Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, January 23, 2019 -- TWO
The Official Newspaper
of the City of Heppner and the County of Morrow
Heppner
GAZETTE-TIMES
U.S.P.S. 240-420
Morrow County’s Home-Owned Weekly Newspaper
SEARCH OLD COPIES OF THE HEPPNER GAZETTE-TIMES ON-LINE:
http://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/
Guest Editorial
Oregon cougar manage-
ment: Looking back to
be more effective looking
ahead
Published weekly by Sykes Publishing, LLC and entered as periodical matter at the
Post Office at Heppner, Oregon under the Act of March 3, 1879. Periodical postage
paid at Heppner, Oregon. Office at 188 W. Willow Street. Telephone (541) 676-
9228. Fax (541) 676-9211. E-mail: editor@rapidserve.net or david@rapidserve.
net. Web site: www.heppner.net. Postmaster send address changes to the Heppner
Gazette-Times, P.O. Box 337, Heppner, Oregon 97836. Subscriptions: $31 in Morrow
County; $25 senior rate (in Morrow County only; 65 years or older); $37 elsewhere;
$31 student subscriptions.
David Sykes ..............................................................................................Publisher
Bobbi Gordon................................................................................................ Editor
All News and Advertising Deadline is Monday at 5 p.m.
For Advertising: advertising deadline is Monday at 5 p.m. Cost for a display ad is $5.25 per
column inch. Cost for classified ad is 50¢ per word. Cost for Card of Thanks is $10 up to
100 words. Cost for a classified display ad is $6.05 per column inch.
For Public/Legal Notices: public/legal notices deadline is Monday at 5 p.m. Dates for pub-
lication must be specified. Affidavits must be required at the time of submission. Affidavits
require three weeks to process after last date of publication (a sooner return date must be
specified if required).
For Obituaries: Obituaries are published in the Heppner GT at no charge and are edited to
meet news guidelines. Families wishing to include information not included in the guidelines
or who wish to have the obituary written in a certain way must purchase advertising space
for the obituary.
For Letters to the Editor: Letters to the Editor MUST be signed by the author. The Heppner
GT will not publish unsigned letters. All letters MUST include the author’s address and phone
number for use by the GT office. The GT reserves the right to edit letters. The GT is not
responsible for accuracy of statements made in letters. Any letters expressing thanks will
be placed in the classifieds under “Card of Thanks” at a cost of $10.
Obituaries
George V. Hermann
George V. Hermann, married Maxine Kranz in
80, of Baker City, OR Reno, NV and they raised
passed away at St. Alphon- three daughters. George
sus Medical Center in Bak- was a lifetime member of
the Elks and he en-
er City on Jan. 16. A
joyed hunting, fish-
funeral service was
ing and fly tying.
held on Jan. 22 at the
He is survived
First Lutheran Church
by his wife of 41
in Baker City with
years, Maxine
Pastor Ian Wolfe offi- George
Hermann of Bak-
ciating. Interment took Hermann
er City, OR; his
place at the Hermiston
Cemetery in Hermiston, OR daughters, Donna Sherbon-
dy of Weiser, ID, Sandra
on Jan 23.
George was born on Hermann of Dallesport,
Nov. 1, 1938, in Chicago, WA and Holly (Randy)
IL to Gottlieb Hermann Kinsey of Eielson AFB,
and Ottilie Hunt, moving to AK; five grandchildren and
Oregon at the age of six. He four great-grandchildren.
George is preceded in
attended Lexington High
School in Lexington, OR death by his parents, Got-
tlieb Hermann and Otti-
and graduated in 1957.
From his high school lie Hunt; brothers, Henry
years until 1964 he worked Welke and Al Welke and a
as a ranch hand. In 1964 sister, Elsie Welke.
Memorial contributions
he purchased and operated
a gas station. After own- in honor of George may
ing the gas station until be made to Meadowood
1969, he decided to train Speech camp through
to become an Oregon State Gray’s West and Co. Pio-
Police Officer. During his neer Chapel at 1500 Dew-
career, he was a Senior ey Ave., Baker City, OR
Trooper for OSP and an 97814.
To light a candle in
OSP Training Officer. He
worked for the Oregon honor of George or to leave
State Police for 25 years a condolence for his family,
please visit www.gray-
before retiring in 1994.
On Nov. 27, 1977, he swestco.com.
School district
recognizes board
members
January is School
Board Recognition month
and the Morrow County
School District plans to for-
mally recognize the school
board members at the Feb-
ruary board meeting..
The members to be rec-
ognized are Becky Kindle,
Richard Cole, Andy Fletch-
er, May Killion, Brian Koll-
man, Barney Lindsay and
Marcie Rodelo.
Superintendent Dirk
Dirksen said the MCSD
board members are always
working hard for the dis-
trict’s students. “Being a
school board member takes
time, energy and patience
and sometimes it’s a dif-
ficult job, but our board
members go the extra mile
for students in all three of
our communities, Board-
man, Heppner and Irrigon.
We appreciate all of them,”
Dirksen said.
FLU VACCINES STILL AVAILABLE.
CALL PHARMACY FOR
APPOINTMENT
2018 Prescription
Profiles Available
For Tax Purposes
217 North Main St., Heppner
Phone 676-9158 • Floral 676-9426
www.murraysdrug.com
ALL NEWS AND ADVERTISEMENT DEADLINE:
MONDAYS AT 5:00 P.M.
~ Letters to the Editor ~
The Heppner Gazette Times will print all letters to the Editor with the following
criteria met: letters submitted to the newspaper will need to have the name
of the sender along with a legible signature. We are also requesting that you
provide your address and a phone number where you can be reached. The
address and phone number will only be used for verification and will not be
printed in the newspaper. Letters may not be libelous. The GT reserves the
right to edit. The GT is not responsible for accuracy of statements made in
letters. Any letters expressing thanks will be placed in the classifieds under
“Card of Thanks” at a cost of $10.
Ellis Project opposed
ODFW removed this cougar that returned to the scene of a
fatal attack on an Oregon hiker in September. (ODFW photo)
By Jim Akenson
Jim Akenson is a wildlife biologist, book author and
Conservation Director for the Oregon Hunters Associa-
tion (oregonhunters.org). He invested much of his career
in researching the Northwest’s predators.
The fatal cougar attack on a hiker in the Mount Hood
National Forest last year was a tragic thing. Evidence
evaluation indicated the cougar was a female in good
health. Is this a surprise? Not really. Cougar numbers are
at all-time highs for our state, and the distribution of these
cats encompasses the entire state. What has accounted for
this cougar population expansion from an estimation of
less than 3,000 in the mid-1990s to well over 6,000 today?
Some of the answer is biological, some is social and much
is connected to management capabilities and practices.
We need to find a way to return to this socio-biological
balance, and looking to the recent past might just be the
best bet – back to a time when hound hunting was a legal
and effective management tool in Oregon.
What are the consequences of there being double
the number of cougars in Oregon? These effects are best
described as alarming and pattern changing. One such
pattern is for prey animals, specifically deer, relocating
to human development areas to avoid a higher predation
risk. This relocation is also drawing in cougars that will go
where the next meal can be found. Many hunters and state
wildlife managers report that deer are now less abundant
in the wilder mountain, high desert and canyon regions
of our state. Meanwhile, Oregon cities are wrestling with
the number of deer inhabiting city limits and cougars are
showing up in backyards and schoolyards.
As cougars become more comfortable in human-al-
tered landscapes, the probability of negative encounters
with humans, as well as pets and livestock, increases.
So, what is the solution? Biologically, it is plain and
simple – more intensive cougar management through var-
ious hunting techniques. With an estimated population of
6,400 cougars and roughly 14,000 people hunting cougars
and harvesting from 250 to 300 cats per year, this only
equals a harvest rate of 4 percent, which is not enough
to even flatten the ever-rising cougar population curve.
Reducing human threat, increasing deer and elk sur-
vival and bringing a cougar population back in balance
with other interests in our state will require increased
management action and efficiency. According to the 2017
Oregon Cougar Management Plan, the success rate for
2016 cougar hunters was 1.9 percent, with 13,879 peo-
ple reporting that they did hunt cougars. Contrast that
with 1994 data, the last year that dogs were allowed in
conservatively controlled, limited-entry cougar hunting,
showing 358 people hunted cougars and harvested 144
for a success rate of 40.2 percent. Bottom line: hunting
efficiency with dogs is dramatically higher and provides
wildlife managers a reliable tool for maintaining the cou-
gar population within its management objectives.
Oregon’s cougar management and record keeping are
divided into six zones, each of which is assigned a desired
harvest quota to keep the population in balance with the
varied activities of all Oregonians. Employing the current
limited management methods, only one of the six zones
has met the harvest quota in recent years. A criterion for
quota establishment is complaint frequency. By far the
most cougar complaints are recorded on the west side
of the Cascades, including the coastal region, in Zones
A and B. This is also where the bulk of the human pop-
ulation lives. More than 350 cougar complaints per year
were received during the last decade in these two zones.
Unfortunately, this recording system was not initiated
until 2001, so we don’t have data for the time before the
dog ban of 1994. We do have records for administrative
actions connected to human safety and pet conflicts before
and after the dog ban of 1994. For eight years before the
ban, they averaged only four per year, and then seven
years after the dog ban these complaints increased to 27
per year – nearly a seven-fold increase.
Oregon does have a legislatively authorized agent
program wherein highly vetted houndsmen are permit-
ted to lethally remove cats to reduce human conflict and
bolster deer and elk survival. These agents work closely
with ODFW district biologists. Even with this program in
place, cougars are steadily increasing in Oregon, where
hunting them is very impractical without the aid of dogs.
At present, the law authorizing the use of agents is up for
renewal, and hopefully it will receive legislative support
and then be applied more broadly for both reaching zone
harvest quotas and to help curb the upward statewide
population trajectory.
Community lunch menu
To the editor:
I would like to provide
you with my concerns re-
garding the Ellis Project.
My name is Ladd Dick
and I was born and raised
in Heppner (class of 1962),
a business owner (1967-
1972) and a part owner of a
family cabin on Lake Pen-
land, where I spend as much
of my time as possible.
The information I re-
ceived indicates that 30 to
100 miles of roads would
be closed. This should be
an exact number and the
roads to be closed listed
and shown on a map. I will
never be comfortable with
allowing an unknown num-
ber and miles of roads to
be closed. Who makes this
decision and why hasn’t it
already been made? This is
like a blank check with no
limit on the amount. This
is National Forest, not a
National Park. It is publicly
owned and road closures
limit my access to areas
which I have enjoyed since
I was a child (born in 1944).
I protested new logging
roads (1960’s and 1970’s)
that were being built with-
in yards of existing roads
but now the pendulum has
moved way too far in the
other direction. I am an avid
hunter and fisherman but
am now limited to a short
distance from my vehicle.
I am not handicapped but
this could be seen as a vi-
olation of Americans with
disabilities rights. Is this
an attempt to make certain
areas available only to pri-
vate hunting groups on our
public land? That is the
result of road closures in
other areas of the National
Forest where I have hunt-
ed in the past. These road
closures were the result of
washouts which were never
repaired due to a lack of
funds (a convenient way to
achieve road closures), not
a planned road closure.
When I have request-
ed projects for the Forest
Service to consider the
response has always been
no funds are available. How
do funds for a project which
will limit my access to
areas which I love become
available. Why are funds
available to close roads
but are not available to re-
pair damaged roads? Road
closures will only benefit
special interest groups.
Thank you for this op-
portunity to express my
concerns with the Ellis
Project.
Ladd E. Dick
Oak Harbor, WA
Editor’s Note: Accord-
ing to the summary of the
project obtained from the
US Government Federal
Register, “The Heppner
and North Fork John Day
Ranger Districts propose
the Ellis Integrated Vegeta-
tion Project (Ellis Project)
to reduce overstocking,
improve ecosystem health
and enhance resilient land-
scapes by creating and
maintaining heterogeneous
vegetative conditions at
multiple scales. As a re-
sult, this action will reduce
the risk of uncharacteris-
tic disturbances; enhance
vegetative communities;
provide well-distributed,
high quality wildlife habi-
tat for associated species;
aid in protecting values at
risk; promote the health
and safety of the public and
firefighters; and contribute
to social, cultural, and eco-
nomic needs. The project
area is approximately 15
miles southeast of Heppner
and seven miles west of
Ukiah, Oregon, in Mor-
row, Umatilla, and Grant
Counties. Based on internal
and external issues raised
early in proposal develop-
ment; and the scope, scale,
and potentially significant
beneficial impacts to dis-
tribution of wildlife, forest
health, and fuels reduc-
tion, the Umatilla National
Forest plans to prepare an
environmental impact state-
ment (EIS).”
Chamber meeting
rescheduled
The annual meeting
of the Heppner Chamber
of Commerce has been
rescheduled for Thursday,
Jan. 31 in the senior center
dining room. Persons at-
tending are asked to enter
from the outside door on
the Willow Street side of
the building. The lunch of
a French dip, green salad
and a cookie, catered by
Heppner Market Fresh,
will be served beginning at
11:45 a.m. Lunch will cost
$10 per person and RSVPs
are required no later than
Jan. 28.
There will be a tour of
the Gilliam-Bisbee building
beginning at 12:40 p.m.
David Allstott with Allstott
Construction will be there
to show how it looks now
and what it will look like
upon completion. No hard
hats will be required.
Those attending and
not eating lunch or those
wishing to attend the tour of
the Gilliam-Bisbee building
should also RSVP by call-
ing 541-676-5536.
The meeting location is
accessible to persons with
disabilities. A request for an
interpreter for the hearing
impaired or for other ac-
commodations for persons
with disabilities should be
made at least 48 hours be-
fore the meeting to Sheryll
Bates at 541-676-5536.
FOR SALE
235 SKYLINE DRIVE, HEPPNER
Enjoy a great view of Heppner from this well-
Willow Creek Baptist volunteers will serve lunch on kept 3 bedroom 1700 square foot home with
Wednesday, January 30 at St. Patrick’s Senior Center. large double garage on a .7 acre lot.
Lunch will be clam chowder, coleslaw, cucumber salad, Also available, .7 acre adjacent lot with easy
bread sticks and hay stack cookies for dessert.
access to Chase Street and all utilities.
Milk is served at each meal. Suggested donation is
Accepting purchase offers until March 1.
$3.50 per meal. Menu is subject to change.
Call Bill Jepsen- 541-667-7498