WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22, 2015
HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A3
COMMUNITY
Children reel them in
McNary Channel
Ponds stocked with
trout for fishing
event Saturday
BY SEAN HART
HERMISTON HERALD
Children had the op-
portunity to catch freshly
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Channel Ponds in Umatilla
Saturday.
Oregon Department of
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ogist Bill Duke said 4,500
trout were stocked in the
fountain pond and Wes
Pond behind it near the Mc-
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were “legal size,” eight to
10 inches, he said, but 500
weighed at least a pound,
and a few were “trophy
size,” more than 20 inches.
Duke said the event,
organized by Hermiston
Parks and Recreation De-
partment and sponsored
by Tom Denchel Ford,
allowed only children to
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opened to everyone.
“There was a tremendous
turnout,” he said. “We were
estimating it to be a total of
850 people, kids and adults.
It was great weather. Lots
of people came out, and lots
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The ponds will be
stocked again May 16
when the U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers hosts a similar
event, but Duke said there
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the ponds, and ODFW also
stocks the creek. He said
these events inspire chil-
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ture.
“For ODFW, it is to
introduce kids and their
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outdoors,” he said. “We’re
an agency that is funded by
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hunting licenses, and we
want to give an opportunity
for people to get introduced
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there, and, hopefully, may-
be they choose to keep do-
ing it.”
Hermiston Recreation
Supervisor Dan Earp said,
while children 13 and
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without purchasing a li-
cense, this event provides
a better opportunity for
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He said prizes were also
awarded, and equipment
was available for people
who did not have their own.
“I think it went pretty
awesome this year,” he said.
“I think we had some of the
best weather we could have
hoped for. It’s a good event.
It’s always fun to see which
ones are totally afraid of the
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SEAN HART PHOTO
From left, Nely Maldonado, 7, and Eliseo Maldonado, 5, show
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tilla Saturday. The ponds were stocked with 4,500 trout for a
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fearless and have no prob-
lem holding up their trophy
for all the world to see.”
After the morning’s ac-
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opened to everyone, people
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Krieg Mueller, who lives
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older daughters, Rudi, 5,
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his wife gave birth to his
youngest, Raelynn, earlier
that day. He said he en-
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Ponds.
“It’s good for the girls,
and it’s real close to
home,” he said. “It gives
them an opportunity to get
out into the outdoors.”
Heath Pock, Kenne-
wick, brought his daugh-
ter Hailey to the ponds
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The 7-year-old’s take on
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“I’ve had bigger ponds
in my days,” she said but
added she still had fun.
To get to the ponds
from Highway 730 in
Umatilla, turn north onto
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west of Interstate 82;
proceed to West Third
Street; turn right on
Third Street; and proceed
through the I-82 under-
pass. The ponds are north
of Third Street, between
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Signs point to several ve-
hicle access points. The
fountain pond is visible
from Third Street.
SEAN HART PHOTO
Anthony Lemus, 3, reels in a trout from the McNary Channel
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SEAN HART PHOTO
Anthony Lemus hands his father, Jose Lemus, pliers to re-
move the hook from a trout’s mouth after the 3-year-old reeled
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Girl Scout troops help Agape House
Girl Scouts of Oregon
and Southwest Washing-
ton gathered nonperishable
food for the Agape House
Saturday in Hermiston,
Umatilla and Irrigon in
their annual Scouting for
Food event.
Despite only three troops
participating, Girl Scouts
still rounded up 759 pounds
of canned and packaged
food, organizer Michelle
Kane said.
The troops participat-
ing this year were: Girl
Scout Daisy Troop 50038
of Hermiston, Girl Scout
Brownie Troop 54379 of
Umatilla and Girl Scout Se-
nior and Ambassador Troop
51444 of Hermiston. Earli-
er in the week, each troop
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borhoods they had signed
up to canvass, and returned
to those neighborhoods to
pick up the donations and
deliver them to the Agape
House.
Girl Scout troops will be
out in force again this Sat-
urday in Pendleton, Echo
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food pantries in their towns.
For more information about
Scouting for Food, call
Michelle Kane at 541-564-
5985.
For more information
about registering and/or be-
coming an adult Girl Scout
volunteer, contact Brandi
George, membership and
community development
specialist for Eastern Or-
egon, toll free at 877-286-
9819.
Wildhorse Resort &
Casino presents the
3rd Annual
Mammoth Cup
Golf Tournament
Sunday, May 17
Wildhorse Resort
Golf Course
PHOTO COURTESY MICHELLE KANE
Local Girl Scouts donate food they collected during a drive Saturday to Agape House. They will
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Hosted by Pepsi/Pendleton Bottling Co.
Supported by CHI St. Anthony Hospital,
Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation,
and Clover Island Inn.
This ad sponsored by East Oregonian.
- C ONCLUDED
- C ONCLUDED
FIRST FRIDAYS
ARE FREE!
Open Mon-Sat 10am-5pm
541.429.7700
www.tamastslikt.org
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