NEWS
MyEagleNews.com
Wednesday, June 23, 2021
A9
Southern portion of forest
implements public use restrictions
Blue Mountain Eagle
The southern zone of the
Malheur National Forest has
implemented Phase A public
use restrictions.
On the Emigrant Creek
Ranger District, the following
are now prohibited:
• Smoking, except within
an enclosed vehicle or build-
ing, a developed recreation
site or while stopped in an
area at least 3 feet in diameter
that is cleared of all flamma-
ble material.
• Operating a chainsaw
between 1-8 p.m. Saw oper-
ators are required to have a
shovel and fire extinguisher in
their possession. A one-hour
fire watch is required after saw
operations cease.
• Operating any combus-
tion engine without a spark
arresting device properly
installed, maintained and in
effective working order.
• Using a vehicle off of
National Forest System roads,
except when parking in area
devoid of vegetation within 10
feet of the roadway.
For more fire danger and
public use restrictions, visit
https://www.fs.usda.gov/
detail/malheur/fire/?cid=fsb-
dev3_033802
or
call
541-575-3113.
Larger regional food bank
distribution center set to open soon
By Dick Mason
EO Media Group
An expanded food distribu-
tion center is set to open soon
in Island City, one which will
help Community Connection
of Northeast Oregon provide
an added boost to families and
individuals who have fallen on
hard times.
The Northeast Oregon
Regional Food Bank’s new
food distribution center is
set to open by early August
at 10213 N. McAlister Lane,
said Margaret Davidson, exec-
utive director of Community
Connection of Northeast Ore-
gon, which operates the food
bank. The new distribution
center will have 8,500 square
feet, almost eight times the
1,100 square feet the regional
food bank’s distribution center
has at its La Grande site at the
Union County Senior Center.
“This is wonderful. The
community is really pulling
together to help us,” David-
son said.
The total cost of the proj-
ect is $1.04 million, which
includes the purchase price of
the building formerly owned
by Pendleton Grain Grow-
ers. The funding has been pro-
vided by about eight grants,
Community Connection and
donations from individuals
and businesses.
Community
Connec-
tion has received $150,000
in donations from individu-
als and businesses, $65,000
more than Davidson’s initial
goal.
“People have been so gen-
erous,” she said.
The larger distribution
center will allow the regional
food bank to maintain a
stronger reserve for the pan-
tries it provides food for in
Union, Wallowa, Baker and
Grant counties. It will also
put the food bank in a posi-
tion to better address emer-
gencies such as those which
could be caused by natural
disasters and extended power
outages, Davidson said.
The new distribution cen-
ter will have more refrig-
eration space, allowing the
regional food bank to pro-
vide more fresh food items,
such as milk and eggs.
“It will give us more
Deadly rabbit disease spreads to wild
By George Plaven
EO Media Group
EO Media Group/Dick Mason
Mat Barber and Margaret Davidson, of Community Connection
of Northeast Oregon, discuss the renovation of the old Pendle-
ton Grain Growers building into a food distribution center on
June 11. Davidson is the executive directer of Community Con-
nection and Barber is the construction manager for the project.
options. We will be able to
provide a wider variety of
healthier foods,” Davidson
said.
The new distribution cen-
ter will not only provide more
space inside but also outside,
with an expansive parking
area, making it much eas-
ier and safer for large trucks
to make deliveries. David-
son noted that presently it’s
difficult for large trucks to
make deliveries at the Union
County Senior Center which
has a much smaller and more
crowded parking lot.
The distribution center’s
move to Island City will
have no impact on the ser-
vices it offers to the public
at the Union County Senior
Center. All services there
now will continue, including
food distribution services.
Community Connection
began looking for a larger
distribution center site about
2 1/2 years ago.
The search was frustrat-
ing at first. The first six sites
looked at failed to meet all
of Community Connection’s
needs. Davidson said for a
while it appeared that Com-
munity Connection would
have to construct its own
building. Then it was learned
that the PGG building, which
Romans’ Precision Irrigation
had just moved out of, was
available for sale.
Community Connection
leaders soon determined that
the PGG building had met all
its needs.
“Everything clicked. It was
perfect,” Davidson said.
Renovation work started in
late March. The construction
manager for the project has
been Mat Barber, of Commu-
nity Connection.
“He has been invaluable in
keeping the project moving,”
Davidson said.
The Northeast Regional
Food Bank must be out of
its storage building at the
Union County Senior Cen-
ter by July 31 due to an order
from the Federal Transit
Administration.
The FTA issued its order
because the food bank’s pres-
ent location was originally
built to serve as a site for the
operation of a public trans-
portation operation, Davidson
said. Northeast Oregon Pub-
lic Transit, which Community
Connection also operates, will
later use the site to house vehi-
cles and equipment.
Davidson said the FTA
order spurred Community
Connection to begin search-
ing for a new distribution
center site. She noted though
that, even before the order, the
organization needed a larger
distribution center.
“We knew we needed more
space before then,” she said.
The Northeast Oregon
Regional Food Bank pro-
vides food to 18 pantries in
Union, Wallowa, Baker and
Grant counties plus additional
sites including Department
of Human Services offices.
The food bank provided
1.3 million pounds of food
in 2020.
Eastern Oregon Search and Rescue to hold
annual training at Salt Creek Summit June 25-27
Blue Mountain Eagle
People taking Forest Road
39 to Halfway or Hells Can-
yon this weekend should
expect some possible delays,
along with ATVs, pickups,
people and maybe even extra
help for those who get into
trouble.
Search and rescue units
from across Eastern Oregon
will hold their annual train-
ing exercise in the Salt Creek
Summit area this weekend,
June 25-27.
“This training is a huge
value to all of our volun-
teers to be able to network
and train with multiple agen-
cies from (Northeast) Ore-
gon,” said Wallowa County
SAR Capt. Brent Neely. “Par-
ticipating counties frequently
call on each other for mutual
aid for specialized rescues or
extended searches and having
experience training with each
other’s teams is invaluable.”
There may be significant
traffic and UTV/ATV con-
gestion in and around the Salt
Creek Summit parking area
during this time frame. The
parking lot will be open to
the public, but parking may
be limited due to the volume
Contributed photo/Washington State Dept. of Agriculture
The USDA Foreign Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory last week confirmed rabbit hemorrhag-
ic disease virus 2 in a wild black-tailed jackrabbit collected near Christmas Valley on May 20.
of SAR equipment and tents
staged there.
About 100 search and res-
cue volunteers from 10 East-
ern Oregon counties (Baker,
Gilliam, Grant, Harney, Mal-
heur, Morrow, Union, Uma-
tilla, Wallowa and Wheeler)
are expected to take part in the
exercises. Most will be camp-
ing in the Salt Creek Summit
area, near where most of the
training will take place. Wal-
lowa County Search and Res-
cue volunteers are hosting the
event.
The training includes work
in fast tracking, responding to
a swiftwater (water rescue)
emergency, advanced incident
command, land searches, K-9
land searches, civil air patrol
searches and searching using
a drone.
“If you plan to recreate or
travel in this area, please be
aware of this training,” said
WCSAR event coordinator
Paige Sully. “However seri-
ous it may appear, we are not
engaged in an actual search
and rescue incident response.”
The Wallowa County SAR
volunteers have developed the
training exercises that also
include equine packing and
rescue.
A wild, black-tailed jack-
rabbit collected near Christ-
mas Valley has tested posi-
tive for Rabbit Hemorrhagic
Disease Virus 2, or RHDV2,
raising concern among state
wildlife officials trying to
curb the disease’s spread.
While not harmful to
humans, RHDV2 is highly
contagious and deadly to rab-
bits and hares. It can spread
through contact with other
infected animals or contam-
inated food and water, caus-
ing sudden death.
The jackrabbit was one of
several found dead in the area
of south-central Oregon with
signs of the disease, accord-
ing to the state Department
of Fish and Wildlife.
ODFW collected the ani-
mal on May 20, sending it to
the USDA Foreign Animal
Disease Diagnostic Labora-
tory for testing. Results came
back positive for the disease
last week.
RHDV2 was also con-
firmed March 14 in eight
feral domestic rabbits in the
Portland metro area.
ODFW says it will con-
tinue to collect and sample
rabbits throughout the state
to keep the disease from
spreading to other wild rab-
bit populations. The pub-
lic should also report rab-
bit mortalities to help the
agency track the virus.
Colin Gillin, ODFW
state wildlife veterinarian,
said hunters should take
extra precautions handling
rabbits, especially if they
have pet or domestic rabbits
at home.
“If you have pet rab-
bits, do not handle dead wild
rabbits in the field and then
go home and handle your
own pet or domestic rab-
bits as you may spread the
disease,” Gillin said. “Wear
nitrile gloves when handling,
and then shower and wash
clothes before getting near
any other rabbits.”
Disease symptoms may
include fever, lethargy, lack
of appetite, lack of coordi-
nation, excitement or ner-
vousness, difficulty breath-
ing, congested membranes
around the eyes or bloody,
frothy nasal discharge at
death.
There is no licensed vac-
cine for the disease in the
U.S., though there are two
vaccines licensed by the
European Union, Eravac
and Filavac, which may be
imported under a special
USDA permit in states with
confirmed cases.
A
veterinarian
can
request to use the unlicensed
vaccines only for individu-
ally identified rabbits, and
only with permission from
the state veterinarian. The
USDA says it has limited
information about the EU
vaccines, and no support-
ing data for recommended
usage.
Rabbit Hemorrhagic Dis-
ease was also discovered in
two wild jackrabbits in Ada
County, Idaho, earlier this
year. The disease was pre-
viously confirmed in a New
Mexico rabbit in March
2020, and has since been
spreading in other states
including Arizona, Califor-
nia, Colorado, Nevada and
Texas.
To report dead rabbits
in Oregon, call 1-800-347-
7028 or visit www.oda.
direct/RHD.
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU !
U.S. 395: Sidewalk Improvements in John Day
In 2022 we will upgrade sidewalks between SW Sixth Avenue and Grant Union High
School along the west side of U.S. 395 (South Canyon Boulevard) to meet the Americans
with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards. Work also includes widening the existing bicycle
lane and installing curbs and gutters for storm runoff.
To collect your feedback about the upcoming project we are holding a virtual open house.
ONLINE OPEN HOUSE
Go to
June 21 - July 7
odotopenhouse.org
and click on the U.S. 395 Sidewalk Improvements John Day project link.
Please take a few minutes to visit the site before July 7 to review our plans, pictures,
videos and traffic impacts information, and then let us know if you have any comments.
Overview: U.S. 395-C serves as a major route through John Day connecting businesses
and homes with the elementary, middle and high schools. Sidewalks along this section
do not meet ADA standards, or do not exist. This places pedestrians, especially children
traveling to and from school, in unsafe situations. Existing bicycle lanes are located next
to busy, fast-moving traffic, making travel unpleasant for children and less experienced
riders.
We will enhance safety along the corridor by:
•
Building new sidewalks to current ADA standards.
•
Widening existing bicycle lane.
•
Installing curbs and gutters for storm water runoff.
•
Constructing storm water facilities.
We will design the project this year and construct in 2022.
We appreciate your review and feedback. It will help us construct a better, safer project.
“There are thousands of
volunteer hours that go into
planning and training at this
event,” Neely said. “I want to
say thank you to all the SAR
members for the personal
time, energy, and money they
donate to make our Northeast
Oregon SAR teams the best
they can be.”
ODOT is pleased to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). If you need
special accommodations or alternate language formats to participate in this open house
event, please contact us (contact information below). Alternate formats available upon
request or call statewide relay at 711, or e-mail: ODOTeeo@ODOT.state.or.us...
For more information, please contact Tom Strandberg, ODOT Public Information Officer
at 541-663-6261, or email thomas.m.strandberg@odot.state.or.us
S250175-1
EASTERN OREGON
2021
PHOTO CONTEST
Voting for ‘People’s Choice’
NOW OPEN
Vote online for People’s Choice from 12:01 am Monday,
June 21 through 11:59 pm Wednesday, June 30.
The winners will appear in the July 7th edition of Go Magazine;
the top 25 will appear online.
Gift cards to a restaurant of your choice will be awarded for fi rst, second and third place.
S250152-1
All photos online at:
bluemountaineagle.com/photocontest