Sykes to run
for county
commissioner
50¢
VOL. 141
NO. 8
8 Pages
Wednesday, February 23, 2022
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
Decision needed soon on Gilliam
County cricket help
Funds needed to fight coming infestation
David Sykes, Heppner,
has filed as a candidate for
Morrow County Commis-
sioner, position three. Sykes
is self-employed. He and
his wife April purchased
the Heppner Gazette-Times
newspaper in 1980. He
started a real estate broker-
begin moving towards the County. “I have seen the
At a meeting last Sep-
city of Boardman. “If the crickets in Gilliam. I hav- tember in Ione, Maley
crickets get to the (Navy) en’t seen them in Morrow had raised the red flag to
Bombing Range and the County. When you look at Morrow County produc-
Nature Conservancy, you it, it looks like the whole ers about the threat of the
aren’t going to stop them,” ground is moving,” he said. advancing crickets. At that
Lutcher warned. County “When you go on the golf time, he created a distribu-
officials have not had much course, you can’t walk any- tion list of producers “to Identification
luck getting the Navy to where without stepping on keep everyone up to speed”
commit to fighting the in- them.” Other people have on the infestation. Maley Mormon crickets are not true crickets; they are shield-
sects on the 48,000-acre described a large infestation said more meetings are backed, short-winged katydids that resemble fat
parcel of ground they own of the crickets as like seeing scheduled, including one at grasshoppers that cannot fly. Adults and nymphs of
in the county, and apparent- the ground move. Exten- the Morrow County Grain Mormon crickets have long antennae and a smooth,
shiny exoskeleton in a variety of colors and color
ly the Nature Conservancy sion agents have asked Growers where he will talk patterns. The adult female has a spermatophore
will not use chemicals
land owners and about the biology of Mor- (sperm holding sack) for a short time after mating and
on its land.
producers to keep mon Cricket, and what they a long ovipositor (egg layer) with a gentle upward
Lutcher said a
their eyes out for look like. “There are other curve (Figure 2). The male cercus (appendage at the
“worst case scenario”
the insects, as insects that look similar, so posterior end of the abdomen) has two large teeth
would see the crickets
locating them is we want to be effective and (Figure 3). Adult Mormon crickets are 1 ½ to 2 inches
going toward the Lind- OSU Extension very important in be on top of where they are long.
say Feed Lot and into Agent Larry control.
when the hatch starts,” he
Sand Hollow, down to Lutcher
G i l l i a m reiterated.
Mader Rust Farms and
County Exten-
Lindsay wanted to
then into Umatilla County. sion Agent Jordan Maley know what worst case sce-
“That is kind of the worst- was also at the commis- nario is if Morrow County
case scenario. We need sioner meeting and said doesn’t help with cricket
to stop them before they last year the crickets were control. “Devastating crop
become a catastrophe,” seen on the freeway, so, if losses in the northeast part
Lutcher emphasized.
not checked, at some point of the county, and migration
Lutcher said some- could reach Boardman. of crickets towards Board-
where in the range of 15 “Last year they were
man and into the
to 20 thousand acres of on I-84 and at the
irrigated crop land
land needs to be sprayed junction of Highway
that lies just east
in Gilliam County to help 74, so there is the po-
of Bombing Range
halt the crickets. “I could tential in Boardman.
Road,” Lutcher said.
easily justify a $200,000 “That may happen,”
Although the
request,” he said on asking Maley said. “What
commissioners did
county commissioners for Morrow County may Gilliam
not authorize the ex-
financial assistance. “The want to do is what County
penditure of mon-
Extension
cost of an aerial application Arlington did. The Agent Jordan ey to help Gilliam
is about $8.25 (per acre) only thing labeled Maley
County with their
and Dimilin 2L is the most for use as residen-
spraying at the Feb.
efficient and effective way tial (against the crickets) 16 meeting, they all seemed
to suppress the problem,” was Tempo.” So, he said in favor of helping and in-
he explained. “Sevin bait Gilliam County appropri- dicated they would make a
is a solid application and is ated $20,000 to the city of decision soon on how much
applied with a mechanical Arlington for the purchase Morrow County would
spreader at about $1.17 per of Tempo for use within the contribute.
pound,” he said. “I could city limits.
easily justify 5 -10,000
Maley said the infesta-
pounds of bait too,” he said. tion last year was more than
The bait is used when the his county had expected
insects get older and in ar- and they had to scramble
eas where spraying cannot to find enough chemical.
current expected flow and ments for the water supply
be done, such as organic “We are trying to set things By David Sykes
Lexington has signed pressure throughout the system will be completed.
fields.
in motion now because of
New water supply options
Commissioner Don the warmer weather and we with a La Grande engineer- whole system.
The $40,000 study, will also be investigated,”
Russell asked if the organic may see some emergence ing firm, Anderson Perry
farm circles in north county (of the insects) earlier than & Assoc., for a compre- which is being paid for the agreement said.
The study will also look
could apply the Dimilin and in the past,” he told com- hensive study, from source with grants from Business
through distribution, of its Oregon and the Colum- at financing options for any
still be considered organic missioners.
crops. Lutcher said they
Maley said Gilliam complete water system. bia River Enterprise Zone, improvements that may be
could not, and the best way purchased Dimilin last year Town officials signed a con- will also look at the needs chosen by the city to be
to protect the county’s large but had to double the order tract with the firm at their and costs to maintain and done. “A financing plan will
upgrade the system into be developed for meeting
investment in organic farm- because of the larger than Feb. 8 council meeting.
Included in the study the future. “Cost-effective the long-term system needs,
ing is to spray the insects expected outbreak that oc-
before they reach here, and curred up near the Morrow will be a look at all aspects alternatives for meeting including general user rate
then place bait around the County border. He em- of the water system, in- long-term water supply charges and outside finan-
edges of the circles.
phasized that spotting the cluding number of current needs shall be identified, cial assistance,” the agree-
The Mormon Crickets crickets and reporting their and expected future users, including alternatives for ment read. The study will
have been a big problem in location when the hatch and how much water will correcting existing system also provide information on
Gilliam County since 2017 starts is very important be needed over the next 20 deficiencies,” the contract “potential state and federal
when they came off range- to effectively controlling years. The study will also said. “Estimated cost and grant and loan programs
land in Ladd and Blalock them. “We have been spray- look at the size and con- design schematics for the that may be available to
canyons and moved not ing 104 to 105 thousand dition of the towns water preferred alternatives shall assist the town.”
only into farm and range acres every year and we did pipes and meters, capacity be presented, and an evalua-
ground, but also into the an additional 240,000 last and production of its well tion of the general operation
-See LEXINGTON WATER
city of Arlington. People year to get on top of the out- and storage facilities, and and maintenance require-
STUDY/PAGE TWO
remember the large in- break,” Maley said. “That’s
festation in that city. “I the way it has worked well
saw Arlington during an in Gilliam. We can quickly
outbreak,” Commission- cover a lot of acreage.” He
E L E VAT E YO U R A DV E N T U R E
er Melissa Lindsay said. said RDO also let Boyer
“What are the chances we fly out of their property
will see that in Boardman? last year, which helped in
CALL
That is our most populated making the aerial applica-
city. It was ugly,” she asked tion more effective. “The
Lutcher. Commissioner magnitude of the outbreak
Don Russell said he has also last year challenged us,”
ext 204
seen the crickets in Gilliam he added.
Lexington contracts for
complete water study
541-989-8221
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2022
FOR
By David Sykes
If Morrow County is
going to help neighboring
Gilliam County fight its
continuing Mormon Crick-
et infestation and, in turn,
stop them from coming
here, a decision needs to be
made soon, OSU Extension
Agency Larry Lutcher told
county commissioners last
week. “We are close to be-
hind the eight ball,” Lutcher
said, “and if the county is
going to support control
efforts, a decision about
financial help needs to be
made quickly in the next
several days or so.”
The crickets are not yet
big in Morrow County, but
they are advancing from
Gilliam County, and when
they get here will cause
tremendous damage to the
county’s multi-million-dol-
lar agriculture economy.
As Gilliam County has
discovered the insects will
eat their way through range
and crop land alike.
Urgency is needed
since recent warm weather
will soon cause an earlier
than expected egg hatch,
forcing spraying to control
the insects. To fight the
crickets, money is needed to
spray range land in Gilliam
County soon. Eggs are laid
in the summer and are dor-
mant through winter. Crick-
et eggs hatch and nymphs
emerge in the early spring
when soil temperatures
reach 40 degrees F. The
best time to kill the crickets
is after they hatch but be-
fore they reach adulthood.
The chemical of choice is
Dimilin which keeps the
young insects from molting
their skin which kills them.
An oil is mixed with the
chemical and when it hits
the plant, sticks to it, then
the cricket comes along
and eats it. The best way to
apply the chemical is with
aerial spraying. Local crop
duster John Boyer has said
he is geared up and ready to
do spraying and will enlist
other pilots for help if nec-
essary to get the job done.
Lutcher told the com-
missioners that toward the
end of the season last year
he had reports of Mormon
Crickets in Juniper Canyon
and some not far from Sand
Hollow. “My guess is they
are across the creek (Wil-
low Creek in north county)
already, and on the fringes
of Morrow County,” Lutch-
er said. He said if they are
not controlled, they will be
moving towards crop cir-
cles and the dry land north
of the circles between the
Columbia River, adding
that from there they will
David Sykes
age in 2003.
Sykes graduated from
Reedsport high school then
spent four years in the Navy
before attending the Uni-
versity of Oregon where he
majored in journalism.
He has previous gov-
ernment experience as
chairman of the Morrow
County Planning Commis-
sion and currently on the
county Board of Property
Tax Appeals.
Sykes joins Mike Mc-
Namee as candidates for
position three. The deadline
for filing is March 8, 2022.
The primary election will
be held May 17, 2022. If
elected Sykes will take
over the position January
2, 2023.
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