TEN - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, March 16,2011
STATE BUDGET SAVINGS
-Continued from Page
ONE
state could save
$100 m illion, and then
$17.2 m illion per bien
nium, by privatizing liquor
distribution and sales in
Oregon, and $53 million by
doing the same with motor
vehicle registration and
inspections.
In other areas she
says if the state eliminated
the Business Energy Tax
Credit it could save $287
million, the healthy kids
connect program for $154
million, bring corrections
costs in line with national
average and privatize the
Oregon Youth Authority it
could save $350 million.
The biggest cost
savings however would
come with reform of public
employee compensation,
which she says, accord
ing to studies done by her
organization, The Cascade
Policy Institute, is out of
line with private sector
com pensation. Edwards
says that requiring public
employees to contribute to
their own retirement and
health care plans, and align
ing state compensation with
the private sector, this alone
could save the state $1,019
billion a biennium.
Edwards also said
the state should sell or lease
the Elliott Sate Forest near
Florence for revenue o f
$70 million per biennium,
and reduce or eliminate
Oregon’s capital gains tax,
which at 11 percent, is tied
with Hawaii for the highest
in the country. The state
should also repeal measures
66 & 67 which raised taxes
on individuals and busi
nesses, all of which is caus
ing loss of business, jobs
and tax revenue for Oregon.
She urged getting rid of pre
vailing wage laws, which
are causing unneeded cost
increases to government
construction projects.
When asked about
the loss o f local control
over schools, which has oc
curred over the past decade,
Edwards says at this time
there,is no effort she knows
of to return more control
locally.
She does fav o r
charter schools and school
choice. “We should let poor
students get scholarships to
choose which school they
want to attend,” she says.
On the subject of school
consolidation Edwards says
legislators from the urban
areas says it cost more to
educate rural students. “But
when you take out transpor
tation it doesn’t cost more
to educate a rural student,”
says Edwards. “Our biggest
assets in rural schools are
the volunteers who help out
at the schools.”
Wolves in Oregon
“ O fficially they
say there are two breeding
w olf packs in O regon,”
Edwards says of the plan
to reintroduce wolves into
Oregon. “But we think there
is a third pack.” She said
Cascade Policy Institute is
looking for funding to do
a more complete study of
the economic impact of the
wolves on rural Oregon.
She said there is
some preliminary evidence
of loss of weight gain and
lower reproduction rates
on cattle in the areas where
wolves are located. Wolves
killed two pregnant cows
Feb. 15 on a ranch five
miles east of Joseph, and
one of the cows carried
twin calves. The wolves
took down the two cows
and reportedly dug out the
fetuses. One cow is valued
at about $850, but because
both cows were carrying
calves, the loss was around
$1,300 per cow. In the past
year Fish and Wildlife has
investigated 26 suspected
wolf kills and concluded 13
were from wolves.
Edwards says there
is more economic impact on
cattle than just the kills. “It
is more difficult to move
cows into an area where
wolves have been,” she
said, pointing out that the
presence of the wolves dis
rupts the cattle’s breeding
and weight gain.
The Cascade Poli
cy Institute, which receives
no government money or
government grants for its
research, she says has been
trying to get the Rocky
Mountain Elk Foundation
to donate some money
for a wolf study. She said
some areas of Idaho with
a high w o lf population
are reporting devastating
losses among the elk herds.
“There is no replacement
calf birth,” she said. In one
valley in Idaho there are
officially 24 breeding pairs
of wolves.
The wolves being
transplanted are not even
the original breed. “These
are Canadian wolves, and
not even the original ones
that were here,” she points
out.
She said there is
currently a bill in the leg
islature to create a w olf
degradation trust fund to
pay cattlemen for losses,
and another that would limit
the number o f breeding
pairs to four. “The environ
mental community keeps
wanting to move the bar
higher (allow more pairs)
and we want to cap it at four
pair and written into law.”
Another bill would allow
a person to kill a wolf if
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their life is threatened and
allow one to be taken if it
is within 500 feet of a home
or livestock.
She said other ef
forts are underway to get
the wolves removed from
the federal endangered spe
cies list, but no such effort
is underw ay to remove
them from the state list.
Edwards said the
entire Endangered Species
Act (ESA) needs to be re
vised as it is “not benefitting
either species or people.”
“The ESA is not benefit-
ting the Spotted Owl,” she
points out. There is evi
dence the Barred Owl is
moving into the old growth
timber that was preserved
to protect the Spotted Owl,
a move that shut down the
logging industry in most
of the National Forest and
cost Oregonians thousands
of jobs.
One procedure sug
gested was nullification,
which local government
can use to force the fed
eral government to review
the endangered status of
species every five years.
“The Washington Cattle
men’s Association (which
Edwards was a lobbyist for
several years ago) sued the
Fish and Wildlife depart
ment for not review ing
certain species to see if
they need protecting. “We
need to keep the Fish and
Wildlife’s feet to the fire,”
Edwards said.
F orest planning
rules also need to be over
hauled, Edw ards says.
“Why is the planning rule
so important? Because you
are in perpetual planning
mode and no action mode.
The environmentalist com
munity has continually held
up logging over one spe
cies. We need to soften
that and have a balance of
the ecosystem. We need to
change the best avail^b|p
science rule to the most
practical available science
(when making decision on
forest use),” she says.
Edwards suggested
more control at the local
Forest Service level. “If
you do not have a lot of
economic activity in your
forest then you do not get
a lot of money.” She used
the example that forests that
have more logging or graz
ing, and thus more income,
should receive more money
in their budget. She also
suggested that if the city of
Portland, for instance, gets
its water from the feder
ally owned Bull Run water
shed, then the city should be
required to pay for that use
of keeping that forest pris
tine and isolated from other
uses. “This is important to
you and your economy,”
she said of rural areas. She
added that efforts are un
derway to designate certain
areas as wild lands, which is
a way to get around needing
congressional approval for
wilderness areas. “This is
already affecting grazing,”
Edwards said. Fifty-three
percent of the land in Ore
gon is owned by the federal
government, and since pas
sage of the Wilderness Act
in 1964 congress has added
2.4 million acres of forest to
wilderness designation.
On w hat to do
about the concentration of
voting power in the met
ropolitan area of Portland,
to the detriment of rural
Oregon, Edwards said she
has spent a lot of time of
the issue. “I have spent long
hours and headed down
many dead end alleys look
ing for that answer,” she
said. She urged citizens to
write letters about rural is
sues not only to their state
representative, but also
representatives from other
rural districts. “A personal
letter to a legislator is very
good, very effective,” she
concluded.
The speaker was
part of a program sponsored
by the Willow Creek Tea
Party Patriots.
Remembrance Walk/5k
Run planned for Saturday
Friends H elping
Friends Social Hour/Reg-
istration will begin at 8:30
a.m. on Saturday at All
Saints Episcopal Church
fellowship hall.
You need not walk
nor run to join in the morn
ing fun. Committee mem
bers will serve drinks and
homemade treats.
The Remembrance
Walk/5K Run is a fund
raiser to Pioneer Memorial
Hospital. A Pot of Gold and
various door prizes will be
given away to various pre
registered number holders.
With a $5 donation,
per name to be memorial
ized, participants will re
ceive a pink Remembrance
Walk/5K Run wristband.
The walk one mile, the
run three, and children ac
companied by an adult are
free. Watch for the green
shamrocks with pink hearts
along the route.
H a ppy B irthday
O p € n House for B ob JoNes
I Please join us to celebrate the
8 0 th birthday of our beloved
husband, father, grandfather,
great grandfather & friend.
April End from I -4 pm
6 0 1 11 Stock Drive Rd.
Heppner OR 9 7 8 3 6
I
No gifts please
St. Patrick’s Pit Ham Dinnei
|r
Where finicky Leprechauns eat!
Amy (tollman
lohn Hays
Branch Manager
Com m ercial/Agricultural
Loan Officer
m unity
Serving: Pit Ham, Irish Potato Casserole,
Green Salad, Veggie, Roll & Homemade Pie!
Adults - $9 / Children under 12 - $5
Wee ones - free
BANK
St. Patrick's Church Parish Hall
Local Money Working For Local People
525 Gale Street (one block off Main Street)
127 N M ain St
M I4 K 4 M
www communitybanknet com
Member FUC
Saturday, March 19 from 4 • 7 p.m.
f i
lone Community School
hosts science fair
The top winners of the fifth annual lone Community School
Science Fair received microscope sets sponsored by the lone
Education Foundation. Pictured (L-R) back row: Emily Hol
land, Lauren Garrett, Emily Rea, Morgan Orem and Julianne
Carlson. (L-R) front row: Emma Rietmann, Matt Orem, Jake
Heideman and Madison Orem. -Contributed Photo
lone Community
School hosted its science
fair for grades kindergarten
through high school student
that boasted over 200 people
present and seventy entries.
Student were accountable
for developing a project,
creating a report complete
with objective, hypothesis,
materials, procedure, data,
conclusion and bibliogra
phy in addition to a display
board.
Each project was
unique and different and
catered to the individual
interest of students. “I was
really proud of these kids,”
said science teacher, Erin
Heideman. “Their projects
were wonderful and they
did a tremendous job at the
fair. This is the fifth year for
the science fair and it keeps
getting better. We outgrew
the cafeteria and moved
into the gym.”
Elementary judges
were Jim Swanson and
Jerry Archer, middle school
judges were Paul Neiffer
and Della Heideman and
high school judges were
Dale H olland and Dick
Allen. The winners of each
category listed below re
ceived science medals and
ribbons, judges picked an
overall fair exhibit and those
students each received mi
croscope kits sponsored by
the lone Education Founda
tion. People who attended
the science fair voted for
a ‘people’s choice’ award
in each category; grade,
middle or high school and
those students each received
lone Cardinal t-shirts spon
sored by lone Community
School.
Grade school win
ners were: Austin Morter,
5th grade ( l 51 Biology: Mi
crobiology); Morgan Orem,
5th grade (Overall Judges
Pick, 1“ Biology: Botany);
Anthony Rietmann, Seth
Thompson, and Andrew
Ames, 5,h grade (1st Physi
cal Science: Machines);
Dayshawn Neal and Ro
man Rodriguez-Sheena, 5th
grade (151 Physical Science:
Physics); Maggie Flynn, 5th
grade (1” Physical Science:
Chemistry); Katilin Gar
rett, 5th grade (1M Physical
Science: Chemistry);Grace
Ogden, 1* grade (1“ Biol
ogy: Animal Physiology);
Jake Heideman, 3rd grade
(Overall Judges Pick, 1”
Physical Science: Phys
ics); Emma Rietmann, 3rd
grade (Overall Judges Pick,
1” Biology: Animal Sci
ence); Matt Orem, 3rd grade
(Overall Judges Pick, 1”
Earth Science: Volcanoes);
Payton Miller, 4lh place
(People’s Choice Award,
1” Paleontology); Madison
Orem, kindergarten (Over
all Judges Pick, 1” Biol
ogy: Botany); and Kalvin
Rietmann, kindergarten (1*
Physical Science).
Middle school win
ners were: Emily Rea and
Lauren Garrett, 8,h grade
(Overall Judges Pick, 1"
Biology: Botany: Physiol
ogy); TJ Patton and Bren
dan Thompson, 7*h/8,h grade
(l* Biology: Physiology);
Hannah Padberg and Yaner
Cavillo, 6th grade ( l 5t Biol
ogy: Botany: Behavior);
Ally Haguewood, Matty
Camp, and Katelyn Bass,
6th grade (1st Biology: Mi
crobiology); Karina Rios
and Rita M cElligott, 8th
grade (1st Physical Science:
Chemistry); Joe Doherty,
Oskar Peterson, and Daniel
Holz, 8th grade (People’s
Choice Award, 1” Physical
Science: Machines); Bab-
ali Peterson and Amanda
Rea, 6th grade ( 151 Physical
Science: O ther); Austin
Carter and Hector Aguilar,
6th grade (Physical Science:
Electricity); Ann Rietmann
and Rachel Holland, 7th
grade (1st Earth Science:
Geology: Minerals); Hailey
Jones and Brianna Snyder,
7th/8,h grade ( l sl Earth: Ge
ology: Volcanology); and
Jared Snyder and Colton
Hollis, 6th grade (1“ As
tronomy).
High school win
ners were: Julianne Carl
son, 10th grade (Overall
Ju d g es P ick, P e o p le ’s
Choice Award, Is' Biology:
Psychology); Dustin Lutz,
10lh grade (1 st Biology:
Ecology); Ty Barnett, 10*
grade (Biology: Microbiol
ogy); Evan Rietmann, 10,h
grade (1st Biology: Botany:
Physiology); Emily Hol
land, 9th grade (Overall
Judges Pick, l 5' Biology:
Botany: Anatomy); Stacee
Halvorsen, 10th grade (1M
Physical Science: Chem
istry); Tanner Bass, 10th
grade ( l sl Physical Science:
Physics: Machines); and
Jaqueline Juarez, 10,h grade
( 1 * Earth Science: Geology:
Meteorology).
P eo p le’s Choice
awards, voted upon by the
parents who attended, in
the elementary was given to
fourth grader, Payton Miller.
In the middle school, Peo
ple’s Choice was awarded
to eighth graders Daniel
Holtz, Oskar Peterson and
Joe Doherty and in the high
school, Julianne Carlson.
Overall judges pick for the
grade school was awarded
to third grader Emma Ri
etmann for her experiment
titled “Can you tell if dogs
are color blind?” and fifth
grader, Morgan Orem for
her wheat trials. Other over
all judge’s pick in the ele
mentary went to kindergart-
ner, Madi Orem and third
graders Jake Heideman
and Matt Orem. Middle
school overall winner went
to eighth graders, Lauren
Garrett and Emily Rea for
their work with moisture
levels o f fruits. Overall
pick for high school went to
sophomore, Julianne Carl
son, for the physiological
testing of people and lying
and freshman, Emily Hol
land for her work in osmo
sis and capillary action. “I
would really like to extend
my deep thanks to our edu
cation foundation for spon
soring the microscope kits,
ribbons and metals awarded
to students for their efforts,”
said Heideman, “and to the
judges who volunteered
their time and talents.”