Heppner gazette-times., March 16, 1978, Image 1

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BESSIE WET2ELL
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NEWSPAPER LID
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VOL. NO. 11
HEPPNER, OREGON
THURSDAY, March 16, 1978
14 PAGES
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TWO SECTIONS
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LikiJ 12-18
The Campfire Girls celebrate their 68th birthday this
week and the first grade Sunshine Blue Birds put up a display
of their original art in the window of Kroll's Department
3rCn stort on Monday to celebrate the occasion. From left Kim
Kroll. Susan Plocharsky, Stephanie Henderson and nenji
Pearson arrange the display. Seven Blue Bird and Campfire
groups in south Morrow County three in Heppner, one in
Lexington and three in lone are observing Campfire Girl
Week, March 12-18. I
Voters OK $4.8
milM
on Bond issue
Morrow County voters Tuesday approved a $4.8 million
bond issue to allow new construction and plant
improvements for the school district. The county-wide vote
was 764 in favor and 428 opposed.
Voters in both the Boardman and Irrigon precincts turned
out in force to suppport the bond issue, nearly two-thirds of
which will go towards financing a new elementary school in
Boardman and a new junior high school in Irrigon.
Forty-nine per cent of the 600 voters in the Boardman
precinct showed up at the polls while 41 per cent of Irrigon's
673 eligible voters cast their ballots.
lone showed a 43 per cent turnout of its 405 eligible voters,
28 per cent of Lexington precinct's 365 voters were counted
and the combined Heppner-Hardman precinct showed a 29
per cent turnout of its 1,175 voters.
School District Supt. Matt Doherty said he was "tickled to
death" with the results, which he said were "better than he
anticipated".
"The results show that the voters in the district really
understand the problems we are facing," Doherty said.
I yes no
Boardman I 274 19
Irrigon 221 51
Heppner ; 172 178
Lexington Hi 83
lone 79 91
Total 761 428
City, County will suppor
construction of dam, if...
t
Officals want
assurance of flood
plain elimination
City of Heppner and Morrow
County officials decided this
week to send letters of support
to Senator Mark Hatfield,
urging him to secure funding
for the construction of Willow
Creek Dam.
During a special session
Monday night, the Heppner
City Council decided to send
Sen. Hatfield a letter assuring
him of the city's support of the
dam with the condition that
the city be assured that if the
dam is constructed, the flood
plain through Heppner would
be eliminated.
The County Court took
similar action during their
regular meeting Wednesday
afternoon, however details of
the meeting were not avail
able by press time.
Discussion at the City Coun
cil meeting centered around
consl ruction of the dam to
eliminate Heppner's flood
plain.
Councilman Bob Jones sta
ted, "If it wasn't for the flood
plain. I'd be against the dam."
Councilman Larry Mills
echoed Jones' sentiments.
"The .only thing you're talk
ing about is building the dam
(o eliminate the flood plain,"
said Mills.
If Heppner's flood plain
remains where it is currently
designated, it is almost cer
tain there would be no new
construction in the business
district and much of the
existing residential area.
Councilman Cliff Green
asked rhetorically, "Why
wasn't the dam available five
years ago?"
"Unless I see a written
guarantee on this desk saying
Peterson resigns Port of
Morrow Commission seat
With a lifetime of public
service behind him, Oscar
Peterson tendered his resigna
tion as a Port of Morrow
Commissioner last week.
"I kind of regret pulling out
now, but there are so many
other things I have to do," said
the 84-year old Peterson.
Born and raised on his
father's homestead in the
Eightmile area, Peterson
plans to devote more time to
the family farm operation,
himself and his family.
Peterson first became in
volved with the Port of
Morrow during his seven-year
stint as County Judge in the
late 50's and early 60's.
"I've always felt that Mor
row County was destined to go
places because of the water
way potential of the Columbia
River," said Peterson, "In
that respect, myself and a lot
of others pushed hard and
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Oscar Peterson
were instrumental in forming
the Port of Morrow."
After Peterson retired his
judgeship he was appointed to
the Port Commission and has
been there since.
Looking to the Port's future
Peterson said, "We have room
for future development and we
can be selective in what
industry locates here. The
Port has some of the finest
large tracts of waterfront
property on the whole river."
Foresight told Peterson that
one day the Columbia River
would be important to Morrow
County and it was over 30
years ago that he joined the
Pacific Northwest Waterways
Association. A lifetime mem
ber of the organization, Peter
son said the Association has
been instrumental in making
the Columbia a major com
mercial artery in river trans
portation for the Inland Em
pire. Making the taxpayer's dol
lar provide the maximum in
benefits has always been a
goal for Peterson, since the
time as a young man when he
cont. on page 3
the flood plain will be elimi
nated. I'll vote no," Green
continued.
At a public meeting March
6. Hon Barrett, Chief of the
flood plain section for the
Corps of Engineers, showed a
photograph of the city's flood
plain if the dam were con
structed. With the exception of
a four-block area at the base
of Shobe Canyon, it showed no
flood plain in Heppner.
At the suggestion of Don
Cole, Heppner-Morrow Cham
ber of Commerce president,
the council agreed to send a
letter of support to Sen.
Hatfield if the city was
assured the flood plain
through town would be elimi
nated. Details of the County Court
meeting will be reported in
next week's Gazette-Times.
Weather
Wed.. Mar. 8
Thurs.. Mar. 9
Fri.. Mar. 10
Sat.. Mar. 11
Sun.. Mar. 12
Mon.. Mar. 13
Tues.. Mar. 14
HI
53
53
52
47
47
49
50
Low Pre.
43 .17
40
31
34
34
33
32
.07
.04
Clean up week
starts Saturday
City will pickup trash
The city government is behind it. So is the Heppner
Garden Club. Lions Club, Chamber of Commerce, Forest
Service, Bluebirds, Boy Scouts, Junior Garden Club, Future
Farmers of America and the students at both the grade
school and high school.
But it will take even more than that if the goal of a clean
city of Heppner by Easter Sunday is to be reached. It will
take a total community effort, and that's the word the
cooperating organizations of the Heppner Spring Clean Up
campaign are hoping to get across.
The week of March 18-25 has been designated official
city-wide clean up week by Heppner Mayor Jerry Sweeney
and all house owners and renters are asked to cooperate in
the campaign by cleaning up yards and side walks and
generally sprucing up their outside living area. Help will also
be( needed in picking up litter in the city parks and other
public areas.
The city crew will be available both Thursday and
Friday of next week to haul away garbage. Residents are
asked to place their yard refuse near their driveway in easily
handled garbage sacks and should not expect household or
garage items to be picked up.
cont. on page 3
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1978 Conservation Man
At first glance, it appears
such a neat, orderly package.
Arrow straight fence rows
surround the 1,880 acre parcel,
only 20 acres of which are
wasteland. A single jog in the
northwest corner adds a little
character to an otherwise
perfect square property line.
Everything is in its place.
Even at second glance, you
can't detect the most pressing
problem faced by Ken Smouse
on his Baseline Road farm.
You can only reflect on the
possible results destroyed
topsoil, choking dust and
plenty of headaches all
brought on by strong winds out
of the south and west.
Realizing that the winds are
a constant factor that have to
be dealt with by farmers in the
Baseline area, Smouse spent
several years in the mid 1960s
converting his land to a series
of wind strips designed to
Kenneth Smouse 1978
Conservation Man
of the Year
provide maximum protection
from wind erosion. His efforts
have not only brought added
security to the 59-year-old
family farm but also earned
Smouse the distinction of
being named 1978 Morrow
County Conservation Man of
the Year.
Smouse was honored on his
selection at Monday's annual
meeting of the Morrow County
Wheat Growers' League.
The farm, located five miles
northeast of lone, is divided
into thirteen 1,000-foot strips
running on 45 degree diago
nals. On alternate years,
Smouse has 925 and 933 acres
in production. He lists several
advantages to having the wind
strips, including, basic protec
tion from wind erosion, winter
protection from the cold
northeast winds that hit the
area, fire protection to stop
possible grass fires that could .
spread from surrounding
lands, as well as allowing
farming and harvesting with
out stirring up bothersome
dust from tailwinds.
Smouse opted for the wider
1,000 strips to cut down on the
number of edges required
between fallow and cropland.
He said there is always the
problem of weed control
between the strips, and with
only 13 strips to contend with,
the weed difficulties are
easier to deal with. Also, the
wider strips keep him from
having to run farm equipment
in the same tracts time after
time and allow him to cross
cultivate.
The strips were added to the
farm over several years
beginning in 1962 and Smouse
took advantage of the federal
farm program during the
period to eliminate any loss of
production, despite having to
double summer fallow some of
the land during the transition.
"Now that the strips are in, I
think they could take care of
any blow that could start
here," Smouse said. "They
really help out with fire
protection too, since any fire
starting in the grass around
lone would have run clear
across this place."
The Smouse family has been
in Morrow County since the
turn of the century when
Smouse's parents moved from
Nebraska to homestead in the
Ella area. Henry Smouse first
farmed south of lone on what
is now the Milt Morgan farm
and later purchased the pre
sent farm in 1919.
While his father managed
the farm, Smouse worked for
the Department of Interior as
a hydraulic engineer, per
forming stream gauging work
throughout Oregon. A year
after he. married his wife
Frances in 1942, his father
died, prompting a return to
the farm. The Smouses have
raised three children, Ken
neth, now living in Salt Lake
City, Utah; Cherilyn of Port
land and Carl, still living on
the farm.
The farm is owned jointly by
Ken, two . sisters and a
sister-in-law, and Smouse
rents the farm from the
partnership known as H.V.
Smouse Estate.
With other family members
involved in the farm concerns,
Smouse says he tries to
maintain accurate records of
the operations to keep the
other partners informed. That
includes marking minimum
and maximum temperatures
as well as rainfall and other
indicators. Rainfall on the
Smouse ranch comes to about
nine inches annually and
Smouse sets his wheat yield
over the past 15 years at about
a 30 bushel per acre average.
Smouse has a soil test made
each August by the Pendleton
Grain Growers and he ferti
lizes in August or early
September according to the
PGG recommendations.
Usual fertilization ranges
from 0 to 45 pounds of nitrogen
with sulphur added occasion
ally. .
"In the past we've gone over
the strips twice with chisel
plows and now we're using a
Calkins Cultivator the first
time over and then using the
chisel plows once," said
Smouse, who since 1975 has
employed Leo Crabtree to
help with the work. "It's kind
of a borderline situation
between a one-man and two
man farm but I'd be hard
pressed without Leo now."
The wind strips on the
Smouse ranch would have
been greatly appreciated back
in the early 1930s when
Smouse said "about 700 acres
of this place started blowing
one day". After the ordeal,
Smouse's father, along with
other area farmers made a
trip to the dry areas of
Eastern Washington to ob
serve their farming practices.
The trip led to a big push to get
wind erosion measures
through the Oregon legisla
ture in 1937 and later to the
formation of the Lexington
Blow Control District.
Smouse has served on the
District's board of supervisors
since 1944 and is currently the
chairman. He has been active
in other farm groups including
a year as president of the
Oregon Wheat Growers
League in 1955 and a five-year
term on the Oregon Wheat
Commission.
Smouse says he has no
major changes planned for the
operation of his farm although
he is keeping a close eye on the
development of minimal and
chemical tillage practices. He
also said he might give the
recently released Stephen
wheat variety a try as a
change of pace from his
current McDermid variety.
Other than that, it's busi
ness as usual on the Smouse
ranch, except for reserving a
spot on the mantle for the 1978
Morrow County Conservation.
Man of the Year award.
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