Heppner gazette-times., June 10, 2015, Page THREE, Image 3

Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, June 10, 2015
Ione Public Library to host Knights of
Veritas program
The Ione Public Library
will be hosting Knights of
Veritas, and educational
program for the whole fam-
ily about the Middle Ages,
at the Ione City Park on
June 16 at 1:30 p.m.
The Knights of Veri-
tas program is part of the
library’s summer reading
activities. The hour-long
program is free and open to
the public.
“What a fun way to
bring history to life!” says
Andrea Grigg, summer
reading program coordina-
tor. “These guys are dedi-
cated to ‘keeping it real.’
This will be an authentic
and fascinating demonstra-
tion of combat from the
medieval period.”
Knights of Veritas is re-
nowned for providing pro-
grams for children, youth
and families at schools,
libraries, museums, cultural
heritage, and civic events
throughout the Pacific
Northwest. The Knights
have presented for thou-
sands of families at hun-
dreds of programs since
their founding in 2004.
“We’re thrilled to be
coming out for this pro-
gram,” said Knights of
Ione youth awarded
for character essay
Veritas Director Eric Slyter.
“Our mission is to make
history exciting and rel-
evant today’s audiences,
and show that even great
warriors had a code of con-
duct that was expected of
them. Boys and girls of all
ages love knights, and we
love getting kids excited
about learning and reading!
They’ll leave the program
with a different understand-
ing of the middle ages than
when they came in!”
The Knights’ various
programming includes ac-
curate replica arms and
armour, and examination
of the culture of the Middle
Ages, common myths and
misconceptions, accurate
combat based on period
manuscripts, rare antiq-
uities that can’t be seen
anywhere else in the Pa-
cific Northwest, the Code
of Chivalry, and more.
For more information
about Ione Public Library
Summer Reading program,
call the library at 541-561-
9828.
For additional infor-
mation about Knights of
Veritas, contact Eric Slyter
at 509-855-1500 or visit
www.KnightsofVeritas.org.
Ione concert to
feature Sen. Hansell
Ione, OR—Inland Northwest Musicians will perform
a concert featuring Sen. Bill Hansell at the Ione Commu-
nity School in Ione at 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 20. “Lin-
coln Portrait” by Aaron Copland will be featured during
the concert, with Sen. Hansell narrating. The concert is
free and a reception will follow the performance.
- THREE
Ione students
learn donkey care—
in miniature
Tom Shear and Sherron Woodside gave of their time and
talents to share their knowledge of livestock to the middle
school agriculture science class at Ione Community School
recently. Pictured are seventh graders Makenzie Heideman,
Zoey Gilbert and Lisa Ginther brushing down one of minia-
ture donkeys. Students cared for hooves, mane and tail and
general overall body of the animals. Shear and Woodside also
shared how to care for their animals and properly restrain
them. –Photo by Erin Heideman
Gall midge enlisted to attack Russian
knapweed in Oregon
Marilyn Perkins presents Callie Yates of Ione with the honor-
able mention award for this year’s Character Counts essay
contest through the Morrow County Family Character Educa-
tion Program. –Contributed photo
Free meal program
offered in Irrigon,
Boardman schools
A summer 2015 free
meals program will be of-
fered in north end schools
June 16-30 and through
parks and recreation June
22 through July 23. Through
the program, any child age
one to 18 can eat for free.
Schedule is as follows:
Breakfast—Irrigon El-
ementary, 490 SE Wyo-
ming, Irrigon, June 16-30,
7:15-7:45 a.m.; Irrigon Jr/
Sr High, 315 SE Wyoming,
Irrigon, June 16-30, 7:45-
8:15 a.m.; Riverside Jr/Sr
High, 210 Boardman Ave.,
Boardman, June 16-30,
7:30-8 a.m.; Sam Board-
man Elementary, 301 Wil-
son Rd., Boardman, June
16-30, 7:45 -8:15 a.m.
Lunch—Irrigon Ele-
mentary, June 16-30, 11:45-
12:15 p.m.; Irrigon Jr/Sr
High, June 16-30, 12-12:30
p.m.; Riverside Jr/Sr High,
June 16-30, 11:30-12 p.m.;
Sam Boardman Elemen-
tary, June 16-30, 12-12:30
p.m.; Boardman Parks and
Recreation, 1 Marine Dr.,
Boardman, June 22 - July
23 (M-Th), 11-11:30 a.m.
Adult breakfasts are
available for $2, adult
lunches for $3 each.
For more information,
contact Kim Mabry at 541-
481-2526 ext. 2726.
the McNab site has yielded
an impressive population
of midges. ODA, APHIS
and other partners includ-
creating a
swelling ball
of leaf tis-
sues. The gall
protects the
larvae. As the
larvae mature,
they pupate
for a week
or two then
emerge and a
second gener-
Adult Russian knapweed gall ation attacks
midge. -–Contributed photo
other growing
ing the Morrow Soil and Russian knap-
Water Conservation Dis- weed plants.
trict, Morrow County Weed T h e m i d g e
Department and private has several
landowners are teaming up generations
to collect and redistribute per summer. Colin Park, USDA APHIS, inspects a heavily
the gall midge at strategic In the fall, the galled plant. These are harvested for redistri-
locations up and down the midge spends bution to other sites. –Contributed photo
mowed, or overgrazed, to
Willow Creek drainage, and the winter pu-
to other infested counties in pating in galls or in the soil protect developing midge
Oregon.
after the plants senesce. populations. Once popula-
Adult midges emerge The galls can inhibit the tions are well established,
from overwintering pupae production of flowers, re- other control measures can
in the mid spring, mate ducing seed production, be employed and the midg-
and begin to lay eggs on which reduces the spread es can re-infest sites from
Russian knapweed plants of the plant. The galls also surrounding areas.
Infested plants with
as they begin to bolt. The act as a nutrient sink, stunt-
adult midges do not feed. ing plants and making them large galls are harvested.
The females sting the devel- less thrifty. It is too early to The stems of several plants
oping plants in the tender know how much of an im- with a total of 20+ galls are
stem buds. The developing pact the midge will have on inserted into water bottles
larvae secrete a substance controlling Russian knap- to keep the plants green
for as long as possible. The
that causes the plant to grow weed infestations.
faster surrounding the lar-
Sites with gall midg- bouquet is then placed at
vae with extra plant tissues, es should not be sprayed, other Russian knapweed
infestations. The pupae in
the galls soon give rise to
new adult midges, which
then mate and disperse into
the new site, and start the
cycle all over again. It may
take about three years for
their populations to build
up enough to start making
an impact on the weed in-
festation. Because control
is slow, sites that are in
areas where other methods
of weed control are unlikely
to be implemented should
be chosen.
For more information,
contact Dave Pranger with
Morrow County Weed Con-
trol in Lexington at 541-
989-9502 or Kevin Payne
with the Morrow Soil and
Water Conservation District
in Heppner at 541-676-
5452 x111. A release is
planned to occur in the next
Della Heideman, former environmental consultant and local business owner, presented to the two weeks and additional
middle school agriculture science class at Ione Community School last week on the uses of
releases at a later date.
GPS and mapping. Students practiced using coordinates to find different points and treasur-
In 2014, ODA and
ers around the school. They also used their data to create maps using Google Earth. –Photo
APHIS
have also released
by Erin Heideman
another gall forming in-
sect, a small wasp called
Aulacidea acroptilonica, in
the Rhea Road and McNab
areas. The wasp was re-
covered for the first time
this year. The gall wasp
attacks the stem, causing a
decrease in flowering and
seed production. It will take
several years for the gall
wasp populations to build
up sufficiently to provide
enough galls for redistri-
bution.
The Oregon Depart-
ment of Agriculture (ODA)
and the United States De-
partment of Agriculture
Animal Plant Health In-
spection Service (APHIS)
have teamed up together to
fight Russian knapweed in
Eastern Oregon. Russian
knapweed, or Acroptilon
repens, is one of the worst
invasive weeds in Eastern
Oregon. The plant forms
monocultures, excluding
nearly all other plants. It’s
difficult to control, and
isn’t a good forage plant.
The Willow Creek drainage
harbors one of the worst
infestations in Oregon.
In 2011, the tiny gall
midge (a tiny little fly),
Jaapiella ivannikovi, about
a tenth of an inch long,
was released in Morrow
and Gilliam counties by
ODA and APHIS. The
midge was recovered in
2013 near McNab and in
Gilliam County near Rhea
Road along Willow Creek.
Last year, the midge was
abundant enough to support
some collection for redis-
tribution of the tiny insect
at various locations along
the Willow Creek drain-
age, and to other sites in
Eastern Oregon. This year,
Tillamook Cheese Days Local woman teaches students
brings barbecued pork how to navigate the Ag world
BOARDMAN, OR—
The SAGE Center is host-
ing Tillamook Cheese Days
June 19-20, showcasing
Tillamook products made
in Boardman.
Lunch will be served
from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. each
day at the SAGE Center,
101 Olson Road in Board-
man. The cost is $5 for a
grilled cheddar and barbe-
cue pork sandwich, a side,
dessert, and a drink. The
cost includes admission to
the SAGE Center.
Call 541-481-7243 for
more information.
THE LANDING
RESTAURANT
prime rib
every
Saturday
night
Reservations
strongly
recommend
senior
Sundays
This Sunday's
meal will be A
BBQ county
style pork ribs
Landing at Morrow
County OHV Park
Hours: mon-Sat 8am-8pm
Sunday 8am-6pm
541-969-3822
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www.facebook.com/TheLandingLodge