EIGHT - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, February 15, 2012
A View from the Hill
By Doris Brosnan
The year 2012 has
begun at Willow Creek
Terrace with more oppor
tunities to appreciate the
“lighter side of life,” which
residents view as critical to
keeping a good perspec
tive.
For instance. New
Year’s Day featured a fes
tive breakfast and a crab-
feed luncheon, and January
continued to amuse and
surprise with observances
devoted to bubble bath,
peach Melba, Fig Newtons,
blueberry pancakes, belly
laughing, clothes-clashing
and working at life back
wards. Remaining totally
serious is difficult on those
occasions. Celebrating Al
vina Padberg's 91sl birthday
on January 15 contributed
to the festive atmosphere.
February continues
to keep residents and visi
tors tuned into the unusual
and entertaining, the silly
and the serious, starting
with “Hula in the Coola”
on the 1st. That is when
staff members Lori and
Kristy dem onstrated the
hula dance to the residents
and Mabel Heath gave the
dance a try. Delicious Ha
waiian kabobs were the
dinner fare.
Among the early-
month standouts was Super
Bowl Sunday, when the
residents and staff were
invited to take a chance
in a wagering pool. Some
residents en joyed watching
the close game in the sitting
room while also enjoy
ing the noshes set out by
kitchen staff. Mabel Heath
was the lucky winner of the
pool for the first and second
quarters. Marge Burgess,
who has been a winner of at
least one Super-Bowl pool
each year since moving into
the Terrace, won the third-
quarter pot. The fourth-
quarter, big winner was
staff member Sue Baker’s
granddaughter Jasmine.
Valentines Day was
a day to party with some
other young people, students
of Heppner Preschool. The
Terrace was decorated w ith
the theme “Bee Mine.” The
children gave handmade
valentines to the residents
and staff, enjoyed a valen
tines exchange with them,
and stayed for punch and
cookies. Celebrating her
91s’ birthday on Valentines
Day, Liz Buehler and her
neighbors enjoyed her cho
sen menu for lunch, and the
day’s festivities ended with
a candlelight dinner.
Next week will be
observed as International
Friendship Week, so discus
sions on the Hill will focus
on friendships that residents
have enjoyed throughout
their lives. O f course, these
will produce both amus
ing and serious memories.
On Friday, the trivia game
based on the week’s dis
cussions will surely be
entertaining.
Scattered among
these special events at the
Terrace will also be days in
honor of homemade soup,
the Boys Scouts, the human
spirit, French fries. Tootsie
Rolls, and the Grand Can
yon. And two more birth
days will be celebrated.
Anna Mae Steagall will en
joy her 85th birthday on the
23rd, and Helen Crawford
will be observing her 92nd
birthday on February 26.
Thanks to the sug
gestion by several Terrace
residents, visitors on these
.and other days will soon
find a new, useful front
door quality: an auto-open
feature, so useful when
arms are full or hands fight
with the standard latch. Of
course, the welcome mat is
always out at Willow Creek
Terrace, for visits, parties
and meetings, and a huge
welcome will greet the next
new residents. Two apart
ments are now available,
so interested parties are en
couraged to call 676-0004
about the accommodations
or about scheduling an
event at the Terrace.
If the unseasonably
warm weather continues,
visitors and residents will
soon be able to enjoy the
outdoor amenities more of
ten. and can the planting of
the garden be far behind? If
this writer could send some
Arizona sunshine to the Hill
to cut through the recent
fog, she would, but not so
much that it would prevent
critical moisture yet needed
for the future garden and the
farmers’ fields. The view
from the Terrace will soon
be greener, just in time for
another month of activities,
including the St. Patrick’s
Day weekend celebration.
GRP signup ends Feb. 24
Continuous sign
up for the 2012 Grassland
Reserve Program (GRP)
will close February 24,
2012. The objective of the
GRP is to support grazing
operations, maintain and
improve plant and animal
biodiversity, and protect
grasslands that are under
threat of conversion.
F or fisc a l y ear
2012, NRCS Oregon will
give high priority to appli
cations, particularly ease
ments, that enroll sage-
brush-dominated grazing
lands within and adjacent to
sage-grouse core area habi
tats. Applicants enrolled
in the program retain the
right to conduct common
grazing practices while pro
viding high quality habitat
for sage-grouse. Core area
habitat primarily occurs in
Baker, Crook, Deschutes,
Harney, Lake and Malheur
counties.
“ G RP is a tool
that can help improve the
long -term sustainability of
ranches in areas critical to
sage-grouse” said Ronald
Alvarado, state conserva
tionist for NRCS Oregon.
In several western states,
GRP is being strategically
targeted to help protect
working ranches within
sage-grouse high abun
dance population centers or
‘core areas.’
Ranchers who en
roll in GRP voluntarily limit
future developm ent and
cropping uses of the land
in exchange for program
payments. Enrollment op
tions include permanent
conservation easem ents
that provide a one-time pay
ment, or rental agreements
of 10, 15, or 20 year dura
tion that provide an annual
payment.
GRP easem en t
offers are based on the
Geographic Area Rate Cap
(GARC) of $300 per acre.
Wranglers club to
meet
Wranglers Riding Club will be hosting a meeting
on Feb. 23 at 5:30 p.m. in the upstairs conference room
of the Gilliam Bisbee building at 120 S. Main Street,
Heppner. All who are interested in participating in the
Wranglers play days this year are welcome to attend to
provide input.
Spray Rodeo court
holds tryouts
Tryouts for the 2012 Spray Rodeo court will be
held Saturday, March 31 at 1 p.m. at the Spray Rodeo
grounds. The rodeo will take place May 26 and 27.
Contestants do not have to be local or Wheeler
County residents. They must, however, be at least 15
years o f age, and must never have been married or had
children.
For further information, calf 541-468-2442.
MCHD holiday closures
Morrow County Health District has announced
that Pioneer Memorial Clinic in Heppner and Irrigon
Medical Clinic will be closed on Monday, Feb. 20, for
the Presidents’ Day holiday. Laboratory and radiology
departments at Pioneer Memorial Hospital will also be
closed that day for non-emergency outpatient services.
Marriage Licenses
The Morrow County Clerk has issued the follow
ing marriage licenses:
February 10: -Mr. Travis Burton Winters, 31, of
Heppner and Laura Hanes Browne, 25, of Heppner.
or a lower offer made vol
untarily by the landowner.
Rental agreement
rates are determined by
the Farm Service Agency
(FSA) and generally range
from $8-12 per acre in sage-
grouse country.
Administration of
GRP is a coordinated effort
between the FSA and the
NRCS.
L a n d o w n ers or
operators interested in us
ing GRP to help maintain
working grazing lands for
livestock and wildlife can
apply at their local USDA
Service Center.
For a p p licatio n
materials and more infor
mation, visit the NRCS
w ebsite at http://w w w .
or.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/
grp/index.html or the FSA
website at http://www.fsa.
usda.gov/FSA/webapp?ar
ea=home&subject=copr&t
opic=grp.
Heppner FFA represents at
districts
Heppner FFA was
w ell-represented at the
Blue Mountain District FFA
Leadership Contest held at
Blue Mountain Community
College (BMCC) Febru
ary 2.
K aelyn Lindsay
participated in the Creed
CDE, and Zech Hintz wrote
a speech about social me
dia and agriculture for the
Advanced Public Speaking
CDE; Zech placed third.
The Advanced Par
liamentary Procedure team
consisted o f Zech Hintz,
chair; Micha Hintz, sec
retary; Khayman Heard;
Kellie Nelson; Stephanie
Schuler and Joslynn Trox-
ell.
The Beginning Par-
liamentary Procedure team
had Makenzi Hughes as
chair, Kayla Kindle as sec
retary, Paige Grieb, Maddie
Lindsay, Macy Gibbs and
Tate Gentry. The beginning
team placed second and will
be competing at the Sec
tionals Contest at Eastern
Oregon University in La
Grande on February 16.
State FFA Degree
presentations were also
held that day at BMCC.
Those presenting for their
State FFA Degree (the high
est degree the state can
bestow to its members)
included: Lilly Sandford,
Micha Hintz, Shane Miles,
Maggie Collins, Kellie Nel
son, Stephanie Schuler and
Makenzie Correa.
H e p p n e r FFA
would like to invite the
public to the FFA Green-
hand Initiation on Tuesday,
Feb. 21, at 7 p.m. at the
Heppner High School caf
eteria. Refreshments will be
provided and the kids will
give a presentation about
their trip to the national FFA
convention.
Boots around the world
The Welly Toss
com petition was added
to the St. Patrick’s Day
Celebration two years ago
because the John and Ann
Murray family took a trip
to Ireland.
Ann Murray is an
integral part of the St. Pat
rick’s Planning Committee
and told the committee the
story of her family attending
a celebration in Ireland and
asking about their favorite
game. The answer was “the
Welly Toss.” The commit
tee decided to integrate
the game into Heppner’s
St. Patrick's Celebration.
Last year, MCGG and their
Wellington Boot vendors
generously gave us their
“sample” boots to use for
the adult events. The boots
for the children’s Welly
Toss were donated by Linda
VanWinkle.
Wellington Boots
were originated by the
DOL to re-propose
farm kid regulation
From the Oregon Wheat
Newsletter
The Department of
Labor said it will re-propose
part of a draft regulation re
lated to minors working on
the farm, seeking additional
comments and modifica
tions to “ensure protection
o f both children and rural
values.”
In a release, DOL
said a reproposed portion
o f the rule covering the
“parental exemption” will
be available for comment
in the summer. The parental
exemption allows children
o f any age who are em
ployed by their parent, or a
person standing in the place
of a parent, to perform any
job on a farm owned by the
parent or the person in place
of the parent.
The dep artm en t
said its decision came partly
because of feedback from
the public and Members
of Congress following the
publication o f a proposed
rule on child labor.
The S ep te m b er
proposal was intended to
make farm work safer for
children, but largely over-
Top: Zech Hintz (L) shakes hands with Patrick Linnell. Blue
Mountain FFA District President from Hcrniiston. Zcch placed
third in the Advanced Public Speaking contest at the FFA dis
trict Leadership Contest at BMCC Feb. 2. Bottom: The Begin
ning Parliamentary Procedure front Heppner placed second
at the Blue Mountain District FFA Leadership Contest held
at BMCC February 2. (L-R) Makenzi Hughes, Kayla Kindle.
Paige Grieb, Maddie Lindsay and Macy Gibbs. Not pictured
is Tate Gentry. -Contributedphotos
looked the fact that most
modem farms are enterpris
es encompassing extended
familiesand long-time but
unrelated farm workers.
Farm groups believed it
would have had sweeping
impact on farm operations,
rural economies and valu
able educational opportu
nities for children in rural
communities participating
in 4-H and FFA programs.
DOL said the re-
proposal “will seek com
ments and inputs as to how
the department can comply
with statutory requirements
to protect children, while re
specting rural traditions.”
Until the rule under
consideration is final. DOL
also said it will interpret the
parental exemption as it has
in recent years.
In a statem en t,
Secretary o f Agriculture
Tom Vilsack applauded the
Department for listening to
farmers and ranchers and
said the additional com
menting period represents
“a common-sense approach
to strengthen our agricul
tural economy while keep
ing farm kids safe.”
Duke o f Wellington and
are similar to the 18th cen
tury Hessian Boot. In early
1800, Wellington ordered
the boot to be higher on the
leg to protect the knee when
riding a horse in battle.
During World War 11, the
boot was manufactured in
rubber rather than leather to
protect soldiers’ feet from
water. The boots are worn
to protect the foot in many
hazardous occupations. The
names for the boots include
topboots, billy-boots, gum-
mies, muckboots, sheep-
boots. poopkickers, and just
plain farm boots and rubber
boots. They are particularly
popular in Europe and Nor
dic countries.
M em bers o f the
community are all cordially
invited to participate in this
year’s Welly Toss competi
tion. The competition in
cludes team and individual
play for those over 12 years
old and individual play for
those two to 11. All compe
titions are during the day on
Saturday, March 17. Team
competition begins at 10:30
a.m. and individual play at
1:30 p.m. Willow Street
will be closed between
Murray's Drug and Artisan
Village for the event.
There is no charge
for individual adult play
or for kids 11 and under.
Team com petition, four
people to a team, does re
quire a $20 fee to provide
money to buy prizes for the
winners. School teams are
exempt from the fee. There
is no other funding for the
event.
Welly Toss rules
and other event details will
be published in the paper
two weeks before St. Pat’s.
Team’s need to complete
forms naming the team and
the players; forms should
be turned in at City Hall
by March 9. The forms are
available at City Hall, and
Sheryl Bates also will be
visiting merchants with the
forms and to answer any
questions. Teams may re
quest times for play. Know
ing that it’s difficult for a
business to have everyone
gone at once, the team
members may toss the boot
anytime during the time
allotted for team competi
tion.
The St. Pat’s com
mittee would like to see lots
of teams this year. Compe
tition between businesses
and agencies and student
groups can be fierce, and it
would be great fun to have
Irish teams “tossing" for
bragging rights and to have
their name engraved on the
Traveling Boot Trophy.
Call Sheryl Bates at
the Chamber of Commerce,
541-676-5536, or Shirlee
Sweigart at 503-522-2865
with any questions.
DA’s Report
The Morrow Coun
ty District Attorney’s office
has released the following
report:
-John Joseph Egge,
51, of Irrigon pled guilty to
one count o f harassment,
a Class B misdemeanor.
Sentence of 90 days incar
ceration was suspended and
the defendant sentenced to
two years bench probation.
Conditions o f probation
include 20 hours commu-
nity service, enrollment and
successful completion of
anger management evalua
tion and any recommended
treatment, enrollment and
successful completion of
alcohol evaluation and any
recommended treatment,
and no offensive physical,
verbal or nonverbal contact
with the victim. Fines, fees
and assessm ents totaled
$548.
Community lunch menu
Hope Lutheran, Valby Lutheran and All Saints
Episcopal church members will be serving lunch on
Wednesday, February 22 at St. Patrick's Senior Center.
The meal will include chicken salad sandwich, tomato
soup, carrot salad with pineapple and raisins, and cookies.
Milk is served at each meal. Suggested donation is $3.50
per meal. Menu is subject to change.