FROM PAGE ONE
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2021
THE OBSERVER — A5
ELK
Continued from Page A1
Keen instincts
Even a nasty winter, the sort that
can kill hundreds of mule deer across
Northeastern Oregon, typically takes
only a minor toll on elk.
ODFW started the Elkhorn Wild-
life Area in 1971 for a very diff erent
purpose — to stop elk from marauding
cattle ranchers’ haystacks in the Baker,
North Powder and Bowen valleys. The
idea, which has proven largely eff ec-
tive over the past half century, is to set
up feeding stations where daily distri-
butions of alfalfa will, in eff ect, inter-
cept the elk, satisfying their hunger and
discouraging them from migrating into
the valleys.
During the ensuing decades,
Marvin said, the elk have become
habituated to these seasonal off erings,
their instincts so keen that their arrival,
as the calendar turns from November
to December, is quite reliable.
“The cows every year bring their
calves here, and they learn, and then
they bring their calves,” Marvin said.
Although the elk know when
December comes, they don’t always
wait until then, Marvin said. In years
when snow comes early — 2020 was
an example, with a couple feet of snow
accumulating in the mountains the fi rst
half of November — elk will wander
into some of the feed sites.
“Acting like they’re going to starve
to death,” Marvin said with a chuckle
during a 2020 interview.
But ODFW doesn’t start bucking
hay bales before Dec. 1, early snow or
no. The reason, Marvin said, is that
the Elkhorn Wildlife Area remains
open to the public, including hunters,
through Nov. 30, and he doesn’t want
to, in eff ect, set up bait stations where
elk would congregate.
Typically, as was the case last year,
early snow melts and the elk return to
the mountains, waiting for Dec. 1.
Elk numbers
This fall was quite diff erent, with
little snow until this past weekend.
Nonetheless, about 150 to 170 elk
arrived at the Anthony Creek feeding
Alex Wittwer/The Observer, File
Lisa Britton/Baker City Herald
Rocky Mountain elk congregate at a feeding site in a meadow along Anthony Creek on Sun-
day, Dec. 12, 2021. This site, about 10 miles west of North Powder, is one of the 10 sites that
comprise the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Elkhorn Wildlife Area.
ELK VIEWING AT FEEDING SITES
During mid-winter, the Elkhorn Wildlife Area crew feeds more than 1,000 elk, including about 500 at
the Old Auburn Lane site and 250 or so at Anthony Creek. A few of the feed sites also attract deer.
The Auburn and Anthony Creek sites are the two publicly accessible properties with maintained
roads where people can park and watch the big herds of elk, which usually include multiple mature,
branch-antlered bulls.
To get to the Auburn site, drive south of Baker City on Highway 7 for about 7 miles, and turn right on
Old Auburn Lane. Follow this gravel road (maintained in winter) for about 3.5 miles where a sign marks
the Wildlife Area. The elk are fed on a knoll south of the road.
Earlier this year, crews pruned many of the ponderosa pine trees near the road, improving the view to
the feeding site, said Dan Marvin, manager of the Elkhorn Wildlife Area.
To reach the Anthony Creek site, from North Powder drive west on River Lane for about 8.5 miles. The
elk are fed in a meadow south of the road. You can also reach River Lane via Haines and the Anthony
Lakes Highway.
site Dec. 1, and they’ve been showing
up daily since, Marvin said.
Elk numbers have been much lower
at the other sites, however. That’s pretty
typical, Marvin said, even though the
Wildlife Area crew set out hay at each
of the sites on Dec. 1.
The elk that congregate at Anthony
Creek tend to be the most consistent
when it comes to the Dec. 1 arrival,
Marvin said.
“They’re very habituated elk,” he said.
Elk that migrate to the other feeding
sites, by contrast, often don’t show up
in large numbers until snow begins to
pile up.
With the fi rst major winter storm of
the season bringing heavy snow to the
Elkhorns this past weekend, Marvin
said he expects the elk numbers will
rise at all the sites soon.
“Peak numbers are usually in Jan-
uary when it’s the coldest and the snow
tends to get the deepest,” Marvin said.
CRIME
Continued from Page A1
social issues in the span of
my career than we’ve ever
had.”
Strope
explained
that Bell and
Spence engage
regularly with
the League of
Bishop
Oregon Cities
to gather input
and feedback
from other
cities that
have similar
issues. Grigg
also detailed
Grigg
future plans
within CHD
to increase
resources for
mental health
issues that are
believed to be
a large cause
Spence
of homeless-
ness and drug
abuse.
“I think
we’re at a
stage now in
our society
where we need
Strope
a behavioral
response in the
community,” Grigg said.
Bell voiced concern
that the city has a number
of resources available,
but some individuals are
not prone to accepting the
help.
“We try to get people
to utilize resources that
are available to better their
situations,” he said. “The
facts are that sometimes
the people we communi-
cate with don’t want the
help.”
The city offi cials and
business owners on hand
mutually emphasized a
need for continued com-
munication. Bell said
people should call the
police department if they
feel unsafe at any time
and report any issues
downtown.
Alex Wittwer/The Observer
La Grande’s Landon Perry wrestles with Pendleton’s Owen Golter, left, at the Muilenburg tournament
hosted at La Grande High School on Saturday, Dec. 10, 2021. The teams will be in the same league
starting next fall with Pendleton dropping down to Class 4A in OSAA’s latest redistricting decision.
OSAA
Continued from Page A1
Pendleton is one of a
handful of local teams the
redistricting aff ects.
In addition to Mac-Hi
moving to 3A, Irrigon
will drop down to the
2A Blue Mountain Con-
ference, and Pilot Rock
will drop to the 1A Old
Oregon League with Gris-
wold and Nixyaawii.
The Mac-Hi, Irrigon
and Pilot Rock moves
benefi t the schools,
which have recently seen
decreases in enrollment.
Schools at the 3A level
will have an enrollment
of 146-310 in grades 9-11,
while 2A is 75-145, and 1A
is fewer than 74 students.
At the 4A level, enroll-
ment is 311-607. Pendleton
will be one of the largest
schools in the division
with an enrollment of 588
— bigger than any school
in the Greater Oregon
League by more than 100
students. Only St. Helens
and Crook County have a
higher enrollment.
While travel will be
reduced for Pendleton, the
hunt for nonleague games
begins now.
The GOL athletic
directors will meet in
Baker City on Thursday,
Dec. 16, to discuss stan-
dard operating proce-
dures, schedules and the
like.
“We are hitting the
ground running,” Somnis
said. “For us, it has been
a long, long time since we
have been connected to
these schools. In 5A and
6A we have scheduling
meetings. It’s a collabo-
rative effort. I’m not sure
how it is in 4A. Being at
a small school before, it
was a free-for-all. In the
past, we haven’t played
3A schools. It’s a dif-
ferent world we are step-
ping into.”
Goodman and Gon-
zales know the chal-
lenges of scheduling non-
league games, which can
be upward of 14 games or
more for basketball, vol-
leyball, soccer, baseball
and softball.
“We have to work
hard for those games,”
Goodman said. “If you
have teams that are
good, it’s easier to get
those games. Some-
times people don’t want
to travel that far. Some
are good about hosting
a game and coming here
the next time. It can be
challenging.”
Gonzales said Pend-
leton could help open
up avenues for new non-
league opponents.
“If they can open us up
to some new travel des-
tinations, that would be
great,” he said.
Adding Pendleton to
the GOL has benefi ts,
according to Goodman.
“You want your teams
to be prepared to go into
the playoff s,” Goodman
said. “You want to chal-
lenge them so they will
be ready. We have always
had a little rivalry with
Pendleton. Instead of
friendly rivalries, now
they mean something.”
Gonzales said he
likes that Pendleton can
off er junior varsity and
freshman teams to play,
and they have swimming,
which adds another team
to their league.
“On the competitive
level, we match up well,”
he said. “It will be good
for the region. They were
very competitive in base-
ball and softball, and
they are a good 5A foot-
ball team. I think they
will continue to dominate
at that. Baker is going
to have to step up their
game.”
The school district’s latest weekly statistics show that fi ve stu-
dents missed school during the week of Dec. 6-10 because of
positive COVID-19 tests, COVID-19 symptoms or close contact
with those who have COVID-19. This is down 44% from the week
of Nov. 29-Dec. 3 when nine students missed school because of
the virus.
COVID-19 numbers
in La Grande School
District continue to fall
Just one
positive case
of COVID-19
reported in LG
School District
last week
By DICK MASON
The Observer
LA GRANDE —
The La Grande School
District’s COVID-19
infection rate remains
in single digits and is
dropping.
The school district’s
latest weekly statistics
show that fi ve students
missed school during the
week of Dec. 6-10 because
of positive COVID-19
tests, COVID-19 symp-
toms or close contact with
those who have COVID-
19. This is down 44% from
the week of Nov. 29-Dec.
3 when nine students
missed school because of
the virus.
The number is even
more impressive consid-
ering that the week of Dec.
6-10 had fi ve school days,
while the week before had
only four class days.
The school district’s
recent COVID-19 num-
bers are down dramat-
ically from the week of
Oct. 11-15 when 57 stu-
dents were out because
of COVID-19, and a far
cry from mid-September
when 123 students and
staff were out during one
week.
The school district’s
Nov. 29-Dec. 3 statistics
indicate that no staff mem-
bers were absent during
the week due to positive
COVID-19 tests, symp-
toms of the virus or close
contact with someone
who has it. This marks the
ninth week in a row the
La Grande School District
did not have any staff out
due to COVID-19.
The district’s latest sta-
tistics, based on reports
to school district nurses,
show that one La Grande
Middle School student
was out the week of Dec.
6-10 due to testing posi-
tive for COVID-19.
Four students — two
from La Grande High
School and one each from
Island City Elementary
School and La Grande
Middle School — missed
class because of close con-
tact to an individual who
had tested positive for
COVID-19.
The total of fi ve
students out due to
COVID-19 for the week
of Dec. 6-10 tied the pre-
vious low for the school
year, a mark set Nov.
22-23. The total for Dec.
6-10 was arguably lower,
though, because it was for
a fi ve-day week.
La Grande School
District Superintendent
George Mendoza credits
the declining numbers
primarily to COVID-19
risk mitigation strategies
being followed by stu-
dents, staff , parents and
the community.
“What they are doing
is helping us keep our
schools open and oper-
ating,” he said.
Mendoza said he is
hopeful the school dis-
trict’s low infection rate
will result in the state later
deciding to let school dis-
tricts in low-risk cate-
gories, as La Grande is,
be able to make masks
optional.
“I would like to see the
wearing of masks be a per-
sonal choice,” said Men-
doza, who said he will
encourage the state to
move in that direction.
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