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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 11, 2019)
A2 FAMILY Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, September 11, 2019 Fire crews prepare for 2019 prescribed fire operations Blue Mountain Eagle Malheur National Forest fire officials are monitoring conditions on the forest and preparing to implement the fall prescribed fire program. Prescribed fires, also known as controlled burns, refer to the planned and con- trolled use of fire by a team of highly skilled fire man- agers under specific condi- tions, according to a press release. During the late sum- mer and early fall months, the forest has a number of planning units, ranging in size from 150 acres up to 4,000 acres, scheduled for prescribed fire operations. Prescribed fires are con- ducted within specific parameters including tem- perature, relative humid- ity, fuel moisture and wind speed. Implementation is dependent upon these and other necessary conditions. Should conditions allow, crews may start operations on some smaller units as early as, Friday, Sept. 13. Fall burning will build upon efforts in the spring when the forest safely and successfully accomplished Contributed photo/U.S. Forest Service Prescribed fire helps remove slash and debris fuel build- up on the Damon South Unit near Seneca in 2018. More prescribed burns are planned for fall 2019. prescribed fire operations on approximately 2,600 acres. Spring operations reduced surface fuels, increased height of some canopy, reduced small tree densi- ties and helped promote fire resilient trees, thereby improving our ability to protect communities from wildfire. Additionally, these prescribed fires improve wildlife habitat, promote long-term ecosystem integ- rity and sustainability by reducing the risk of high-se- verity wildland fire. To ensure public and fire- fighter safety, roads, trails and areas may need to close temporarily as firefighter operations are taking place. Smoky conditions may also reduce visibility to a level that would require addi- tional temporary closures. During prescribed fire oper- ations, there is potential for Contributed photo Reid Psaltis, artist in residence at the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, created this sculpture of Cynarctoides lemur, an extinct, fruit-eating dog, which is on display at the Thomas Condon Paleontology and Visitor Center. impacts to camping and rec- reational activities. Visitors are advised to plan ahead, for their safety they should not camp in or near an area of prescribed fire activity. As dates for individual units are scheduled and con- ditions are met, announce- ments will be released, updates will also be posted to Inciweb at: https://inciweb. nwcg.gov/incident/6299 and the Malheur National For- est Facebook page https:// www.facebook.com/Mal- heurNationalForest. Addi- tional information regard- ing prescribed burning on the Malheur National For- est is available by viewing the Prescribed Fire Activ- ity interactive map at: http:// arcg.is/2wUZIil. With the potential for smoke to settle in certain areas during active opera- tions, the public can monitor the smoke and air quality in our area and across the state by visiting, http://oregon- smoke.blogspot.com. For further infor- mation on the Malheur National Forest, visit us at fs.usda.gov/malheur or call 541-575-3000. Open house planned for new hands-on sculpture at Fossil Beds Blue Mountain Eagle The John Day Fos- sil Beds National Monu- ment’s newest exhibit is a hands-on experience. Artist-in-residence Reid Psaltis focused on exhibit accessibility by creat- ing a touchable sculpture of Cynarctoides lemur, an extinct, fruit-eating dog. An open house will take place from 2-4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 15, at the Thomas Condon Pale- ontology and Visitor Center. Psaltis is an illustrator, sculptor and natural his- tory enthusiast from the Pacific Northwest and has made several trips to John Day Fossil Beds during his residency. Because his residency was almost two years long, it allowed time for project consulta- tion with the park’s chief paleontologist for scien- tific accuracy, and feed- back from people in the disability communities, which added more diverse perspectives. The dog sculpture on display during the open house will be temporary until it is permanently replaced with cast bronze Kerry Grombacher entertains in John Day Kerry Grombacher performs Friday evening at 1188 Brewing Co. in John Day during downtown First Friday events. The Eagle/Angel Carpenter Some Harney Basin residents will receive questionnaire about groundwater Blue Mountain Eagle Some southern Grant County residents in the Harney Basin will soon receive a questionnaire regarding groundwater. The Harney Commu- nity-Based Water Plan- ning Collaborative wants to know what residential well users are experiencing with water quantity and quality. A sample of residen- tial well owners in the Har- ney Basin will be mailed a simple questionnaire from Oregon State University’s Survey Research Center Sept. 13. Little information is known about these wells, and the confidential ques- tionnaire that shares no identifiable information is an opportunity to help the collaborative under- stand the consequences of groundwater-level declines. Groundwater lev- els are declining in some areas of the basin because more water is being taken out of the ground than is replenished each year through rainfall. “I can’t overempha- size how important it is for basin residents to fill out and send the question- naire back,” said Diane Rapaport, vice-chair of the Harney County Watershed Council. “There is no other way to find out just what is happening out there in the basin and the difficulties many people are enduring.” The collaborative is a group of water-users, orga- nizations and agencies cur- rently developing a local, integrated water resources management plan for the Harney Basin. Funding for the survey was made possible from a grant from the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board. To learn more about the Harney Community-Based Water Planning Collabo- rative, visit hcwatershed- council.com/communi- ty-based-water-planning. OUTPATIENT EAR AND FOOT CLINIC Open Mon. - Thurs. 8AM - 4PM 422 West Main John Day OR, 97845 later this year. “Visiting this park as a teenager played a big role in developing my interest in natural history,” Psaltis said. “Now that prehistoric life has become a regular subject in my art practice, it’s been really amazing to have that come full circle by contributing something to the visitor center. Using art to encourage interest in Oregon’s natural history is a great goal, and the efforts we took to make it accessi- ble can now bring that to a whole new audience.” Superintendent Patrick Gamman said, “Not only is the sculpture visually appealing, Reid took great efforts to provide palpa- ble textures so that every- one can enjoy the exhibit. Come to the park and pet the extinct dog. I promise you, it won’t bite!” Discover Your North- west provided support for this project. John Day Fossil Beds National Monument has been participating in the artist-in-residence program for over a decade. For more information, visit nps.gov/ joda/getinvolved/sup- portyourpark/artist-in-resi- dence.htm. Wayne Stewart Scholarship awards $535,000 Blue Mountain Eagle The Wayne Stew- art Scholarship for the 2019-2020 school year is awarding $535,600 to 103 students. Each is receiving a schol- arship of $5,200. Recipients who have consented to having their names published include: Erika Adams, Jennie Adams Vertz Purcell, Beau Bigo, Amy Black, Kade Blood, Levi Burke, Erin Cantrell, Ely Carniglia, Shyannah Carr, Hailey Carter, Jes- sica Carter, George Clark, Jeremiah Clark, Victoria Coalwell, Caroline Col- son, Cody Combs, Andrea Comer, Amy Cook, Brett Copenhaver, McKinzie Dawson, Kiley Derrick, Kevin Eddy, Tanner Elliott, Kyla Emerson, Bud Farmer, Hannah Flower, Virginia Frazier, Donald Gabbard, Nathan Gehley, Stepha- nie Gilbert, Sandra Glad- ish, Cameron Hallgarth, James Hercher, Cassandra Hire, Trinity Hutchison, Declan Jensen, James John- son, Nicole Jones, Maggie Justice, Teela Kilby, Roen Langum, Avery Lenz, Grant LeQuieu, Kelsey Long, Colton Madden, Daven Mauseth, Jennifer McClo- skey, Taylor McCluskey, Ty McDaniel, Madison McKrola, Mariah Meyer- holz, McKeely Miller, Alcie Moore, Elisa Moore, Alon- dra Moreno, Avaley Mor- timore, Heather Mosley, Mariah Moulton, Railey Namitz, Katharine Nico- lato, Shanna Northway, Jeffrey Parolini, Jay Patel, Haley Pfefferkorn, Sky- lar Powell, Dawson Quin- ton, Katrina Randleas, Savanna Randleas, Lindsay Rausch, Jozie Rude, Meg- gan Russell, Diana Sander- sfeld, Faythe Schafer, Rea- gan Shelley, Marissa Smith, Nicholas Springer, Duane Stokes, Macy Strong, Maya Thomas, Preslie Thompson, Sydney Thompson, Jandy Torland, Carmen Vaughan, Cauy Weaver, Fallon Weaver, Wyatt Weaver, Jessica Winegar, Brennon Witty, Mackenzie Wood- cock, Carleanne Wright, Hailie Wright, Mariah Wright, Nathan Wunz, Reitta Wyllie, Amaya Zweygardt and Brianna Zweygardt. Painted Sky to offer Arts After School Blue Mountain Eagle Regular and High Risk Foot Care done by specially trained RN or CNA. Painted Sky Center for the Arts is offering Arts After School for kinder- garten through fourth- grade students starting Sept. 16. Activities are offered from school until 5:45 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and from 8 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. Fridays at 118 S. Washing- ton St., Canyon City. The program costs $175 per month, and only 15 spots are available. For more information, visit paintedskycenter.com or email paintedskycenter@ gmail.com. About Obituaries Ears are examined and cleaned by Registered Nurses. Call to make an appointment today! 541-575-1648 139099 Last Week’s Temps John Day ...........................................................HI/LO Tuesday ........................................................... 91/55 Wednesday ..................................................... 92/56 Thursday .......................................................... 91/58 Friday ............................................................... 80/61 Saturday .......................................................... 86/55 Sunday ............................................................. 69/53 Monday............................................................ 69/50 24/7 F ORECAST A UTOMATED : 541-575-1122 R OAD CONDITIONS : 511; TRIPCHECK . COM NOAA W EATHER R ADIO FOR J OHN D AY 162.500 MHz News obituaries of 300 words or less are a free service of the Blue Mountain Eagle. The paper accepts obituaries from the family or funeral home. Information submitted is subject to editing. Obituaries submitted to the Eagle with incorrect information may be corrected and republished as paid memorials. Obituaries longer than 300 words may be published as paid memorials. Send obituaries by email, office@bmeagle. com; fax, 541-575-1244; or mail, 195 N. Canyon Blvd., John Day, OR 97845. For more information, or to inquire about a paid memorial, call 541-575-0710. W EATHER F ORECAST FOR THE WEEK OF S EPT . 11-17 Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Partly cloudy Partly cloudy Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy Partly cloudy Mostly cloudy 71 81 79 79 68 66 72 47 51 49 51 43 36 35
