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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (July 3, 2019)
A4 OPINION Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, July 3, 2019 Be safe this Fourth of July R ecent thunderstorms sparking multiple small fires across the forest should be a reminder that fire season is here. Although most of the blazes were contained at less than 1 acre in size, the days are getting hotter and hotter. That means the fire dan- ger will climb as the summer moves into its dog days, and a certain degree of respon- sibility will fall on us to ensure big blazes don’t erupt because of human error. Range and forest fires caused by humans are on the rise across the region, and that should be troubling to everyone. Now that the Fourth of July weekend is in sight, the danger of an accidental fire igniting is acute. Often a careless maneuver by an area resident as they cele- brate the nation’s birthday will spark a major blaze, drawing on firefighting resources from across the local area. While the fact such fires are more common than in the past is a worry, the fact that most of the human-caused fires could be avoided is even more disturbing. The simple truth is all of us need to use a certain degree of common sense during the July 4 celebration to avoid fires. Just because our famil- iar recreation areas do not appear to be parched doesn’t mean there is no fire danger. After the Fourth of July celebration fades into the background, the sense of caution while recreating, hiking or traveling through- out great national forests should remain. By August, much of the area we love will be drier than normal. We all want to enjoy the summer, but we all share responsibility to ensure our summer trips don’t end in a tragedy that could have been easily avoided. So before you journey out to the nearest campground, take heed of the fire dan- ger level. Be cautious with campfires, and understand that it only takes a single spark to create a fire that can devastate thousands of acres. A bit of common sense, coupled with some basic safety measures, may mean the difference between a great trip to our national forests or a fire that trig- gers destruction and costs taxpayers. So, remember, be safe out there, and enjoy the summer. WHERE TO WRITE GRANT COUNTY • Grant County Courthouse — 201 S. Humbolt St., Suite 280, Canyon City 97820. Phone: 541-575-0059. Fax: 541-575-2248. • Canyon City — P.O. Box 276, Canyon City 97820. Phone: 541-575-0509. Fax: 541-575-0515. Email: tocc1862@ centurylink.net. • Dayville — P.O. Box 321, Dayville 97825. Phone: 541-987-2188. Fax: 541- 987-2187. Email:dville@ortelco.net • John Day — 450 E. Main St, John Day, 97845. Phone: 541-575-0028. Fax: 541-575-1721. Email: cityjd@ centurytel.net. • Long Creek — P.O. Box 489, Long Creek 97856. Phone: 541-421-3601. Fax: 541-421-3075. Email: info@ cityoflongcreek.com. • Monument — P.O. Box 426, Monument 97864. Phone and fax: 541-934-2025. Email: cityofmonument@centurytel.net. • Mt. Vernon — P.O. Box 647, Mt. Vernon 97865. Phone: 541-932-4688. Fax: 541-932-4222. Email: cmtv@ ortelco.net. • Prairie City — P.O. Box 370, Prairie City 97869. Phone: 541-820-3605. Fax: 820-3566. Email: pchall@ortelco.net. • Seneca — P.O. Box 208, Seneca 97873. Phone and fax: 541-542-2161. Email: senecaoregon@gmail.com. SALEM • Gov. Kate Brown, D — 254 State Capitol, Salem 97310. Phone: 503-378- 3111. Fax: 503-378-6827. Website: governor.state.or.us/governor.html. • Oregon Legislature — State Capitol, Salem, 97310. Phone: (503) 986-1180. Website: leg.state.or.us (includes Oregon Constitution and Oregon Revised Statutes). • Oregon Legislative Information — (For updates on bills, services, capitol or messages for legislators) — 800- 332-2313. • Sen. Cliff Bentz, R-Ontario – 900 Court St. NE, S-301, Salem 97301. Phone: 503-986-1730. Website: oregonlegislature.gov/Bentz. Email: Sen.CliffBentz@oregonlegislature.gov. • Rep. Lynn Findley, R-Vale – 900 Court St. NE, H-475, Salem 97301. Phone: 503- 986-1460. Website: oregonlegislature. gov/findley. Email: Rep.LynnFindley@ oregonlegislature.gov. WASHINGTON, D.C. • The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20500; Phone-comments: 202- 456-1111; Switchboard: 202-456- 1414. Blue Mountain EAGLE Published every Wednesday by GUEST COMMENT Freedom takes teamwork By Quint Studer F reedom, independence, self-sufficiency: these are great and glorious con- cepts. We celebrate them this time of year, whether we process it that way or not, because they’re so deeply ingrained in our image of America. We see ourselves as a nation of rugged individualists: seizing the bull by the horns, chart- ing our own course, walking alone into the forest with an ax slung over our shoulder. Yes, it’s a romantic notion. But it’s not an accurate one. America is a nation of small, tight-knit com- munities and always has been. The more we cooperate, share, defer to others and work together, the more successful we are. I spend my days travel- ing from one American commu- nity to another. Some are bustling larger cities. Others are quiet small towns. What they all have in com- mon is the burning desire to revi- talize themselves: to become more vibrant, prosperous, livable and lovable than they are right now. And as I work with these diverse groups of Americans, I see a theme emerge: Those communities that work together, win together. When citizens and leaders come together, put their self-interest on the back burner and work as a team, things get done. When they don’t, nothing gets done. The more you think about the myth of the self-reliant early American, the less likely it seems. Our ancestors must have hud- dled together in small groups and worked to protect each other from a harsh and unforgiving envi- ronment. They must have joined forces, shared what they had and leaned on each other when times were tough. And on the larger stage, our nation’s founders had to work together in a similar fashion to bring America into being. They were working toward indepen- dence as a new nation, but they had to rely on interdependence to get there. And as leaders of com- munities of all shapes and sizes The founders kept their focus on the ambitious mission and vision of standing up to one of the most powerful authorities in the world: the King of England. When we try to make it about ourselves, we can get off track and let our self-absorption derail the project or initiative. Keep the greater goal in mind and stay focused on that. Don’t wait on the government to “fix it.” Instead, join together and take bold action at the local level. The changes desired by Ameri- can colonists weren’t coming from Great Britain. And so, in the sum- mer of 1776 delegates from each of the Thirteen Colonies took it upon themselves to challenge Brit- ish authorities and make change happen — their way. Citizen-powered change is the most powerful change. If it’s to be, it’s up to you and me, not gov- ernment agencies. (Local govern- ments tend not to have the bud- get to drive fundamental change, and due to election cycles, offi- cials come and go. Many won’t be around to see long term projects through.) Yes, early communities needed each other, and that drove a lot of their interactions. We went through a period of time where we started to believe we didn’t need each other, and that clearly isn’t true. We now realize that working together is the only way we can make our cities and towns thrive. No one is saying Ameri- ca’s founders were perfect. They were far from it, as we are. But one thing they got right was the knowledge that they needed to work together for a common cause. Teamwork is a power- ful force. We couldn’t have built a nation without it, and we can’t build a better community without it either. Quint Studer is the author of “Building a Vibrant Community: How Citizen-Powered Change Is Reshaping America” and founder of Pensacola’s Studer Community Institute. For more information, visit www.vibrantcommunityblue- print.com and www.studeri.org. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR memories of Sam. Like your Sam, ‘Portland has No word on Norman will always have a place in our hearts and memories. become dangerous’ Norman the Nikki Morgan leppy calf Hines To the Editor: Attention: Portland “Weirdos and Antifas.” Newsflash: You ain’t weird, wild, diverse, open minded or inclusive. From my Eastern Ore- gon perspective you are redun- dant, boring, singular, closed minded and exclusive. Some of us Eastern Oregon folks are now ashamed or afraid to visit or do business in your once fair city, unfortunately, thanks largely to self proclaimed “Weir- dos and Antifas.” Portland has become not only ugly; Portland has become dangerous. Hunter S. Thompson wrote in “Proud Highway” that, “No two ideals were ever more incompati- ble than the security of conformity and the freedom of individuality.” Dr. Leaun Fuchs John Day Grant County’s Weekly Newspaper Publisher............ ......................................Chris Rush, crush@eomediagroup.com Editor & General Manager ...............Sean Hart, editor@bmeagle.com Reporter ...................................................Richard Hanners, rick@bmeagle.com Community News .................................Angel Carpenter, angel@bmeagle.com Sports ........................................................Angel Carpenter, angel@bmeagle.com Marketing Rep .......................................Kim Kell, ads@bmeagle.com Administrative Assistant ..................Makenna Adair, office@bmeagle.com Office Assistant .....................................Alixandra Hand, office@bmeagle.com MEMBER OREGON NEWSPAPER PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION and demographics and political persuasions, we can all learn a lot from them. Here are four big “history les- sons” we should all heed as we seek to move our communities toward vibrancy: Set aside your self-interest and create something that works for everyone. Lots of different pro- fessions, industries, and interests were present at the birth of Amer- ica. Cabinet makers weren’t fix- ated only on the wood industry, nor silver smiths on the silver trade. Everyone was fired up to con- tribute to something bigger than themselves. They bought into the overarching mission and weren’t bogged down by endless debate over the short-term costs of their plan. In other words, don’t be overly concerned with your own well-be- ing. Setting aside your own short- term best interests may accomplish far more for everyone in the long run. Because a rising tide lifts all boats, this includes you. Don’t let ideological differences stop you from achieving some- thing tangible. Despite bitter dis- putes and differences of opinion, a group of people with little in com- mon other than their shared deter- mination that change was needed were able to get mobilized and get something done. While there was much to be decided about the way things would function in the new nation, they all recognized that there wouldn’t even be a new nation if they didn’t set aside their disagreements and move the ball down the court. It’s important to know what matters. Don’t let petty disputes about how things should get done sabotage the greater task at hand. Don’t be constantly trying to steal the spotlight from each other. It’s OK to let someone else be “the one in charge.” No one com- plained that John Hancock’s signa- ture was bigger than theirs, or that so-and-so got to sign the Declara- tion before they did. (OK, it’s pos- sible, but we can see by the doc- ument that resides in the National Archives that it got done anyway!) Online: MyEagleNews.com To the Editor: For those who’ve asked if we have heard anything about Nor- man the leppy calf since the let- ter to the editor (Dec. 5, 2018), we have not and at this point do not expect to. But we do have another leppy calf this year: a pure black heifer named Eboni Ann, who has a sassier attitude of Norman. She had a rougher road than Norman from the beginning. Her mom was a first-birth heifer. Before she died, the mom stepped on Eboni’s elbow, crushing the growth plate and breaking the ankle on the same leg. Despite her horrible beginning, Miss Eboni Ann is thriving — her appetite really is! She has been adopted by our dogs as Norman was but is “more cow” than Norman was. And we have special appreciation for Frank from Mt. Vernon for the letter and 1 YEAR SUBSCRIPTION RATES (including online access) Grant County .........................................$45 Everywhere else in U.S. .......................$57 Outside Continental U.S. ....................$60 Subscriptions must be paid prior to delivery To the Editor: I’ve been going to do this for two weeks, and as usual, time slipped away from me. I don’t know who the volun- teers were, but the people who took their time and money to spruce up the “M.V.” on the hill in Mt. Vernon are awesome people and should be recognized for their time and effort. The M.V. now stands out like a shining beacon and looks abso- lutely wonderful. So people take notice and pat those on the back who did all the hard work. We have some mighty wonderful peo- ple who care about their town. Jan Lowry Mt. Vernon Periodicals Postage Paid at John Day and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER send address changes to: Blue Mountain Eagle 195 N. Canyon Blvd. John Day, OR 97845-1187 USPS 226-340 Phone: 541-575-0710 Recognizing those who work hard Copyright © 2019 Blue Mountain Eagle All rights reserved. No part of this publication covered by the copyright hereon may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means — graphic, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, taping or information storage and retrieval systems — without written permission of the publisher. facebook.com/MyEagleNews @MyEagleNews
