¡¡' 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!
Z&DO
-See HEALTH DISTRICT/
PAGE TWO
‘0 GD%
M orrow County Grain Growers
Lexington 989-8221 • 1-800-452-7396 for farm »qulprowit. till! »ur w»b «ft« n mn^ncf^