Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, May 6, 2020 -- SEVEN
Mushroom picking free on Blue
Hannah Palmer
receives fifth trophy Mountains National Forests
No commercial permits available this year due to coronavirus
Hannah Palmer stands next to her piano with her trophy.
Hannah Palmer, Hep-
pner, recently received her
fifth trophy from the Ore-
gon Music Teachers Asso-
ciation. Hannah, the daugh-
ter of Jason and Jennifer
Palmer, is a 4.0 student at
Heppner High School and
is active in many extracur-
ricular activities.
Students participate
in several musical events
during the year and have
to memorize a piece to
perform at a recital. After
every 10 events, a trophy
is received, with the trophy
getting larger each time.
Hannah played the piano
in her 50 th event on Sunday,
May 3 earning her trophy.
Normally the recitals are
held in Hermiston but due
to social distancing rules, a
home recital was held.
Allison Blair chosen
as ODF’s John Day
Unit Forester
For avid mushroom
pickers, spring truly begins
when friendly fungi return
to the forest. Personal-use
mushroom picking is free
and does not require a per-
mit or payment under the
legal limits, which authoriz-
es an individual to harvest,
possess or transport less
than a gallon in Oregon
and less than five gallons
in Washington. These free
mushrooms are only avail-
able for personal consump-
tion and cannot be sold,
bartered or given away.
Those seeking to pick
more than the free person-
al-use limit are considered
commercial gatherers. To
help slow the spread of
COVID-19, forest supervi-
sors on the Malheur, Uma-
tilla and Wallowa-Whit-
man National Forests have
postponed the issuance
of commercial mushroom
permits until 2021. Many
commercial operations in-
volve large crews that travel
and camp together, which
presents a social distanc-
ing challenge during the
pandemic.
National Forest offi-
cials urge visitors to un-
derstand and follow state
health orders for Oregon,
Washington, and Idaho.
At this time, all National
Forest developed recreation
sites – including camp-
grounds, trailhead facil-
ities, picnic areas, rental
cabins, Sno-Parks, and boat
ramps – are temporarily
closed to slow the spread
of COVID-19. While many
forest roads, trails and areas
remain open to the public,
visitors are strongly urged
to practice social distanc-
ing. Mushroom picking is
not permitted in any botan-
ical area, research area or
in other areas closed by the
Forest Service, including
developed recreation sites.
To help care for the
land while picking mush-
rooms:
-Carry your mushrooms
in a net bag, allowing mush-
rooms to spread their spores
for future production.
-Give wild animals
plenty of space and leave
newborns alone.
-Practice “leave no
trace” ethics and take your
trash home with you.
-Report any violations
promptly to the Forest Ser-
vice.
Many forest roads are
still not accessible due to
mud and snow. Traveling
on wet mountain roads and
terrain can be dangerous
and cause illegal resource
damage. Further, tempo-
rary road and area closures
may still be in effect in last
year’s wildfire areas where
unsafe conditions, such as
hazard trees, are still being
mitigated. Contact your
local Ranger District office
for up-to-date information
on road conditions and
current closures.
Here are a few tips to
enhance your personal safe-
ty in the woods: Plan ahead,
pack the “ten essentials,”
and travel with others (at a
safe social distance). Also
be sure to tell a friend or
family member where you
are going and when you
expect to return.
Keep in mind that many
wild mushroom varieties
are poisonous. When in
doubt, just throw it out. It
is the responsibility of the
picker to properly identify
a mushroom and determine
whether it is edible. There
are many guide books avail-
able to assist with identi-
fication. The local library,
county agricultural exten-
sion office and local my-
cological society are good
sources of information.
Mushroom pickers and
hunters often contact Na-
tional Forest offices to learn
where prescribed burning
occurred last year. For ev-
eryone’s convenience, those
locations are now identified
in an online prescribed fire
map for the Malheur, Uma-
tilla and Wallowa-Whitman
National Forests.
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Heppner, OR
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Allison Blair
Allison Blair has been
selected as the John Day
Unit Forester for Oregon
Department of Forestry’s
(ODF) Central Oregon
District. Blair has been
serving as the interim unit
forester since June of 2019
and officially began her
new role on May 1. The
John Day Unit Forester is
responsible for managing
fire protection on nearly 1.5
million acres of forest and
rangeland, in addition to
managing staff responsible
for administering Oregon’s
Forest Practices Act and
forestry technical assistance
for landowners in Grant,
Gilliam, Wheeler, Morrow
and Harney counties.
In Blair’s more than
twenty-year career with
ODF she has served as a
seasonal firefighter, dis-
patcher, wildland fire su-
pervisor and most recently
as the Community Wildfire
Forester for ODF’s West
Oregon District prior to
her interim role as the John
Day Unit Forester. Her
experiences on the fire line,
managing fire crews, and
working with landowners
and the public provide her
a strong foundation as she
fills this role permanent-
ly. Throughout her career
Blair has participated in the
statewide wildfire response
effort and currently has
qualifications as a Strike
Team Leader, Task Force
Leader and is a Division
Supervisor trainee.
“I am honored to have
been selected to continue as
the John Day Unit Forester
and become a permanent
part of ODF’s Central Ore-
gon District,” says Allison,
expressing her enthusiasm
for beginning this new role.
“I have always respected
the fire program in eastern
Oregon, so I was excited
for the opportunity to tem-
porarily fill the position
last summer. I enjoyed the
challenges and successes
and building relationships
with landowners and the
community.”
Previous John Day
Unit Forester, Ryan Mill-
er is now Central Oregon
District’s Federal Forests
Restoration Coordinator
working with federal land
managers to increase pace,
scale and quality of resto-
ration work on federal for-
est lands in central Oregon.
ODF’s Central Oregon
District continues to serve
landowners and the public
as an essential service for
Oregonians. Please call or
email to talk with our staff
or schedule an appointment.
For additional information
on ODF’s Central Oregon
District, including contact
information and unit offic-
es, please visit www.ODF-
centraloregon.com.
Honesty • Integrity • Independent
VOTE
Cody High
MORROW COUNTY TREASURER
WORKING FOR YOU
DEADLINE:
MONDAYS
AT 5PM
County Commissioner, Morrow County, Position 1
Jim
Doherty
Nonpartisan
Occupation: Commissioner, Cattle Rancher
Occupational Background: Ranch Manager, Crops Manager,
Ranch Owner
Educational Background: Associates Degree in Production
Agriculture, Bachelor of Arts in Business and History
Prior Governmental Experience: President of the Association of
Oregon Counties; Morrow County Commissioner; Governors
Alcohol & Drug Policy Commission; Jefferson County SWCD chair; Morrow County SWCD; NACo
Representative
Re Elect: Jim Doherty - A voice for today, A vision for tomorrow
I have a deep love and appreciation for the people of Morrow County. I don't want to be the candidate that
professes, "I will work for the people," I want to be known for working with the people. I urge you to
engage in your communities. I invite you to become part of the process. People are only voiceless when
no one listens. I hear you! I have carried your message at home, in Salem and all the way to Washington
D.C.
A quote I admire from Theodore Roosevelt, "People don't care how much you know, until they know how
much you care."
Family: I am a fourth-generation Irish immigrant. My great grandfather saw shades of Ireland in the
rolling Morrow County hills. My mother raised along the banks of the Columbia River, in Boardman. I
celebrate 34 years of marriage with my wife Kelly. My son and daughter-in-law have also made Morrow
County their home.
County: I built my cattle operation from the ground up, with sweat, blisters, honesty and personal
relationships. I do the business of the County in the same fashion. I chair the N.E. Area Commission on
Transportation, ensuring Morrow County receives funding for road and bridge infrastructure. I strive to
make communities whole and craft healthy individuals by securing dollars to provide Arts and Culture to
our youth. The Loop program, Wolf committee, Federal forest, Farm, Fair and Health continue as my
priorities.
Endorsement: "Commissioner Doherty has been great to work with. I am happy to lend him my support"
- Senator Bill Hansell