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
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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
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Recognizing those
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Blue Mountain Eagle
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