Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 7, 1998)
TWO - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, October 7, 1998 Willow Creek Road update I'he U.S. Dept, of Trans portation lists its planned construction activities on Willow Creek Road for the week of Monday, Oct. 5: Tidewater plans to continue working on the cut slopes above Smith Ditch and building the subgrade with some of the material from these cut slopes. They w ill be hauling to the new •vaste sites established off the FS 53 road on FS 53-020 road (the old 20 mph comer) for this week. Drivers, be aware that the FS 53 road will be busy with the truck hauling waste from the Willow Creek Road Project and the log truck traffic from the various timber sales this week, and both construction and logging traffic next week. Emergency access through the project will be maintained throughout the construction season. Notice to the citizens that utilize and enjoy the Willow' Creek (Coal Mine Grade) area: Willow Creek (Coal Mine Grade- FS 53 road) will remain closed to through traffic from Cutsforth Park to the intersection of FS roads 5350 (Texas Pit Road) and FS 53 (Coal Mine Grade) for the w inter season. Due to additional construction activities on the project, the project has been extended into the 1999 construction season. Work during the 1998 construction season will continue until weather conditions prohibits construction activities. Presently, Willow Creek Road (Coal Mine Grade) is closed to through traffic from Cutsforth Park to the intersection of FS roads 5350 (Texas Pit Road) and 53 (Coal Mine Grade). This intersection will remain open, to the logging contractor only, for the removal of timber sale material. The FS 21 road, Penland Lake Road intersection will remain open during construction activities, controlled with flaggers. Willow Creek Road remains open, to local traffic only, to Cutsforth Park. The park will remain open through the construction season. The detour route through the Shaw Creek Road to the four comers to Penland Lake and Ukiah is open for all traffic. Additional temporary signs have been placed for directions to the Penland Lake access and Ukiah. Please watch for logging truck traffic and observe the warning signs, including the speed limit, on the Shaw Creek road detour route and observe the barricades at both ends of the construction zone. Please have a safe summer and remember that the barricaded road closures are for the traveling public's safety. Federal Highways asks the traveling public for their patience, consideration and co operation during this construc tion season and hopes that the work will be completed with a minimum of delays. For more information, contact Robert G. Toops, project en gineer, at 676-5904 in Heppner. Wheat Growers plan lone meeting The Morrow County Wheat Growers will hold their annual fall meeting at Beecher's Cafe in lone on Monday, October 12, beginning at 3 pm. Topics to be addressed at this year's meeting include: "De mystifying the Market Plan" with Dr. Larry Lev, an OSU marketing specialist; "No on Measure 64" with Paulette Pyle of Oregonians for Food & Shelter; and 'Varieties for the Future" with Dick Fritz of the Oregon Wheat Commission. Sj/O * j. le Other items to be discussed during this portion of the meeting will be the election of county officers and new committee chair volunteer sign ups. All growers are encouraged to get involved as a volunteer on both the county and state levels, said a MCWG news release. A no-host social hour hosted by the Morrow County Grain Growers will begin at 5 p.m. immediately following the meeting. Dinner, sponsored by the Morrow County Grain Growers, will be served at 6 October 16th - Friday R etirem ent Party for Glen Ward after 40 YEARS of being Secretary!!! Social Hour 6-7 p.m. No Host Buffet Dinner at 7 p.m. RSVP 676-9181, 676-5303 or 676-9164. R e g u la r D ining on F rid a y o a n d S atu rday.» Ü I EPPNER ELKS 358 B - it i *JR/ h A 6 7 6 -9 1 8 1 " W h e r e F rie n d s M e e t" 142 N o r t h M a in ¡W in traveled by •-' .■ ■• Is your day usually this jam-packed with excitem •> •' . f r » • • - ,• > / ; ' 'r ; r V ' ;V V ; r : - e m p i? A New Kind of Game Choose words instead o f numbers to create your ow n adventure story. If the pieces o f your story match the Lottery's story, you w in. Each daily drawing at 7:00 pm offers a top prize of $25,000! Play it Free Today Just take this coupon to your neighborhood Lottery retailer, and you ’re off on the adventure! ? . * • , ¡filili K H _____ ... ■ JU * V r*-# . * * V . ■ s- . * •> * w ---V-- •' V'.- W P * . * * casH p.m. Door prizes will be awarded along with a grand prize trip for two to the Oregon Coast donated by the Bank of Eastern Oregon. County President Suzi Fredenckson encourages all growers to attend and asks that RSVPs be made to her personal answering machine at (541)922- 4546 to ensure that there is enough food and seating for everyone. Prescribed burn planned Hunters can expect to see more than campfire smoke in the air now that the forest's fall prescribed burning program has begun, announced Les Holsapple, Umatilla National Forest's fuels specialist. "Prescribed bums are used to achieve several goals. Logged units are burned to reduce potential fire hazard and to prepare the area for reforestation," stated Holsapple. He explained that reforestation will be accomplished by hand planting of tree seedlings or by natural seeding from seed trees selected and left standing in the unit. Removal of slash will also stimulate plant growth for wildlife winter forage and reduce fuel accumulations. "In addition," Holsapple noted, "some unharvested areas are prescribed for burning for the purpose of reintroducing fire into fire-dependent ecosystems. Resource objectives include species diversification and reducing potential impacts of wildfire, disease and insect infestation." Prescribed burning is weather dependent and is scheduled to he completed before the end of November. Fall and spring weather provide the best conditions for prescribed burning: moist soil, dry material and cooler temperatures, lie said. All prescribed burning will comply with federal, state, and local air quality and smoke dispersal guidelines to reduce the impacts of smoke on forest visitors and local residents, he added. For more information concerning the Umatilla National Forest Prescribed Burning program, contact Holsapple in Pendleton (541) 278-3729. For information about specific Ranger Districts, contact the following persons: Deb Roy. Heppner RD, (541) 676-9187; Dan O’Brien, Walla Walla RD, (509) 522-6290; Lowell Smith, North Fork John Day, (541) 427- 3231; Chris Schulte, Pomeroy, (509) 843-1391. The schedule of prescribed bums is as follows; -The Walla Walla Ranger District: Burning will occur in harvest units in: the Tiger Canyon area, approximately 13 miles southeast of Walla Walla, WA; the Horseshoe Prairie area, 11 miles northwest of Elgin, OR; and near Elk Flat, 22 miles north of Elgin. A total of 652 acres are planned. Prescribed burning planned in unharvested forest stands include: the Stumbaugh Ridge Wildlife bum (1830 acres), the East Coyote prescribed bum (1400 acres) and the Bear Creek prescribed bum (6600 acres). -The North Fork John Day Ranger District's fall burning plan includes about 2,500 acres in natural fuels. The largest bum (2000 acres) is located north of the junction of State Highway 244 and Forest Road 54. Other areas include Turner Basin and Indian Creek. Pile burning will take place at scattered locations throughout the district. -The Heppner District's natural fuels program includes: 1600 acres in Upper Skookum just south of Madison Butte and an already completed 5-6000 acre bum south of Forest Road 21 between Forest Road 2115 and 2120. The active fuels program include 200-500 acres off Forest Road 5350 and 2107. - The Pomeroy Ranger District's fall burning plan includes: 2000 acre landscape bum for North I Fork Asotin Creek; 300-acrc I activity fuel bum in old logging * I units; and a 1000 acre prescribed I burn currently taking place in I the Grouse Flats area near Troy, ¡Oregon.
