Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (July 8, 2020)
NEWS A10 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM WEDNESDAY, JULY 8, 2020 Boom: Continued from Page A1 are talking to each other about what improvements are needed to infrastruc- ture,” he said. Stockdale said most of the new development is going on Umatilla’s South Hill, which is zoned for res- idential use and still has plenty of room for growth. As developers build out the area, they are required to pay for the needed improve- ments and extensions to roads and utilities, then hand those investments over to the city. Infrastructure is always a concern for cities when they Staff photo by Ben Lonergan Homes sit in diff ering states of construction at a development along Powerline Road in Umatilla on Monday, July 6, 2020. experience growth, Stock- dale said, but with growth comes additional reve- nue through property taxes, enterprise zone agreements, system development charges and other sources that can be used to stay abreast of needs that new homes and busi- nesses create. The city is planning to update its master plan for water and wastewater over the next 12 months, and continues to make improve- ments to those systems. A major overhaul of Sixth Street, Umatilla’s main road through downtown, is cur- rently under construction, and another project along Lind Road will begin soon. “We continue to ask for a little bit of patience,” Stock- dale said. “With growth comes construction, and we have it all over town.” Umatilla also contin- ues to improve its parks. In September 2019, it added new playground equipment, lighting and other improve- ments to Kiwanis Park. Some parks will be getting new restrooms in the coming months, Stockdale said, and the city is waiting to hear back from the state about a grant for a proposed trail system that would connect South Hill to downtown. Stockdale said during the city council’s July 7 meet- ing, they will meet in exec- utive session to discuss real property transactions for six different projects that are not public yet, but involve pos- sible future growth in Uma- tilla’s industrial and com- mercial sectors. “We’ve certainly spoken to interested retailers and new industrial customers,” he said. Burrowing owl project nears its end at Umatilla Chemical Depot By JADE MCDOWELL NEWS EDITOR For 11 years, David H. Johnson, director of the Global Owl Project, has got- ten to know the burrowing owls of the Umatilla Chem- ical Depot. He knows which owls will put up a fi ght and which will hold still while he han- dles them. He knows how many eggs they laid this year. He knows their chil- dren and their grandchildren. After he returns for one more spring at the depot next year, however, his 12-year project to revive the depot’s previously declining burrowing owl population will come to an end. “After that, I have resigned myself to letting go,” he said. “It will be hard because it has been a joyful thing.” The project to create arti- fi cial burrows for the owls has done more than multi- ply the depot’s owl popula- tion by many times over. It has also led to new scientifi c discoveries about the spe- cies as a whole, from their mating habits to their migra- tion patterns. “I certainly have a lot to write up,” Johnson said. The reason the depot’s owl population needs arti- fi cial burrows started with pronghorns, the ante- lope-like animals that used to roam the land back when it was an active Army depot. Fenced in on all sides, the herd because dangerously inbred, causing a genetically weak population that began to dwindle. Johnson said people at the depot thought the reason was that there were too many coyotes prey- ing on the pronghorns, how- ever, and so they trapped the coyotes to send away and, in the process, also removed the depot’s badgers. That was a problem for the burrowing owls, who do not dig their own burrows but rather borrow aban- doned ones dug by other creatures — in this case, by badgers. Once there were no more badgers, their old holes began to crumble and disappear. By the time the depot’s environmental man- ager called Johnson in, there were only two or three nest- ing pairs left. “It became a rescue mis- sion,” he said. Johnson began devising artifi cial burrows to lure the owls back. The fi rst year of the project, there were nine pairs trying out the bur- rows. Then 21 the next year. Then 65. This year Johnson banded 177 new young owls who hatched on the depot this spring. “That’s double the repro- duction of last year,” he said. “It’s a really great year for the owls.” Over time, Johnson and Staff photo by Ben Lonergan A driver wears a mask while passing through downtown Hermiston on Tuesday, July 6, 2020. Masks: Continued from Page A1 HH fi le photo From left, volunteer Bill Aney, intern Anya Nelson and David Johnson, director of the Global Owl Project, check burrowing owl nesting sites on the former Umatilla Chemical Depot outside of Hermiston in June 2019. HH fi le photo David Johnson, director of the Global Owl Project, holds a trio of 6-day-old owlets in June 2019. the helpers he brought in each spring perfected the artifi cial nests by build- ing different options for the owls and observing which they chose. He found they didn’t like ones made with white plastic barrels, for example, but preferred blue or black. To make the current nests, Johnson cuts in half blue 55-gallon plastic bar- rels donated by the Tree Top plant in Prosser, Washing- ton, and buries them in the ground. Mesh underneath keeps the gophers out, sand provides a soft bed for the nest and a contraption using two buckets on the top pro- vides a way for Johnson to check on the nests after they are buried 10 feet away from each nest the entrance of a 6-inch corrugated plas- tic pipe beckons, cave-like, from a pile of stones. Once a nesting pair claims a burrow, the males bring the females soft items to line the inside of the nest, but they also decorate the outside of the burrow with corn cobs and other items they fi nd. “It says that this site is taken, and it’s taken by a tough guy, so don’t even think about it,” Johnson said. Small tweaks to the bur- rows over time have helped more of the species survive. Johnson previously tested out 4-inch pipe for the tun- nels down to the nests, but found fewer young sur- vived in those nests because when a coyote attacked they would have to escape down the tunnel in single fi le, giv- ing the predator enough time to pick off the last one. During the winter, the birds abandon the nests. Johnson found the females fl y south to California to fat- ten up in preparation for the weight they will lose while caring for their young, while the males fl y up to Central Washington so that they can be close enough to compete for a prime burrow the next spring before the females return and pick the male they think will be the best provider. He said if a male turns out to not be a good provider, his mate might sneak over to another burrow to get food from a male who is a better hunter while he is out. “Their secret lives are complex and fascinating,” he said. Each spring, when John- son traps the owls, he checks on those he has placed bands on in the past and bands new owls, including babies and owls who have moved in from other territories. Some- 541-567-0272 2150 N. First St., Hermiston July 7th -12th Call ahead and use our Drive thru. Purchase a face mask inside for $5-$7 $1 off Take & Bake Pizzas 20 % times, he fi nds the new birds had already been banded by other projects in Pasco or Yakima, Washington. The nesting females and their babies are easier to capture, but Johnson had to fi nd a clever way to trap the males after trying to lure them in with food bait didn’t work well. Now, he brings the males in with an MP3 player down inside a bur- row that plays a recording of a young, underweight male. “He’s a punk, a pesky intruder, and they’re not having it,” Johnson said. “They will strut back and forth, and when he doesn’t come out, they come in after him.” Johnson is working with the National Guard and Columbia Development Authority on determining who might be able to do some maintenance on the artifi cial burrows after he stops coming in to inven- tory the burrowing owl pop- ulation each spring, but he hopes to be able to reintro- duce badgers to the area to return the ecosystem to a self-sustaining state. He said based on badgers’ territorial and hunting needs, the depot could accommo- date about 30 adults. “There are a lot of pocket gophers here,” he said. “I’m sure the fi rst badgers we bring in will eat like kings and queens.” a way we can get more masks to more people at a very low cost it could pos- sibly increase usage,” she said. Judy Gormley of Neighborhood Books and Gifts in Hermiston said they were closed for the Fourth of July weekend and so weren’t inspected, but they have given out masks to a few custom- ers who said they forgot to bring one. While the masking requirement is new for some businesses, hair and nail salons have been operating with all cus- tomers and employees in masks since they were fi rst allowed to reopen. Sherry Kowalski-Sch- link, salon coordina- tor for the Main Stylin’ Nook, said the rule there is “No mask, no service.” She said people “grumble a bit” but most people are OK with it. Customers are reminded of the mask requirement when they receive a reminder of their appointment 24 hours in advance, and she said while they do have some masks available for customers, most bring their own. On July 7, Morrow County Emergency Man- agement sent out a state- ment strongly encour- aging residents of the The most valuable and respected source of local news, advertising and information for our communities. www.eomediagroup.com PET OF THE W EEK Reece is a very chill & sweet old man that is about 10 years old. He loves to be around his people, but not super cuddly, but he loves to have his ears rubbed. He loves to sit outside in the shade and feel the wind on his face. Reece does have some aging issues, is on a strict diet for his weight and will need regular grooming. Due to his age and health, we prefer he isn’t around young children. MEET REECE OFF • Summer Dresses • Noelle Crystals (New Shipment) • Irwin Hydrocanna Beauty Care 1 DAY SALE! th July 10 8am-6pm % 20 All Health Food county to be diligent about wearing a mask while around people out- side of their household. The statement noted that Morrow County was among those placed on the state’s watchlist of counties that may have to revert back to Phase 1 of reopening if their rising COVID-19 case numbers do not slow down. “If our numbers are not reduced, are our schools going to open this fall?” the county department’s statement asked. “If they do open for schooling, are we going to have any fall sports? What about those small businesses that make rural Oregon so great? Will they be able to endure more restrictions? Some have already had to close; many more might close for good. Those are all someone’s dreams lost.” The department stated that everyone’s personal actions during the pan- demic have direct impact on others, and called wearing a mask a simple way to help others and “the least we could all do.” “While we do not know what the situation will be with our schools this fall, we do know, if our numbers continue to climb, it will not be school as usual,” the statement read, conclud- ing, “We all want our nor- mal lives back, let’s work to get there.” Mark Sargent, DVM • Brent Barton, DVM Eugenio Mannucci, DVM, cVMA • Jana von Borstel, DVM, cVMA Small and Large Animal Care Mon: 8-6 Tue - Fri: 8-5 Sat: 8-12 Emergency Service 541.567.1138 80489 Hwy 395 N Hermiston www.oregontrailvet.com Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, animal shelters need our help more than ever. Please donate to your local shelter, or offer to foster an animal in need. OFF (excludes doterra, produce, juice bar & clearance.) Located at Space Age Travel Center & Comfort Suites, Exit 182 on I-84 Please maintain 6 feet social distancing while in the store. If interested please go to fuzzballrescue.com and fill out an application. If you are not able to adopt, but would like to foster or donate, visit fuzzballrescue.com or you can mail in donations to Fuzz Ball Animal Rescue, PO Box 580, Hermiston, OR 97838
