LOCAL
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2020
THE OBSERVER — 5A
STORMS
DEER
Continued from Page 1A
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Police reported no one suf-
fered major injuries.
The Oregon Department
of Transportation also re-
ported an increase in wrecks
likely due to the weather.
“Snow is a large contribu-
tor to crashes,” transporta-
tion department spokesper-
son Tom Strandberg said.
“We need people to pay extra
attention and to make sure
they are chaining up where
they are supposed to and
putting on traction tires.”
A jackknifed semitrailer
Saturday evening on I-84
near milepost 236 stopped
the eastbound fl ow of traffi c
for hours between Pendleton
and La Grande, and crashed
and stalled semis Tuesday
afternoon led to the shut-
down of I-84’s westbound
lanes from Pendleton to
Ontario until about 8 p.m.
Strandberg said while many
of the closures due to crashes
involve large freight vehicles,
all drivers should be extra
cautious during winter
weather conditions.
Strandberg said vis-
ibility also plays a key role
in ODOT’s efforts to keep
travelers safe. Fog or bliz-
zard winds blowing so hard
drivers can’t see will prompt
ODOT to close roads.
“Usually with snow
and ice, cars can still get
through,” he said. “But when
estimated population loss
of 2,000 deer due to the
disease.
EHD is a seasonal
disease that can occur
during the late summer
and fall months, according
to ODFW. EHD is known
to have existed since the
1890s and is found in
most of the United States
with the exception of the
extreme northeast and the
northwest. It is different
from Adenovirus hemor-
rhagic disease, which can
occur year-round. Biting
midges, also known as “no-
see-ums” or gnats, transmit
the disease. The tiny insects
can breed and live in small
pools of warm, stagnant
water, according to a news
release from the state
wildlife department, “even
in pools as small as a hoof
print fi lled with water.”
Freezing weather kills
the larva, Rimbach said,
and colder temperatures in
November brought an end
to the outbreak. Rimbach
also doubted anyone would
have much luck now fi nd-
ing more of the dead deer.
Coyotes and other wildlife
would have consumed what
they could of carcasses while
they decomposed. Maybe all
anyone would fi nd now, he
said, is a leg bone.
The disease did not seem
to touch the mule deer in
the area, Rimbach said, nor
the white tail that live at
higher elevations, such as
around Tollgate or in the
Ukiah area.
“I don’t think they were
affected at all,” he said.
But 80% of white tail live
in lower elevations, right
where the disease spread,
he said. White tail are
susceptible to hemorrhagic
diseases anyway. Once an
outbreak begins, he said,
there is nothing to do but
let it run its course.
Deer loses to the disease
are not uncommon in Or-
egon, according to ODFW,
and as signifi cant as this
die-off is, it should not have
long-term effects on the size
of the deer population.
Still, the state wildlife
department is determin-
ing whether to reduce the
number of deer tags or
cancel hunts in the Walla
Walla, Mount Emily and
Ukiah hunting units. The
state agency reported it
will inform hunters of any
changes by April 15 so they
have time to change their
controlled hunt application
choices before the May 15
deadline.
Rimbach said given the
size of the die off, cutting
some antlerless hunts —
particularity agriculture-re-
lated hunt — makes sense.
Ag hunts help curtail
deer populations that dam-
age crops. ODFW might
issue only a certain number
of tags for such a hunt, he
said, but in this situation,
he said, “There’s really no
deer to be had.”
Not holding such hunts
also would allow the white
tail population to recover all
the sooner, he added.
But he said he and other
staff would like to see the
anterless youth hunt con-
tinue. He said that hunt is
worth keeping because it’s
such as good opportunity
for youth to get involved in
hunting.
Meat from game with
EHD is consumable and
the disease is not transmit-
table to humans, according
to the wildlife department,
but experts recommend
thoroughly cooking any
meat from animals from an
infected area. Well-cooked
venison, Rimbach said,
would be just fi ne.
“I would eat it,” he said.
541-786-8984
Alliance Self Storage
Photo contributed by the Oregon Department of Transportation
Semitrailers on Tuesday block the westbound lanes of Interstate 84 near milepost 247.
The Oregon Department of Transportation shut down the lanes between Baker City
and Pendleton due to semis spinning out and crashing on the icy road.
visibility is an issue, it isn’t
safe (for anyone).”
With more snow on the
way, Strandberg suggested
drivers go to tripcheck.com
for updated weather and
road conditions before get-
ting in the car. If you have to
be on the road, authorities
including ODOT and law
enforcement also encourage
travelers to be prepared by
carrying traction devices,
warm blankets, food and
emergency kits.
While the winter storms
can make travel diffi cult, the
increase in the snowpack is
good news. According to the
National Weather Service
Northwest River Forecast
Center, the snowpack in
the Blue Mountains was
90% of normal as of Tues-
Staff photo by Ronald Bond
Vehicles navigate the snowy weather Monday afternoon
on Island Avenue in La Grande.
day afternoon. At the start
of January it was at 50%.
Snowpack typically acts as a
natural reservoir, providing
water throughout the drier
summer months.
CHANGES
Continued from Page 1A
replacement for the chamber by then,
he said, the Oregon Military Depart-
ment would later become responsible
for the day-to-day operations of the
building.
Union County Commissioner Donna
Beverage, a member of the foundation’s
board, said even under that scenario,
the conference center would continue to
serve as a community meeting center.
She said a National Guard representa-
tive recently told this to the founda-
tion’s board.
Moore-Hemann said the chamber
will do everything it can to help the
next contractor get off to a smooth start.
“We want to lay the foundation for
them,” she said. “Our goal is to have
the transition of management go so
smoothly that it will not be noticed.”
Grover said he believes the chamber
will be a big help with the transition
process.
“I feel very good about that. This is
not an acrimonious situation,” he said,
adding the foundation and the chamber
“have had a very workable agreement.”
However, he noted, the chamber has
had many changes in leadership and
personnel over the past nine years,
hurting continuity.
“The frequent changes presented
challenges,” Grover said.
Much of the management service
work the chamber does involves sched-
uling and putting on events at the Blue
Mountain Conference Center. These
include annual fundraising banquets
for the Rocky Mountain Elk Founda-
tion and Ducks Unlimited; the annual
Festival of Trees and Santa Mall; as
Staff photo by Dick Mason
The Union County Chamber of Commerce is not seeking to renew its
contract to manage the Blue Mountain Conference Center, La Grande.
well as presentations, weddings and
gun shows. The chamber also helps
the National Guard put on banquets,
reunions and more.
Grover said the conference center,
which opened in 1998, was made pos-
sible by a community-wide effort. He
pointed out the building is on land rent-
ed from Eastern Oregon University, and
the National Guard stores much of its
equipment on land Union County pro-
vides near the La Grande/Union County
Airport. Grover said money from the city
of La Grande and Union County’s motel
tax, also known as a transient room tax,
goes to the Blue Mountain Conference
Center Foundation to help cover the cost
of day-to-day operations.
Beverage echoed Grover’s sentiment,
adding that many people made dona-
tions to get the Blue Mountain Confer-
ence Center here.
The conference center is aging and in
need of maintenance. Eastern Oregon
University this spring plans to start
construction of a fi eld house. Tim Sey-
del, an EOU vice president and the vice
president of the Blue Mountain Confer-
ence Center Foundation’s board, said he
does not believe the conference center
will face competition from Eastern’s
shiny new facility.
“First and foremost, the fi eld house
is a space for students and student
athletes,” he said. “I don’t see it as a
space for banquets. It is not intended
to compete with the Blue Mountain
Conference Center.”
The fi eld house, he said, will not even
have a kitchen, as the conference center
does.
Despite the upcoming change in
management, Beverage said people can
still make reservations for events at the
Blue Mountain Conference Center, even
those scheduled past July 1.
CENTER
Continued from Page 1A
with friends and relatives
Saturday afternoon in the
Elkhorn Mountains when an
avalanche struck. The mass
of snow trapped Stephens.
He died at the scene. None
of other three riders were
harmed.
Wallowa Alpine Huts
serves the northern and
southern Wallowa Moun-
tains and hosts nearly 500
skiers a year. Brown said
typically when a back-
country skier looks at the
homepage of an avalanche
center, most of the polygons
that outline an avalanche
center’s region are colored.
The polygons outlining the
terrain forecasted by the
Wallowa Avalanche Center
is gray and outlined in blue,
indicating there is informa-
tion for that area but no
color-coded rating, such as
green indicating low danger
while red indicating a high
danger.
Wallowa Avalanche Center photo
For the last 10 years, the Wallowa Avalanche Center has
been winter enthusiasts’ best resource for avalanche
danger and snow conditions.
Brown said most of the
ski community that fl ocks
to northeast Oregon is from
outside the area and is
used to the color-coded rat-
ing — and need to read the
advisories and observations
carefully.
“Because we can’t post the
color-coded system, skiers
have to read the conversa-
tion on our website, which
takes more participation and
afterthought,” Brown said.
Skiers and snowmobil-
ers also will call outdoor
recreation retailers that sell
Oregon Sno Park permits,
like Outlaw Motorsports in
Enterprise, to get the local
snow report.
Dustin and Lorien James
run the family-owned busi-
ness and are both experi-
enced snowmachine riders.
“Our mission is to increase
snowmobile users’ knowl-
edge of avalanche danger,
which is prevalent in our
area,” Lorien James said.
The Jameses said they
are a sponsor and supporter
of the center. For the past
three years, Lorien James
led a ladies snowmobile ride
that culminates in a dinner
with auction and raffl e items
bringing in more than $2,000
— all donated to the center.
James said they also
support the center’s training
sessions.
“We participated in their
fi rst companion rescue
course on this side of the
mountain and we are look-
ing to do some for Wallowa
County Search and Rescue.
It only does so much good
to wear the beacon — if you
don’t know how to use it you
are screwed,” James said.
2105 E L Ave., La Grande • allianceselfstorage123@gmail.com
Thank You Chamber Members
La Grande Ace Hardware
www.VisitUnionCounty.org
Gary F. Anger, Financial Advisor
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