FOUR - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, April 28, 2021
~ Letters to the Editor ~
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Impressed with Stokoe Stokoe for Port
To the Editor:
His goal is and continues
Eleven years ago I was to be, “to contribute to Commissioner
very impressed by Rick
Stokoe when he went
through the interview pro-
cess for the City of Board-
man Police Chief position
and was pleased when
Rick accepted the position.
He has proven himself to
be a tremendous commu-
nity and regional leader
since that time.
Rick is a true public ser-
vant, an active volunteer
who has served on a va-
riety of committees and
helped with many com-
munity activities. He is
a dedicated family man,
married to wife Shari for
28 years. His two children
are also Morrow County
residents and continue to
call Boardman their home.
the betterment of Morrow
County in order to provide
the best possible future for
our citizens, children and
future generations”.
A
thoughtful, insightful per-
son, Rick has contributed
greatly these past six years
as a commissioner for the
Port of Morrow.
Please support and vote
to re-elect Rick Stokoe so
that he may continue his
service as a Port of Mor-
row Commissioner, work-
ing along with all of the
commissioners to keep the
Port of Morrow moving
forward in a positive and
proactive manner.
Gary Neal
Retired, Port of Morrow
Executive Director
Stokoe deserves your
vote
To the Editor:
The Port of Morrow is
the second largest port in
the State of Oregon and is
the site for diversified in-
dustries that provide em-
ployment for some 8,400
employees.
Rick Stokoe, resident of
the board of commission-
ers of the Port of Morrow,
is running for reelection.
He deserves your vote. His
name will appear on your
primary election ballot
which you may have al-
ready received by the time
you read this letter.
If the Port of Morrow
Commissioner race is the
only position for which
you vote, please vote to
reelect Rick Stokoe. Since
the port embraces all of
Morrow County it is im-
portant to maintain geo-
graphic diversity on the
commission.
Rick is employed full time
as the chief of police in the
City of Boardman where
he supervises 10 employ-
ees, keeping the peace in
the city and assisting the
county sheriff in Irrigon
and elsewhere when re-
quested. Rick has been the
chief in Boardman for 11
years, during his 31-year
career in law enforcement.
He was appointed to the
Port of Morrow Commis-
sion six years ago and has
been elected to a four-year
term since then and was
elected president by his
peers.
Your vote to reelect Rick
Stokoe to the Port of Mor-
row Commission is im-
portant.
Ed and Frances Glenn
Boardman
Support re-election of
Stokoe
To the editor:
We have known Rick
Stokoe since he inter-
viewed and was hired as
the Chief of Police for
Boardman in 2011. Rick
immediately became in-
volved with the Board-
man community as more
than just the Chief. Rick
has exhibited strong fiscal
policies in all the entities
he is involved with. It is
very important the Port
Commission continue the
policy of equitable repre-
sentation for all of Morrow
County. Please support the
re-election of Rick Stokoe
for Port of Morrow direc-
tor.
Ray and Carol Michael
San Luis Obispo, CA
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To the Editor:
Rick Stokoe is a man of
dignity and honor. As the
Boardman Police Chief,
he is a trained leader. That
leadership has helped him
serve as a port commis-
sioner since 2015. He is
a man who cares and re-
spects others. He is a fair
man who wants what is
best for Morrow County as
a whole.
Rick has a very busy life
with his family and work.
That does not stop him
there. He volunteers in
the community as a coach
with our youth, Morrow
Education Foundation, and
even as an ambulance driv-
er. He cares about Board-
man but also feels strongly
about developing and pro-
moting Morrow County as
a whole.
Rick has strong values.
He is a fair and honest man.
He speaks for all and will
represent Morrow County
with fairness, respect, and
with no hidden agendas. If
you want a Morrow Coun-
ty Port Commissioner who
will work hard, stand up
for the little guy, develop
Morrow County fairly, and
be a respectful and digni-
fied leader, Rick Stokoe
is your man. As the City
of Boardman Mayor, I
strongly recommend Rick
Stokoe as Morrow County
Port Commissioner Posi-
tion 1.
Paul Keefer,
Mayor,
City of Boardman
Stokoe for POM
To the Editor:
Rick Stokoe has my vote
for Port of Morrow Com-
missioner. He has a prov-
en track record for serving
the community with high
integrity and professional-
ism.
Since 2015 he has served
as a commissioner and
supported the activities
at the Port. The Port has
continued to grow and
support the opportunities
for our local communities
to prosper as a result. We
have more jobs, higher
than average wages, more
diversification of indus-
try. The prosperity of our
county has seen enormous
impacts due to the work
that Rick Stokoe, along
with the other commis-
sioners have supported and
watched over as the Port
team continues to serve
this county and region.
I appreciate that Rick has
settled into our communi-
ty along with his family
and chosen to commit his
time and energy into our
community. His volunteer
efforts are so appreciated
and felt. As a volunteer
myself, it has been my
pleasure to work alongside
Rick on many occasions.
I ask that you vote along-
side me for Rick Stokoe.
If you have any questions
please feel free to reach
me at debbieradie@gmail.
com.
Debbie Radie
Boardman
Wyden to hold three
online town halls
Senator Ron Wyden has
scheduled three live on-
line town halls May 1-2
for residents of Morrow,
Umatilla, Union, Wallowa
and Wasco counties
Wyden has held 970
in-person town halls state-
wide in fulfillment of his
pledge to hold at least one
town hall each year in each
of Oregon’s 36 counties.
“Wyden has postponed
in-person town halls until
there are clear-cut pub-
lic health guidelines that
a large open-to-all public
meeting poses no unusu-
al health risk for Orego-
nians. After the pandemic
in March 2020 required
Wyden’s town halls to go
virtual, he has continued to
hold regional and county
virtual town halls,” said a
Wyden spokesperson.
“The ‘Oregon Way’ is
all about conversations
with Oregonians statewide
and while precautions re-
quire a temporary hold on
in-person town halls, I’m
eager to throw open the
digital doors of democra-
cy to residents of Morrow,
Umatilla, Union, Wallowa
and Wasco counties,”
Wyden said. “Big thanks
to People’s Town Hall for
helping these discussions
to continue online with
Oregon communities large
and small to hear direct-
ly from Oregonians about
their priorities and to an-
swer their questions.”
The virtual town hall
schedule is as follows:
Morrow County, 3 pm,
Saturday, May 1; Umatilla,
Union and Wallowa coun-
ties, 11:30 am, Sunday,
May 2;Wasco County, 3:30
pm, Sunday, May 2
"Town halls are essential to
our democracy,” said Na-
than Williams of People's
Town Hall, a virtual town
hall series from the found-
ers of Town Hall Project.
“But during this global
pandemic, we strongly
encourage all lawmakers
adhere to current health
guidelines -- including
holding town halls virtual-
ly as long as necessary for
public safety."
“People's Town Hall
invites all of Senator
Wyden's constituents to
this town hall -- all parties
welcome, no issue off lim-
its.” Williams said. “We
expect another substantive,
vigorous discussion of the
issues that matter most to
Oregonians."
Kindergarten roundup
May 5
Heppner Elementary
School will be hosting
Kindergarten Roundup for
incoming 2021-22 school
year Kindergarten stu-
dents at the HES Gym on
Wednesday, May 5, from
5:30 – 7 p.m.
Students must be 5 years
of age by August 31, 2021
to enroll at HES. “This
will be an in-person event
with COVID-19 regula-
tions strictly followed,”
said school personnel.
“Masks and social distanc-
ing will be required.”
Parents need to bring
their child’s birth certif-
icate and immunization
record. Parents are asked
to check the HES website
to pre-register students or
contact the HES office at
541-676-9128.
Mushrooms are free up to the legal limit,
if you can find them
Mushrooms are re-
turning to the forest floor.
If you know where to
look, and what to look for,
mushrooms are available
to pick for personal con-
sumption within the daily
legal limits: one gallon in
Oregon and five gallons in
Washington.
No permit or payment
is required to harvest,
possess, or transport up
to these legal limits, pro-
vided the mushrooms are
not sold or traded but en-
joyed by the picker. The
2021 Mushroom Guide is
available in three different
languages on each Forest’s
website and includes im-
portant rules and helpful
tips regarding harvesting
mushrooms off National
Forest lands.
Those seeking to har-
vest mushrooms beyond
the legal limit, or for com-
mercial purposes, will first
need to obtain a commer-
cial permit. Permit sales
began Monday, April 26.
Commercial pickers who
plan to camp in the Nation-
al Forest will also need an
industrial camping permit.
ALL NEWS AND
ADVERTISEMENT
DEADLINE:
MONDAYS AT 5:00 P.M.
Please contact the nearest
National Forest office to
discuss your permit needs.
Office contact informa-
tion may be found on the
lower-left sidebar of the
following websites which
also include information
about mushroom permits:
Malheur National Forest;
Umatilla National Forest;
and
Wallowa-Whitman
National Forest.
To help care for the
land while picking mush-
rooms recommendations
include:
• Use a knife to cut
your mushrooms at their
base. This reduces distur-
bance to the soil and can
help mushrooms to con-
tinue growing in that loca-
tion.
• Carry your mush-
rooms in a net bag, which
better preserves them and
allows spores to spread for
future production.
• Give wildlife plenty
of space and leave new-
borns alone.
• Practice “leave no
trace” ethics, and please
take all your trash home
with you.
• Remember that com-
mercial mushroom picking
is prohibited in wilderness
areas, research areas, or
any areas that are currently
closed. Please report any
violations promptly to the
Forest Service.
Be aware that many
forest roads are still not
accessible due to mud and
snow. Traveling on wet
mountain roads and terrain
can be dangerous. It can
also cause resource dam-
age, which can be illegal.
Contact the nearest district
office for up-to-date infor-
mation on road conditions
and current closures.
To improve your per-
sonal safety in the woods,
please plan ahead, pack the
“Ten Essentials,” and travel
with others. Also be sure to
tell a friend or family mem-
ber where you are going;
stick to your plan and let
them know when you will
confirm your safe return.
Keep in mind that many
wild mushroom varieties
are poisonous. When in
doubt, leave it out. It is the
responsibility of the picker
to properly identify a mush-
room and determine wheth-
er it is edible. There are
many guidebooks available
to assist with identification.
The local library, county
agricultural extension of-
fice, and local mycological
society are good sources of
information.
Mushroom pickers of-
ten contact National For-
est offices to learn where
wildfires and prescribed
burning have occurred in
recent years. For every-
one’s convenience, those
locations are now identi-
fied in an interactive pre-
scribed fire map for the
Malheur, Umatilla, and
Wallowa-Whitman Nation-
al Forests. To locate recent
wildfire activity, refer to the
National Interagency Fire
Center’s interactive wild-
fire map. Recently burned
areas present unique risks
to visitors, including falling
snags, hidden tree wells,
and damaged or closed
roads and trails. “Please be
aware and prepared. Enjoy
your National Forests and
take care out there.”