FRIDAY, MAY 8, 2015
THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 7
Outdoor Rec / Local
5,000 feral swine in Oregon State
and they may
prey on live-
stock and na-
tive wildlife,
along with
the potential
to transmit
diseases to
wildlife,
livestock and
humans.
Hunt-
ers, myself
included,
don’t nor-
mally require
any sort of
prompting
THE OUTDOOR COLUMN when it comes
By Todd Arriola
to enthusi-
asm toward
pursuing any
Thinking about the
game animal, but consider-
deadline for controlled
ing the ODFW, the U.S.
hunts applications, Friday,
May 15, inspires visions of Department of Agricul-
ture (USDA), the Oregon
adventurous explorations
Department of Agriculture
for different species of
trophy animals (aren’t they (ODA), and the Oregon
Invasive Species Council
all?), and a grand harvest,
(OISC) consider it a prior-
the result of which is a
ity to “…eliminate this
well-stocked freezer full
invasive non-native species
of wild game meat, and
before they become estab-
maybe even a wall mount
or two. Rarely mentioned, lished,” clearly, we have
the state‘s ringing endorse-
but to some, on equal
ment for the harvesting of
footing with any trophy
feral swine.
animal, is the feral pig.
This doesn’t mean
What is a feral pig? Fe-
anytime, anywhere, just
ral pigs, or “feral swine,”
like other game, but it is
according to the Oregon
legal to hunt them year
Department of Fish and
round on public land, with
Wildlife (ODFW), “…are
a hunting license, and
animals of the genus Sus
there is no harvest limit.
which meet the following
conditions: (1) The animals Though they’re considered
predators on private land,
are free roaming on public
as always, permission from
or private lands and not
any landowner is necessary
being held under domestic
in order to hunt on their
management confi nement;
property.
(2) No notifi cation to the
The OISC lists feral
land owner, manager, or
swine as one of three “Ter-
occupant has been made
restrial Vertebrates,” on
by the swine owner or
their “100 Worst List” of
their representative of
invasive species in Oregon
specifi cally identifi ed and
for 2014. Feral swine
described swine having
escaped domestic manage- (Sus scrofa) are joined in
that category by the mute
ment confi nement within a
swan (Cygnus olor) and
radius of fi ve miles during
the Eastern snapping turtle
the past fi ve days; (3) The
(Chelydra serpentina).
swine under consideration
do not appear to be domes- Other categories included
on the list are microor-
ticated and are not tame;
ganisms, aquatic plants,
and (4) The swine under
terrestrial plants, aquatic
consideration do not meet
invertebrates, land inverte-
the identifi cation and de-
brates, and fi sh.
scription of escaped swine
Feral swine, or swine of
in section (2) above.”
According to the ODFW, any kind, aren’t native to
Oregon, or even to North
feral swine can destroy
America, for that mat-
important wildlife habitat,
Wallowa-Whitman NF in
continuing to work with
communities on issues
important to rural Oregon,”
Wallowa-Whitman Forest
Supervisor Tom Montoya
said.
He earned his bachelor’s
degree in rangeland man-
agement and his master’s
in agricultural economics
at New Mexico State Uni-
versity, then went to work
for the Forest Service as a
range conservationist on
the Butte Ranger District
of the Deerlodge National
Forest.
During his tenure on the
Reserve Ranger District on
the Gila National Forest in
the 1990s, he was a charter
member of the Catron
County Citizen group, one
of the fi rst nationally rec-
ognized collaboratives.
“Chuck brings a wealth
of experience in working
with a broad spectrum of
publics on natural resource
management issues, his
6TH ANNUAL YARD
SALE AT EAGLE CAP
NURSERY!
May 30, 2015. Vendors
welcome. Free. Bring your
own table. Call 541-523-
6627.
5.29
YARD SALE!
Lots of Stuff Sale, 499 2nd
St., 8am-4pm, May 15th &
16th (rain or shine)
ODFW staff capture a feral pig.
ter. According to a report
prepared for the OISC by
Arick Rouhe and Mark
Sytsma of Portland State
University Environmental
Science and Resources de-
partment in 2007, Spanish
colonists introduced do-
mestic swine to the south-
eastern U.S. in the 1500s,
and the fi rst populations of
feral swine were escapees
from that colonization.
Fast forward to around
1769, when Spanish colo-
nists arrived in California
with domestic swine, and
released them into the
woods to forage (a com-
mon practice at that time),
most likely resulting in the
beginning of that state’s
feral swine population, ac-
cording to the report.
For almost 200 years,
feral swine have existed
in Oregon, fi rst arriving
with settlers on the ship
Tonquin in 1811, to what is
now Astoria, and then later
escaping into the wild.
Migration of feral swine
from northern California
is believed to be the main
cause of the feral swine
population in Oregon,
according to the report.
The fact that feral swine
are omnivorous, have the
greatest reproductive ca-
pacity of all free-ranging,
large mammals in the
U.S., and exist on every
continent except Antarc-
tica probably isn’t the best
news, either. A feral sow,
reaching reproductive
age at eight months, can
produce up to two litters a
year, with 10-12 swine in
each litter. A risk assess-
ment report released in
2004 stated that economic
Photo courtesy of ODFW.
loss in the U.S. due to feral
swine populations exceed-
ed $800 million a year.
Known locations of feral
swine were mapped per
the report, which included
populations reported
in Coos, Crook, Curry,
Harney, Jackson, Jeffer-
son, Josephine, Klamath,
Wasco, and Wheeler coun-
ties. Two successful feral
swine eradication efforts
were recorded in Oregon,
the fi rst in Crook County,
near Post, from 2000 to
2005, by the USDA. The
second effort was recorded
in Jefferson County, near
Antelope, from 2001 to
2006. While eradication
proved successful in Crook
County, the second effort
was unsuccessful, due to
different factors, such as
the diffi culty in terrain,
greater swine mobility,
and a lack of the use of
helicopters, in contrast to
the fi rst effort, according to
the report.
According to the ODFW,
there are maybe 2,000 to
5,000 feral swine in Or-
egon, which is still “rela-
tively few,” and they’re
mostly seen on private
land. They move around
constantly, and specifi c
locations are diffi cult to
map out, but major activity
has been noted around
Antelope, Fossil, Maupin,
Mitchell and Spray.
A direct, simple state-
ment from the ODFW
regarding harvesting feral
swine says, “You will be
doing wildlife and habitat
a favor.“ In my humble
opinion, that’s an arguably
accurate statement. Good
luck with your adventures!
New WWNF Deputy Forest
Supervisor started role May 6
BAKER CITY, OR –
The Wallowa-Whitman
National Forest welcomes
Charles T. “Chuck” Oliver
as deputy forest supervisor.
“I am excited about the
opportunity to build rela-
tionships that awaits me in
Baker City,” said Oliver,
who offi cially reported for
duty on May 6.
His fi rst experiences in
the Northwest were child-
hood family camping trips
to visit relatives in Lewis-
ton and Clarkston.
“I am looking forward
to experiencing all that Or-
egon has to offer,” Oliver
said. “I’m looking forward
to Hells Canyon, the Snake
River and rafting. I look
forward to exploring new
territory and mountain bike
trails.”
Most recently, Oliver
was a District Ranger on
the Bitterroot National
Forest in Darby, MT.
“I look forward to hav-
ing Chuck coming to the
YARD SALES
May 22, 23 from 8-5. 2810
12th St., corner of 12th &
C, Baker City inside fenced
area. MOVING SALE. Ev-
erything must go! House-
hold goods, furniture, 20+
years accumulation collect-
ibles. Too much to mention.
No early sales. 541-523-
3604.
5.22
PLACE YOUR YARD
SALE AD TODAY
Prineville star
party May 16
Prineville, OR - Viewings of three brightly lit planets
will be the highlight of a free Star Party at Prineville
Reservoir State Park on Saturday, May 16. Saturn, with
its striking rings, will be almost fully tilted towards earth
and illuminated by the sun, making this mystical planet
the brightest in eight years. Massive Jupiter will show-
case its cloud bands and four bright moons, and Venus
will appear as a brilliant thin crescent.
The Star Party begins at 1 p.m. in the day-use area
with a variety of astronomy-related exhibits and activi-
ties for all ages. Visitors will be able to peer through "Big
Doug," the park's 16-inch telescope. Solar telescopes will
also be available during the day, allowing safe viewing
of solar fl ares on the surface of the sun. Both profes-
sional and amateur astronomers will be on hand starting
at dusk to help guide viewers in using the different types
of telescopes and to point out signifi cant features in the
night sky.
In addition, viewers will get a chance to witness color-
ful star clusters, nebulae (interstellar clouds of dust and
gases), distant galaxies and a host of deep sky objects.
Volunteers from the Oregon Observatory at Sunriver
are returning to co-sponsor the annual Star Party along
with the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department
(OPRD). The date was selected due to the combination of
these nighttime phenomena and the fact that May's new
moon will be just two nights later.
"With no moonlight to interfere with viewing, visitors
can take full advantage of the starry night skies that are
so well-known in this area," said Jill Nishball, OPRD
Visitor Experiences Coordinator for the eastern half of
the state. "Prineville Reservoir State Park--a prime spot
along the lake surrounded by low mountains--is particu-
larly well-known by astronomers as an excellent location
for stargazing."
For visitors wishing to stay through the night, Prin-
eville Reservoir State Park offers nearly 100 campsites
for both RVs and tents, as well as fi ve deluxe cabins at
the main campground. Cabins are rented on a fi rst-come,
fi rst-served basis.
Go to oregonstateparks.org to reserve a space.
Wicked
Ways
MASQUERADE BALL
HALLOWEEN 2015
Brought to you by the baker county press and
the geiser grand hotel in baker city!
Some of the add-ons available for purchase at the
event:
• Professional portrait photography.
• Paranormal author book signings.
• Celebrity appearances.
• Horse-drawn carriage rides.
• A limited, themed meal menu.
• A specialty bar with a variety of gothic
possibilities—a Death Fairy cocktail anyone?
Go to www.thebakercountypress.com to see
more details on what we have confi rmed for
the evening and what’s in the works!
I nspired by Anne Rice's famous
Photo courtesy of USFS
Charles “Chuck” Oliver, WWNF’s new Deputy Forest
Supervisor.
willingness to seek resolu-
tion on complex and some-
times controversial issues
is welcomed,” Montoya
said.
In April 2000 he became
a district ranger on the
Medicine Bow – Routt Na-
tional Forest and Thunder
Basin National Grassland
where he worked exten-
sively with conservation
partners.
For the past 10 years he
has worked on the Bitter-
root National forest, re-
establishing a forest timber
sale program and manag-
ing the most complex fi re
system on the forest.
Subscribe today! A full year’s subscription is as low as just $29.95!
Go to www.Th eBakerCountyPress.com
Halloween Ball in New Orleans,
this night is all about the
costumes & the atmosphere!
W
hen: Halloween Night 2015, beginning at 7:30 p.m.,
ending 11:30 p.m.
W here: The Geiser Grand Hotel on Main Street in
Baker City, Oregon
T
icket Price: $20 per adult, ages 21 and over only, for
event entry including access to “haunted” areas, a live DJ
with music, dancing, mist and gothic lighting. Add-ons
available at venue!
G o to the front desk of The Geiser Grand
or online to www.theBakerCountyPress.com
to buy your tickets now! We don’t anticipate
any sales at the door & expect tickets to sell
out well in advance of the event. Don’t wait!