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About The Baker County press. (Baker City, Ore.) 2014-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 11, 2015)
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2015 THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 7 Outdoor Rec / Local MayDay, Inc. gets a visit from Baker Mat Santa Claus at First Friday event Club wrestling BY MEGHAN ANDERSCH Baker Mat Club Wrestling Match Results for the De- cember 5, 2015 Enterprise Match are: 1st place wins-10; 2nd place wins-8; 3rd place wins-5. Meghan@TheBakerCountyPress.com MayDay, Inc. partici- pated in December’s First Friday event, offering pictures with a special visi- tor, information on their services, and cookies and cocoa. Millie Joseph, director, said the event was a chance to raise awareness of “who we are and that we’re here for the community.” Children had an oppor- tunity to visit and get a pic- ture with Santa in front of a beautiful Christmas tree as well as enjoying candy canes and other Christmas goodies. MayDay, Inc. works to prevent domestic violence, sexual assault, and child and elder abuse. They offer assistance to victims, including a 24-hour crisis line, trained advocates, and assistance with obtaining restraining orders. Advocates also go out on all reported sexual as- saults. Joseph explained advocates are privileged, meaning they can’t be subpoenaed and are not required reporters. Other services offered include food boxes. The only requirements are income-based in alignment with the Oregon Food Bank guidelines. Food boxes can be received once a month, by appointment at the offi ce. MayDay, Inc. also offers OSP asks for help in poaching case Submitted Photo. This elk in Union County was shot and left to waste. Meghan Andersch / The Baker County Press Santa Claus a.k.a. Miles Cornelius listened to all the good girls and boys on First Friday during MayDay’s open house. a class on relationships. Classes are held every Wednesday from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., and are open to everyone. Joseph said they would like to offer more classes in the future, when they have the funding. Volunteers are always welcome. Joseph said some cur- rent needs are help with the Crisis Line, help at the front desk, or sorting clothes donations. MayDay, Inc. does not discriminate against volunteers, though anyone working with the public must pass a background check. More information on MayDay, Inc., including offered services, how to help, and secure online donations, is available at maydayinc.net. The offi ce number is 523-9472. The 24-hour crisis line is 523-4134 or toll free at 888-213-4134. 5J holds community meeting BY SUNNY WERNER Sunny@TheBakerCountyPress.com On Monday, December 7th., approximately 15 ad- ministrators, teachers and parents met at South Baker school to discuss goals and plans for the future. Mark Witty, School Superintendent, and Na- nette Lehman, Principal of South Baker Intermediate, met with teachers and par- ents to explain the goals of the Community Meetings being held in each school in the district. Ben Merrill, Principal of Baker High, was also in attendance. Lehman fi rst went through the PowerPoint presentation designed by the School Board, and explained to attendees the goals developed by the 5J Board. These included: • Effective Literacy Support for Students, Families and the Com- munity; • Implement Robust Calendar for Additional Opportunities; and • Collaborative Leader- ship. Lehman went on to explain how Baker schools were moving to address these goals using nation- ally recommended criteria. Reading is expected to be at grade level by 3rd grade: Baker offers Read- ing Support Staff. All-day kindergarten has been implemented, and the Summer School has been expanded. The District offers Ongoing Professional De- velopment Opportunities. Students are able to earn college credits in High School, and have Ca- reer Pathways available Why advertise with us? David Conn david@thebakercountypress.com or call 541.523.5524 Baker City, Haines • Low rates per column inch & promotional deals • Color at no additional charge as space permits • Friendly, professional sales staff Wendee Morrissey wendee@thebakercountypress. com or call 541.805.1688. Sumpter, Bates, Richland, Halfway, Medical Springs, Keating Family owned and operated. Packed with local news! • All display ads are also posted to our Facebook page, which means thousands of individuals see your ad from that source alone. We’re the only local paper that offers this service! through the Baker Techni- cal Institute. Regular attendance is considered vital to suc- cessful students: schools have incentives in place to foster and encourage good attendance. In addition, the Baker School District was se- lected for Math Enhance- ment programmes. The District offers Charter Schools to respond to parental choices and student needs, and Baker Technical Institute for those students who wish to begin gaining practical skills and knowledge in their chosen fi elds. The group of attendees then briefl y split into three, and followed Lehman's request to select their choices for activities and programmes they would like to see continued. Once completed, each group presented their choices to the larger group. Then came the direction to select the activities and programmes that could be improved upon. Again, the small groups presented their ideas to the group at large. Then Lehman instructed the entire group to walk among all the lists, and each select three items they felt were of greatest importance by placing a check mark. Witty explained the District would take all sug- gestions from all the meet- ings at each school under advisement. There will be more meetings including teachers and the Board to whittle the selections down. Once the process is complete, the Board will return to the community groups with the selected projects. The Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife Division is asking for the public's help in locating the persons responsible for the unlawful taking of a branch antlered bull elk outside of La Grande in the Starkey Unit located in Union County. The bull was shot and left to waste just west of Foothill Road in the Ladd Marsh Wildlife Area. The bull elk is believed to have been shot on approximately November 10th. The incident occurred during the general season Rocky Mountain elk season which is open to spike elk only. There was no season open for branch antlered bull elk. A reward is being offered by the Oregon Hunters As- sociation through the Turn-in-Poachers (TIP) program for any information leading to an arrest and conviction in this or any other wildlife case. Callers can remain anony- mous. The TIP program number is 1-800-452-7888. Anyone with any information is encouraged to contacted Senior Trooper Kris Davis at the Oregon State Police of- fi ce in La Grande at 541-805-4757. Burnt River restoration project done Submitted Photo. Juniper cut along Burnt River near Durkee. The Burnt River Soil and Water Conservation District partnered with two landowners in the Durkee area to complete a juniper removal and bank stabilization project on the banks of the Burnt River. This restoration project implemented a long term juni- per management plan to mechanically remove 40 acres of juniper trees in the project area. Not only will the juniper cut promote healthy vigorous growth of native grasses and shrubs in the uplands, but the trees were also used in stabilizing the banks of the Burnt River. The tree skel- etons are anchored to the bank via cables and t-posts and placed top-end down into the stream. The juniper were overlapped and angled downstream, so the water will not scour and erode the banks further. Between the two landowners, 220 junipers were anchored on the river bends to displace energy and armor the fragile soil. Willow bundles were also planted on the banks to help reestablish the riparian area, which is essential for improved water quality and wildlife habi- tat. As the woody vegetation grows, the river banks will become more stable. The plantings were situated under the anchored juniper to protect them from browsing. The landowners also reseeded the disturbed areas, as well as the road that was used for hauling material to the site. Seeding will promote native vegetation and decrease the chance for noxious weed niches. This project incorporated several activities that will continue to enhance the Burnt River watershed for years to come.
