TWO - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, March 23, 2022
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:
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Published weekly by Sykes Publishing 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:
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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
Giselle Moses.........................................................................................Advertising
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A country worth
fighting for
I recently saw a poll
about whether one would
stay and fight if someone
(violently) invaded our
country. About 40 percent
of Democrats said they
would stay and fight; about
60 percent of Republicans
said they would stay and
fight.
This was interpreted
to mean that more Repub-
licans thought our country
was worth fighting and dy-
ing for.
To paraphrase former
Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu, Re-
publicans are more likely
to believe that America
isn't what's wrong with the
world, it's
what's right.
When I first began to
fear we were seriously at
risk of losing the country
I'd lived in and loved for
over 60 years, I worried
that perhaps America had
become my idol. I final-
ly realized that while that
was not appropriate, ap-
preciating America as a
precious gift from God
is very appropriate. I be-
lieve God participated in
the founding of our nation,
just as the Founding Fa-
thers themselves did. That
does not mean I believe he
made a perfect nation, but
rather that He helped es-
tablish, or perhaps directed
the establishment of, an in-
frastructure (e.g., the Con-
stitution)
which not only made some-
thing good, but something
upon which improvement
could and would be made.
Kind of like me. I'm
not a perfect person be-
cause I'm a child of God.
I'm a work in progress.
So is America. We don't
need a reset. We just need
to keep building on the
foundation and checking
the plumbline to make sure
we're lined up straight and
centered, ready to adjust if
we need to (and we always
will, since this is an imper-
fect world.)
Let's not throw out the
baby with the bath water.
Sandra Johnson
Heppner
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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. Email to editor@rapidserve.net or upload to Heppner.net.
The stewardship of our forefathers
To the Editor:
Dick Wilkinson was
born in a tent alongside of
Willow Creek on land that
he would develop into one
of the finest cattle oper-
ations in Oregon. He be-
gan his education in a one
room schoolhouse at the
mouth of Skinner Creek,
the watershed for Sum-
merfield, the crown jewel
of the Wilkinson Ranch.
In 1994 Dick was honored
as the first “Landowner of
the year" in Oregon in rec-
ognition of his outstanding
contribution to Fish and
Wildlife Resources in Or-
egon. While all the other
landowners of the foothills
of the Blue Mountains had
locked their lands to the
public and locals, at great
profit for fee hunting, Dick
Wilkinson provided Sum-
merfield, the finest elk
hunting property in the
Heppner Unit, open to the
public.
Before legislation was
introduced to establish fee
hunting and lock up previ-
ously open to hunt private
land in 1990, the foothills
of the Heppner unit pro-
vided the best deer hunting
resource in Oregon. Hunt-
ing and recreation dollars
flooded into Heppner and
Morrow County for half a
century. During that time
recreation, hunting and
logging helped Heppner
support five gas stations,
five grocery stores and
three new car dealerships.
Shirley Rugg, Jack Glavey,
Dick Wilkinson and other
land owners worked coop-
eratively with the ODFW
to provide hunting, fishing
and recreational opportu-
nities that pumped millions
of dollars into the county
coffers. The Blue Moun-
tains provided cover and
sanctuary for elk, deer and
unlimited game and habitat
under the stewardship of
beloved ODFW biologist
Glen Ward.
Today Glen Ward and
Dick Wilkinson would not
recognize the present state
of the Blue Mountains,
nor would they recognize
Summerfield now locked
down for fee hunting. To-
day the elk, the public's
hunting greatest resource,
are managed for the benefit
of the fee hunting industry.
In like manner the ODFW
manages the wolves and
cougars to benefit the en-
vironmental/animal rights
industry.
The buffalo were le-
gally slaughtered, a prac-
tice we now condemn.
Unlimited over the count-
er cow tags and LOP fee
hunting tags allow our elk
to be legally slaughtered
as well (often with rifle
silencers so they will not
run). If Dick Wilkinson
called fee hunting unethi-
cal, how would he respond
to slaughtering elk like sit-
ting ducks? The Left Coast
of the Cascades control
the ODFW which contin-
ues to over-sell big game
tags for elk and deer that
mostly no longer inhabit
the public hunting lands.
Hunts are sold in our Na-
tional Forest and Colum-
bia Basin beginning in
the summer and some do
not end until the end of
March when a cow elk is
close to birthing.
Four
wheelers, side by sides,
shed hunters, mushroom
hunters, archery hunters
(some with permanent
tree stands), and special
tag hunts for virtually ev-
erything, including trophy
defenseless bucks during
the rut, now define ODFW
money hungry game man-
agement, leaving precious
little sanctuary for elk or
deer. The big game are
leaving the National For-
est for the solitude of the
private fee hunting prop-
erty. When the wolves,
cougars, and bears take the
last of the elk and deer out
of the mountain habitat,
cattle will be next. When
the cattle are forced out of
the mountains, the cougars
and wolves will move out
of the mountains as well.
When the fee hunters shoot
all the elk (and that is the
ODFW plan) the cattle on
the fee hunting property
will be next in line for the
wolves, cats and bears.
If I was appointed the
emperor of the new state
of Eastern Oregon, called
Ward Wilkinson, I would
initiate a novel plan. I
would require legislation
to manage our National
Forest to restore habitat
sanctuary for our elk and
deer: a) severely limiting
the number of rifle, muzzle
loader and archery hunts,
number of tags sold, and
only restoring big game
tags when the elk and deer
herds are restored (a heri-
tage for our children), b)
limit the number of cougars
(with government hunters)
and eliminate cross bred
wolves that never inhab-
ited our National Forests,
c) restore select cut log-
ging practices that enhance
the forest habitat, d) close
the forest from Dec. 1 to
March 30 for winter sports
only, e) limit land owner
preference tags, f) prohib-
it selling LOP tags, g) tax
fee hunting property as
recreational (as it should
have been from the get go)
and designate the funds
for Forest Restoration, h)
raise the price of over the
counter cow tags to $1,000
with 90% allocated to a
local Forest Restoration.
This board would have
the funding and authority
to ensure all stakeholders
honored the plan to restore
our National Forest (hunt-
ers, 4-wheelers, mush-
roomers, shed hunters,
fishermen, sightseers, bird
watchers, hikers, snow mo-
biles, cross country skiers,
etc). Their first act: cancel
the ill-conceived and big
game sanctuary destroying
Ellis Integrated Vegetation
Project.
Our forefathers were
the first and only pioneers
to live in these Blue Moun-
tains. Glen Ward and Dick
Wilkinson illustrated the
stewardship of our fore-
fathers for our greatest re-
source, our most precious
heritage. It is our responsi-
bility to pass this heritage
to our posterity.
Stuart Dick
Christine Drazan for
governor
To the Editor:
I recently became a
supporter of Christine Dra-
zan after meeting her at a
meet and greet sponsored
by Bobby Levy. Christine
impressed me by her com-
mitment to service, her
willingness to stand up for
Oregonians, and her natu-
ral leadership abilities.
Christine is a fighter.
As the House Republi-
can Leader, she stood up
to Kate Brown and Tina
Kotek and won. She led a
unified caucus to oppose
tax increases, stop cap-
and-trade in its tracks, and
protect our rights and free-
doms.
Christine understands
the challenges we face and
how to fix them. She is the
only candidate in this race
with the experience to start
putting our state back on
the right track on Day One.
As governor:
-Christine will end
Kate Brown’s state of
emergency and repeal her
mask and vaccine man-
dates on her first day in
office.
-She will repeal Kate
Brown’s unconstitutional
cap-and-trade program.
-Christine will support
our police officers and hold
criminals fully accountable
for their crimes.
-She will keep our
schools open full time and
in person, get back to the
basics in the classroom,
give parents a forum to be
heard, and leave the pol-
itics at home where it be-
longs.
-She will lead efforts
to cut taxes, get the gov-
ernment off the backs of
our small businesses, and
make Oregon a more af-
fordable place to live and
raise a family.
Here’s the good news:
We have a unique opportu-
nity in this election to bring
real change to our state and
to finally put Oregon back
on the right track.
Christine Drazan is the
best candidate for the job.
She has the experience, the
track record and the vision
for restoring our state. And
with your support, she will
be the next Governor of
Oregon.
Please support Chris-
tine as I am by contribut-
ing to her campaign http://
www.christineforgovernor.
com
Your vote and your in-
terest in the leadership of
our state is so important.
Debbie Radie
Morrow County resi-
dent
DESTINATION
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MARCH 31ST
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