Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, April 30, 2025 -- NINE
Oregon Senate overturns
wildfire regulations,
restores local control to
rural communities
SALEM, OR—Last
week, the Oregon Sen-
ate passed Senate Bill 83,
which repeals the state’s
wildfire hazard map creat-
ed under Senate Bill 762
(2021) and removes the
strict regulations that came
with it.
Proponents of the bill
say this is a big win for
rural Oregonians who have
fought against what they
say are costly and unfair
mandates.
“Today, we celebrate
a hard-fought victory for
rural Oregon,” said Senate
Republican Leader Daniel
Bonham (R-The Dalles).
“Senate Bill 83 repeals the
most flawed and overreach-
ing aspects of Senate Bill
762 from 2021, including
the State Wildfire Hazard
Map, while preserving the
programs that genuinely
protect property owners and
reduce wildfire risks.”
“I’m delighted to see
Senate Bill 83 pass the
Senate,” said Senator Noah
Robinson (R-Cave Junc-
tion). “Many of my con-
stituents and thousands of
Oregonians have made it
clear: they want the abil-
ity to protect their homes
without being burdened by
unfair regulations. Today’s
vote is a crucial step toward
undoing the damage caused
by this flawed policy and
returning control to land-
owners.”
“This has been years in
the making. With today’s
overwhelming bipartisan
support for Senate Bill 83,
we are one step closer to
undoing the harm caused by
Senate Bill 762’s wildfire
map,” said Senator David
Brock Smith (R-Port Or-
ford). “I want to thank the
thousands of residents who
raised their voices to make
this possible, as well as my
colleagues for their support.
I look forward to seeing
Senate Bill 83 move swiftly
through the House and be
signed by Governor Kotek,
bringing much-needed re-
lief to our communities.”
SB 83 has moved to the
Oregon House of Represen-
tatives for consideration. It
currently sits in the House
Committee on Climate,
Energy, and Environment.
Umatilla National Forest
firewood permits available
May 1
Twelve Morrow Coun-
ty students were among
the 635 students Eastern
Oregon University to the
dean’s list for the 2025
winter term.
Qualifying students
achieve and maintain a
grade point average of 3.5
or higher on a 4.0 scale
while completing a mini-
mum of 12 hours of graded
coursework for the term.
Students receiving the
recognition were:
Heppner— Chad
Doherty, Arts, Humanities
& Soc Science, Politics/
Policy & Public Admin;
Paige Gerry, Education,
Multidisciplinary Studies;
Trevor Nichols, STM and
Health Science, Biology;
and Hailey Wenberg, STM
and Health Science, Gener-
The Gazette Puzzle Pop
al Studies-Exploratory.
Lexington—Morgan
Cutsforth, STM and Health
Science, General Stud-
ies-Exploratory; Caden
George, STM and Health
Science, Chemistry-Bio-
chemistry; Paul Lindsay,
STM and Health Science,
General Studies-Explorato-
ry; and Eva Martin, Busi-
ness, Agriculture Entrepre-
neurship.
Boardman—Lucas
Dickens, STM and Health
Science, General Stud-
ies-Exploratory; Adara
Hasbell, Arts, Humanities
& Soc Science, Anthropol-
ogy/Sociology; and Rileigh
Krider, Business, Account-
ing.
Irrigon— Aleida
Cardenas, Education, Mul-
tidisciplinary Studies.
Over the Tee Cup
A “perfect spring day!”
greeted the ladies who at-
tended the Willow Creek
Country Club ladies play
day Tuesday, April 22. Tak-
ing the low gross of the field
was Karen Thompson. Kris
Lindner had low net of the
field, while Corol Mitchell
had least putts.
Sharpen your mind with our Gazette Puzzle Pop!
Weekly math, word, and local trivia from our five
towns—no internet or phones allowed. Answers in
next week’s edition—grab a pencil and show off!
Farmyard Teaser
Level - Moderate
Q: You have 3 rabbits (4 legs each) and 5 ducks (2
legs each). You trade 2 rabbits for 4 chickens (2 legs
each), but 1 duck flies to a neighbor’s farm. How
many legs are left on your farm?
Wordplay Whiz
Level - Easy
Q: I plant seeds that “sprout,” but what’s “seeding”
my view in the field?
Morrow County Trivia
Challenge
Level - Moderate
Q: What Morrow County town, was named after a
visiting girl?
Answers from April 23rd edition
For flight A, Colleen
Neubert had low net, Pat
Dougherty had least putts
and Corol Mitchell had KP.
For flight B, Shirley
Martin and Betty Carter
tied for low gross, while
Martin had both the long
drive and KP.
Number Pattern Puzzle
Puzzle: Sequence: 2, 5, 11, 20, 32, …
Solution: 50
Wordplay Riddle
Riddle: What do you call a dinosaur that takes care of
its teeth? (Hint: Think of a dinosaur name combined
with a dental term.)
Answer: Flossiraptor
Question: In what year was Morrow County created
from parts of Umatilla and Wasco Counties?
Answer: 1885
Museum volunteers needed
reminded that permits are
not required but they should
be in possession of valid
enrollment identification
when cutting or transport-
ing firewood.
As we move into the
hot, dry summer months,
Public Use Restrictions
(PURs) may be implement-
ed. The public is responsi-
ble to check if firewood cut-
ting is allowed. Firewood
season on the Umatilla
National Forest will end
Nov. 30, 2025.
For more information
on firewood cutting, con-
tact the supervisor’s office
at 541-278-3716 or the
Heppner Ranger District at
541-676-9187.
Additional information
about the Umatilla National
Forest is available at www.
fs.usda.gov/r06/umatilla.
Sup
er
ch
Umatilla National For-
est personal-use firewood
permits will be available at
Forest Service offices and
through several local ven-
dors beginning Thursday,
May 1.
All national forests in
Oregon and Washington
offer personal-use firewood
free of charge. However, a
permit is still required to
cut and haul firewood. The
maximum limit for per-
sonal-use firewood on the
Umatilla National Forest
is 12-cords-per-household-
per-year. Individuals that
require more than 12 cords,
or those wanting to sell
firewood, may purchase a
commercial or “charge”
firewood permit for $10 per
cord with a $30 minimum
permit. Charge permits can
only be purchased through a
Forest Service office; please
call ahead to arrange an
appointment.
Vendors are issuing
personal-use permits in 12-
cord increments and may
charge an additional pro-
cessing fee up to $2 for the
permit. Locally, permits can
be purchased at Heppner
Mobil on Main St. or at the
Heppner Ranger District
office. A list of vendors
is available on the Forest
website at www.fs.usda.
gov/r06/umatilla/permits/
forest-product-permits.
Firewood cutters are
required to carry an axe,
a shovel, an eight-ounce
capacity or larger fire ex-
tinguisher, and have their
chainsaw equipped with
an approved spark arrester
when cutting wood.
Some areas on the Uma-
tilla National Forest are still
not accessible due to mud,
snow or snow drifts. Forest
visitors are asked to use ex-
treme care to avoid getting
stuck or causing extensive
and illegal resource damage
to the land and vegetation.
Woodcutters are asked to:
Contact the local Rang-
er District office before
heading out to make sure
the area you’re traveling to
is accessible.
Avoid driving off roads
and onto wet, unstable
ground or fragile meadow
environments to load fire-
wood.
Be prepared! Pack ad-
ditional food, water, cloth-
ing and other emergency
supplies.
Let someone know
your destination and esti-
mated time of return.
Tribal members exer-
cising their Treaty rights are
Morrow County
students named to
EOU dean’s list
The F.A.R.M Founda-
tion is looking for individ-
uals with a little time on
their hands who would be
willing to volunteer at ei-
ther of its museums—even
if that time commitment is
one or two days a month
this summer.
Anyone who might be
The Bath or Shower You’ve Always Wanted
interested is invited to a
workshop on Monday, May
5, at 10 a.m. at the Heritage
Museum by the Heppner
library.
Anyone who is inter-
ested but can’t attend may
call Cherrie Clark at 541-
667-7458.
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