SIX - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, September 5,2012
Local hearing screenings next month
IMESD to conduct hearing screenings in Eastern Oregon
schools
The InterM o u n tain
Education Service District
(IMESD) is providing free
hearing screenings to public
elementary school students
through November.
Local hearing screen
ings will be conducted on
Monday, Oct. 22 at 8:15
a.m. in lone and approxi
mately 10 a.m. in Hep
pner. Re-screenings will
be held Tuesday, Nov. 13,
at 8:15 a.m. in lone and
approximately 10 a.m. in
Heppner.
H earing screen in g s
are conducted annually
by the IMESD's Audiol
ogy Department for public
school students in Umatilla,
Morrow and Union coun
ties, and is cooperatively
sponsored by local school
districts. Students to be
screened include nearly
4,000 kindergarten, first-
and third-grade students,
new students to a county,
and parent/teacher/princi-
pal referrals of students in
other grades. Children who
fail the initial screening
will be re-screened within
a three-week period.
Parents who do not
want their child’s hearing
to be screened should notify
their child’s school as soon
as possible. If you have
any questions regarding
the hearing screening pro
gram, please contact your
local school principal or the
IMESD Audiology Depart
ment at 541 -966-3140.
BEO announces
winners of fair
giveaways
Fall prescribed burning may impact
hunting and camping activities
Fire management staff
on the Umatilla National
Forest are preparing for
the fall prescribed burning,
which may impact access
and camping opportunities
in several fall hunting units.
Area, road and trail closures
will go into effect just prior
to and during bum opera
tions, which typically take
twp to five days.
Forest officials advise
hunters to plan ahead and
avoid camping in the fol
lowing designated p re
scribed burn areas during
this 2012 hunting season:
-The Gulliford Burn
(located in the Heppner
Hunting Unit in Oregon)
encompasses 4,000 acres
on the North Fork John
Day Ranger District west of
State Highway 395 between
forest road 5308 and forest
road 5314.
Prescribed burning is
highly dependent on pre
cise weather and fuel con
ditions, and fall weather
provides some o f the best
conditions—dry material
and cooler temperatures.
Burning could occur any
time from late September
through early November,
which coincides with sev
eral big game hunting sea
sons.
Additional areas across
the forest are also scheduled
for fall prescribed burning
but will not involve large
area closures.
“It’s important to note
that not all proposed bums
planned for this fall may
be completed, since typical
weather conditions provide
limited burn w indow s,”
said Chris Johnson, Deputy
Fire Staff Officer.
Firefighters will ignite
the bum perimeter by hand
using drip torches. The in-
terior of the bums will be
aerial ignited, via helicop
ter, using a plastic sphere
dispenser that drops ping-
pong-like balls through
the tree canopy that catch
fire on the ground. For this
reason, it is important that
hunters avoid setting up
camp within the designated
bum perimeter.
“The safety of our fire
fighters and the public are
top priority,” said Johnson.
While closures may
inconvenience hunters, the
long-term reward is worth
the short-term restrictions
on forest use.
“Unfortunately, hunt
ing season coincides with
prescribed burning season.
We understand this will im
pact hunters, but controlled
bums are necessary to rein
troduce fire to the landscape
and encourage healthy veg-
etation that will ultimately
improve landscapes and
forage for big game,” added
Johnson.
Partnerships with the
Blue Mountain Elk Initi
ate, Rocky Mountain Elk
Foundation and Washing
ton Department of Fish and
Wildlife provide funding
and in-kind support for
prescribed burning proj
ects. Maps and additional
information on these and
other proposed prescribed
bums are available on the
Umatilla National Forest
website www.fs.usda.gov/
umatilla/ or at any forest
office.
For more information
concerning the Umatilla
National Forest Prescribed
Burning program, contact
Dale Boyd in the Heppner
Ranger District at 541 -676-
9187.
Wildfire danger extreme despite
cooler weather
Public assistance needed to minimize human caused fires
Cooler nights and mod
erate daytime temperatures
may have people thinking
more about fall and less
about wildfire prevention.
However, fuel conditions
across the landscape are
dangerously dry this time
of year and will bum ag
gressively.
“In timbered areas, it
takes many days of hot and
dry conditions for fuels
such as trees, brush and logs
to cure. It also takes many
days o f cool and moist
w eather for these same
fuels to absorb enough
moisture to the extent they
will no longer bum,” said
Brian Goff, Forest Fire
Staff Officer.
“ We need help from
the public to minimize the
chances of human-caused
fires during this critical
period,” urged Goff. “There
are a number of large fires
burning in Oregon, as well
as in other western states.
If we can avoid it, we don’t
want to add any more fires
to the list,” said Goff.
Hunters and other for
est visitors are reminded
that public-use restrictions
pertaining to campfires,
smoking, chainsaw use and
the use of other internal
combustion engines such as
generators, remain in effect
on the Umatilla National
Forest.
Under current public-
use restrictions, the follow
ing apply:
-Building and tending
of open campfires, includ
ing charcoal briquettes,
cooking fires and warming
fires are prohibited until
further notice, except in
fire pits at designated rec
reation sites. Permissible
sources for cooking or heat
include pressurized gas
BBQs, stoves hnd space
heating devices.
4th Annual
-Smoking is only al
lowed within enclosed ve
hicles, buildings, developed
recreation sites or when
stopped in an area cleared
of all flammable material.
-Firewood cutting is
not allowed. Operating an
internal com bustion en
gine, such as a chainsaw, is
prohibited. This restriction
applies to internal combus
tion engines other than a
motor vehicle.
-Generators will only
be allowed in the center
o f an area at least 10 feet
in diam eter that is bar
ren or cleared of all flam
mable material, or when
fully contained within a
pickup bed that is devoid of
all flammable material, or
when factory-installed in a
recreational vehicle and the
generator exhaust discharge
is located in the center of
an area at least 10 feet in
diameter that is barren or
cleared of all flammable
material.
As a reminder, travel
restrictions prohibit motor
vehicles traveling off desig-
nated forest roads and trails,
except for the purposes of
going to or from campsites
located within 300 feet of
an open road. Motorized
travel on segments of road
where access is blocked by
gate, barricade, log, boul
der or earthen berm is also
prohibited. Vehicles must
still abide by all laws and
regulations pertaining to the
area of travel.
Regulated closures are
in effect on state and private
lands protected by Oregon
D epartm ent o f Forestry
(ODF) in northeast and
central Oregon. Specific
information on ODF’s re
strictions is available on the
web at http://egov.oregon.
gov/ODF/.
If unsure which restric
tions apply, contact the
Umatilla National Forest
Office at 541-278-3716.
Public-use restrictions will
be updated on the toll-free
message line at 1 -877-958-
9663 and are also available
online at www.fs.usda.gov/
umatilla/.
cfet/in ’ on tko (ftiytid Chamber lunch
Saturday, September 22nd
Boardman Marina Park
3:00pm—9:00pm
Live Music featuring
C. C. King Band
& THE SHADES
Classic Car Display
Wine & Beer Tasting
Tickets: $20.
To Purchase call:
541-481-3014 www.rotrfestival.com
$25 at the door, Must be 21 to Attend
Catered b y :
Judy Scott's Chuck Wagon
Sponsored b y :
Boardman, OR
Top: Jessica Lentz won the BEO carving knife set from the
bank’s Morrow County fair booth giveaway. Middle: Ray
Cecil, winner of the camp chair and cooler. Bottom: Branch
manager Tricia Rollins (L) with Darrin Padberg, winner of
the Kindle from BEO’s Morrow County fair booth giveaway.
-Contributed photos
Tricia Rollins, Branch
Manager at the Heppner
Bank o f Eastern Oregon
branch, drew the names
of three persons who won
the prizes displayed at
BEO ’s M orrow County
fair booth.
Jessica Lentz won the
BEO carving knife set; Ray
Cecil won the camp chair
and cooler; and Darrin Pad
berg won the Kindle.
BEO’s branches with
fair booths in Harney, Grant,
Gilliam and Wheeler coun
ties had or will have similar
drawings.
County Court news
meeting
This Thursday’s Heppner Chamber o f Commerce
lunch meeting will be all entities report from 12-1 p.m. in
the St. Patrick’s Senior Center dining room. We will also
have a brief introduction of “District Energy for Heppner”
by Andrew Haden of Wisewood, Inc.
Cost of lunch is $9; Alvin Liu of Cornerstone Gal
lery will cater. Attendees are asked to RS VP no later than
Wednesday the Wednesday before.
The Morrow County
Court met in Heppner on
Aug. 29 with Judge Tallman
and Commissioners Grieb
and Rea in attendance.
The court review ed
and approved the account
payables in the net total
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amount of $51,451.09. The
court discussed the addi
tional funds requested for
the evaluation of the bell
tower. The court approved
spending up to $2,500 for
the additional engineering
review of the bell tower.
The court meeting was
adjourned and the Depart
ment Head meeting begun.
This information is pro
vided by Com m issioner
Leann Rea; anyone who
would like to receive Coun
ty Court minutes, please
contact Karen Wolff at 541 -
676-5620.
WEBSITES
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