Forest Service biological assessments are preventing some Grant Coun- ty ranchers from turning out their cattle on public lands. Grant County Commis- sioner Boyd Britton expressed frustration and dismay at the issue and said local grazing permit holders were seriously affected. Britton said turnout dates are typically May 15, June 1 and June 15. Malheur National Forest Supervisor Steve Beverlin said ranchers were typically able to turn out their cattle about the middle of June. He said some ranchers had al- ready been able to turn out their cattle and others would be able to at the beginning of July. In the interim, ranchers had been grazing their cattle on private lands or other pas- tures, he said. Beverlin said the assess- ments affect a majority of ranchers in the community. Linda Tewksbury of Eugene holds the BMW Riders of Oregon Chief Joseph Rally program. She and her husband Doug are this year’s rally masters. The program art was designed by Grant Union Junior-Senior High School art student Paige Gerry. The biological assessments are consultations with the Na- tional Marine Fisheries for steelhead and United States Fish and Wildlife Service for bull trout. Grant County Stock Grow- ers Association President Alec Oliver estimated some ranch- ers missed out on roughly 20- 30 percent of summer grazing on their alloted land. He said they had compensated by turning out onto fall pastures and feeding cattle hay typical- ly used later in the season. Oliver said they were for- tunate it was a good year for grass, but that ranchers had still taken a hit. Commission seeks bike, pedestrian advocate Blue Mountain Eagle The Southeast Area Com- mission on Transportation is seeking a new member to provide input and insight re- garding transportation related bicyclist and pedestrian con- cerns in the Malheur, Grant and Harney county area of Eastern Oregon, according to an Oregon Department of Transportation press release. The SEACT is hoping some- one with a background or in- terest in this field, plus an in- terest in improving the state’s transportation’s system will apply for the open volunteer position. More information about these opportunities is available by contacting Sean Maloney at 541-823-4025 or by email at sean.maloney@ odot.state.or.us. To fill out an application please contact A TTENTION G RANT C OUNTY V ETERANS : Did you know there may be VA benefits available for you as a result of your spouses’ military service? See your Grant County Veteran Services Officer today for more information, located at Grant County Court House. Jeff Wilcox Call 541-620-8057 for an appointment Open: Mon, Wed, & Fri 10am-4pm by appointment. 05171 Judy Moore at 541-276-6745, or by email at Judy.Moore@ geodc.net. The SEACT is hoping to have applications in hand by July 11, 2015. “The South East Area Commission on Transporta- tion is a very engaged group that helps address all aspects of transportation, including surface, marine, air, and trans- portation safety,” Maloney said. “We currently have nu- merous representatives from city, county and state agencies within the Malheur, Harney and Grant County area and are looking for a new member who can help represent the interests of bicyclist and pe- destrians in this three-county section of eastern Oregon.” Ideally, the new SEACT member will live or work within the tri-county district, but it is not a requirement of the volunteer positions. Phillips honored for 40 years in the Grange Blue Mountain Eagle Mt. Vernon Grange re- cently honored longtime members. Loyce Phillips was awarded a certificate for 40 years of service at an event in May that also served as her birthday party. Mary Ellen Brooks was awarded a certificate for 25 years of service. The Grange, which start- ed in 1925, is a casual group that meets the second Friday of each month at the hall across from Clyde Holliday State Park on Highway 26 just east of Mt. Vernon. A potluck begins at 6:30 p.m., followed by the meeting at 7:30 p.m. Anyone interested in joining can attend the pot- luck as a guest, and young people are encouraged to join. Members host two an- nual fundraisers: a pancake feed in January or Febru- ary and a bazaar the second Saturday in November. The Grange sponsors a candi- date night during election year and provides awards at the county fair. The group $9 Adult, $7 Senior (60+), Youth Contributed photo Loyce Phillips was honored for her birthday and 40 years of membership in the Mt. Vernon Grange in May. donates to a variety of lo- cal causes and supplies dic- tionaries for third-graders in Long Creek, Monument and Dayville and assists the American Legion in giving dictionaries to Humbolt and Seneca elementary students. For more information, call Harold Preston at 541- 820-4463, secretary Jean Sagert at 541-575-1007 or Scott Farmer at 541-876- 7770. JOHN DAY VIDEO & ELECTRONICS 4th of July Movie and Game Rental Special Friday 6/30/17 until Wednesday 7/5/17 2 Games $8.00 • 5 New Release Movies $15.00 Don’t forget our 7-day rentals! DESPICABLE ME 3 PG Gru meets his long-long charming, cheerful, and more successful twin brother Dru who wants to team up with him for one last criminal heist.. FRI - THURS (12:45) (4:20) 7:20 9:30 * No 9:30 show on July 4th BABY DRIVER R After being coerced into working for a crime boss, a young getaway driver finds himself taking part in a heist doomed to fail. FRI - THURS (12:45) (4:10) 7:10 9:35 * No 9:30 show on July 4th TRANSFORMERS: THE LAST KNIGHT PG-13 The key to saving our future lies buried in the secrets of the past, in the hidden history of Transformers on Earth. FRI - THURS (12:45) 4:00 7:30 7:30 05852 By Angel Carpenter 05788 05852 Photos by The Eagle/Angel Carpenter Doug and Joyce Knights of Salem prepare for the day’s ride Friday during the BMW Riders of Oregon Chief Joseph Rally held at the Grant County Fairgrounds in John Day. The Dayville Volunteer Fire Department is even more prepared for its next call out to a fire. The department recently bought a 1991 Cummins 300 Big Cam fire engine from a private seller in Salem. Fire Chief Brandon Thompson said their other newest truck is 43 years old. “Our truck was pretty worn out,” he said. “We’d been having problems with it overheating and decided to look for a new one.” Assistant Chief Tim Briggs and firefighter Cody Clausen drove to Salem to take the Cummins 300 for a test drive, and they looked it over with the Salem Fire Department. Because the truck had a problem with the pump, they were able to knock $2,000 off the asking price, purchasing the truck for $16,500, Thompson said. Briggs fixed the pump in his shop, and brought the fire engine to the John Day DMV May 24 for registra- tion. “We’re absolutely stoked,” Briggs said. Thompson said the truck, which came with ladders, hoses and other equipment, is all stocked and ready to go. “It should hold us for an- other 30 years,” he said. “It’s going to be our first truck out the door.”