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About The Baker County press. (Baker City, Ore.) 2014-current | View Entire Issue (July 8, 2016)
FRIDAY, JULY 8, 2016 THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 5 Local Recipes for camping trips Pinch of salt Put all in- gredients in a resealable plastic sandwich bag. Seal and mush it all around until thoroughly mixed. Let out excess air and reseal. Bring a large pot of water to Homemade Goodness boil. Place bag in By Eileen Driver water and cook for 13 minutes. It’s camping season and we want to take homemade Remove from pot with tongs or strainer. goodness with us while Open bag and roll omelette still being able to enjoy ourselves, so that of course out on to plate. You can cook as many means, get out the tin foil as 6 or 8 at the same time and let’s get busy. depending on the size of Last time I gave you your pot. recipes that appeal to kids Just try to remember more than adults, although camping always makes me whose is whose. What can possibly be feel like a kid again. This easier than that and the time we are going to go variety of omelettes you more gourmet. But don’t panic it will be can make is endless. I’m going to spend the just as easy as before. rest of my day lounging in The fi rst one doesn’t even include tin foil and all the sun with a fi shing pole in my hand so I’m hav- you have to do is wipe out ing sandwiches for lunch the pot afterward. but we have two choices This recipe gives the for dinner depending on ingredients per person and whether or not I actually you can defi nitely change catch anything. them up to suit your own This fi rst one doesn’t personal taste. have measurements just Omelettes in a Bag throw on as much or as 2 extra large eggs little as you want. 2 tablespoons crumbled Campfi re Salmon cooked bacon Salmon fi llet 2 tablespoons shredded Fresh garlic cheddar cheese Sea salt 2 teaspoons diced onion Artichoke hearts 1 teaspoon diced green Kalamata olives pepper Olive oil spray 1 teaspoon thinly sliced Make your tin foil sheet mushrooms ¼ teaspoon ground black big enough to make a nice bundle. pepper Spray well with olive oil ¼ teaspoon garlic pow- spray. der Lay on the salmon and top with the rest of the ingredients. Close up the bundle and grill for 15 minutes. This is really good with a side salad and a nice glass of wine to relax with while watch the stars and not do- ing dishes. Of course if you missed catching the “big one,” this next recipe is equally as good and will go great with that glass of wine as well. Lemon Herb Steak 1 Thin cut steak ( your choice but ribeye is really good) ½ lemon 1 sprig fresh rosemary Dried thyme Salt & pepper Butter Olive oil spray Fresh asparagus spears 2 sheets of tin foil about 1 foot square On the fi rst sheet of foil spray lightly with olive oil spray and dot with butter. Season both sides of steak with salt and pepper. Place steak on foil just slightly off center. Sprinkle with thyme, rosemary sprig and slice of the lemon. Place asparagus and the rest of the lemon on the side of the steak and dot with butter. Spray second sheet of foil and place on top fold- ing all sides to seal and make a fl at packet. Place on grill and cook 8-10 minutes depending on how you like your steak, turn- ing over halfway through. Let stand 2-3 minutes and enjoy. Whether you have salmon or steak it will end your night on the perfect note. Of course you don’t have to stop there. Dessert is just as easy to cook on the grill. If you make this ahead and freeze it—it should be thawed just about the time you want to throw it on the grill. Grilled Apple Crisp (This serves 3 so make a couple if you have more people) ½ cup old fashioned oats 6 tablespoons fl our 3 tablespoons packed brown sugar ¼ cup granulated sugar ¼ teaspoon cinnamon Dash of nutmeg 2 tablespoons butter plus more for coating foil 3 apples Squeeze of lemon juice Combine oats, fl our, both sugars, cinnamon and nutmeg. Cut in butter till mixture is crumbly. Toss in refrigerator while preparing apples. Wash, peel, core and toss apples with lemon juice. Cut two sheets of foil about a foot each and lightly butter the center of each square. Place apples in center of fi rst sheet and sprinkle with crumb mixture. Place second sheet on top butter side down. Fold up edges to seal. Place on grill and cook about 20 minutes. Let cool a minute or two before opening as will be really hot. It’s ready as is or if you thought to throw some frozen whip topping in the cooler before you left home—that would be perfect. Enjoy your camping season while it lasts. Noxious weed battle continues Submitted by Arnie Grammon, Baker County Weed Supervisor While most folks in the county are doing an excel- lent job of fi ghting the weed battle, I have noticed that certain landowners are ignoring state law and county ordinance when dealing with noxious weed species. Learn to recognize these species and spread the word. Go on-line and bring up various images of these species, so that they can be properly identifi ed. There are fundamen- tally sound reasons to treat weeds, especially listed noxious weed species. Once invasions turn into monoculture stands of noxious weeds, land values plummet. Range and livestock productivity suffers. Wildlife seek better forage conditions. And perhaps most important, the spread onto neighbor- ing ownerships create unneeded friction and confrontation. In short, folks that choose to ignore County ordinance and State laws invite scrutiny from neighbors and action from the Baker County Weed Department. County ordinance and state law allows for the County Weed Supervisor to treat the particularly egregious weed offender, then bill for all expenses. If unpaid, that bill for treatment will go on their taxes as a lien. Obviously a better option would be for everyone to do their part in controlling noxious weeds. Control is defi ned as “minimizing seed set.” Mowing is somewhat effective, and can cer- tainly lessen the spread of noxious weed seed to surrounding areas. While it’s not the best method, it’s a start. Whatever you can do to help in the Baker County weed battle is appreciated. Make sound management decisions that refl ect on your future productivity and stewardship of the land. For example, purchase hay from a reputable seller. Feed weed infested hay on the same ground it came from. Knowingly moving nox- ious weed infested hay off- site invites weed problems where it is fed, and by state statute it is illegal. Furthermore, knowingly selling weed-infested hay to unsuspecting buyers is against the law. As we move into the hot, dry season here in Baker County, there are a few noxious weed concerns that need highlighting. This season can prove to be especially challenging, both in terms of spray con- ditions and plant maturity. I would encourage those treating weeds to cease herbicide treatment for the day once temps reach 80- 85 degrees. Herbicides can easily evaporate and disperse at those temperatures, caus- ing potential off-target and off-site damage to sensi- tive plants. As an alternative, early morning conditions allow for effective treatment, when cooler conditions prevail. As plants mature they often harden off, and are therefore less susceptible to herbicides, particularly when relying on the same rates, methods, and timing that proved very effective earlier in the year. Rather than bumping up rates of herbicides, a better alternative may be to use a higher rate of spreader/ sticker adjuvant. By this time of year, many plants form a tough cuticle that is very hard for herbicides to penetrate. As a reminder, scotch thistle can easily be con- trolled this time of year using nothing more than a sharp shovel and a little work. Throughout the county there are small patches of 6-10 scotch thistle plants that could so easily be controlled if land managers just took a few minutes out of their day and chopped thistle. Once in bloom, scotch thistle is especially hard to kill with herbicides. The Shovel Weed can easily be controlled by slicing the stem right at the soil surface. Wear leather gloves and armor yourself with long sleeve shirts and long pants. This isn’t the time to work on your tan. Another alternative is to wait until fall to apply herbicides. While it may seem counter-intuitive, fall treatment using effective residual herbicides tends to be much more effective than any other time of year. Whitetop, the knapweeds and thistles, rush skel- etonweed, medusahead, fi eld bindweed, and many other weed species can be targeted in the fall. Additionally, fall conditions can allow for day-long treatment, with more favorable application conditions. As a reminder, Baker County Weed Depart- ment has a Cost-Share reimbursement program whereby landowners can save herbicide receipts from noxious weed control efforts and receive partial reimbursement. This program is paid for by Weed Levy funds. The landowner receives 50% of the total amount of herbicides purchased up to $500 while treating any weed on Baker County A- Listed Noxious Weed List. This program follows the fi scal year of the County, which is from July 1 to June 30. Those receipts dated within the previous fi scal year and received after June 30 are not eligible for cost share. And fi nally, I would encourage each landowner to take the long-haul ap- proach. This isn’t an early-spring and walk away exercise— even when the weather is hot and dry. A 3-5 year plan is an ex- cellent approach, with each year listing the method of control for each season—it is a great way to remind landowners of the pri- orities for each season. In conclusion, be willing to modify the plan as needed. Theater CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 “I just think it’s wonderful,” said Burris. “It’s my dream to have it come back so that people can enjoy it again.” The new theater will not only have regional theater events, but also the community orchestra, the community choir, and traveling performing arts. The stage will be 30 feet high, seat 260 people, and allow actors to be fl own around the stage on harnesses. “Peter Pan” and “Around the World in 80 Days” are two plays on their performance list in the new theater. “I think this is the contribution we can do for Baker and when people come to visit, they can get a real sense of theater,” said Betsy Ferns, a local Baker City woman who has been in productions with EORT. “And I also think the community can have something they can enjoy. We are very fortunate that we can do this.” Narcotics arrest CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 The driver of that vehicle, 40 year-old Jason Troyer, was taken into custody for a Parole and Probation De- tainer, stemming from his previous charges of Theft I, Delivery of Methamphetamine, Possession of Metham- phetamine and being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm. Troyer was also arrested for two Baker County War- rants. One warrant was for a Failure to Pay Fines and the sec- ond warrant was for Contempt of Court, with the original charge being Delivery of Methamphetamine within 1,000’ of a School. Troyer was wearing a dark brown afro wig at the time of arrest, which police believe was an attempt to disguise his identity. Other wigs were also found. The passenger of that vehicle, 20-year-old Jacob Gram- mon, was arrested for Felon in Possession of a Firearm. A subsequent search warrant was served on the Ford Pickup, where two air pistols that looked like replica fi re- arms were located, along with several other wigs. Narcotics paraphernalia with Methamphetamine residue was also seized from the pickup. Said Lohner, “Offi cer Regan wrote the search warrants for both the vehicle and the residence, and both offi cers stayed on into the day to execute them.” That meant an over 20-hour shift for Regan and Hawkins. At about 1:15 p.m. a second search warrant was served at 2037 7th Street in Baker City, where Troyer and Gram- mon had been staying. A search of that residence revealed a small amount of Methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia. Both tenants of that residence were arrested at the scene. Arrested were 45-year-old Everett Bork and his wife, 34-year-old Jennifer Bork. Both were charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance, Methamphetamine. Their two juvenile children were placed by DHS child welfare. Raptor causes fire On Saturday, June 25, OTEC crews were called to cut power near a straw fi re that had been sparked when a large raptor fl ew into power lines. The straw stack, two storage tanks and some miscellaneous equipment were damaged south of Highway 86 near Sunnyslope Road. “Beginning in 2010, OTEC has employed several meth- ods to minimize interaction between birds and power lines over the years,” said General Manager Werner Buehler. “Our construction methods are continuously updated in an effort to increase spacing between ener- gized components on power structures. This in combina- tion with an increased use of insulated materials during construction has substantially reduced electrocution risk to raptors and decreased the number of raptors experienc- ing electrical injury each year.” In addition to evolving construction standards, OTEC has initiated the use of nesting platforms and bird guard devices in critical raptor nesting locations. The process often involves coordination with land owners and instal- lation of nesting platforms that are completely separate from the power structures supporting energized compo- nents. Finally, substation upgrades and maintenance now include the installation of bird guard devices to minimize bird mortality and bird related outages. REN TAL WAN T ED! One quiet, well-behaved dog and his mostly well-behaved owner are seeking a rental house within the Baker City limits or a few miles out. Excellent credit, always steadily employed, great references. Number of bedrooms/bathrooms not as important as that the rental is clean and has been maintained. On the wish list, but not deal-breakers: 6-month lease option, larger lot or acreage for privacy, shop / shed / garage or other storage. To respond, email editor@thebakercountypress.com and your message will be forwarded to the potential renter.