Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, February 4, 2015 Nordic ski club on the hunt for snow and sun Last Saturday, the Nordic ski club reported they had six skiers and three dogs make the trek to the mountain snow. With existing warm temperatures and no new snow, members of the Arbuckle Nordic ski club say it is becoming more difficult to find good skiing conditions. The group again chose the flat terrain around Kelly Prairie for this weekend’s trip. Members re- ported it was a bit icy in the morning but the sunshine brought a softening of the surface, so the skiing was good after lunch. Participants say they appreciate the many of the weekends this year they’ve been able to spend the day in sunshine and blue skies instead of staying in town with the fog. Pictured (L-R) are last weekend’s skiers: Steve Brownfield, Sherry Ewing, Luanne Brownfield, Bill Ewing, Terry Harper and Betsy Anderson. –Contributed photo WARM WINTER CONTINUES -Continued from PAGE ONE ary from NOAA’s Climate inch was received on nine days with the heaviest, 0.18 inches, reported on the 18 th . Since October, the water-year precipitation at Heppner has been 4.51 inches, which is 1.02 inches below normal. The greatest depth of snow on the ground was three inches on the 1 st . The highest wind gust was 42 mph, which oc- curred on the 5 th . The outlook for Febru- Prediction Center calls for above-normal temperatures and near-normal precipi- tation. Normal highs for Heppner during February are 47.4 degrees and normal lows are 28.2 degrees. The 30 year normal precipita- tion is 1.12 inches. The National Weather Service is an office of the National Oceanic and At- mospheric Administration, an agency of the U.S. Com- merce Department. Ruiz wins Windy River geographic bee BOARDMAN – Jose Ruiz, a 6th grader at Windy River Elementary School, won the school-level compe- tition of the National Geographic Bee on Jan. 14, and now he has a chance to earn a $50,000 college scholar- ship. - SEVEN Bakery Bunch 4-H club learns all about coffee The Bakery Bunch 4-H Club held its January club meeting at the Turquoise Yeti Coffee Shop in Ione. Owner Keri Heideman briefly told club members about the history of coffee from 14 th century Ethiopia until the present day. She explained different ways that coffee beans are ground and roasted, and talked about guidelines for caffeine consumption. Then members watched as Heideman demonstrated step-by-step how to make a caramel latte and an iced coffee, two of the shop’s popular beverages. That led to a discussion about to prepare a frappe, macchiato, cappuccino, and cold brew coffee. Refreshments included eating Mocha Rocky Road Keri Heideman of the Turquoise Yeti (left) shows members of the Bakery Bunch 4-H Club how to make a latte at her coffee shop in Ione. –Contributed photo Oatmeal Cookies that club leader Nancy Jepsen had prepared with decaffeinated coffee for flavoring. Members present were Madison Orem, Haylie and Renee Peterson, MaLinda Morter, Cecelia McElligott, Katelyn Thompson, Mack- enzie and Hailey Heide- man, and Grace Ogden, with guests Isabelle and Olivia Ogden. Cub Scouts have local pinewood derby Heppner Pack 691 and Ione Pack 643 held the an- nual Cub Scout Pinewood Derby Jan. 31 in Lexington. This was the first year the Ione pack has been a part of the derby, but the Heppner scouts showed them the ropes. The older boy scouts organized the heats. Heppner pack lead- ers Dan and Andrea Grigg prepared the track, helped the scouts and their families make weight, and kept of- ficial results. Every car raced in each lane twice, and the average times determined placing. Every student got a certificate with an award for his individual car design. Examples of awards given include most creative, best body design and best paint job. Local derby winners for 2015 were Liam Heide- man (first), Mason Orem South Morrow Cub Scouts recently held their annual pinewood derby. Back row: Roen Waite, Seth Grigg, Felix Matthew and Eli Petzoldt. Front row: Mason Orem, Corey Rice, Finn Simpson and Liam Heideman. –Contributed photo (second), and Felix Mat- derby in Hermiston later looking forward to next thew (third). The scouts this year. Members of both year’s local event. can compete in the regional packs say they are already Oregon enters next phase of wolf recovery after at least seven packs breed in 2014: Changes for livestock producers SALEM, Ore.—Or- egon is moving to Phase II of its wolf recovery plan after wildlife biologists documented seven breeding pairs of wolves in Oregon in 2014. Of nine known wolf packs, only the Imnaha Pack is not a breeding pair. The Umatilla River pack still needs to be surveyed. A breeding pair is a pair of adult wolves which produce at least two pups that survive to the end of each year. Six of Oregon’s 2014 breeding pairs are in eastern Oregon. While surveys are not completed on all of Or- egon’s wolves, confirma- tion of at least four breeding pairs for the third consecu- tive year in eastern Oregon moves the eastern part of the state to Phase 2 of the state’s Wolf Conservation and Management Plan. “This is an important step for Oregon. Wolves have now met one of the initial milestones envi- sioned by the public and the Commission,” said Russ Morgan, ODFW wolf coor- dinator. “In the past seven years, Oregon has gone from no known wolves, to resident and reproducing wolves, and now to meeting our conservation objective for the eastern part of the state.” In addition to breeding pairs, the department docu- mented four new pairs of wolves in 2014, including confirmation of a second wolf in the Keno Unit last week. Changes for livestock producers east of Hwys. 395-78-95 Most known wolf ac- tivity, including eight of the nine known wolf packs, is east of Hwys. 395-78- 95. This is the area of the state where wolves are also delisted from the federal Endangered Species Act. Wolf-livestock conflict in this area is now managed under Phase 2 rules of the Oregon Wolf Plan. Non- lethal measures to prevent wolf-livestock conflict are still emphasized in Phase 2 but livestock producers now have more flexibility to protect their livestock. Specifically, producers in the easternmost portion of the state are allowed to take (shoot) a wolf caught chas- ing livestock under certain circumstances. Livestock producers are also encour- aged to visit the Wolf-Live- stock page and sign up for automatic Wolf-Livestock section email updates to get the latest information on wolves in their area. In our backyard West of Hwys. 395-78- 95, wolves remain listed under the Federal Endan- gered Species Act, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service regulates all take and harassment of wolves where wolves are feder- ally listed. The only known wolves in this area are the Rogue Pack (OR7) and two new wolves recently confirmed in the Keno Unit. Next steps: Annual re- port, potential delisting of wolves from Oregon ESA ODFW biologists are now working to final- ize 2014 wolf population counts. Population surveys are nearly complete and the number of wolves may be updated through February as biologists continue to collect information. The 2014 population will be reported in March when ODFW publishes its annual wolf report. The transition to Phase 2 also marks the initiation of the state delisting process in Oregon as outlined in the Wolf Plan. ODFW will begin conducting a full sta- tus review and will present the results of that review to the Fish and Wildlife Commission in April 2015. Delisting from the Oregon List of Endangered Species is a public process and the Commission could make their decision as early as June 2015. “The Wolf Plan is working and the wolf popu- lation in Oregon expanding as the original crafters of the Plan thought it would,” said Brett Brownscombe, ODFW interim deputy di- rector. “We should embrace this wildlife success as wolves return to the Oregon landscape and ensure man- agement approaches are also in place to address the challenges that come with wolves.” For more informa- tion on wolves in Oregon, visit www.dfw.state.or.us/ wolves. Nominations open for Crystal Apple Awards Ladies Night THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 5TH Dinner: 6:00 pm Cost: $10.00 PENDLETON—The InterMountain Education Service District (IMESD) has announced that nomi- nations for the 2015 Crys- tal Apple “Excellence in Education” Awards opened Sunday and will be ac- cepted through Wednesday, April 1. The Crystal Apple Awards will take place in two locations on separate dates to reflect the IMESD’s regional service areas. Win- ners for Umatilla and Mor- row counties will be recog- nized May 20, 2015 at the Pendleton Red Lion. The purpose of the awards is to recognize in- dividuals who help to make our schools and students successful. The awards are open to school district and the Crystal Apple Awards, nominations also are be- ing accepted for the Doug Flatt Memorial Leadership Award, which recognizes one outstanding administra- tor (such as a principal or superintendent). Nomination forms, q are available at www. imesd.k12.or.us/crystalap- ple/home. The deadline is April 1 at 5 p.m. Join Us For A Valentine's Day Banquet Menu will Consist of pork short ribs, cheesy potatoes, coleslaw, green beans, rolls and dessert Dinner will be prepared by Nancy Anderson, Betty Gray, Karen Haguewood,Sharon Harrison, Nancy Ekstrom, Judy Harris and Betty Burns. IMESD employees in Uma- tilla, Morrow and Union county school districts. The honor may be awarded to individuals who work full-time or part-time in any capacity. The staff member must have worked in his or her current posi- tion for at least one year to qualify. Anyone in the general public may submit a nomination. In addition to Saturday Evening, February 14th at 6:15 P.M. Cost: FREE - Tickets REQUIRED! On Thursday, February 12th Heppner and Ione Wheatland offices will be closing at 3:30 pm Mexican Dinner & Entertainment A drawing for a romantic couple’s basket Heppner SDA Church 560 N Minor, Heppner R.S.V.P. by February 10th to (541) 922-8697 or ecwenberg@gmail.com