Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
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FO UR - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, August 27, 2014 Walden urges changes to Blue HHS senior nominated for Mountains Forest Plan medical leaders congress Walden writes to Forest Service about strong concerns he heard at town hall meetings in Eastern Oregon this month U.S. Rep. Greg Walden (R -H o o d R iv e r) has written to the U.S. Forest Service to urge changes to the controversial Blue M o u n ta in s F o rest Plan re v is io n . At tow n hall meetings in Eastern Oregon this month, Walden heard strong concerns from local c o m m u n itie s that th eir needs and w ishes w ere ignored in this plan. In a letter to Regional F o r e s t e r J im P e rla , W a ld e n w r o t e , “ T h e federally managed forests th a t s p a n th ro u g h o u t E astern O regon provide significant economic and cultural benefits to local comm unities. In addition to the economic value these fo re sts hold, a c ce ssin g and utilizing these lands is a way o f life for area residents. However, these forests are in poor condition and dire need o f proper m a n a g e m e n t th a t w ill restore forest health, reduce catastrophic wildfire, and sustain the econom ies in these rural com m unities. U nfortunately, it seem s that this plan falls short o f m eeting these needs o f th e fo re s t a n d th e communities.” “ O ver the past year, com m unities surrounded by the Malheur, Umatilla and W a llo w a-W h itm an N a tio n a l F o re s ts have expressed deep concerns with the direction o f this plan. At all o f my recent to w n h a lls a n d o th e r public m eetings in these communities. I heard from a variety of constituents and local elected officials who have found that this plan not only fails to meet the needs of their communities, but also fails to achieve the desired conditions for the forest as well,” Walden continued. In c o n c lu d in g th e letter, Walden urged the agency to work with local c o m m u n itie s to m ak e changes to the plan, and in v ite d th e R e g io n a l F o r e s t e r to E a s t e r n O re g o n to d is c u s s the plan. “1 hope that you will reassess the proposal and engage w ith these local com m unities to develop a p la n th a t a c c u ra te ly re fle c ts e x is tin g fo re st co n d itio n s and o u tlin es objectives that will reach the needed environmental and economic outcomes. I look forward to having you join me on the ground in Eastern Oregon to discuss this plan and other issues on our National Forests that so greatly impact Oregon’s rural communities,” Walden wrote. E a rlie r th is m o n th , W a ld e n h e a rd s tr o n g o p p o s itio n to the p lan at tow n halls and other public meetings in Harney, G rant, U nion, U m atilla, and Wallowa counties. For exam ple, concerns have been voiced that the plan doesn’t provide adequate tim ber production for the region and fails to restore forest health by allowing a c tiv e m a n a g e m e n t on more land. Last month, the Eastern Oregon Counties A ssociation unanim ously rejected the proposed plan. Erica Nelson, a senior During the three-day at Heppner High School, congress, Erica will join has been nominated to at students from across the tend the Congress of Future country and hear N obel Medical Leaders Laureates and in W ashington, National Med DC on Nov. 14- al o f Science lb. W inners ta lk The c o n about leading gress is an hon- m e d ic a l r e o rs - o n ly p r o search; be giv gram for high en advice from school students Ivy League and w h o w a n t to to p m e d ic a l becom e p h y si sc h o o l deans cians or go into on w hat is to medical research Erica Nelson expect in med fields. The pur ic a l s c h o o l; p o se o f th is witness stories event is to honor, inspire, told by patients who are motivate and direct the top living “medical miracles” ; students in the country who be inspired by fellow teen aspire to be physicians or medical science prodigies; medical scientists, to stay and learn about cutting- true to their dream and, edge advances and the fu after the event, to provide a ture in medicine and medi path, plan and resources to cal technology, according to help them reach their goal, the relese. according to a news release. “This is a crucial time Erica was nom inated in America when we need by Dr. Connie Mariano, the more doctors and medical medical director o f the Na sc ie n tists w ho are even tional Academy o f Future better prepared for a future P hysicians and M edical that is changing exponen Scientists to represent Ore tially,” said Richard Rossi, gon, based on her academic executive director. National achievem ent, leadership Academy o f Future Physi potential and determination cians and Medical Scien to serve hum anity in the tists. “Focused, bright and field o f medicine. determ ined students like Erica Nelson are our future and she deserves all the mentoring and guidance we can give her.” The academ y offers free services and programs to students who want to be physicians or go into medi cal science. Some o f the services and programs the academy plans to launch in 2014 and 2015 are online social netw orks through which future doctors and medical scientists can com municate; opportunities for students to be guided and m entored by physicians and medical students; and communications for parents and students on college acceptance and finances, skills acquisition, intern ships, career guidance and much more. If anyone would like to support Erica and help her attend the trip, she will be selling personalized knit Mustang Blankets for $45, or for an extra $5 a per sonalized message will be added. The blankets will feature the Mustang logo, and are 63” by 63” . For m ore inform ation about the trips itself or about the blankets, contact Erica at 541-256-0766. Wildhorse Foundation grants include BEO drawing winner announced WCVED, Farm Foundation David Sykes was Bank of Eastern Oregon's Morrow County Fair & Rodeo drawing winner. “Dave was very happy to stop by the Heppner branch to pick up his Coleman Road Trip Grill and BEO camp chair,” said a BEO spokesperson. “Congratulations from Bank of EO, David, for the lucky draw." The W ildhorse Foundation, a community benefit fund established by the C onfederated Tribes o f the Uma t i l l a I ndi an R eservation ( CTUI R) to support organizations in northeastern O regon and southeastern Washington, has announced the awards for the second quarter o f 2014. A total o f $202,855 w a s a w a r d e d t o 25 recipients, bringing the total for 2014 to over $407,000. Locally funded p r o j e c t s i n c l u d e the Farm Foundation w hich received a $6,000 grant for newspaper digitization; and the Willow Creek Valley E conom ic D evelopm ent Gr o u p wh i c h re c e iv e d $6,000 for establishm ent of a Heppner Pheasant Club brood house. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE On th e e x p a n s i o n at Tillam ook Cheese and ConAgra foods, Neal said those ex p ansions rep re sented major expansion in production and jobs at the Port. “The Lamb Weston (ConAgra) project will al low them to produce one million pounds o f French fries per year and hire an additional 100 employees,” he told the Chamber. He said Morrow County now is the fifth-highest average wage county in the State of Oregon. T he T illam o o k Cheese expansion added 40 new jobs and will allow the com pany to produce w hey and lactose, a b i product o f cheese making, for marketing and export. Neil said the whey, among other uses, will be shipped to New Zealand and then to China where it will be used in the production o f energy drinks. In other develop ments at the Port Neal said wind tower parts for a wind farm in Washington are be ing transported by train to the port and then reloaded by truck to the site. A $30 mi l l i on Novus Pacific project to convert waste products to synthetic gas to be sent to California, is in the works. Neal said the Port will bet “ green c re d its ” for that project. A new $7 million C O 2 pl a nt is b r e a k i n g ground at Pacific ethanol that will have six new jobs and will h an d le the b i product of grain ethanol. Neal said Amazon, also known as VA Data, c o n tin u e s to bui ld data centers at the Port, the latest being a 120,000 sq. ft. metal building with a different type o f design. He said so far there is $400 million invested in data centers at the Port. To accommodate all the construction and expan sion Neal said U m atilla Electric is building quite a few new substations in the area and that Bonneville Power is putting in a sec ond substation because of demand. Neal said the Port is working on a lease with the Corps o f Engineers to develop 40 acres on the river with plans to develop a new park. “It has been a frustrating and interesting experience,” he said. He was not sure how long it would take to get the lease approved. On the old Kinzua mill site outside o f Heppner which the Port owns, Neal said they are still working with DEQ trying to get a C T U I R has a long history o f charitable giving. While the Foundation was formed in 2001, changes in the compact Wildhorse Resort and Casino made with the State o f Oregon expanded their footprint in 2009. Prior to then, the Foundation could disburse grants to Umatilla, Morrow, Union and Wallowa C ounties; they can now al so a l l oc a t e up to 30 percent o f their funding to governm ent bodies or charitable organizations in the Tribes ceded territory in Washington State (Benton, Walla Walla and Columbia Counties) as well as any N ative A m erican T ribal G o v ern m en t A gency or non-profit with its principal office and base of operation within the State o f Oregon - Continued from PAGE ONE clean bill o f health on the property for development, a process he says has gone on for many years, involving lots o f water and soil test ing. “ When we moved the bark material from the log yard that is all we needed to do. But turns out that is not all we need to do,” Neal said. Adding that the DEQ keeps asking for more tests. Speaking on the role of the Columbia River En terprise Zone (CREZ) at the Port and in the county, Neal said the Port cannot com pete in economic develop ment without an enterprise zone. “The enterprise zone is a tool the state o f Oregon gave us as an incentive to attract industry. We almost have to have a zone to com pete. We used to have a low tax rate compared to other counties and we could show a lower tax rate that other counties.” Neal said after Measure 5 was passed it, equalized tax rates among counties across the state, and m ade the Port less competitive. “This forced us to get a CREZ. If you are going to be in the game for economic development you need to use it,” he said o f the zone which replaces property taxes with lower “ fees” . He said he hopes to see the CREZ use those collected fees to improve education and livability in Morrow County. Neal pointed out that the highway that provides transportation opportunity for B oardm an is also a “ doubl e edged sw o rd ” . “ People who work at the Port don't all live here.” He said the Port provides 4,000 jobs for the area but that 70 percent o f the workers live outside the county in places like Hermiston and the Tri-Cities. “I am high on ed u cation and think we need to use the money for education, that and hous ing,” he said. He pointed out that the Willow Creek Valley Economic Develop ment Group has set up a program using a $50,000 CREZ grant (see story this week’s paper) to stimulate housing in the south county area. He said he is working with Blue Mountain Com munity College to try and get more training opportu nity there for the actual jobs being created at the Port. “I have talked to the people m anaging the businesses at the Port and they tell me they need trained workers. I hope to work more closely with colleges on providing those workers locally. We need to fill those jobs from our own back yard,” Neil said. and any national or regional Indian Organization. Over 1300 local and regional non-profits have benefited from over the $7.5 million given by the Foundation since its inception. Because the Wildhorse Foundation’s annual funding comes from a percentage of the Wildhorse R e so rt & C a s in o ’s net revenue, as the re s o rt’s business grow s, so does the F o u n d atio n ’s annual grant total. In 2013, almost $850,000 was distributed to 156 organizations in the Foundation's giving area. T h e B o a r d wi l l consider awarding g r a n t s to a p p l i c a t i o n s that co v er the areas of public health and safety, education, the arts, historic p re s e rv a tio n , g a mbl i ng addiction services, salmon restoration, environmental p ro tectio n , and cultural activities. The quar t er l y deadlines for requests are January 1, A pril 1, July 1 and Oct. 1. For more information on Wildhorse Foundation guidelines or to receive an application, visit www.wildhorseresort. com and cli ck on “O ur Foundation” or call Tiah DeGrofft at 541-966-1628. Morrow County Fair winners announced The Morrow County Fair saw 200 people enter something in the fair this year. People brought out your handy work from art, photography, fruits, vegetables, flowers, crafts, baked goods, canning, quilting, needlework and o f course all the “beautiful art work from all the very talented children in M orrow County,” said Morrow County Fair Secretary Ann Jones. The Wheat League Photo Contest had nine entries this year with winners as follows: first-Alex Carlson, lone; second-Larry Lutcher, Heppner; third-Tami Rietmann, Heppner. Junior Wheat League Muffins had 13 entries this year with winners as follows: first- Annabelle McDaniel, Heppner; second-Cami VanArsdale, Lexington; third- Hayley Akers o f Boardman. Wheat League Cake had nine entries this year with first-Nancy Miller, lone; second-Shelley McCabe, lone; third-Betty Christman, Lexington. Mike Arm ato's Un-Ending Quest for the perfect loaf o f bread: first-Betty Christman; second-Ann Spicer, Heppner. Cup Cake Wars winners: first-M adison Palmer, Heppner; second-Eva Martin, Lexington; third- Annabelle McDaniel, Heppner. Sweepstakes winners: Food-Yvonne Morter, lone; Photo Adult-Alex Carlson, lone; Photo Youth-Skylar Wightman, Boardman; Needlework-Lila Killingbeck, Boardman; Quilting-Keziah Birt o f Boardman; Crafts- Phyllis Piper, Lexington; Kids 3-6-Esther Birt, Boardman; Kids 7-9-Zandra Masterson, Heppner; Juniors-Keziah Birt, Boardman; Canning-Kevin Murray, Heppner; Art- Shirley McNary, lone; Fruits-Claude Birt, Boardman; V egetables-Paul B eagle, Boardm an; Flow ers-Terry Tallman, Boardman. Talent show winners for 2014: Ages 5-9: first- Mischa Meyer, Hermiston, going on to state; Ages 10-17: first-MaLinda Morter, lone, going to state; second-Bridget Wizner; Heppner; third-Aimee Turrell, Heppner; Ages 18 & Up: first-Sam Fisher and Drion Donner, going to State. GET YOUR BUSINESS ONLINE....... Call the Heppner Gazette Today! W e c a n h e lp w ith w e b site se t-u p . d e sig n a n d m ainte nance . ( 541 ) 6 7 6 -9 2 2 8 d a v id @ ra p ld se rv e .n e t
