Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 25, 1982)
The Gaiette-Times, Hrppner, Oregon, Thursday, February 25. 1982-THREE Reflections on the year that was r i;' i - t'y'1 " Accomplished ACCOMPLISHMENTS FOR 1981 January 1 - June 30 4 Continued evaluation of Morrow County's resources in USD As Multiresource Inventory. Planning and implementation has progressed well in the Jordan Canyon Special Project. Twelve out of fourteen landowners participated in the project this year. Primary emphasis has been in terracing; however, conservation tillage is being widely accepted. Long term agreements continue to be an important element of achieving desireable land treatment. An additional two LTA's were developed in this period of time. The reduced tillage program using chemical aids has L . . and projections for a prosperous 1982 MORROW SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT ANNUAL WORK PLAN July 1,1981 -June 30, 1982 SOIL EROSION - WATER QUALITY 1. Continue Jordan Canyon special project. a Develop conservation plans on remaining coo per a tors - (5) b. Continue terracing program. c. Evaluate resource management systems (stubble mulch & terraces). 2. Support LTA program in Morrow County. Presently 10 on-going LTA's. 3. Continue to advance the reduced tillage program. Evaluate the results of chemical treatment. 4 Submit application for a SWCC grant on annual cropping and if approved, provide leadership in the development and evaluation of the project. 5. Streambank fencing is being promoted by the Fish & Wildlife Dept. Bob Krein to initiate project. 1 981 year of The year 1981 was one of challenge and change to the Oregon State Forestry De partment. The Fossil unit office of the East Central Oregon District which in cludes much of Morrow Coun ty, was no exception. Liile spring rains delayed the start of fire season but high grass and long periods of hot. dry weather quickly brought fire danger to high levels. In fact, seventeen days of extreme fire danger, an unusually high amount, were recorded during fire season 1981. Budget reductions exper ienced in 1981 have resulted in the loss of our Forest Practices-service forester at the Fossil unit. We have, as a result reduced our Forest I 'met ices oH"i alion inspection AVIATION MELBOYER. Professional Aviation Services SPRAYING SEEDING FLIGHT INSTRUCTION AREIAL SURVEY MAINTENANCE AIRCRAFT SALES I'H: 989-8122 Lexington, Oregon 97839 This years objectives challenge to and switched our emphasis from preventing damage to responding to damage re ports; although some preven tion work, particularly on high risk operations, will continue. The loss of our service forester has meant that we are unable to assist private land owners in timber manage ment planning work. We are continuing to service referrals under the A. C P. program for cost-shared timber thinning and planting practices. F.astern Oregon timbcrland is facing, once again, a serious threat from an insect pest ; the Western Budworm. The 1981 aerial insect survey, flown last summer, revealed a total area of :W.:iW acres affected compared to 5. Mil acres in 198H. The hudworm is a defoliator affecting Douglas- DUSTING FERTILIZING -Sir last year heightened to a great extent. Assisted the sixth grade Outdoor Classroom Conservation Education Program. Supported the National and Oregon association of Conservation Districts. t OTHER ACCOMPLISHMENTS No. Technical assistance Individuals applying conservation practices Plans Terrace systems Chemical Tillage 422 50 3 44 IRRIGATION - DRAINAGE 1. With SCS special emphasis project, irrigation will bf an important priority. 2. Highest priority will be placed on those using sprinkle irrigation systems. Irrigation management evaluations will be made. 3. Drainage is becoming an important element in northern Morrow County. In many cases drainage will have to precede before proper irrigation management. RANGElMPROVEMENT 1. A project proposal of knapweed spraying and reseeding range damaged by wintering elk will be developed by the Oregon State Fish & Wildlife Department. 2. Limited assistance will be provided for range improvements due to special emphasis programs in dryland crop and irrigation. 3. Sagebrush spraying projects under A CP will include management plans. Forestry Dept. fir, grand fir. and while fir. In Morrow County. 17.057 acres of privately owned timbcrland is currently affected. The area affected in the Umatilla Na tional Forest is much larger. The State Forestry Depart ment. The Forest Service, and private landowners affected are cooperating jointly to assess the damage, and deve lop action plans based on budwnrk populations, re source losses, suppression costs, and environmental im pacts. The final course of action, if any. will he deter mined in the early spring of t982. The alternatives include: Field OfflceX""" Agricultural Part Time Farm Rural Housing 1981 Amount 2,563 Acres 417.490L.F. (1) doing nothing. (2) using silvicultural means to reduce host species or (3) using biological and-or chemical controls. The East Central Oregon District recently concluded a detailed study of its fire protection system. This pro lection survey was designed to point out areas where our fire protection system can be improved. One area of con cern was the "Rural Forest Interface" where increasing numbers of homes are being built on or very near forest land. Although the State Forestry Department protects Continued, page 5 ft LOT "" JJr 'TTTf 1 I M SWCD , awarded 41,600 Nine Soil and Water Conser vation districts in Oregon including Morrow County will receive grant money from the Department of Agricul ture. The grant money is being used by these districts as demonstration for erosion control projects. In Morrow County, a no-till annual cropping program will be demonstrated. The purpose is (I) to determine if a no-till program will significantly reduce soil erosion and im prove water quality: (2) to determine if this program is a practical management alter native in the shallow soil, high precipitation dryland farming area: 3 to determine if this program will provide an adequate economic return to growers: and (41 to determine fertilizer requirements. In Morrow County. 40.000 acres have greater than 12 percent slope, less than 30 inches of soil and greater than 12 inches of annual precipita tion. Under these conditions, soil loss is from 5 -10 tons per acre greater than is permis sahle. Soil conservation struc tures are not always effective in reducing soil loss to tolerable levels. Typically on these kinds of -soils, the soil profile common ly fills with moisture in one winter. A fallow period nets no additional soil moisture. Soil erosion potential is increased with a rain-fallow rotation primarily due to repeated tillage operations which re duce surface residue and degrade soil structure. The program will thus evaluate these conditions as well as attempt to determine the fertilizer requirements. The fertilizer program will be an integral part of the success or failure of this project. Recognizing the need of the crop under annual cropping conditions is very different than tinder a wheat -summer fallow program. Hopefully this will he determined under this project. MuTOnlMIIWB tbOLi MfCHM I TOW I I iiiuiii ivw HOCK Hermitton Every Wednesday 567-7176 Heppner Every & h Tuesday 676-9951 Mm Offics Pendleton 1 S.W. Nye (West of Rod Lion tnn) 276-7361 iimatii i k J
