Photos by SAMANTHA WHITE

Take a trip to Slater Elementary School to enjoy a stroll around the community walking path.

Have you gotten all of your steps in today?

Before Jack Frost settles in for the season, take a trip to Slater Elementary School (800 N. Fairview Ave. in Burns) to enjoy a stroll around the community walking path.

Open whenever school is not in session, the quarter-mile track offers a fun fitness opportunity for everyone, including your four-legged friends.

Dogs are invited to enjoy the path, but they must stick with their owners. Owners are also required to pick up after their furry friends. For your convenience, pet waste stations are placed in key locations around the track, making cleanup a breeze.

A fence lines the perimeter of the path to keep you, your family, and your furry

friends safe from traffic.

The paved path is wide enough to accommodate wheelchairs and strollers, and it’s an ideal surface for biking, skating, scooting, or however else you may prefer to roll.

The nearby playground equipment is apt to entertain youngsters who aren’t interested in taking a trip around the track. The path also encircles a lush field, which offers an array of opportunities for games and other activities.

When you need to take a break, you can relax on one of the benches along the way.

The path is a dream come true for Alice Herauf, who envisioned and spearheaded the project.

“My mom told me to leave every place a little better than I found it,” Herauf said, explaining that she aimed to complete the project before retiring from her position as physical education teacher at Slater Elementary.

Herauf enlisted the help of Amy Dobson, who was managing Harney District Hospital’s outreach department at the time.

Together, they put the “fun” in fundraiser, hosting several creative community events to help pay for the path — including selling trips through Herauf’s legendary Temple of Doom obstacle course.

Numerous community members and businesses also pitched in to help make the path a reality.

Bronze donors include Big R, Carol and Ralph Sawyer, INKlings Sign Design, Burns Paiute Tribe, Pam Mather, Schott Ag Air, Kevin and Tammy Johnston, Anthony and Amanda Jewell, Todd Prince, Burns Dental Group, Bigfoot Beverage, Robert and Janice Oswald, Harold and Nancy Reid, Sondra Carlson, the cities of Burns and Hines, Richard and Rebecca Thein, and Jiffy Electric.

Burns-Hines Kiwanis Club, Patsy Wilber, Family Eye Care, Burns Lions Club, Beverly Adams, Rise & Run Construction, Friskey Fleas 4-H Dog Club, Sage Country Vet, Martinak Ventures LLC, Eva McCarthy, Harney County Vet Clinic, and Beta Omicron ESA sorority are the silver donors.

Gold donors include Frenchglen Hotel, Dan Brown, Les Schwab Tire Center, Burns Elks Lodge No. 1680, Bank of Eastern Oregon, Joan Henry, Harney County Fitness, Judy and Patrick Wilber, SMILE Burns (Dr. Kelly Mingus), Harney Partners for Kids and Families, and Harney District Hospital.

The Clair Heffernan Family Foundation, Margaret and Nathan Ritches, Willie Herauf, and C&B Sanitary earned platinum status.

TopLoc Asphalt Maintenance recently resurfaced the path to keep it in tip-top shape, and countless others contributed to the success of the project.

Be sure to check out the community walking path, and remember to follow Herauf’s lead by leaving the area even better than you found it.