Heppner warmer than normal Knowledge can be your best
in May
defense against harmful algae
blooms (HABs)
FOUR - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, June 6, 2018
Provided by the Morrow County Health
Department
According to prelimi-
nary data received by NO-
AA’s National Weather
Service in Pendleton, tem-
peratures at Heppner aver-
aged much warmer than
normal during the month
of May.
The average tempera-
ture was 61.6 degrees which
was 5.5 degrees above nor-
mal. High temperatures av-
eraged 74.4 degrees, which
was 5.7 degrees above nor-
mal. The highest was 87
degrees on the 16 th . Low
temperatures averaged 48.8
degrees, which was 5.2
degrees above normal. The
lowest was 37 degrees, on
the 30 th .
Precipitation totaled
0.48 inches during May,
which was 1.18 inches be-
low normal. Measurable
precipitation of at least .01
inch was received on four
days with the heaviest, 0.31
inches reported on the 9 th .
Precipitation this year
has reached 5.91 inches,
which is 1.37 inches below
normal. Since October, the
water year precipitation
at Heppner has been 9.67
inches, which is 1.67 inches
below normal.
The highest wind gust
was 46 mph which occurred
on the 23 rd .
The outlook for June
from NOAA’s Climate Pre-
diction Center calls for
above normal temperatures
and below normal pre-
cipitation. Normal highs
for Heppner rise from 73.0
degrees at the start of June
to 81.0 degrees at the end
of June. Normal lows rise
from 47.0 degrees to 51.0
degrees. The 30 year nor-
mal precipitation is 1.38
inches.
This was the warmest
May on record. The pre-
vious warmest was 60.7
degrees in 1993
As temperatures heat up
during spring and summer,
be on the watch for harm-
ful algae blooms (HABs)
when recreating in Oregon
lakes, rivers and reservoirs.
Only a fraction of Oregon’s
waterbodies are monitored,
so you shouldn’t count on
being notified about all
HABs that may form on
your favorite waterbody.
Oregon has thousands
of fresh water recreation
sites, all of which could
potentially have a harm-
ful algae bloom (HAB).
Cyanobacteria (blue-green
algae) are photosynthetic
bacteria that are part of
the ecosystem of all fresh
waters worldwide. They
are actually very beneficial,
except when conditions
provide the right tempera-
ture and nutrients for the
cyanobacteria to multiply
Sign restoration
Ione student to
attend health camp project completed
Bob Houser, CEO, FACHE of Morrow County Health District
presents a letter of acceptance from MedQuest to IHS student
Zoey Gilbert. -Contributed photo.
Ione High School soph-
omore Zoey Gilbert applied
and was accepted to at-
tend the MedQuest Health
Career Exploration Camp
at Eastern Oregon Univer-
sity in La Grande in June.
Gilbert received a scholar-
ship from Morrow County
Health District to cover the
cost of the camp, which is
coordinated by the North-
east Area Health Education
Center (NEOAHEC).
According to NEOA-
HEC, thirty-five students
from across the state are
selected based on recom-
mendations, GPA and the
quality of their applica-
tion. The camp allows high
school students who are
interested in pursuing a
medical career to shadow
health professionals, sit
in on presentations and
medical panels, witness the
diagnostic process, possibly
ride on an ambulance call
and other activities.
Gilbert’s future plans
are to become a radiology
technologist after she com-
pletes high school.
As the days get lon-
ger and the weather gets
warmer, local residents are
gearing up for the 2018 free
movies in the park, which
kicks off this Saturday, June
9 at 9 p.m.
The City Park in Ione
will once again be the site
for the movie events. Using
the outdoor movie system
purchased by ICABO, each
movie will be sponsored by
local businesses. The mov-
ies will be projected onto a
16-foot, inflatable, outdoor
movie screen that is ideal
for a lawn audience of 250
people. Movies will start
around 9 p.m. or at dark for
an optimal viewing experi-
ence. Concessions may be
available.
In the case of rain or
winds above 20 mph, the
event will not be held and
may be rescheduled for
another date. Bring a chair,
blanket or even a blow up
air mattress to relax and
enjoy the show. Arrive with
plenty of time to park and
get settled prior to show
time. Dogs on leashes are
allowed. but please clean
up after them. Admission
is free.
The park is located on
Main Street in Ione. Open
dates are available for local
school groups or not-for-
profit organizations to sell
concessions as a fundraiser.
Contact Heidi Nelson at
heidi@hen-online.com for
concession details. Stay up
Seth Moses Roofing re-
cently completed a service
club sign restoration project
sponsored by the Heppner
Chamber of Commerce,
with funds provided by the
Willow Creek Valley Eco-
nomic Development Group
under the Community and
Public Enhancement grant
program.
The signs are next to
the state highways at the
three main entrances to
Heppner. Several years ago,
the Oregon State Highway
Department constructed
shoulder turn outs which
enabled travelers to pause
and learn about the service
clubs in the Heppner com-
munity.
The service club signs
identify community orga-
nizations that support the
character of Heppner.
Heppner Chamber of
Commerce member, John
Edmundson, prepared the
grant application. The grant
department at 541-676-
5421.
Pets are at risk, too.
Over the past several
years, OHA has received
many reports of dog illness-
es and even deaths due to
exposure to bloom-affected
water. Although some spe-
cific outreach efforts oc-
curred along the South and
main-stem of the Umpqua
River following widespread
publicity of dog deaths in
the area, many waterbodies
may not have pet signage.
It is important to know
that the exposure level for
dogs is much lower than it
is for us. They will lick it
off rocks and off their fur,
eat the scum and drink af-
fected water. The symptoms
are the same for your pet,
although they will develop
within the first hour or two
and can be deadly.
Remember!
HAB program staff at
OHA rely on local, state and
federal agencies to provide
us with information about
blooms and to alert us when
a bloom is sampled. OHA
staff use this information
and sample data to deter-
mine if a health advisory
should be issued and signs
posted to warn people to
stay out of affected water
to avoid illness. Health ad-
visories are sent via email
and the media and can be
found on our HABs website
http://healthoregon.org/
hab where we post adviso-
ries and other information
related to HABs, as well
as on our HABs hotline at
1-877-290- 6767. You can
also sign up to receive email
alerts. Information about
harmful algae blooms and
advisories are updated as
this data and other informa-
tion become available to us.
required a match which
was provided as labor and
materials by Seth Moses
Roofing. Bob Hager, owner
of the Wood on Wood busi-
Morrow County Justice of the Peace, Ann Spicer, has
ness, also contributed to the
released the following Justice Court report:
project.
-Stewart Richard Syverson, 24, of Ione was convicted
of driving uninsured, fail to register vehicle and careless
driving, $265 fine.
-Dylan K Howey, 17, of Irrigon was convicted of fail
Nazarene and Christian Church volunteers will serve to wear helmet-motorcycle operator and no insurance,
lunch on Wednesday, June 13 at St. Patrick’s Senior $545 fine.
Center. Lunch will be pot roast, roasted potatoes, roasted
-Austin Gene Harris, 23, of Heppner was convicted
carrots, cucumbers and onions and French bread..
of violation of basic rule, 79/55 mph, $265 fine.
Milk is served at each meal. Suggested donation is
-Kristi M Worden, 36, of Heppner was convicted of
$3.50 per meal. Menu is subject to change.
unlawful sale of tobacco product, $50 fine.
Justice Court Report
Community lunch menu
Ione summer movies in the
park announced
to date on this and other
Ione events at facebook.
com/CityofIoneOregon/.
The 2018 summer
movie line up is:
-Jun. 9, Moana (G),
sponsored by ICABO
-Jun. 30, Ghostbusters
[the original] (PG), spon-
sored by Ione Fourth of July
-Jul. 14, Cars (G),
sponsored by Columbia
Basin Electric
-Jul. 28, Beauty and
the Beast [2017 edition]
(PG), sponsored by Bank
of Eastern Oregon, Ione
Branch
-Aug. 4, The Lion King
(G) Sponsorship to be an-
nounced
-Aug. 25, Jumanji
[1995 version] (PG), spon-
sorship to be announced
308 E Gladys Ave
Hermiston, OR 97838
Office: 541-564-5900
hermistonhomeloansrus.com
Kim Arbogast
Sales Manager
NMLS # 230847
arbogast@fairwaymc.com
Seth Moses Roofing employ-
ees, David Ginn and Giovani
Alvarado, are pictured in-
stalling the restored Heppner
Service Club Sign next to the
Agriculture Service Center at
the northwest entry to Hep-
pner. -Contributed Photo.
into what we call a bloom.
There are a handful of spe-
cies in Oregon that produce
toxins that can potentially
be high enough to be of
concern to your health.
All of us can be prepared
to take some simple steps
to ensure our safety when
recreating in open water
where blooms can develop.
Below are some things to
be aware of, but above all
remember, whenever you
see something that does
not look familiar follow
this simple motto, “When
in doubt, stay out.”
What to look for:
There are certain wa-
terbody conditions you
can identify to help you
and your pet stay safe and
healthy. The water may
smell bad or look foamy,
scummy, or thick like paint.
The color of the area may
be pea-green, blue-green or
brownish-red in color. Real
algae is thick and stringy
and can be picked up with a
stick and aquatic plants that
grow in the water have tiny
roots attached. You cannot
pick up a harmful algae
bloom with a stick and these
blooms have no roots.
Symptoms:
Exposure to cyano-
bacteria can be serious and
result in a range of symp-
toms including skin rash,
diarrhea, cramps, vomiting,
numbness, dizziness and
fainting. Children, people
with weakened immune
systems and pets are most
vulnerable to illness. If you
or someone in your fam-
ily develops any of these
symptoms within the first
24 hours of a potential ex-
posure to what looked like
a bloom, be sure to contact
the Oregon Health Author-
ity (OHA) at 971-673-0400
or your local public health
Meghan Kae Golden
Loan Officer
NMLS # 573302
meghan.golden@fairwaymc.com
Copyright©2018 Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation. NMLS#2289. 4750 S. Biltmore Lane,
Madison, WI 53718, 1-877-699-0353. Other restrictions and limitations may apply. All rights reserved.
Missionaries to speak at
Nazarene church
Church of the Nazarene
missionaries Joseph and
Ree Sumi will be speak-
ing at the Heppner Naza-
rene Church, 335 Gilmore
Street, on Friday, June 8
at 6:15 p.m. A time of fel-
lowship will follow their
presentation allowing ev-
eryone to visit and become
better acquainted with the
Sumi family.
The Sumis have been
serving with the Church
of the Nazarene on the
CIS Field since June 2012,
which includes the coun-
tries of Armenia, Moldova,
Russia, Ukraine and the
area of Central Asia.
The Heppner cemetery
maintenance district will
hold its monthly meeting
on Tuesday, June 12 at
5:30 p.m. at the Ag Service
Building conference room,
430 W Linden Way, Hep-
pner.
Agenda items include
minutes of previous meet-
ing, financial report, 18/19
budget discussion and cem-
etery operations. Meetings
of the Heppner cemetery
maintenance district are
open to the public accord-
ing to ORS 192.640(1).
For additional information,
contact Janet Greenup at
541-561-6768.
Cemetery maintenance district
scheduled to meet
Heppner
and Ione
offices
CLOSED
June 21st
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The Heppner
Gazette-Times
188 W. Willow
Call 541-676-9228