Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (April 17, 1991)
FOI R - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, April 17, 1991 i b__ - g i i s Clearcut Portland? The Official Newspaper of the City of Heppner and the County of Morrow The following article from Wallowa County Chieftain was submitted by one o f our readers. Editor J O N PA =5====* Guest editorial By E.H. Van Blaricom The Heppner GAZETTE-TIMES Morrow C ounty’s Home-Owned Weekly Newspaper Did you ever wonder why rural Oregon has been called upon to make nearly all of the sacrifices to “ save” our environment and provide the “ open spaces” and recreational amenities for the urban dwellers in the Willamette Valley? The state Land Conservation and Development Commission (LCDC) restricts rural development. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) wants to own and control all of the water rights in the state. Oregon Natural Resource Council (ONRC) wants all logging stopped. The Audubon Society wants agricultural and ranch lands to become wildlife habitat. And the Sierra Club wants all public lands to be designated as wilderness. Something is wrong here. What sacrifices are being demanded of city dwellers? Maybe the stresses on our environment and “ quality of life” are being attacked from the wrong end? Let’s take Portland and its satellite communities, for instance. Portland hasn’t always been Portland; it was once called “ Stump City.” That means it was once an “ ancient forest,” before it was clearcut. Since one of the environmental battle cries is “ habitat restoration,” why not clearcut Portland once again and replant it to a Douglas fir forest? This sounds preposterous, but it would do more for Oregon’s environ ment than the 1000 Friends of Oregon could do with 1000 lawsuits! Of course we wouldn’t want Portland to be totally dismantled. That would cause undue stress on certain species of bird and animal life that depend on urban habitat. For example, by leaving a few of the old historical buildings intact, pigeons, starlings, and house sparrows could continue to thrive. Another significant exception would be to leave intact two or three small suburban clusters of houses connected by brushy corridors. This would ensure the survival of opossums and raccoons who have become depen dent upon back porch dog dishes for much of their sustenance. But perhaps the biggest impact on the environment would be from the electricity that would no longer be needed if Portland were to be clearcut . . Bonneville and The Dalles dams could be dismantled which would cause Celilo Falls to reappear on the Columbia River. This might make the In dian tribes happy, providing they could make the transition from gillnets back to dip-nets. And what a splendid tourist attraction that would provide for easterners visiting Orygone! That’s only the beginning. The huge quantities of water that irrigated the lawns and flushed the toilets in Portland would be left in the streams to flow unmolested into the Pacific Ocean Salmon and trout would flourish, especially when the stream banks were no longer crowded with Portland fishermen. By the same token, once the armies of Portland hunters disap peared from the fields and forests, game birds and animals would most cer tainly become numerous. Another boon to the ecosystem would occur when all of the area’s golf courses would become wild grasslands, thus providing excellent habitat for moles, gophers, and field mice. And since there would be no more need for new building construction, millions of trees would be allowed to live out their lives much to the delight of woodpeckers and insects. By now you are probably wondering where all of these half million or so people would go if Greater Portland were abandoned. The obvious place would be back east where populations are in decline. A reverse migration, as it were. But wouldn’t that cause drastic social and economic hardships? Not to worry. Haven’t you ever heard about retraining or welfare pro grams for those people who fall through the cracks? Besides, adding more population to the eastern states would help them to send more represen tatives to Congress, thus assuring the votes to see that the forest that was once Portland will be ever preserved. Of course, there would be some pain to be shared by many farmers and rural people who depend on Portland customers for their livelihood. But if Oregon is to be returned to simpler times, before high-tech and wasteful consumerism, who is in the best position to survive? Rural people who know how to grub a living from the land could go back to subsistance farming, supplemented by all the wild game and fish which would become available from the healthy environment after all the Portlanders are gone. U S P S 240-420 Published ever) VS ednesdav and entered as second-class nuitter at the Post Office ai Heppner. Oregon under the Act of March 3, 1874. Second class postage paid at Heppner. Oregoo. Office at 147 West Willow Street. Telephone (503) 676-9128. Address communications to the Heppner Gazette-Times, P.O. Bov 337, Hepp ner, Oregon 97836. Subscriptions: $15 In Morrow, Wheeler, Gilliam and Grant Counties: $23 elsewhere. Joyce H u g h es............................................................ Office Manager. Typesetting April Sykes ............................................................................................ News Editor Carol Atherly ........................................................................Graphics Department Becky Evans ......................................................................... Graphics Department Monique P a r r e l....................... Distribution Penni Keersemaker.........................................................................................Bindery Bob S m ith ................... Printer David and April Svkes. Publishers Letters to the Editor It’s going to be a HIT To the Editor: For years I have dreamed of a community theater group in our area and now it is about to happen, we hope. I write this letter to everyone who might want to be part of this project. I mean everyone, for we want all ages from pre-school to oc- togenerians to join us. We plan to get together Sunday, April 21, at 3 p.m. in the dining room o f the Heppner Senior Center and begin plans for our first produc tion, perhaps an old-fashioned “ mellerdrammer” musical to be presented in June or July. Actors and musicians are an im portant part of a show, but equally important in a top-rate production are the workers backstage who build and paint the set, gather the props, do lighting, costumes, make-up, sound, publicity, ticket sales, and the many other jobs that make the play happen. We need you all. If your schedule prevents your coming Sunday but you truly want to be with us, please call and let me know, 676-9435. The name of our group will be the Heppner Intergenerational Theater, making our initials HIT. That way every play we do will be a HIT pro duction. See you Sunday, then, and bring a friend. (s) Jane Rawlins Heppner Weather Report by City of Heppner Tues. Weds. Thurs. Fri. Sat. Sun. Mon. April 9 - 15, High Low 50 34 49 35 58 30 62 38 68 37 55 38 52 40 1991 Prec Snow .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .11 .10 Baptism planned at Valby church Sunday April 21, Pastor Hoobing will celebrate the sacraments of Holy Baptism and Holy Communion at Valby Lutheran Church of lone at 9 a.m. Cory Robert Peterson, son of Rick and Anita Peterson of lone will be baptized. Phil and Kathy Carlson will be Cory's,sponsors. Service of Holy Communion,will be celebratedi.pt Mope Lutheran Church at 11 a.m. A nursery atten dant will be available for parents with small children. Pastor Hoobing will deliver a children’s sermon entitled “ Speak With Boldness," based on reading of Acts 4:23-33. “ The Good Shepherd” is the theme of the mor ning sermon based on the reading from St. John 10:11-18. Sunday school at Valby starts at 8:15 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. at Hope. Visitors and tourists are welcome to attend services. Rolling Hills run planned The Heppner Rolling Hills Run will be held Saturday, April 27 beginning at 9 a.m. at Heppner Elementary School. Pre-registration for the five or 10K walk/run is requested. The proceeds of the run will go toward life-saving equipment for the South Morrow County EMT teams. Entry fee including a T-shirt and the post-run breakfast is $12 each for the first two members of a family and $8 each ad ditional member. Registration without a T-shirt is $8 each for the first two members of a family, and Heppner Police Report____ The Heppner Police department reports handling the following business during the past week: April 1: 8:30 a.m.-Courteous Driver Award to Timothy G. David son; 6:36 p.m.-found property: 7:01 p.m.-Motorist Assist; 9:52 p.m.- citation issued for Wrong Way on a One Way Street. April 2: 1:44 p.m.-Assist District Attorney. April 4: 10:28 a.m.-Traffic Acci dent; 1:42 p.m.-Traffic Accident; 5:10 p.m.-report of Suspicious Items. April 6: 7:38 p.m.-assist Morrow County Sheriff s department; 9:34 p.m.-False Alarm, two different locations; 10:40-citation issued for Driving Under the Influence of In toxicants, No Operator’s License. April 8: 10:23 p.m.-report of Theft. April 10: 3:38 p.m.-report of Traffic Accident; 4:15 p.m.-report of Blocked Driveway; 5:55 p.m.- assist Morrow County Sheriff s department. April 11: 9-citation issued for Violation of the Basic Rule, 64 mph in a 25 mph zone. April 12: 12 a.m.-Deliver a message; 7:27 p.m .-report of Assault; 11; 16 p.m.-report of Loud Party. April 13: 11:40 p.m.-request of ficer for Security Check. April 14: 12:03 a.m.-request of ficer for Security Check; 4:30 p.m.- Animal Complaint $7 each for each addi tional member. Runners should pre-register to guarantee gening a T-shirt. Registra tion packets, T-shirts and late registration will be available from 7 to 8:30 a.m. at the school. Pre-run instructions will be given at the star ting line and the race will start at 9 a.m. “ The course is over rolling hills and offers variety to both novice and experienced ru n n e rs,” say organizers. Runners will start at the school, loop up and back along Heppner-Pilot Rock Highway and finish at the Heppner City Park. There will be two aid stations and time splits. Age splits are 0-7; 8-10, 11-13, 14-19. 20-24, 25-30, 31-34, 35-40, 41-44. 45-50, 51-54, 55-60 and 61 and over. Plaques will be awarded to the oldest male and female finishers over all. Plaques will be awarded for first place male and female in the 5 and 10K runs. Rib bons will be awarded to the first three in all age divisions in both distances. Awards and door prizes will be given at the post-race breakfast. Door prize winners must be present to claim door prizes. Call 676-5152 for registration forms or more information. Port o f Portland Stands In The Way IV i ■tv Former State Senator Mike Thome tlVi faces the greatest challenge of his life. The Pendleton wheat rancher is now director of the Port of Portland-captain .1.* of a sinking ship. o For years Mike has represented r> Eastern Oregon interests in the Oregon legislature. Sometimes he was able to forge an effective bridge between the two major parties to settle a battle in By Ed Glenn the persistent war between liberal Western Oregon and conservative Eastern Oregon. Generally a conser vative democrat is ignored by both parties, but Mike often used his party status and his political orientation to assemble an effective coalition. Now, at the Port of Portland, Mike has a new set of dual alliances. To s3 promote the interests of the Port of Portland, Mike will necessarily be work ing against the interests of his Eastern Oregon homeland. Eastern Oregon’s best interest lies in dismantling the Port of Portland. Watching his work reveal his true loyalty will be great sport in years to come. The Port has long been Oregon’s ocean freight connection to the rest of the world. Even in the days of tall sailing ships, ocean freighters toiled up the 100 miles of Columbia River to Portland to bring foreign goods from distant ports. Lumber and wheat were then and are now the main goods that filled the holds on the return trip. For the past 100 years, the Columbia River, upstream from Portland has played a key role in the import and export of Inland Empire goods. Wheat mostly, finds its way down the Columbia to the Pacific and ports around the Rim. Eighty percent of the Pacific Northwest’s soft white wheat is exported to Far Eastern ports of call. In recent years, containerized freight such as alfalfa, frozen and dried potato products and a whole host of others from east of the Cascades have found their way to Pacific ports for export. But not necessarily by way of the Columbia and Snake River barge system. Mike Thorne’s Port of Portland stands in the way. Why? Ocean going freights have grown bigger and faster. They now find the grind from Astoria to Portland slow, dangerous and limiting. That 100 miles takes about 12 hours one way. The channel is both narrow and shallow. That means a ship slightly out of the channel runs the risk of running around. And once at Portland, some ships cannot load to capacity because the channel is not deep enough for the fully loaded draft. The alternative for most ocean lines is to call at Seattle. While negotiating Puget Sound takes them about as far out of the Pacific as Portland, the sound is faster, deeper and a full cargo can be accommodated. That alter native is so desirable that two steam ship lines have stopped calling at ■ra m Portland in just the last year, leaving only three lines that do. More and •M Ml more cargo from Eastern Oregon and the rest of the Pacific Northwest Hi hi is shipped overland to Seattle because of the greater selection of ocean Ml Hi carriers. In fact, the Port of Portland loads a great deal of upper Columbia ip »»» River freight aboard rail cars bound for Seattle to be loaded on ocean «• * freighters there. That additional overland freight cost is bom by the ship W Ml per, of course, making wheat, alfalfa, potatoes and lumber all worth less .1. to the producer. Another alternative exists-rcsistcd by the Port of Portland for purely selfish reasons. Development of an effective port at Astoria would restore the Columbia River to a major transportation link to the Pacific. A port at Astoria would have several advantages over both Portland and Seattle. It is much closer to the main ocean shipping lanes than either. Mi It would have no practical limits on draft. It would easily join with Col- iti HI umbia/Snake River barge traffic. H The practical disadvantage is that Astoria has neither suitable HI ÌM rail links to the rest of (he state. !" Ill The political disadvantages is that development of a port at Astoria would Hi mean an even faster demise of the Port of Portland. Now you see the ■ ri, challenge Mike Thome faces. We’ll be watching to see where his real loyal II! ty lies. AS I SEE IT X Pre-school, day care receive teaching materials All Saints plans Italian dinner night All Saints Episcopal Church will host an “ Italian Dinner Night” on Friday, May 10. Dinner will be by reservation on ly. There will be two serving times 5:15 p.m. and 7:15 p.m. To make your reservation and to purchase tickets call Marsha Ander son, 676-5182, Suzanne Jepsen, 676-9850 or Geri Martin, 676-9970. Strolling musicians will entertain during dinner. UNDERCARRIAGE REPAIR ^NEW & REBUILT RAILS — RIMS — ROLLERS^ ^M AC H IN E BUILD-UP OF IDLERS & ROLLERS S ^RERIM SPROCKETS I »✓ DESIGN & BUILD OUR5 i OWN CABS & PRESSURIZER UNITS ✓ 'TRACK PRESS TO TURN OR REPLACE PIN & BUSHINGS" TIME FOR TUNE-UP Photo by Pam Minster L-R: Betty Carlson, Debbie Holtz and Betty Rietmann display new teaching materials for pre-school. The Morrow County Children and Youth Services Com m ission presented the lone Pre-School and Heppner Day Care with teaching materials from American Guidance Services, Inc. The materials include story books, teacher manuals for ac tivities and song books and tapes to promote good health, build self esteem and help make friends. The materials were purchased with a grant for drug and alcohol education. The two centers will share them through the year. B&C REPAIRS, INC. 422-740H 4 2 2 7418 IONE. OREGON C H EV R O LET mi COAST TO COAST Your Source for SPRING *01 (it is coming - will you be ready?) 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