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DOG
DAYS
Hermiston Bark Park
holds ‘grand unleashing’
By JADE MCDOWELL
NEWS EDITOR
June Rosenberg has made a lot
of friends the past few weeks at
the Hermiston Bark Park. Some
of them have two legs, but most of
them have four.
“Amanda and I have been meet-
ing all of these dogs, and we know
all these dogs’ names but not the
names of the people,” she said.
Amanda Woodlee is one of
the human friends Rosenberg has
made since she began bringing
Delilah Rose, her white Labradoo-
dle, to the new dog park. While the
park had its “grand unleashing” on
Friday, April 30, some members of
the public have been using it for a
few weeks already after the fence
went up.
Rosenberg said the large, fenced
area at Butte Park, where dogs
can run off leash, is a great way
to socialize dogs and their own-
ers. She said Delilah Rose loves it
when other dogs are available to
run around with.
“We come just about every
day,” she said. “It’s so handy.”
Woodlee brought Bowser, her
family’s stocky brown and white
rescue dog, to the grand open-
ing, and watched him play with
the other dogs as they frolicked
through the grass, running and roll-
ing around and sniffi ng each other.
“It gets the energy out,” she
said.
The Hermiston Bark Park spans
about 37,000 square feet at Butte
Park, next to the splash park area. A
large, fenced-off area is designated
for large dogs, while a smaller area
is for small dogs.
Hermiston Parks and Rec-
reation staff have made some
improvements to the park other
than the fence, including a con-
crete entry area and a stand that
holds clean-up bags for waste. But
Director Larry Fetter said some
improvements are still on back
order, including additional signs,
benches and trash cans.
The department also plans to
add a kiosk by the front gate, where
people will be able to hang lost dog
posters and other announcements.
“It’s anything related — dog
training, dog sitting. I don’t know
if we have dog walkers in town,”
Fetter said.
Shortly before the ribbon was
cut at the park, Fetter said a dog
park was something he had been
hoping to bring to Hermiston for
years.
“This project has been in the
works for about 10 years,” he said.
“We looked at a lot of locations
and I think we got a winner here.”
The event included a demon-
stration by Paws Off Obedience,
which handles the dog obedience
trainings sponsored by the parks
department each year, and bags of
treats for dogs and humans alike.
Ben Lonergan/Hermiston Herald
A group of children helps cut the ribbon for the “grand unleashing” of the the Hermiston Bark Park on Friday, April
30, 2021.
Other park projects
The new dog park is near the
new Funland Playground, still
under construction.
The parks department had
See Dog Park, Page A8
Ben Lonergan/Hermiston Herald
Bowie explores the new Hermiston Bark Park during its “grand unleashing” on Friday, April 30, 2021.
Low vaccination rates prompt concerns
Umatilla County offi cials decry political
overtones associated with vaccines
By BRYCE DOLE
STAFF WRITER
Umatilla County Commissioner
John Shafer wants to send a clear
message — he’s a Republican man
choosing to get vaccinated against
COVID-19.
In response to the county’s low
vaccine rates, offi cials recently
convened to discuss new ways that
they could encourage residents to
get a shot. Shafer, who has voiced
frustration in the past regarding the
politicization of vaccines, volun-
teered to endorse the shot by hav-
ing a photo taken of him while get-
ting his second jab.
“I want people to know — don’t
be afraid of the vaccine,” he said.
“I’m getting it. And one of the
things is that the Republican males
seem to be one of the worst at get-
ting vaccinated.”
Shafer and Umatilla County
Commissioner George Murdock,
each of whom are Republicans,
decry the political overtones asso-
ciated with vaccines. They say
declining demand for shots along-
side rising cases are hindering the
county’s progress during the pan-
demic, and that political division is
playing a role.
“At no time in our history has
a vaccine been this political,” Sha-
fer said. “And, for the life of me, I
can’t fi gure out why. I don’t know
if some
INSIDE
people are thinking that it could
be because a Democratic gover-
nor and a Democratic president are
pushing this. But I keep thinking,
even President Trump was saying,
‘Get vaccinated. I did.’’’
Murdock says COVID-19 vac-
cinations “should have nothing to
do with political party,” adding, “I
would not trust my health to parti-
san politics.”
Murdock says that he and Com-
missioner Dan Dorran buck the
national trends, saying “it’s not
universal.”
“The polling seems to show
older Republican men seem to be
the group who least likely want
to get the vaccination,” Murdock
said. “But I’m an absolute contrast
to that. I’m old, I’m a Republican
and I couldn’t wait to get mine fast
enough.”
The notion that Republicans are
largely declining vaccines in the
county echoes national trends that
critics say are driven by right-wing
pundits who fl out coronavirus pre-
cautions as a Democratic eff ort to
undermine the party and impinge
on civil liberties.
Poll: Vaccination rates lag in areas
that supported Trump
A recent national poll conducted
by Monmouth University found
nearly 2 in 5 Republicans said they
Ben Lonergan/Hermiston Herald
Umatilla County Commisioner John Shafer receives his second dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine from
registered nurse Kelsi Reyes during a vaccination event in Pendleton on Friday, April 30, 2021.
“I WANT OUR COUNTY TO BE OPEN.
I DON’T WANT ANY RESTRICTIONS IN
PLACE BECAUSE OF OUR NUMBERS. AND
THE WAY TO DO THAT IS THE VACCINE.”
Umatilla County Commissioner John Shafer
See Vaccines, Page A8
A3  Morrow and Umatilla coun-
ties declare droughts, ask for aid
A6  Registrations are open for the
annual A.C.E. Car Club Auto Show
in Echo
A7  Perennial Wind Chaser Sta-
tion project outside Hermiston may
have an interested buyer
A9  I Love My City group spruces
up downtown Hermiston