FRIDAY, JUNE 12, 2015
Classifieds / Local
Locals take
D-Day ride
HELP WANTED
JOB OPENING
NOTICE
OREGON TRAIL
ELECTRIC
COOPERATIVE:
Safety and Loss
Control Assistant
Oregon Trail Electric
Cooperative (OTEC) with
headquarters in Baker City,
Oregon, has an immediate
opening for a Safety and
Loss Control Assistant in
its Baker City office. This
position provides efficient
and effective administrative
functions and support to
the Safety and Loss control
department that promotes
positive public relations and
service to our members as
well as OTEC employees.
High school diploma or
equivalent and a minimum
of four years of general of-
fice experience is required.
Applicants must demon-
strate proficiency with all
Microsoft Office Products
to include; Word, Publisher,
Excel and PowerPoint and
skills in operating general
office equipment as well as
file management. Mini-
mum keyboarding speed
of 60 wpm is preferred;
however, quality of work is
given priority. Strong skills
include; both verbal and
written communication,
organization, planning and
scheduling. Utility experi-
ence a plus.
All interested parties are
required to apply through
WorkSource Oregon
Employment Department,
Baker City Office, 1575
Dewey Avenue, Baker City,
Or, 541-523-6331. The
closing date is 5:00 p.m.,
Wednesday, June 24,
2015.
6.19
THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 7
The Baker City Public
Works Department is
seeking qualified appli-
cants for the position of
Management Assistant/
Information Analyst.
Closes June 19, 2015
at 4:00 p.m. To apply go
to WorkSource Oregon
located at 1575 Dewey
Ave. The City of Baker
City is an EEO employer.
• FAFA REMEMBERS
THOSE WHO HAVE
SERVED—IN THEIR
OWN WAY
6.12
BAKER SCHOOL
DISTRICT 5J is currently
accepting applications
for a Baker High School
Special Education and
English Language Arts
Teacher and a South
Baker Intermediate Special
Education Teacher. For a
complete description 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
6.19
The Baker City Public
Works Department is seek-
ing qualified applicants
for the position of Utility
Worker II. Closes June 19,
2015 at 4:00 p.m. For more
information and how to
apply go to www.bakercity.
com. The City of Baker
City is an EEO employer.
6.12
YARD SALE
COMMUNITY YARD SALE
in Richland, OR in conjunc-
tion with Eagle Valley Days
on the same day: Satur-
day, June 20 from 9 a.m.
to 3 p.m. Look for signs.
Maps available at any yard
sale. Antiques, generator,
furniture and much more.
Parade in Richland at 10
a.m., with a sale in the park
and food. Also, community
yard sale in Halfway, same
date.
6.19
REAL ESTATE
HOUSE for SALE! 2 bdrm, 1 bath - Baker City - $96,500.
Indulge yourself (or your mother-in-law). Pare down but
boost the style. All new inside & out. Bold design. Vibrant
features. Super efficient. All electric. Easy maintenance.
Minimal utility costs. Family-owned since 1987. Beautiful
Kitchen. Pantry. New Appliances. Laundry. Dbl pane
wdws. Fabulous electric fireplace console. Custom drap-
ery. New furnishings are optional. Covered Redwood Deck
for morning coffee in the sun. Attached garage with auto-
door. Separate Storage Bldg on concrete pad. Fenced Lot
100’ x 50’/Lawn/Trees/Roses/Garden space. Near stores,
restaurants, pharmacies. Built in 1968. 940 sq ft plus 364
sq ft garage. Owner is moving. See Craigslist for Photos.
Phone 541-523-5617.
6.12
BY KERRY McQUISTEN
News@TheBakerCountyPress.com
Members of Forest Ac-
cess for All (FAFA) partici-
pated June 6th on a D-Day
ride to remember those
who served and those who
fell on that historic day.
The ride was supported
in spirit by the off-road
group Locked and Loaded,
though many of their
members were unable to
attend due to graduation
obligations.
“A few new faces joined
us for this event and we
were more than happy to
share our love of the open
forest and how it sustains
our lifestyle,” said FAFA
member, Wanda Ballard.
The group took their
ATVs to an area around the
Catherine Creek Summit,
between Union and Medi-
cal Springs.
Ballard said, “Our ride
up the 77rd happened on
D-Day anniversary. The
connection may seem
tenuous, but many of us
feel freedom, is still being
challenged. Slow strangu-
lation, one road at a time,
then guess what? None
left.”
The most well-known
D-Day was June 6, 1944—
the day of the Normandy
landings, initiating the
Western Allied effort to
liberate mainland Europe
from Nazi occupation dur-
ing World War II.
Since and before, other
“D-Days” have signaled
the start of other military
initiatives.
The group stopped at
a pond around the area
called Taylor Green, then
traveled near Flagstaff
Butte. This short jaunt
took the travelers along a
bare ridge top surrounded
with a stunning view of the
Eagle Caps.
Said Ballard, “Always a
few in a group are chal-
lenged to make it up the
last surge to the wilderness
boundary.” She added, “I
think all of us have made
this last challenge, but as
June means
elder abuse
awareness
One view from FAFA’s D-Day Ride.
time goes on, you seem
to lose your edge but still
enjoy being a spectator
while others make the
challenge.”
Ballard said, “We put
another 35 miles on the
four-wheelers and it was
unanimous, everyone
enjoyed every mile.”
In attendance was one of
FAFA’s steadfast support-
ers, Don George, at 87
years young.
He maintained a position
near the front all day long,
and at times led the way
through some “scrubby
spots.”
Meanwhile, another
group of FAFA riders took
time to attend the “62
Days” event in John Day.
They joined in the parade
with another group of ac-
cess advocates, Citizens
for Public Access (CPA).
Ballard says FAFA has
a strong bond with CPA.
“We mutually support each
other’s endeavors,” she
said. “Our trademark, com-
monly referred to as ‘the
Jail Wagon,’ was trans-
ported by Jerry and Sherry
Johnson. The Johnsons
have volunteered to trailer
the wagon to our scheduled
events. CPA, brought in
Grand Champion Ribbon
and First Place ribbon”
FAFA—complete with
the Jail Wagon— will also
be participating in the
Union Livestock Show
parade on the 12th of June.
Parade time is 2 p.m., and
FAFA will line up early
and have our June club
meeting.
Controlled hunt
results available
Many of our elderly neighbors suffer from physical
and emotional abuse, neglect, or financial exploitation.
They are from all walks of life. Even those who were
successful and influential in the past may feel powerless
against their abusers, who may even be family members
or care givers they depend on.
June is World Elder Abuse Awareness Month. Because
the elderly are often isolated and dependent on others,
they are especially vulnerable. You can help by visit-
ing your friends, neighbors, and family members. You
can also watch for warning signs of isolation, physical
injuries, or unusual behavior.
If you suspect elder abuse or neglect, please contact
the Oregon Department of Human Services (DHS) at
541-523-6423. or more information, please call DHS or
MayDay, Inc. at 541-523-9472.
Hunters can now check to see if they drew a big game
tag for the fall by visiting the My Hunter Information
website or calling 1-866-947-6339.
Hunters will need to provide their Hunter/Angler ID#,
which is printed on all ODFW license documents and
stays the same from year to year. They can call ODFW’s
licensing division at 503-947-6101 if they are unable to
locate their ID#.
A total of 137,015 fall big game hunt tags were avail-
able in the draw this year. ODFW received 407,402 fall
controlled hunt applications, up from 389,172 last year.
ODFW no longer mails postcards notifying applicants
of controlled hunt draw results. ODFW limits the num-
ber of tags for some hunts to control hunting pressure
and fairly distribute tags for popular hunts. All eastern
Oregon rifle deer hunting, pronghorn, bighorn sheep and
Rocky Mountain goat hunts are limited entry, along with
most eastern rifle elk hunts.
Grammon said Bennett
made some good points,
and said there seems to
be a lack of communica-
tion between the CWMA
and Grammon. He also
stated issues with priori-
tizing weed control areas
effectively, and a lack of
coordination. Bennett said
the Baker County Weed
Board should be setting the
priorities for the County.
All three Commission-
ers requested more detail
regarding expenditures
through the program,
followed by a disagree-
ment between Grammon
and Lincoln regarding
grants and communication
through the CWMA.
Harvey, Bennett and
Kerns were again present
for the special Commission
session following the work
session, along with Martin.
Attendees included Diel-
man, Kerns, and Holly.
Bennett said, “First of
all, the County administers
the City of Unity, because
the City of Unity does not
have a Council. We have
advertised continuously
since 2011 for a Council,
and we have never had any
applicants for that. We ran
an election every election
cycle, and no one has taken
a position.” He explained
the Commissioners act
as a Council for the City
of Unity, under Oregon Re-
vised Statutes (ORS) 401.
He said there were some
expand the program re-
sponsibilities of the Baker
County Fire Division
Manager (Gary Timm).”
No action was taken.
Harvey presented a letter
from the Board addressed
to State BLM Director Je-
rome Perez, dated June 10,
2015, with the subject line
of “Request for extension
of protest period for BLM
Oregon Greater Sage-
Grouse (GRSG) Proposed
Final Environmental Im-
pact Statement (EIS).” The
letter read, in its entirety:
“Dear Director Perez,
The Baker County Com-
mission respectfully
requests that the Bureau of
Land Management (BLM)
extend the time period for
submitting protest on the
proposed plan for the Or-
egon Greater Sage-Grouse
published in the Federal
Register on May 29, 2015,
to 90 days, rather than the
30 days as published.
“The Commission is rep-
resenting many in the com-
munity that do not have
access to the plan. At no
time has the local BLM ad-
vertised that stakeholders
can pick up paper copies at
the local office. Due to the
number of pages involved
in the plan (Harvey inter-
jected that there are about
1,000), downloading such
an extensive document is
almost impossible with
our limited bandwidth.
Too, a large number of
County: City of Unity budget, weeds
BY TODD ARRIOLA
Todd@TheBakerCountyPress.com
The Baker County Board
of Commissioners held a
work session, and a special
session on Wednesday, to
discuss the Tri-County Co-
operative Weed Manage-
ment Area (CWMA), and
the City of Unity proposed
2015-2016 budget.
Attendees in addition to
Commissioners included
Director of Tri-County
CWMA Mark Lincoln,
Baker County Weed
Supervisor Arnie Gram-
mon, Wallowa County
Weed Supervisor Allen
Schnetzky, Bureau of Land
Management (BLM) Weed
Specialist Erin McConnell,
Gary Dielman, Brenda
Holly and Jan Kerns.
Lincoln used the Coun-
ty’s interactive SmartBoard
screen for a presentation.
He said, “We operate
off grants alone,” speak-
ing about the Tri-County
CWMA organization, the
mission of which is to,
“…facilitate cooperation
among all land managers
and landowners to address
the impacts of invasive
plants,” in the Tri-County
CWMA Area (Baker,
Union, and Wallowa Coun-
ties). Lincoln discussed
goals and objectives of the
organization:
“Improve effectiveness
of the current noxious
weed programs in Baker,
Union and Wallowa Coun-
ties; Identify and obtain
traditional and non-tradi-
tional funding sources for
weed programs; Provide
public awareness/education
as to the serious nature of
the problem and educate/
inform the public on the
legal obligations, iden-
tification and control of
noxious weeds; Encourage
cooperation and coordina-
tion between jurisdictions,
agencies, land managers,
and private landowners.”
A map of the three
counties Lincoln dis-
played regarding CWMA
projects in 2014 showed
funds paid via the CWMA
to contractors that year:
$146,200 in Baker County,
$64,000 in Union County,
and $10,000 in Wallowa
County. Lincoln showed a
table with project rev-
enue detail for 2015, with
$262,097.43 total listed
for Baker County, the bulk
of which is expected to be
spent on the Rush Skel-
etonweed treatment sites in
the Hells Canyon area.
Bennett voiced concerns
about funding through the
organization, and coordina-
tion with each County’s
weed programs, and
staffing locations. Lincoln
responded with details
about raising of funds
through CWMA, and coor-
dination and setting weed
control priorities with each
County.
Submitted Photo.
decreases in resources for
Unity, the total currently
budgeted at $25,140 for
2015-2016. The firm of
Nichols & Mitchell, CPA,
PC, handles the account-
ing for Unity, Bennett
said, and was paid $7,000
for this service. The firm
suggested rate increases
at about 2% each year for
sewer and water services.
Dielman voiced his
concern about the size of
the payment to the firm of
Nichols & Mitchell, stating
it seemed too large, and
Bennett responded with de-
tails about the considerable
services the firm provides.
Kerns moved to recom-
mend approval of the City
of Unity’s 2015-2016
budget, with a second from
Bennett. The motion car-
ried. The actual approval
of the budget is expected
to occur at the Wednesday,
June 24 session.
The Board discussed a
Memorandum of Under-
standing (MOU), in its
draft stage, between the
City of Baker City/Baker
City Fire Department and
the County of Baker. This
MOU, according to the
document, “…sets forth
the terms and understand-
ing between the Baker
City Fire Department and
the County of Baker to
share resources to improve
response capabilities for
the Baker City Fire Depart-
ment and to improve and
the population in Baker
County have limited access
to technology and minimal
technological abilities and
experience. This has led
to disenfranchisement of
our population with the
federal agency’s processes.
Furthermore, this presents
an unfair advantage to the
urban, tech savvy popula-
tion, and has resulted in
those that are the most
impacted being unable to
fully respond.
“The proposed plan is
of sufficient complexity
to warrant extending the
protest period to 90 days
so that affected stake-
holders can thoroughly
review and comment on
the proposal in its entirety.
The extension to 90 days
is reasonable considering
the plan has the potential
to significantly impact the
county’s culture and cus-
toms, as well as decimate
the local economy. Thank
you for your time in this
matter and please feel free
to contact us.”
Dielman and Holly ex-
pressed concerns about the
language used in the letter,
concerning download
speed, access to technolo-
gy, and technological abili-
ties. Bennett explained
there should be hard copies
to view at the local library,
the BLM office, and the
Courthouse.
All three Commissioners
signed the letter.