FRIDAY, ARIL 17, 2015
Classifieds / Loca
THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 7
HELP WANTED
HERBICIDE GIVEAWAY ANNOUNCEMENT
MISC.
—ODFW RECREATION REPORT—
RESERVE POLICE
OFFICERS WANTED!
For 2015, Baker County Weed District will again be giving
out herbicide on the following locations, dates, and times.
This fully mixed, ready-to-go herbicide will be targeting
whitetop and scotch thistle. Folks need to bring chemical-
resistant containers, preferably gas or oil cans, and a pair
of chemical-resistant gloves. Please, no food containers.
There will be a five gallon limit imposed for each res -
dence. Note!!! New location for Baker City Giveaways!
Where
Date / Time
Huntington Service Station
April 17, 8:00-11AM
Richland/Halfway-Wildflower Corner May 8, 7-12 Noo
Baker City - Old ODOT Building
May 16, 7-12 Noon
1050 S. Bridge
Baker City - Old ODOT Building
May 23 7 - 12 Noon
1050 S. Bridge Street
Hereford Hall
June 5, 9 AM
Hereford
Unity Hall
June 5, 10:30 AM
Unity
5.29
AIR
COMPRESSOR.
Worthington, bumper hitch
towable air
compres-
sor. Comes
HOT
with lots of
DEAL!
hose, 50-
100
feet,
pneumatic
drill and bits (3). Runs on
gas. $1,500. It will need new
tires. Call 541.519.5035.
BAKER COUNTY HUNTING
Reserve Police Officer –
City of Baker City, OR is
accepting applications for
Reserve Police Office . This
is an unpaid, volunteer po-
sition that will require the
completion of reserve police
academy and field training
program; applicants must
pass physical agility, written
and oral exams, and back-
ground check. Applications
are available in person at
the Baker City Police De-
partment, 1768 Auburn Av-
enue, EEO Employer. 4.24
WELDER/FABRICATOR
WANTED!
FARM & INDUSTRIAL
SERVICE COMPANY is
currently accepting appli-
cations for a Welder/Fabri-
cator with 2 years experi-
ence required. Drug-free
workplace. Wages DOE.
Come to 42063 Best
Frontage Road for applica-
tion or call 541-523-3659.
5.8
BAKER SCHOOL
DISTRICT 5J
is currently accepting ap-
plications for an 18 hour
per week Custodian I. For
a complete description and
application of the position
go to www.baker.k12.or.us
or contact the employment
division. You may also call
541-524-2261 or email
nnemec@baker.k12.or.us
LEGAL NOTICE OF PUBLIC
BUDGET COMMITTEE MEETING
A PUBLIC MEETING of the Budget Committee of the City
of Sumpter, Baker County, State of Oregon, to discuss the
budget for the fiscal year July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016
will be held at the Sumpter City Hall, 240 N Mill Street,
Sumpter, Oregon. The meeting will take place on the 14th
of May, 2015 at 1:00 p.m. The purpose of the meeting is to
receive the budget message and to receive comments from
the public on the proposed budget. This is a public meeting
where deliberation of the Budget Committee will take place.
Any person may appear to discuss the proposed programs
with the Budget Committee. A copy of the budget document
may be inspected or obtained on or after May 1, 2015 at
Sumpter City Hall, 240 N Mill Street, Sumpter, Oregon be-
tween the hours of 8 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.,
Monday through Friday.
At this meeting, a PUBLIC HEARING will be held to re-
ceive written and/or oral comments on the possible use
of State Revenue Sharing Funds received by the City of
Sumpter.
The City of Sumpter complies with Section 504 of the Re-
habilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities
Act. Assistance is available for individuals with disabilities
by calling 541-894-2314 or the Oregon Telecommunication
4.24
Relay Service.
4.24
REAL ESTATE
CEMETERY SPACE.
Space at Mt. Hope Cem-
etery with perpetual care.
Current value $1200 for
$900 OBO. Grave 2, Lot
No 409 in Northwest Cleav-
er Endowed section. This
area may only have flat
headstones. Leaving area
and must sell. 541-523-
3604.
5.1
RECREATION
BOAT! For Sale, 1972 Sea
Ray 20' Boat with trailer,
spare tire, licensed through
2015. Motor needs work,
winterized. Includes fish
finde , covers and bimini.
$1,000 OBO. 541-523-
3604.
5.1
YARD SALES
OUR GARAGE
SALE ADS
ARE FREE!
VISIT OUR
WEB SITE TO SUBMIT
YOURS VIA THE
CONTACT US FORM!
Check the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest website
or call them for the latest on Forest Service Rd 39 con-
struction and detour route information. Remember it is
a designated snowmobile route until April 15 and is not
maintained for passenger travel until mid-June. The
southern 18 miles may be closed due to construction,
please call or check the website ahead of time.
Black Bear The warm and dry winter has left much
more country snow free than usual. Green up has
begun to appear in the lower elevations. The mild
weather will have bears out and more active in the
early part of the season. Look for bears close to timber
stringers feeding on open ridges. Successful hunters
need to remember to check in their bear within ten
days of harvest. It cannot be frozen and propping open
mouth of bear will help in aiding tooth collection later.
Turkey season is rapidly approaching. Look for
spring turkeys to be moving from wintering grounds to
their nesting areas. Listen for males to be calling early
and late in the evenings to help locate gobblers. With
snow levels higher than normal expect turkeys to be at
slightly higher elevations this year.
Cougars can be found throughout Baker County but
hunters should target areas with high concentrations of
deer and elk. Setting up on a fresh kill or using distress
calls can all be productive techniques. Hunters are
required to check in the hide of any cougar taken, with
skull and proof of sex attached. Remember to pick up
a 2015 tag.
Coyote numbers are good throughout the district. Try
calling in early morning and late afternoon. Remember
to ask for permission before hunting on private proper-
ties.
BAKER COUNTY VIEWING
Bighorn sheep can be seen in the Burnt River Can-
yon west of Durkee or along the Snake River Road
south of Richland. The best viewing is in the early
morning and late in the evening.
Bald and golden eagles can be seen along the
Snake River. Take the Snake River Road between
Richland and Huntington.
SWCD holds meeting to
discuss sage-grouse, CCAAs
• Potential sage-
grouse listing to
have wide-spread
effects on Baker
County landowners
BY TODD ARRIOLA
Todd@TheBakerCountyPress.com
Last Thursday, Whitney
Collins, District Manager
for the Baker County Soil
and Water Conserva-
tion Districts (SWCDs),
Logan Ross, Habitat
Conservationist for the
Baker County SWCDs,
Shawn McKay, Rangeland
Specialist for the Malheur
County SWCDs, Mark
Bennett, Baker County
Commissioner, Marissa
Meyer, Fish and Wildlife
Biologist for the United
States Fish and Wildlife
Service (USFWS), and
members of local com-
munities came together
to discuss Baker County
Candidate Conservation
Agreements with Assur-
ances (CCAAs), in relation
to the Greater sage-grouse,
in the meeting room of the
Oregon Trail Electric Co-
operative (OTEC) building
on Pocahontas.
Because of an agreement
reached in March between
five SWCDs in Oregon
and the USFWS, landown-
ers now have the option
of entering into a 30-year
CCAA with the SWCDs,
agreeing to manage their
land in ways that reduce
or remove threats to the
sage-grouse, and in return,
receiving protection from
additional regulation, even
in the event the sage-
grouse is listed under the
Endangered Species Act.
There is no cost to enter
into the agreement.
Collins and the other
representatives intro-
duced themselves, and
she explained that, “We’re
just going to try to answer
some questions, and clarify
what role the districts part-
nering with the county can
take, as far as helping you
protect your operation,
in case of a listing of the
sage-grouse.”
Collins began a Pow-
erPoint presentation with
a detailed analysis of
the current sage-grouse
situation, including the
potential listing as an
endangered species. In
2005, the listing was “Not
Warranted.” In 2010, the
sage-grouse was a “Candi-
date for Listing, Warranted
but Precluded,” and this
September, a final listing
decision is expected to be
made by the USFWS.
A five-factor analysis is
used in making the final
decision, she said: habitat
loss and fragmentation,
harvest or over-utilization,
diseases or predation, inad-
equate regulatory mecha-
nisms, and other natural or
man-made factors.
The listing would affect
11 western states, and
would include eight coun-
ties in Oregon: Harney,
with the largest area of
estimated acreage of Pre-
liminary Priority Habitat
(PPH, also referred to as
the Core Area) and Pre-
liminary General Habitat
(PGH, also referred to as
the Low Density Area), at
1,170,120; Malheur, with
an estimated 890,166 acres
of PPH/PGH; Baker and
Union, with an estimated
490,581 acres; Crook
and Deschutes, with an
estimated 483,508 acres;
Lake, with an estimated
398,624 acres; and Grant,
with an estimated 56,696
acres.
Collins displayed a Sage
Grouse Priority Areas
Map for Baker County,
developed by the Oregon
Department of Agriculture
(ODA), on the southern
wall of the room, smaller
copies of which were given
to the attendees.
The PPH/Core and
PGH/Low Density areas
indicated where changes
in land use, according to
that graphic, may result
in an unexpected nega-
tive impact to sage-grouse
population health.
Collins said, “Essen-
tially, what will happen is,
Logan and Shawn will help
write site-specific plans.
On a voluntary basis, if
a landowner is interested
in having an agreement, a
CCAA, with the SWCDs,
they’ll send one of the
technicians out to your
site, to write a site-specific
plan. It identifies the best
management practices,
and different conserva-
tion measures that can be
taken, and they’re volun-
tary agreements. You can
bail out. If you decide you
don’t want it anymore, you
can remove yourself from
it. You’re not locked in.
And these only apply to
private property.”
McKay added, “What the
assurances are, is, that’s
essentially an insurance
policy for your property
that says you’ll be able to
continue with your opera-
tions the way that you are
currently managing your
ranch.
“As we approach this
listing decision, we can
expect regulations to come
down from Fish and Wild-
life, regarding the sage
grouse, so the whole idea
behind the CCAA and the
Soil and Water Conserva-
tion Districts working with
the private landowners, is
so that we can kind of take
a proactive approach to
this decision, and get you
folks credit for what you
guys are already doing.
“In many cases, your
operation includes the
conservation measures or
the management practices
that they’re (the USFWS)
interested in.”
Through the CCAA,
funds may become avail-
able in order to assist
private landowners with
improving conservation
measures, or implementing
new ones, for example.
McKay was asked by an
attendee if, under a CCAA,
a landowner would need to
keep track of any deceased
Todd Arriola / The Baker County Press
District Manager Whitney Collins demonstrates a Sage-Grouse areas priority
map of Baker County.
sage-grouse on their prop-
erty, for example, from ac-
cidentally hitting one with
a vehicle or machinery.
He said, “The plan does
say, if you kill any birds,
or if you notice any dead
birds on your property, that
you will simply call either
Logan or myself. We
just make a note of it. It
doesn’t go against you.”
He explained that the
USFWS developed a
complex formula that ad-
dresses a certain amount
of allowable “take,” which
includes injury or death to
the sage-grouse.
McKay said, “The popu-
lations (of sage-grouse)
are pretty healthy. There
are plenty of birds of out
there. So, that’s not what
we’re dealing with. What
we’re dealing with, is
habitat fragmentation.
That‘s been identified as
the major threat to the bird.
That‘s what the focus of
the CCAA is, is preserving
habitat.”
McKay discussed threats
to the sage-grouse, and
said that, in many cases, a
simple solution is possible,
such as fence reflectors, i -
stalled on the top and third
wires of a barbed wire
fence, in order to keep the
bird from flying into it.
A complete list was
available at the meeting,
of the threats to the sage-
grouse, including: habitat
fragmentation, wildfire,
lack of fire, juniper conifer
expansion, unmanaged or
improper grazing, exotic
invasive vegetation, veg-
etation treatments, drought,
mechanical degradation of
riparian areas, catastrophic
flooding, recreation, pred -
tion, West Nile Virus, wild
horses/burros, and insec-
ticide.
A complete list of
conservation measures was
also included along with
this.
Collins said, “One of the
things that is important
to point out, is that these
agreements are not be-
tween private landowners
and U.S. Fish and Wild-
life. The agreements are
between private landown-
ers and the Baker County
SWCDs.
“In the event that some-
one would drive by and
turn you and your property
in to Fish and Wildlife for
doing whatever an indi-
vidual would consider as a
take from sage-grouse hab-
itat, at that point, U.S Fish
and Wildlife would contact
the SWCD, let us know
that there’s been a com-
plaint, and that is when we
would contact you and say,
‘Are you ready to go to
U.S. Fish and Wildlife and
tell them you have a site-
specific plan? But those
plans remain confidential.
They’re 100 % between
the private landowners and
the SWCDs themselves.
They don’t go anywhere
else. They’re not made
public.”
Collins said, while she
was pointing out different
areas on the Sage Grouse
Priority Areas Map, “This
(the CCAA) is available
to all private landowners
in Baker County. How we
are prioritizing, is basical-
ly, first-come, first-served
and our focus is first, the
Core Areas, and the Low
Density Areas, before we
expand outside of that.”
Leading by example,
Bennett explained that he
had entered into a CCAA
with the Baker County
SWCD, and said, “It isn’t
like we had to make any
big change to what we
were doing,” speaking
about what he and his
wife, Patti, went through,
with the process. “The
conservation measures, for
example, with the juniper,
it’s not some giant thing
that you have to take on.”
McKay said, “It’s a very
flexible program.
Copies of a Landowner
Interest Form were shown
to the attendees, and con-
tacting the Baker County
SWCDs for more infor-
mation, and signing this
form, is the first step in the
CCAA process.
So far, at least 10 private
landowners in Baker
County have signed up,
Collins said.
