A8
NEWS
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, March 25, 2020
Students explore careers in science, law enforcement and IT
By Steven Mitchell
Blue Mountain Eagle
Twenty-six
students
from each district in Grant
County toured two college
campuses and attended
a career fair March 2 in
a first-time collabora-
tion between the Oregon
State University Extension
Office and the Youth Tran-
sition Program.
The transition program,
a mainstay in the Grant
School District for several
years, gives students oppor-
tunities to explore job inter-
ests, gain workplace skills
and build interpersonal rela-
tionships and customer ser-
vice skills.
Tami Sasser, the YTP
specialist, heads up Grant
Union, and Christi Dehaven
is the specialist for the ser-
Contributed photo
Contributed photo
A student takes a stress test at a career fair in Meridian, Ida-
ho, March 2.
Students were introduced a wide array of occupations at ca-
reer fair in Meridian, Idaho.
vice district in Prairie City,
Monument, Dayville and
Long Creek.
dents showed a genuine
interest.
Didgette McCracken, the
Put Your Best
Smile Forward
Dr. Mike feels routine checkups and cleaning are essential,
especially for children and adolesents, to keep dental work
as simple as possible. Catching decay problems early with
regular exams, allows placing smaller fillings, often lasting
for decades. Making the effort to keep up on your dental
health will pay off for your overall health and, ultimately,
be easier on your pocketbook too!
Michael B. DesJardin,
Dentistry PC
208 NW Canton, John Day
541-575-2725
S177923-1
Dehaven said the trip
could not have worked
out better, and the stu-
Open Campus Coordinator
at OSU, who helps people
earn online degrees through
Seneca school awarded grant money to help fund a new sign
By Steven Mitchell
Blue Mountain Eagle
Grant School district
officials traveled to Port-
land March 3 to pick up
a $10,000 check before a
Blazers game at the Moda
Center to help pay for a
new sign at Seneca Ele-
mentary School.
The Portland Trail Blaz-
ers Foundation awards
$150,000 in grant money
each year to schools across
Oregon and Clark County
in Washington. Schools
can apply for up to $10,000
in funding for in support of
their academic, art, athletic
and community programs.
Grant School District
Superintendent Brett Upt-
Celebrate our
Local Nurse
Practitioners
this
Contributed photo/Bruce Ely
Grant School District Superintendent Bret Uptmor and Sen-
eca School Head Teacher Dana McLean receive a $10,000
check from the the Portland Trailblazers Foundation’s ‘Take
it to the Court for Education’ program. The money will go to-
ward a new sign for Seneca Elementary.
mor said they applied for
the grant in late December
and received a call on Feb.
17 that Seneca Elementary
was among 25 2019-2020
finalists.
“In our application, we
highlighted the importance
the rural school has in a
community and the ability
to communicate with the
residents,” Uptmor said.
Uptmor said the school
sign is one way people stay
informed.
“Giving the community
access to the area events
and information is essential
and needed,” Uptmor said.
Uptmor said the funding
could not have come at a
better time.
“The previous sign had
lived its life and had to be
removed,” Uptmor said.
Uptmor said that Seneca
Elementary is the town’s
central location for infor-
mation and activities.
“Driving past it on High-
way 395, you will notice
the school immediately,”
Uptmor said. “The sign is
the means to communicate
with the community.”
Uptmor said that he
and his staff, when fill-
ing out the grant applica-
tion, emphasized the sig-
nificance of schools in
rural areas when it comes
to communicating with
people.
“The school sign is one
way people stay informed,”
Uptmor said. “Giving the
community access to the
area events and information
is important and needed.”
Apply for conditionally available forage
Blue Mountain Eagle
Grant County Health
Department
Make an appointment to see
Mendy Sharpe, FNP for all of
your Family’s health care
needs.
528 E. Main, John Day
541-575-0429
or
888-443-9104
Open Mon. - Fri. 8am-5pm
S178098-1
The Burns District of the
Bureau of Land Manage-
ment announced the oppor-
tunity to apply for livestock
grazing preference on condi-
tionally available forage on
public lands in the Bridge
Creek area of Steens Moun-
tain. The forage is consid-
ered conditionally available
because there is a pending
appeal before the Depart-
ment of the Interior for graz-
ing in the Bridge Creek area
allotments. Grazing, which
was one of the earliest uses
of public lands when the
West was settled, continues
to be an important use of
those same lands today.
The Bridge Creek area is
We would like to recognize our great team of professionals. Thank you for
your compassion, dedication, and quality of care you provide our patients.
Strawberry Wilderness
Community Clinic
divided into four allotments,
each with multiple pastures.
Applicants may apply for all
or part of the available for-
age in these areas:
Hammond
Allotment
(11,009
BLM-managed
acres, 2,077 privately owned
acres and 635 other federally
managed acres for a total
of 13,721 acres across 12
pastures);
Mud Creek Allotment
(8,245 BLM-managed acres
within two pastures);
Hardie Summer Allot-
ment (6,008 BLM-managed
acres and 3,775 privately
owned acres for a total of
9,783 acres across 4 pas-
tures); and,
Hammond Fenced Fed-
eral Range (FFR) (1,158
BLM-managed acres, 6,145
privately owned acres, and
13 state-owned acres across
4 pastures).
Any U.S. citizen or val-
idly licensed business in
Oregon can apply for graz-
ing privileges. Applicants
must own or control “base
property” (private land capa-
ble of serving as a base oper-
ation for livestock use) and
have a satisfactory record
of performance. If you’ve
never had a grazing permit
or lease, you must not be
barred from holding one by
a court of law. See 43 CFR
4110.1 (2005).
If the appeal continues,
FULL SPECTRUM FAMILY PRACTICE
Shawna Clark, FNP • David Hall, MD
Zach Bailey, MD • Nora Healey, FNP
Emily Lieuallen, DO • Raffaella Betza, MD
Janessa Sickler, DO • Cris Rodriguez, NP
Pediatrics • GYN
Geriatrics Minor Surgery • OB
Same-day & Walk-in Appointments Available
180 Ford Road, John Day • 541-575-0404
www.bluemountainhospital.org
Emphasizing Minimally Invasive & Advanced Laparoscopic Surgery
Specializing in a wide range of procedures including:
• Laparoscopic Hysterectomy
• Hernia, Gallbladder and Breast
Surgery
• Infrared Office Laser Treatment for
Hemorrhoids
the Open Campus and adults
earn high school diplomas,
said the students were visu-
alizing themselves in an
academic setting and out of
Grant County.
McCracken said it is hard
for students to leave Grant
County.
“It is overwhelming
for many of them,” said
McCracken.
DeHaven said Sasser
was instrumental in mak-
ing the trip happen, as was
Michele Engle, Monument
teacher, Mark McKay, chap-
erone, Jeff Schafer, bus
driver and chaperone, and
Robert Waltenburg, super-
intendent of the Grant
County Education Service
District.
“I hope we can make
this an annual event,” said
McCracken.
• Removal of Moles and Skin Lesions
• Upper Endoscopy and Colonoscopy
• Colon Cancer Surgery
• Close to Home
Dr. Nguyen,
General Surgeon
Dr. Ehanire,
General Surgeon
S178283-1
S177959-1
the BLM will suspend pro-
cessing competing appli-
cations until resolution of
the appeal. If the appeal
is resolved in a way that
allows for processing mul-
tiple applications, the BLM
will consider the compet-
ing application factors in 43
CFR 4130.1-2 (2005).
Following any BLM
decision to award prefer-
ence, the BLM expects to
prepare an Allotment Man-
agement Plan for the Bridge
Creek area supported by an
analysis under the National
Environmental Policy Act.
This will include analysis of
issuing a 10-year livestock
grazing permit(s), increas-
ing active AUMs within the
Hammond Allotment, con-
struction and maintenance
of rangeland improve-
ments, nonrenewable for-
age, adjusting allotment and
pasture boundaries, and live-
stock management measures
that will be consistent with
meeting the Standards for
Rangeland Health.
Applications are due
by April 14, 2020, to the
BLM’s Burns District Office
at 28910 Highway 20 W,
Hines, OR 97738.
For
more
specific
information, an applica-
tion package, maps, and
other details, visit http://
ow.ly/5FGp50yR63a or call
541-573-4400.