The proposed wayside shelter has been developed to mimic these early construction methods using standard posts, beams and knee braces very similar to the early pioneering styles.

During the site location process, a considerable amount of consideration was given to minimizing environmental impacts both during the construction process and once the project is completed. the location and finished topography will provide the William Cusick chapter, native plant society of Oregon new opportunities to highlight the species that were here to greet the early settlers of the valley while protecting and preserving the work they’ve already accomplished.

The new, fully ADA accessible facility will provide travelers and natives alike with a unique and inspiring opportunity to view the beautiful vista overlooking La Grande’s Pioneer Park, the Grande Ronde valley and beyond to Mt. Emily, Mt. Fanny, Mt. Harris and the Eagle Cap Wilderness.

A special thanks is due to the development committee, the Northeast Oregon Network and the Union County Ford Institute Leadership Program along with the many donors of products and services without whose dedicated service this project couldn’t have happened.

Narrative and images provided by Rich Beedle of Jadato, LLC

“While this session is a shortened version, our priorities emphasize the ongoing fight to restore a sense of urgency over the condition of public education in Oregon,” said Kris Howatt, president of OSBA. “Statewide, nearly a third of our students fail to earn high school diplomas after four or even five years of high school. Many school districts struggle to maintain their programs in the face of ever-tighter budgets. In short, our sense of urgency is both real and justified.”

The association’s legislative priorities fall into three categories:

• Student achievement. OSBA will vigorously advocate legislation that supports progress in student achievement, Howatt said. “We need to ensure that every student is ready for post-secondary education, whether college or apprenticeship, leading to a career and productive citizenship.” By raising the high school graduation rate, more opportunities are available to all students, she added.

• Shared accountability. OSBA will continue to urge the governor and the legislature to join local school districts and education service districts in sharing accountability for student achievement. “We’re all in this together,” Howatt said, “and we all need to acknowledge our respective roles in helping students succeed in their academic careers.”

• Funding. Adequate, stable funding continues to be among OSBA’s primary legislative goals. For the current legislative session, OSBA’s chief objective is to ensure that any budget rebalancing does not reduce funding for K-12, Howatt said. Over the longer term, OSBA will urge the legislature to guarantee schools have the resources to meet their responsibilities. Schools also need relief from state mandates for new or expanded responsibilities without full funding to pay the additional costs, Howatt said. School boards continue to support fiscal impact statements for any legislation under consideration.

The Oregon Education Investment Board has proposed legislation (SB 1581) that would call on local school boards and other public education entities to sign “achievement compacts” with the state. Presented as a replacement to provisions of the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), the compacts would set planning goals for student achievement and require collaboration in preparing students for post-secondary education.

“If the legislature passes SB 1581, it will help move the ball the forward toward achieving the priorities of Oregon’s school boards,” Howatt said.

The leadership of OSBA has encouraged its members to contact their local legislators to stress the importance of enacting the association’s legislative priorities, Howatt added. “This is a critical time for public education,” she said. “Many schools are barely holding on because of tight budgets and scarce resources. Never has our legislative agenda been more important.”

Part of the foundation’s Visual Arts Program, the grants are available to qualified Oregon visual art institutions and public visual arts collections to preserve public access to important works of art, provide support for the artists as well as the institutions that support their work through acquisition and exhibition.

Eligible applicant organizations for Art Acquisition Funding are Oregon visual arts institutions or public visual arts collections with current 501(c)(3) status, governmental entities, and federally-recognized tribes, with collections that are accessible to the public.

The Oregon Arts Commission manages the program on behalf of The Ford Family Foundation. Applications will be accepted through the GO, Grants Online, system until 5:00 pm, Friday, March 30, 2012. Panelists will review applications independently before coming together as a group in April to consider all requests.

Guidelines for Art Acquisition Funding are available on the Oregon Arts Commission website, http://www.oregonartscommission.org/grants/grants-for-organizations where details on three webinars to be conducted in February and March 2012 to familiarize applicants to the GO system will also be posted.

The Art Acquisition grants are part of The Ford Family Foundation’s seven-prong Visual Arts Program launched in 2010 to support Oregon visual artists and visual arts institutions to honor the late Hallie Ford’s interest in the visual arts. Additional resources support artist fellowships; artists residencies; exhibitions and documentation of Oregon visual artists’ work; small capital projects to enhance studio and exhibition space; individual grants to fund unanticipated opportunities to pursue or showcase artists’ work; and ongoing critic/curator tours to provide feedback to Oregon artists and participate in community dialogue.

The Ford Family Foundation is the sole funder of this Visual Arts Program. It partners with Oregon’s leading visual arts educators, gallerists, museum and arts professionals to help implement program elements and leverages funding with other state and national resources.

The Foundation was established in 1957 by Kenneth W. and Hallie E. Ford. Its Mission is “successful citizens and vital rural communities” in Oregon and Siskiyou County, California. The Foundation is located in Roseburg, Oregon, with a Scholarship office in Eugene. For more information about the Foundation, please visit the website at www.tfff.org.

The Oregon Arts Commission provides leadership, funding and arts programs through its grants, special initiatives and services. Nine commissioners, appointed by the Governor, determine arts needs and establish policies for public support of the arts. The Arts Commission became part of the Oregon Business Development Department in 1993 in recognition of the expanding role the arts play in the broader social, economic and educational arenas of Oregon communities. In 2003, the Oregon legislature moved the operations of the Oregon Cultural Trust to the Arts Commission, streamlining operations and making use of the Commission’s expertise in grant-making, arts and cultural information and community cultural development.

The Arts Commission is supported with general funds appropriated by the Oregon legislature, federal funds from the National Endowment for the Arts and funds from the Oregon Cultural Trust.

On December 28, 2011, OSP Senior Trooper Kris Davis responded to a report of a headless carcass, determined to be a bighorn sheep ram, on Conner Creek Road approximately a quarter mile from the Snake River Road. This location is between the towns of Huntington and Richland along Brownlee Reservoir in the Lookout Mountain Wildlife Management Unit. Based on statements and condition of the carcass, Davis believes the ram was killed on approximately December 22, 2011. The ram’s head was removed and the remains left to waste.

Bighorn sheep hunting is lawful in the Lookout Mountain Unit with the proper tag; however, the season for bighorn sheep closed in that area on September 25. Only two bighorn sheep tags are issued in this unit each year.

The reward increase was made possible through contributions from:

* Oregon Hunters Association (OHA) TIP reward
* OHA Ochoco Chapter
* OHA Josephine Chapter
* OHA Bend Chapter
* OHA Redmond Chapter
* OHA Baker Chapter
* OHA Union County Chapter
* Oregon Foundation for North American Wild Sheep
* The Humane Society of the United States

Anyone with information related to this investigation is asked to call the Turn-in-Poacher TIP line at 1-800-452-7888, or Senior Trooper Davis at (541) 805-4757.

Kent Bigler had gone to the ski resort for a day of downhill skiing, but got turned around and went off the back side of the mountain. His wife reported him missing tot he Union County Sheriff’s Office at 10:45PM. Sheriff’s Search & Rescue personnel responded and commenced searching immediately, despite the 14 degree temperature and heavy blowing snow.

“Ordinarily we wouldn’t search under those conditions in that kind of terrain,” said the Search & Rescue incident commander J.B. Brock, “but the weather forecast was for several feet of snow the following day, so thought this was our best chance to find him.”

Because of the forecast, search managers requested mutual aid from surrounding agencies, and teams from Wallowa County, Umatilla County, Baker County, and Walla Walla County WA converged on the mountain. Also assisting in the search for the man were ski patrol teams from Anthony Lakes Ski Resort and Spout Springs. The La Grande Snow Drifters snowmobile club was on standby, had the search continued much longer.

Mr. Bigler was found by a two-man ski patrol team from Anthony Lakes just above a sheer drop off, on the northeast side of the mountain. The experienced skier and Boy Scouts scout leader had made a snow shelter and waited for help, having lost one ski and suffering a badly pulled muscle in a fall. He was assisted back up the hill by the ski patrol team, then taken back to the lodge by snowmobile and tracked ATV. Though exhausted and suffering from mild hypothermia, he was in good spirits and declined medical attention, though La Grande Fire and Rescue had sent an ambulance to the scene. Brock said that had Bigler not been wearing excellent cold-weather clothing, or had not been found today, the ending could have been very different.

Sheriff Boyd Rasmussen expressed relief at the rescue, and thanked all those who participated in the search.

White female
Age: Unknown
Hair: Reddish brown
Eyes: Blue/green
Height: 5’5″ (approximately)
Weight: 140 pounds (approximately)

Due to the sensitive nature of this investigation, no further information will be released. Anyone with information is asked to contact the FBI at(503) 224-4181.

Under the terms of the new agreement, all point-of-sale, bank teller and U.S. Bank ATM withdrawals will be free and unlimited for Oregonians who receive child support and unemployment benefits through state-issued U.S. Bank ReliaCard debit cards. Those changes were outlined in an earlier news release.

About half of the roughly 230,000 Oregonians who received payments for child support and jobless benefits as of Nov. 1 chose to have the money directly deposited for free to their own bank and credit union accounts. Those who do not select the free direct deposit option can have payments posted for free to any reloadable prepaid card, including U.S. Bank ReliaCard.

The new two-year agreement also revises terms for the AccelaPay prepaid program, which is an alternative to direct deposit for state employee salary payments.

All affected cardholders will be notified by mail of the changes and the effective date. The fee structure should become effective no later than the end of February 2012, to allow for federally mandated disclosure to cardholders.
Details and a full fee schedule will be available on the web site for the State Treasury at www.ost.state.or.us and information also will be provided by state agencies that provide direct payments to Oregonians through electronic payment cards.

The Oregon State Treasury protects public assets and saves Oregonians money through its investment, banking, and debt management functions. The office also promotes public outreach and education to help Oregonians learn strategies to save money, invest for college and make smart financial choices.

Give your family a Red Cross CPR or first aid class. You can even give your family and friends the chance to take classes on babysitting and pet first aid!

How about a comfort kit for a wounded or injured service member. Your donation can make sure they are warmly welcomed at a military hospital with kits filled with most-needed items such as a phone card, robe, shower shoes, toiletries and MP3 music gift card.

Or how about giving the gift that everyone wants but money can’t buy through donating blood at your nearest Red Cross blood drive or donation center. Unlike fashion trends, video games or golf clubs, this perfect gift costs nothing but an hour of your time.

Go online to www.OregonRedCross.org to learn more.

“With so many people in need this year, Oregonians want to both give and receive things that really mean something,” said Maree Wacker, Chief Executive Officer of the Oregon Chapters of the American Red Cross. “The Holiday Giving Catalog provides us all with heartfelt opportunities to make a difference and to give with a purpose.”

Greeting cards are included with each tax-deductible Holiday Giving Catalog purchase to notify loved ones and friends of the gifts you have made in their name. You may also opt to send an e-card version. Each gift item provides support to the mission of the Red Cross and items are available to fit any budget.

In the Holiday Giving Catalog, you’ll see that small financial donation can provide a full day of emergency shelter when somebody really needs a hand. Disaster victims often have to leave their homes with nothing but the clothes on their backs. But a Red Cross response always begins with a safe place to sleep, hot food and emotional support. You can provide these essentials for a disaster victim for an entire day, including shelter, three meals, two blankets, one cot and personal supplies for only $50.

You can help your family and friends prepare for disasters with Red Cross emergency gear like family disaster kits, or a hand crank/ solar powered portable radio that includes flashlight and cell phone charger.

The purchase of each gift item is a tax-deductible contribution to the overall mission of the American Red Cross… and on the rare occasion when donations exceed the need in a particular area, we will use your contribution to help others where the need is greatest.

Join us at the Oregon Chapters of the American Red Cross and give a gift that really means something. Go online to www.OregonRedCross.org to learn more.

For the refund, email Deanna Erickson, at Deanna.M.Erickson@state.or.us, or fax 503-947-6117 with your Hunter/Angler ID# (ODFW ID #), which is printed on all licenses and tags. Be sure to include the address where the $3 check should be mailed. Unfortunately, ODFW is unable to credit a hunter’s account $3 for a future purchase.

If a parent or other adult purchased the Sports Pac on behalf of a youth hunter, the adult should send an email or fax with their name, address where the check should be mailed, and the juvenile’s name and Hunter/Angler ID# (ODFW ID#) for the refund.

The error was discovered during a routine audit. Legislation that created the Juvenile Sports Pack during the 2009 session did not provide ODFW with the regulatory authority to charge a $5 agent fee, the amount charged for the adult Sports Pac.

Since the error was discovered, ODFW has reduced the agent fee to $2, the same amount charged for all other licenses and tags. A Juvenile Sports Pac now costs $52, not $55.

Customers that purchased a Juvenile Sports Pack between Dec. 1, 2009 and June 30, 2010 need to contact ODFW by Oct. 1, 2012 to receive the refund. Those that purchased the item July 1, 2010 and later have until Oct. 1, 2013 to claim their refund from ODFW.

After those dates, ODFW will pass any unclaimed refund money to the Department of State Lands, who manages unclaimed property for the state of Oregon.

ODFW introduced the Juvenile Sports Pac for resident hunters age 17 and under in 2010. The regular version of this tag (for adults) costs $164.75. A Sports Pac has a Combination Angling/Hunting/Shellfish License, Combined Angling Harvest Tag, Validation for Upland Bird and Waterfowl hunting, General or Controlled Buck Deer or Controlled Antlerless Deer, General or Controlled Elk, General Cougar, General or Controlled Bear and Spring Turkey Tag.

The Juvenile Sports Pac and other lower-price juvenile tags and licenses are part of ODFW’s efforts to make outdoor activities more affordable for families and get kids involved in hunting and fishing.

The purpose of the Baker RMP revision is to provide broad-scale guidance for the management of public lands and resources administered by the BLM’s Baker Field Office. When completed, the RMP will guide the BLM in the implementation of all its subsequent management actions and site-specific activities in the Decision Area. Copies of the Draft RMP/EIS are available at the BLM Baker Field Office and Vale District Office. The document is also available online at: http://www.blm.gov/or/districts/vale/plans/bakerrmp/contact.php

To ensure that comments will be considered, the BLM must receive written comments on the Draft RMP/EIS by February 23, 2012. You may submit comments related to the Draft RMP/EIS by any of the following methods:
Web site: http://www.blm.gov/or/districts/vale/plans/bakerrmp/contact.php

Email: BLM_OR_BK_RMP@blm.gov

Fax: 541-523-1965

Mail: Bureau of Land Management, Baker Field Office, P.O. Box 947, Baker City, OR 97814

Public meetings to share information and respond to questions about the Draft RMP/EIS are scheduled for:

Durkee: Jan. 10 – 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Community Hall
Old school house just off old Hwy 30

Enterprise: Jan. 11 – 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Community Connection
702 NW 1st St.

Pendleton: Jan. 17 – 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Convention Center
1601 Westgate

Baker: Jan. 18 – 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.
BLM Baker Field Office
3285 11th Street

La Grande: Jan. 19 – 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Library
2006 4th Street

About the BLM: The BLM manages more land – more than 245 million acres – than any other Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The Bureau, with a budget of about $1 billion, also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM’s multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on public lands.