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About The Baker County press. (Baker City, Ore.) 2014-current | View Entire Issue (March 6, 2015)
FRIDAY, MARCH 6, 2015 Outdoor Rec / Sports THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 7 All this talk about cougars … Inland Empire them this year, as long as the cougars make an attempt to cooperate to the fullest extent possible. I really wish their hides were bright orange or something, but I don’t see that happening soon. Anyway, get- THE OUTDOOR COLUMN ting to my point, By Todd Arriola they aren’t a pro- tected species, I’ve noticed quite a bit and they can be hunted, of talk lately about cougar though there are regula- activity in our humble neck tions and laws that need to of the woods, so, I thought be followed in order to do I’d jump into the conversa- so. Even with a tag, shoot- tion in order to become ing at a cougar within City more educated about the limits is a big no-no unless situation, and to possibly there’s an imminent threat, pass on any wisdom I and you’d be having a chat might have gained from afterward with local law others in the know. enforcement, and the folks We’ve all heard about the from the Oregon Depart- reported sightings by lo- ment of Fish and Wildlife cals Kenneth Clement and (ODFW). Whether an Jennifer Watkins last week, imminent threat or actual on the west side of High- planned mini-safari, you way 7, on the south end of wouldn’t be able to keep town, so I won’t repeat the the cougar. major details there. The sightings prompted I am glad to note that me to ask Brian Ratliff, people, especially parents, ODFW Biologist located seem to be more cognizant in the Baker City offi ce, lately concerning their about the elusive—or, surroundings. No problem maybe, not so elusive— understanding the height- cat. He said, “I see females ened awareness there, regularly barely over 70 since the idea of a cougar pounds.” Even males, in town attacking a child, normally larger, rarely a pet, livestock, deer, an peak over 100 pounds, he adult—take your pick— said. “A 70-pound male doesn’t really give one that looks exactly the same as a warm, fuzzy feeling. 70-pound female, except a As sort of a New Year’s male’s head may be more Day “gift” to myself, I pur- block-shaped, and there chased a hunting license, may be more muscle mass. along with two cougar But, coloration—identical. tags, with the ambitious I couldn’t tell you from intention of actually fi lling 100 yards if I was looking at a 70-pound male, or a 70-pound female.” “Cats don’t sniff around,” said Ratliff. “They’re visual predators, and they don’t use their sense of smell for hunt- ing.” Ratliff said he hasn’t received reports of missing cats, dogs, deer carcasses, etc. yet. He said that con- sidering the evidence from the sightings, it’s diffi cult to determine exactly what the cougar situation looks like, and whether one is regularly visiting the area. “Where human safety is concerned, they’re not re- located,” he said, explain- ing that if a cougar were to stay around town, it would have to be euthanized be- cause it would continue to stay here otherwise. “In no way, shape or form are we low in cougar numbers,” he said, so that wouldn’t be an issue. In fact, their numbers are growing. Ratliff said that placing a bucket or something else over any tracks seen can help to preserve them, so they can be investigated later on, and calling local law enforcement about a sighting is exactly the right thing to do, since human safety is a priority. I wondered about the increase in the number of deer within our city and others, because they’re one of a number of prey for cougars (what isn’t?), and Ratliff said that it’s easy to see why deer would hang around, with the available food sources, whether pur- posely supplied or not. The problem is, besides the po- tential for cougars to also stick around, deer gathered together at the same feed- ing spots regularly can lead to spread of disease. “If you stack your yard full of deer intentionally, you’re asking for an ani- mal that preys on deer to come there,” he said. The feeding sites that ODFW operates involves testing for diseases, said Ratliff, so, that’s not an issue there. Some people like to feed deer and have them stick around, and some don’t, but he noted to keep in mind, there are potential issues to consider. Police Chief Wyn Lohner said, “Based on the sight- ings, we’re convinced that it’s real. It’s been a while since we’ve had a sighting in town. We haven’t had any more sightings since then (last Thursday), that I’m aware of.” A cougar was euthanized within City limits before, but that was 12 years ago. He said a potential cougar threat and report are treated very seriously, and, “A cougar is a predator, and whether a predator is a human or an animal, we see it as a threat, and we’ll do what we need to.” “We do have reason to believe a cougar is living in that area of town, and just be cautious with kids and pets, and if there are missing pets, or remains of a deer are seen, let us know.” He said he’s also pleased to see the increase in awareness from commu- nity members, and human safety is the highest prior- ity. I agree. Good luck with your adventures. Short Course Championship Submitted by Noel Scott Baker Swim Team and La Grande Swim Club attended the Inland Empire Short Course Championships on February 27- March 1. BST sent 8 athletes, LGSC had 14 attend. There were 361 total swimmers representing 17 teams from Oregon, Washington and Idaho. Justin Miller and Riana Scott from Baker City swam for LGSC. The fol- lowing are their results: Girls 13-14 500 Yard Free 6 Riana Scott 13 LGSC-IE 5:33.45 Boys 13-14 500 Yard Free 12 Justin Miller 14 LGSC-IE 5:25.38 Boys 13-14 200 Yard IM 6 Justin Miller 14 LGSC-IE 2:15.16 Girls 14&U 400 Yard Medley Relay 5 LGSC-IE A 4:29.99 Romayne Ricker 13 Riana Scott 13 Grace Knutsen 13 Kennedy Kruse 13 Girls 13-14 50 Yard Free 9 Riana Scott 13 LGSC-IE 26.88 Boys 13-14 50 Yard Free 9 Justin Miller 14 LGSC-IE 25.85 Girls 13-14 100 Yard Breast 10 Riana Scott 13 LGSC- IE 1:16.29 Girls 13-14 100 Yard Back 10 Riana Scott 13 LGSC-IE 1:07.17 Boys 13-14 100 Yard Back 8 Justin Miller 14 LGSC-IE 1:01.95 Girls 13-14 200 Yard Back 6 Riana Scott 13 LGSC-IE 2:21.35 Boys 13-14 200 Yard Back 6 Justin Miller 14 LGSC-IE 2:12.20 Girls 14&U 400 Yard Free Relay 4 LGSC-IE A 4:00.81 Grace Knutsen 13 Kennedy Kruse 13 Romayne Ricker 13 Riana Scott 13 Girls 13-14 100 Yard Free 8 Riana Scott 13 LGSC-IE 58.54 Boys 13-14 100 Yard Free 11 Justin Miller 14 LGSC-IE 56.26 The BST results will be coming from their coach, if you have not already received them. Thank you for including these kids results. 52nd Annual Middle School Basketball Tournament held in Huntington By Eileen Driver Eileen@TheBakerCountyPress.com The 52nd Annual Middle School Basketball Tournament was held Fri- day and Saturday, February 27th & 28th, at Huntington K-12 School. The school puts on this tournament annually to provide an op- portunity for athletic com- petition, social develop- ment and recreation for the children of small schools in the region. Eight schools par- ticipated this year in both boys and girls basketball competitions with a double elimination. The two-day event was held in the Huntington School gym and was entered into by the Huntington Panthers coached by Elizabeth Williams and Amy Jones, Adrian Antelopes coached by Nolan Shira, Nathan Bayes and LaDawn Bayes, Harper Hornets coached by Scott Talbot and Van- essa Lovell, Prairie City Panthers coached by Ryan Gerry and Billy Colson, Cove Leopards coached by Jason Gorham, Jordan Val- ley Colts coached by Mike Eiguren, Ryan Bruce, Silas Skinner and Todd Gluch, Willow Creek Warriors coached by Todd Gregory, Austin Gregory, Brad Jacobs, Bill Jacobs and Michael McGourty and the Powder Valley Badgers coached by Molly Smith and Betsy Nedrow. After many hard-won battles the fi nal boys bas- ketball game was played by the Powder Valley Badgers and the Prairie City Panthers. The game was intense the entire time with both teams doing their best to not let the other side gain an edge. The fi rst half ended with Prairie City having a one-basket lead with a 15-13 score. The second half had even more back and forth action culminating in a score of 25-25 with 35 seconds to go in the game. Everyone held their breath when the end of game buzzer sounded with a 3 point shot in the air, shot by #10 Omar Benites and let out a loud cheer when it made the basket ending the game with a score of 28-25 making the Powder Valley Badgers the tournament Boy’s Champions. The fi nal girls basketball game was played by the Jordan Valley Colts and the Harper Hornets. Although the Hornets put up a good fi ght it just wasn’t their day, and the Colts won by a landslide with a fi nal score of 56 to 14 making the Jordan Val- ley Colts the tournament Girl’s Champions. Four trophies are given Why advertise with us? • Low rates per column inch & promotional deals • Free color ads as space permits • Friendly, professional sales staff Wendee Morrissey wendee@thebakercountypress. com or call 541.805.1688. David Conn david@thebakercountypress.com or call 541.523.5524 Family owned and operated. Packed with local news! • All display ads are also posted to our Facebook page, which means thou- sands of individuals see your ad from that source alone. We’re the only paper in town that offers this additional service! Eileen Driver / The Baker County Press Final boy’s game between powder valley badgers and prairie city Panthers out in both the boys and girls categories—1st, 2nd, 3rd, and Consola- tion, as well as a coveted Sportsmanship Trophy for the school who displayed the best overall spirit and respect for other teams and referees, and 20 All-Star Awards, 10 boys and 10 girls, are given by oppos- ing coaches for most valu- able players in the games. Scott Bullock, Huntington School Superintendent / Principal, thanked all the schools and students for participating, the teach- ers and coaches for the donation of their time, the Lion’s Club and Hunting- ton residents for volunteer- ing to man the entry booths and had the pleasure of handing out the trophies and awards. Here’s the winning lineup: Boy’s Basketball 1st Powder Valley Bad- gers 2nd Prairie City Panthers 3rd Harper Hornets Consolation Jordan Val- ley Colts Girl’s Basketball 1st Jordan Valley Colts 2nd Harper Hornets 3rd Prairie City Panthers Consolation Powder Val- ley Badgers Sportsmanship Trophy Willow Creek Warriors All-Star Awards - Girls Regann Skinner #2 Jordan Valley Colts Taylor Warn #4 Jordan Valley Colts Alexis Wilson #11 Harper Hornets Kassie Jordan #34 Harper Hornets Sadey Speelmon #4 Adrian Antelopes Ashley Jacobs #1 Wil- low Creek Warriors Raven Maloy #32 Prai- rie City Panthers Logan Nedrow #13 Powder Valley Badgers Rebekah Farrell #2 Cove Leopards Tyalinn Harrison #21 Huntington Panthers All-Star Awards Boy’s Omar Benites #10 Powder Valley Badgers Marshall Baldwin #34 Powder Valley Badgers Levi Burke #21 Prairie City Panthers Lucas McKinley #22 Prairie City Panthers Luke Ekstrom #32 Wil- low Creek Warriors Morgan Butler #1 Harper Hornets Hunter Youngblood #33 Cove Leopards Zeke Quintero #13 Jor- dan Valley Colts Thomas Finding #30 Adrian Antelopes Nolan Nantz #51 Hun- tington Panthers
