A4
OPINION
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, September 15, 2021
Town hall fails
to answer all
questions
S
en. Ron Wyden should
get kudos for sponsoring
a virtual town hall ses-
sion in August regarding his
River Democracy Act, and the
esteemed lawmaker did a good
job of answering questions
and trying to alleviate fears.
But his legislation still carries
more questions than answers.
The River Democracy Act
will add more than 4,000
miles of wild and scenic rivers
across the state, but the idea
sparked some opposition from
rural county elected offi cials
and concerns it will impact
grazing, potential timber har-
vests and aff ect recreational
access.
For the most part, the bill
seems to be a good-faith
attempt in conservation and
carries with it several interest-
ing and valid protections.
Yet, there is a bit of an
unease with a piece of legis-
lation that carves out so much
acreage based on what is
essentially a crowd-sourcing
attempt where 15,000 Orego-
nians delivered their personal
choices for what should be
protected under the proposed
legislation.
Wyden has done a good job
of answering questions and
has assured the public the bill
will have no impact on private
land or existing property, graz-
ing or water rights.
Wyden has stated the bill
will apply only to federal
lands. The bill also contains
provisions that will require the
U.S. Forest Service and the
Bureau of Land Management
to review wildfi re risks in wild
and scenic river corridors.
Each agency then has up to
six years to develop a mitiga-
tion plan. The bill also would
create a $30 million fund to
restore riparian areas that are
scorched by wildfi res.
Both are excellent measures
that are, in fact, long overdue.
And yet, Wyden’s ambitious
plan leaves a sense of disquiet.
For one, there doesn’t seem
to be as much interaction with
local offi cials on the broad
strokes of the blueprint as one
would expect. Some county
commissioners in some por-
tions of Eastern Oregon have
said they were never consulted
about the bill, a piece of leg-
islation that will impact their
areas of responsibility.
Secondly, bills such as
these have a bad habit of creat-
ing unintended consequences.
What appears right and proper
now may evolve into a prob-
lem down the road. Not for the
senator, nor for environmen-
talists who want the legisla-
tion, but for people who live
in the areas where the bill will
make its biggest impact.
EDUCATION CORNER
An essential life skill
e all have busy lives fi lled
with activities from the
moment we wake up
until our head hits the bed. Yet quite
often, at some point in the day, you
might hear “I’m bored” or “I don’t
have anything to do” from one of
your kids. Some child development
specialists say we often fail to teach
our children one important life skill,
dealing with boredom. In addition,
children’s days are fi lled with activ-
ities planned by others, and they can
fi nd it diffi cult to direct themselves
to an activity of their own interests.
In her research, Dr. Sandi Mann
from the University of Central Lan-
cashire looked at what we often
associate with boredom, lack of
something to do. When we view
boredom from this lens, it allows
children to depend on others for
their activities, and restricts their
creativity. This is not just at home
but in our educational system as
well. Our schools have cut students’
recess times greatly over the past
20 decades. This has impacted chil-
dren’s abilities to develop friend-
ships, work with others and create
activities with others independently.
Who would have ever thought
making sure that our kids always
had activities and events to attend or
do might be harming them? Devel-
oping and learning how to create
W
their own interests
and fi ll their down-
time is a life skill
we expect our chil-
dren to execute.
Yet, as adults, we
often experience
Dr. Scott
frustration when
Smith
our children face
downtime. The child hasn’t learned
or developed the skills to fi ll this
unknown time. Instead, they become
dependent on others to fi ll their day
with activities, and when faced with
unplanned or free time, we hear, “I
have nothing to do. I’m bored.”
Providing a downtime where a
child has to spend time on their own
is not free time for the parents at
fi rst. Learning not to be bored is a
process and takes time. You cannot
start with 60 minutes of downtime.
You have to build up to 60 minutes.
Start with 10 minutes and provide a
couple of choices, such as reading
a book or drawing a picture. When
you hear those beautiful words, “I’m
done!” All you have to say is, “You
still have more time to choose some-
thing else.” This is where the learn-
ing takes place, so be ready for the
pushback. Stick to the 10 minutes.
After a bit, you’ll be able to increase
by 5-minute intervals. Just as you
cannot run a marathon the fi rst time
out and must build your endurance,
the same is true in learning how to
deal with boredom. By providing
your child with downtime, you can
teach them how to engage in activ-
ities independently and not depend
on others to create activities for
them.
Some schools have cut their
recess times during the school day
because of the demands on instruc-
tional time and to avoid dealing with
student misbehavior. They found
that cutting recess time cut down
students’ misbehaviors. Yet, is that
best for them? Instead of using this
time as a teaching/developmen-
tal time, schools shorten the time to
run and play, shortening the time to
practice these developmental skills.
We so often assume children can
use free time for productive things
when it is a skill that parents and
teachers need to foster. Take the
time to guide children out of bore-
dom and model and share what you
are doing during your downtime.
Dr. Scott Smith is a Umatilla
County educator with 40-plus years
of experience. He taught at McNary
Heights Elementary School and then
for Eastern Oregon University in
their teacher education program at
Blue Mountain Community College.
He serves on the Decoding Dyslexia
— OR board as their parent-teacher
liaison.
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
Marketing on social media
I
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@cityofl ongcreek.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,
oregonlegislature.gov.
• Sen. Lynn Findley, R-Vale — 900 Court St.
Blue Mountain
EAGLE
Published every
Wednesday by
NE, S-301, Salem 97301. Phone: 503-986-
1730. Website: oregonlegislature.gov/fi ndley.
Email: sen.lynnfi ndley@oregonlegislature.
gov.
• Rep. Mark Owens, R-Crane — 900 Court St.
NE, H-475, Salem 97301. Phone: 503-986-
1460. District address: 258 S. Oregon St.,
Ontario OR 97914. District phone: 541-889-
8866. Website: oregonlegislature.gov/fi ndley.
Email: rep.markowens@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.
• U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D — 516 Hart Senate
Offi ce Building, Washington D.C. 20510.
Phone: 202-224-5244. Email: wayne_kinney@
wyden.senate.gov. Website: http://wyden.
senate.gov Fax: 202-228-2717.
• U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, D — 313 Hart
Senate Offi ce Building, Washington D.C.
20510. Phone: 202-224-3753. Email: senator@
merkley.senate.gov. Fax: 202-228-3997.
Oregon offi ces include One World Trade
Center, 121 S.W. Salmon St., Suite 1250,
Portland, OR 97204; and 310 S.E. Second St.,
Suite 105, Pendleton, OR 97801. Phone: 503-
326-3386; 541-278-1129. Fax: 503-326-2990.
• U.S. Rep. Cliff Bentz, R — (Second District)
1239 Longworth Building, Washington D.C.
20515. Phone: 202-225-6730. No direct email
because of spam. Website: walden.house.
gov Fax: 202-225-5774. Ontario offi ce: 2430
SW Fourth Ave., Suite 2, Ontario, OR 97914.
Phone: 541-709-2040. Medford offi ce: 14 N.
Central Ave., Suite 112, Medford, OR 97501.
Phone: 541-776-4646. Fax: 541-779-0204.
• Pending Bills: For information on bills in
Congress. Phone: 202-225-1772.
n today’s world, it is essen-
tial that your company has a
strong social media presence.
Given that well over 90% of busi-
nesses utilize a variety of platforms
to market their products or services,
it’s essential to fi nd the right strat-
egy and a way to stand out from the
competition.
First, it’s necessary to decide
which social media networks will
best reach your desired target audi-
ence. Using a social media platform
which your customers don’t begin
to understand or will never access,
obviously won’t drive sales. For
many, Facebook is the best place to
start simply given the sheer volume
of users (over a billion daily). Ins-
tagram and Pinterest are additional
options.
Engaging with customers by cre-
ating an open-ended dialogue helps
create organic conversations. Inform
them about an industry related topic,
share ideas and even ask for advice
or allow them to share an opinion
about your products and services.
While it’s important to remain pro-
fessional, you can also show your
sense of humor and post a picture
of your favorite four-legged friend.
Make it real.
Interesting pho-
tos of what’s hap-
pening at your busi-
ness (even a sneak
preview or behind
the scenes photos)
are a great way to
Greg Smith
attract attention. It’s
not always neces-
sary to accompany the photo with
text — a compelling photo just
keeps that top of the mind aware-
ness rolling. Find creative ways to
demonstrate your expertise through
“how-to” content — informative
videos are a great way to accom-
plish this.
Be down to earth. It doesn’t
always have to be about you — take
advantage of national observance
days to create interesting posts.
These can be used to raise aware-
ness or to simply have a little fun.
And who doesn’t need a little levity
these days? International Peach Pie
Day, Polar Plunge Day, Festival of
Sleep Day. You get the picture.
If customers are looking for a
product or service you cannot pro-
vide, it’s a great opportunity to off er
recommendations for other busi-
nesses — perhaps those with whom
you shop personally. This helps
L
ETTERS POLICY: Letters to the Editor is a forum for Blue Mountain Eagle readers to express themselves on local, state, national or world issues.
Brevity is good, but longer letters will be asked to be contained to 350 words. No personal attacks; challenge the opinion, not the person. No thank-
you letters. Submissions to this page become property of the Eagle. The Eagle reserves the right to edit letters for length and for content. Letters must
be original and signed by the writer. Anonymous letters will not be printed. Writers should include a telephone number so they can be reached for
questions. We must limit all contributors to one letter per person per month. Deadline is 5 p.m. Friday. Send letters to editor@bmeagle.com, or Blue
Mountain Eagle, 195 N. Canyon Blvd., John Day, OR 97845; or fax to 541-575-1244.
Grant County’s Weekly Newspaper
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
(including online access)
Editor & General Manager ...............Sean Hart, editor@bmeagle.com
One year ..................................................$51
Monthly autopay .............................. $4.25
Outside Continental U.S. ....................$60
Reporter ...................................................... Steven Mitchell, steven@bmeagle.com
Sports ........................................................sports@bmeagle.com
Multimedia ............................................................. Alex Wittwer, awittwer@eomediagroup.com
Marketing Rep .......................................Kim Kell, ads@bmeagle.com
Subscriptions must be paid
prior to delivery
Online: MyEagleNews.com
Periodicals Postage Paid
at John Day and additional
mailing offi ces.
POSTMASTER
send address changes to:
Blue Mountain Eagle
195 N. Canyon Blvd.
John Day, OR 97845-1187
USPS 226-340
Offi ce Assistant .....................................Alixandra Hand, offi ce@bmeagle.com
MEMBER OREGON NEWSPAPER PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION
build trust with your customers and
will foster valuable business to busi-
ness relationships.
Always be gracious. Take the
time to show appreciation to your
customers and remember that not
everyone is going to love you. If
someone has a complaint, acknowl-
edge their concern and express
how providing exceptional service
is always your goal. Contact them
offl ine to explore options to resolve
the issue, and of course, if someone
is being vulgar or socially inappro-
priate, the delete and block buttons
are at your ready.
The bottom line is social media
is an excellent, aff ordable and eff ec-
tive way to market and brand your
business. Whether you undertake
this yourself or employ the services
of a professional, fi nding ways to
set yourself apart from your com-
petition and engage your clients to
increase revenue is a key part of
your continued growth.
Greg Smith is the director of the
Eastern Oregon University Small
Business Development Center, 1607
Gekeler Lane, Room 148 in La
Grande. For free, confi dential busi-
ness advising, call 541-962-1532 or
email eousbdc@gmail.com.
Phone: 541-575-0710
Copyright © 2021
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