Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 19, 1994)
Bfssit u OF n F v; s a ' n SWCD reviews year in annual meeting : Z F. L l. Ecosystem managment has put heavy demands on the resources of the Morrow County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) during 1993 as review ed by director Jerry Anderson during the annual meeting at the Town and Country event held in Heppner last Wednesday, Jan. 0 R F r a P F R F i r nir.F.iiE OR n 7 4 12 . VOL. 113 NO. 3 6 Pages Wednesday, January 19, 1994 Morrow County Heppner, Oregon Morrow SWCD was the first district in Oregon to sign a sup plemental m emorandum of understanding to allow the district to have input into the Food Security Act compliance review process. The local district also regularly reviews memorandums of understanding with USDA, SCS, USFS, Oregon Department o f Agriculture, the Natural Resrouce Division, the Navy and a current interagency agreement with the Army. The district staff attended workshops and training sessions to keep updated on changes in employment laws, weed control, pesticide application and natural resource related subjects. But out in the field there have been many developments. In cooperation with ODF&W there have been seedings for wildlife and streambank riparian area fen cing. A riparian and upland meadow enhancement project on Wilson Prairie was implemented in cooperation with landowners. Monitoring of Army Depot wildlife and weed control plus monitoring of range utilization in cooperation with lessees on the Navy Bombing range is part of SWCD’s responsilblity. A spikeweed control project was completed in cooperation with local landowners in the Alpine ara. A governor’s water shed enhancement grant was us ed on Rhea Creek to repair and improve a riparian area in cooperation with Larry Inskeep. Grass seeding at Finley Buttes Landfill was a project to prevent wind erosion on a completed landfill cell. And willow trees were planted around the Willow Creek Lake. To implement weed control the district purchased a Bowie Hydro Mulcher. In cooperation with other agencies, the mulcher was used to seed roadside banks along the state highway following the construction of a left turn lane at Kinzua Mill. The machine is also available for other seeding projects. Morrow SWCD sponsored a resource conservation and development measure in conjunc tion with the West Extension Ir rigation District that converted about 100 acres from flood irriga tion to sprinkler irrigation to con serve water in the Irrigon area. This agency also sponsored an RC&D measure for skeltonweed control in the weed districts of Morrow, Umatilla and Gilliam counties. In cooperation with the Mor row County Children and Youth Services Commission an Oregon Youth Conservation Corp provid ed summer jobs for local youths who built and maintained hiking trails at Heppner city parks and next to the Willow Creek Lake. Currently the local weed con trol district is involved in en couraging the USFS to complete an environmental assessment for weed control on national forest land and to assist Morrow County producers, the district has dedicated tiime to encourage the extension of the current Conser vation Reserve Program as they continue to assist landowners in resource management. Seminar on gang activity slated Reports in recent months of drive-by shootings in Hermiston and the appearance of gang related graffiti and activity in a number of communities, in cluding Boardman and Irrigon, have brought the issues of youth gangs to the attention of south Morrow County residents. As community members travel to neighboring communities and as regional growth brings new peo ple into our neighborhoods, previously unheard of questions begin to be asked? “ Are there gangs where I shop? In my neighborhood? How would I know if my children or their friends were becoming involved in gangs? What can I do to avoid it?’’ Speaker Jesus Villahermosa, a gang expert from the Puget Sound area will try to answer some of these questions when he ad dresses parents and community members Tuesday, Jan. 25 at 7 p.m. at the Heppner High School cafeteria. Babysitting will be available. Those needing to use the babysitting service should contact Darcy Robinson at the high school 676-9138. A presentation will also be held at the Heppner Chamber of Com merce from noon to 1 p.m. at the Heppner Elks Club. A staff inservice is scheduled for both Heppner and lone schools on Tuesday from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Schools will be dismissed at 1 p.m. “ Addressing our gang problem is of concern to me for several reasons,” says Heppner High School principal Steve Dicken son. Dickenson cites national research that gang involved youth have lower achievement and higher drop-out, truancy and suicide rates. They are also more likely to develop a criminal record than non-involved youth. “ My main reason for having this presentation,” says Dicken son, “ is to help make parents, staff and community members have read. Reading teachers ad aware of the telltale signs of gang just the goals to meet the in activity as they travel to shop, do dividual capabilities of each stu business, or compete in athletic dent. Students must read a certain events in neighboring com number of pages or books and munities which may have a gang report on the material read. The problem.” students then are rewarded with While Heppner, Lexington and free treats from the drive-in. The lone don't appear to have a gang program has grown from 105 problem at this time, the same students earning 190 certificates could have been said of a number in the 1986-87 school year to 184 of eastern Oregon and students earning 490 certificates Washington communities a few in ’92-93. years ago, which are now com The Riehls also provide ice batting gangs. Presentations like cream treats as rewards for other that scheduled with Villahermosa programs, such as the summer will help develop a community reading program at the Heppner awareness of youth gangs that Library. will empower parents and com For many years, the Riehls, often munity leaders to keep their com helped by their sons, provided munities safe and gang free, said community roller skating at the Dickenson. Morrow County Fairgrounds. Jesus Villahermosa presents up They were also loyal supporters to the minute information in an of the Heppner High School interesting style, combined with sports program. recent anecdotes and humorous Tom Riehl came to the rescue analogies emphasizing practical of many area businesses last and useful advice. Villahermosa winter, when he used his small is famliar with Hispanic culture, tractor, fitted with a blade, to being of Puerto Rican descent. clear heavy snowfall from city Parents should be aware that sidewalks. Villahermosa advises that most Helen is active in the Altar gang seminars are not appropriate Society of St. Patrick Catholic for youth. Church which they attend. Tom The program is being funded has been a member of the Hepp through the Morrow County ner City Planning Commission. Commission on Children and Besides three children, the Families. Riehls have four grandchildren. C ham ber announces m an, w om an, educator and business o f the year aw ards at Tow n and Country John Edmundson Corrine Lindsay A familiar face in so many aspects of Morrow County life, John Edmundson, 1993 Chamber of Commerce Man of the Year, is always there behind the scenes. John was principal at the lone Schools before he served as assis tant superintendent for the Mor row County School District. After retirement, he worked for the U.S. Forest Service. Edmunson’s list of volunteer service is extensive, to say the least. He is a past president of the Heppner Lions Club and has served as secretary. He is past president and is still an active volunteer for the Willow Creek Country Club. He was a member of the Morrow County Juvenile Services Commission. He has been a member of the Heppner ci ty budget committee for the past five years and served as chairman for two of those years. He is a member and past chairman of the Morrow County Tourism Com mittee. He is currently on the board of the Eastern Oregon Visitors Association and is the Heppner Chamber of Commerce second vice president. Edmund son is also on the Heppner City Planning Comm ission sub committee to study the city’s ur ban growth boundary and is secretary for the Heppner Coor dinating Council. In his ‘spare’ time. Edmundson is a golf instructor through Blue Mountain Community College. He has taught skiing at Spout Springs and was an active moun tain climber as a member of the Hood River Crag Rats. He is also a member of All Saints Episcopal Church and has set up and mann ed the local booth at the Oregon State Fair. And. as if that wasn't enough, Edmundson has some projects in the fire. He is working on obtain ing a city map sign to orient out- of-towners to the area and is in the early stages of organizing a local Volkssports Club for walk ing, biking and cross country skiing. Edmundson and his wife, Pat, a retired school teacher, have three children, Vicki Brookshire, Kristi Smalley and Jeff Edmund son, and six grandchildren. Corrine Lindsay, whose talents are multi-faceted, is not only a wife and mother of a large fami ly, but is also involved in the fam ily business and the community. Lindsay is the manager of the Lindsay Ranch Feedlot through which over 8,000 calves pass through in preparation for finishing feedlots. A University of Portland degree in chemistry helps Lindsay formulate special feed rations for the cattle, using a mixture of grains, silage and hay. She also keeps detailed com puterized performance records to help cattle owners upgrade their herds. In addition to home and business, Lindsay stays active in community affairs. She has serv ed as the chairperson of the Mor row County Juvenile Services Commission for the past three years. The commission has helped provide funding for the Heppner Day Care Center, Hands-On-Science classes and Head Start. Lindsay was a 4-H leader for around 10 years, while her children were involved in 4-H and FFA. For 20 years she was a religious education leader and coordinator of high school youth programs. She is a member and past president of the St. Patrick Catholic Church Altar Society. Lindsay has also coordinated a family musical group which has played Irish music for St. Dave Gunderson Patrick’s Day for the past 15 years. Lindsay’s concern for others is even more far reaching than her immediate community. In 1975, she and her husband, Larry, sponsored 30 V ietnam ese refugees. The Lindsays provided the refugees with housing, farm jobs, English classes and training at their ranch. Lindsay was bom in Water- tow n, South D akota. She graduated from high school at St. Mary’s Academy in Portland and was valedictorian for the class of 1961 at the U niversity o f Portland. She attended the University of Cologne, Germany, on a Fullbright Scholarship and was a chemistry instructor at the University of Portland. The Lind says had nine children, Ann Mur ray, Cathy Pedro, Alex, Theresa, Barney, Danny, Joe. John Paul and Claire Michelle. John Paul and Claire Michelle died earlier. The Lindsays also have six grandchildren. Citizen Educator of the Year, Dave Gunderson, has shown a deep involvement with area kids. Gunderson took over director ship of the Colt Basketball pro gram, which teaches basketball fundamentals for kids in fourth through sixth grades, in 1984. He has also been active in the Little League and T-Ball programs for the past seven years. Gunderson was elected to the Heppner Elem entary/M iddle School Site Base Council this past fall and has been a volunteer on the school improvement team since 1991. He is a member of the M orrow County Education Association has been a teacher- organizer of the sixth grade Out door School at Tupper. Currently in his 13th year of teaching at Heppner Middle Helen and Tom Riehl School, Gunderson also taught five years at Roseburg. In addi tion to teaching at HMS, he also coaches at the middle school and the high school. Mr. ‘G’, as he is affectionate ly known by his students, graduated from Heppner High School in 1971. He graduated from Oregon State University in 1976 and participated in a University of Oregon intern pro gram from 1976-77. Gunderson and his wife, Tricia, have two sons, Brent and Derek. Tom and Helen Riehl, owners of the R & W Drive-In in Hepp ner were the recipients of the Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year award. The Riehls came to the Hepp ner commmunity 13 years ago when they bought the drive-in. In addition to raising their three sons, Rick, Bob and T.R., and putting in many long hours at the drive-in. the Riehls have nurtured budding readers in the communi ty through a special program. Eight years ago the Riehls sug gested a system of rewards to create incentives for children to develop the reading habit. The program challenges students to meet goals and share information about the books they Ione City Council reviews plan to replace roof The lone City council review ed the plan for replacement of the lone reservoir roof. The roof will be replaced by the city using volunteer labor. The city has been unable to get grant money because the roof is a replacement and lone water quality has been good. The council hopes to keep the costs at or less than $25,000. Ten thousand dollars will be from the Finley Butte grant reviewed by the city. The Emert addition was also discussed. The first home in the addition is in place and the water line will be activated soon. All work done by the city will be bill ed at the rate set for out-of-city- limits work. Work will be in spected by Tenneson Engineering of The Dalles. The council elected Cleo Childers as council chairman for 1994 and committees were appointed. The city received a special ci ty street allotment from the state of Oregon, Department of Transportation, for $25,000. The allotment will be used for im provement of Main Street from Spring Street to ‘A’ Street.
