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¡¡' I !'1'" 11 County joins wolf lawsuit It won’t be long before we have a w olf population in this area, says county judge By Andrea Di Salvo M orrow C ounty has joined in a lawsuit re garding the right o f the Oregon Department of Fish ette VOL. 130 NO. 46 8 Pages Wednesday, November 30, 2011 Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon Day care presents NBA All-Star Bill Walton Form er Portland Trail Blazer Bill Walton will be helping out the Heppner Day Care Mon day, D ecem ber 12. The 59-year-old NBA All-Star will be a guest speaker at the day care’s fundraiser at the Heppner Elk’s Lodge. The social hour will begin at 5:30 p.m. and a tri-tip dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m., followed by guest speakers and auction. Bom in San Diego, Walton was introduced to the game o f basketball in the fourth grade. During high school, Walton’s team won the California Inter scholastic Federation High School title two years in a row, while winning their final 49 consecutive games. Walton also became the first and only high school player to ever make the USA Senior Men’s National Basketball Team and play in the World Championship or Olympics. After high school, Walton played on the UCLA varsity team from 1972 to 1974. He was a member of two NCAA championship teams, compiling an NCAA record 88-consecutive-game winning streak. W a lto n w as a “scholar-athlete,” winning multiple basketball awards, as well as Academic All- A m erican honors three years in a row. He gradu ated from UCLA with hon ors with a B.A. in history. Walton also attended Stan ford University Graduate School of Law in the early 1980s, after several years as a professional athlete. W alton’s profes sional career began when the Portland Trailblazers named him number one over-all pick in the 1974 NBA draft. He was a mem also been inducted into ber of their championship the San Diego Breitbard team in 1977. In 1986, he Sports Hall of Fame, The earned another champion UCLA Hall o f Fame and ship title with the Boston the Oregon Sports Hall of Celtics. Fame. While in the NBA, In 2007, Walton Walton received numerous was named one of the top awards, including NBA’s 10 pundits in America by MVP, all-NBA First Team Forbes. That same year and NBA All-Star Team. he was also named one of Walton is also one the top 20 Business of only four players Athlete representa in the history of bas tives by TSE Sports ketball to have won and Entertainment multiple NCAA and G roup. In 2009, Walton was named NBA ch a m p io n ships. He remains one o f the top 50 sports broadcasters active in basketball Bill Walton th ro u g h c lin ic s , o f all time by the cam ps, coaching American Sports- and TV commentary. casters Association. He is W alton has also currently the Executive worked as a sports broad Chairman of Connect SD caster for ABC, ESPN, Sport Innovators (SDSI),*a NBC, CBS, Fox and MSN non-profit trade organiza BC. He is a regular contrib tion that offers programs utor to ESPN.com, NBA. and services. com, ESPN The Magazine, Walton lives in San and ESPN Radio. Walton Diego with his wife, Lori. has also been the lead in his They have four grown sons own reality TV show. and two granddaughters. He has been nomi Other guest speak nated for numerous Emmy ers at the benefit will include awards and received two, John Turner, president of one for best live sports Blue Mountain Community television broadcast in 2001 College, and Pat Kilkenny, and one for his work on an retired insurance executive environmental documen and former athletic direc tary filmed on location in tor at the U niversity o f the Philippines in 1979. Oregon. He has also had roles in A benefit auction feature films such as Little will also be held, includ Nicky, H e’s Got Game, ing personal memorabilia Forget Paris, Celtic Pride donated by Walton and and Ghost Busters. courtside tickets to the New In 1993, Walton Matthew Knight Basketball was inducted into the Bas Arena in Eugene donated ketball Hall o f Fame in by Pat Kilkenny. Only 175 Springfield, MA. Walton tickets for this event will also became a member of be available. Tickets for the Academic All America the entire event—dinner, Hall o f Fame during the speakers and auction—cost spring of 1994. He was se $25 each. They can be pur lected as one of the NBA’s chased by calling 541-676- fifty greatest players of all 9226. Donations are also time in 1997. Walton has welcome. and W ildlife’s (ODFW ) authority to manage wolves as part of a state-controlled plan. The lawsuit began in October, when the plain tiffs, a group o f wildlife conservation groups includ ing Ca^cadia Wildlands, Hells Canyon Preservation Council, Oregon Wild and the Center for Biological Diversity, sued the Depart ment of Fish and Wildlife and its supervisor, Paul Henson, over the taking of two more wolves from Imnaha pack. The ODFW issued the September 23 kill order for the alpha male and one other pack member in re sponse to “chronic depreda tion,” or the continued kill ing of livestock attributed to members of the pack. The Oregon Wolf C onserva tion and Management Plan (Wolf Plan) provides for the lethal take of wolves to deal with chronic depredation when it has been proven that non-lethal preventative measures have failed to stop depredation. The conservation groups filed for a stay of the take order pending a peti tion of judicial review, say ing the portion of the Wolf Plan that allows lethal take violates the Administrative Procedure Act and National Environmental Policy Act. The groups also claim “ irreparable dam age,” saying the taking o f the two wolves would adversely affect the groups’ “aesthetic, recreational, sci entific, educational, and re ligious interests,” according to their October 5 brief. Also according to their brief, “The lethal re moval of any wolf in Ore gon, given how few wolves there are, can significantly impact the recovery of the entire species.” The plain tiffs state the number of grey wolves in Oregon is about 14; the ODFW places the number around 23. The ODFW wasn’t the only party to respond to the petitioners’ motion for a stay. Soon after. Morrow County Judge Terry Tail- man received a call from Wallowa County commis sion chair Susan Roberts asking if Morrow County would be interested in join ing an amicus curiae brief with several other counties. 4 i t * % ’ rE . v - ' »f . * I • k t V. ;* .<• J j s j f ’ ’ ' < * . » • ^ t * * - A > . J j. V r r- I - f , ^ 1 ' ■** «, i f.'it ' ì , V*'*’ V* » » ' • • ’ ** > . IH :v \ Oregon’s first radio-collared wolf just after its release, with ear tags and a radio collar. -ODFWphoto (An amicus curiae, literally “friend o f the court,” brief is filed by a party who is not part of a litigation but who believes the court’s decision may affect its interests.) Tallman took the issue to the Morrow County Court. After consideration, the court decided to not only join the other counties in the case but also to con tribute $500 to the cause. M orrow County joined Wallowa, Grant, Umatilla, Union, Baker, Gilliam, Crook and Harney counties in filing an amicus brief asking that the stay be removed and the ODFW allowed to continue with the take of the two wolves. The Oregon Hunters As sociation (OHA), Oregon chapter of the Foundation for North American Wild Sheep (OR FNAWS) and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF) also filed amici briefs in sup port o f the ODFW. The Oregon Cattlemen’s Asso ciation (OCA) filed as an intervenor-respondent in support of the ODFW. The groups filed those briefs on October 26. Tallman said the Morrow County C ourt’s decision to join the lawsuit was spurred, in part, by the discovery of a pack in Uma tilla County. That, he said, put the case close to home, since wolves, he said, don't recognize county lines. “These single, lone- ranger wolves are being spotted everywhere. They move miles and miles in a day. It won’t be long before we have a wolf population in this area,” said Tallman. “I think it’s time we step out and do something, say something, stand for some thing.” When asked about Cascadia Wildlands’ state ment that rem oving the wolves would be detrimen tal to the species, Tallman said he didn't agree. “ W e’re g e ttin g more wolves crossing state lines, more evidence o f wolves being here [in Mor row County] and more sightings. These are people who have been around long enough to know the differ ence between a wolf and a coyote,” he said, adding that this was something not seen even 10 years ago. “It happened in a relatively short time. That was part of the reason we decided to act; we can’t sit around and wait any more.” Tallman said he is worried about the safety of residents and the economic impact it could have on the county. “One of our goals is to have more people in Mor row County. I don’t want to place people in jeopardy,” said Tallman. “We’re quite a ways from that, but it’s still a thought.” Two o f the areas of disagreement center on whether the grey w olf is native to Oregon and the issue o f reim bursem ent for ranchers who have lost livestock to wolves. Both the petitioners -See WOLFLAWSUIT/PAGE FOUR New doctor for Community Health Services C olum bia River Community Health Services welcomes new team mem ber Steve Maher, MD. Maher completed his undergraduate studies at Metro State College in Denver, CO, and medical school at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. His internship and residency were completed at Southern Colorado Fam- ily Medicine in Pueblo, CO; his residency concentrated on rural family prac tice. Maher current ly maintains his cer tification in family medicine, serving a full range of clinic family-practice pa Steve tients from newborn to geriatrics. Maher and his wife. Cheri, come to Boardman from Buena Vista, CO. They have five adult children and 13 grandchildren. Also joining them in Boardman is Re becca, their young est daughter. In his free time, Maher en joys woodworking, Maher camping, fishing, hiking and spend ing time with his family. Area pastors invited to Health District prepares for submit Christmas messages electronic records By April Sykes M orrow C ounty Health District is currently in the midst o f training staff in preparation for the federally mandated change over to electronic medi cal records, MCHD CEO Michael Blauer reported at the regular meeting held in Heppner Nov. 28. B lauer c red ited Molly Rhea, director o f nursing, her crew, John and Ann Murray of Murray’s Drug and Dr. Betsy Ander son, who is in the process o f training providers, for “all their hard work” in the process. “I can’t express how appreciative I am of the staff.” said Blauer. Rhea said that the nursing staff began train ing on Monday. A week of parallel testing, where by electronic records are backed up by paper re cords, is scheduled prior to the “go-live” date of Dec. 13. Rhea said that she has scheduled a second nurse • The Heppner Gazette-Times invites area pastors to submit Christmas mes sages to be published in the December 21 edition. The deadline is Friday, December for back-up 24 hours a day 16, at 5 p.m. during the testing period. “I Messages can be dropped off at the Gazette office, emailed to editor@rapid- think you’re making great serve.net, or faxed to 541-676-9211. strides," commented board Chairman Larry Mills. In financial mat ters, the district showed a t^ s c T O D GEfll? healthy profit in October as Chief Financial Officer Nicole Mahoney reported a $190,186 gain for the month. She noted an in crease in the gross patient w Through December 23 revenue, a Medicaid settle- GREAT GIFTS FOR KIDS! 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