THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 3
FRIDAY, JANUARY 8, 2016
Business & Ag
— Weekly Hay Report —
California Condor
CONTINUED FROM
PAGE 1
In January 2014, the
United States Fish and
Wildlife Service (USFWS)
addressed letters to both
the California Depart-
ment of Fish and Wildlife
(CDFW), and the Oregon
Department of Fish and
Wildlife (ODFW), stating
that the “…purpose of this
letter is to address formal
and informal inquiries
that we have received for
several years regarding
establishment of a Califor-
nia Condor (Gymnogyps
Califonianus) release site
in northern California and/
or Oregon…The U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service (Ser-
vice) has contributed for
several years to the Yurok
Tribe’s wildlife program
with the potential for the
development of such a
program in mind…”
The letter mentions the
participation in the Califor-
nia Condor Recovery Pro-
gram, of the Oregon Zoo,
one of only a few captive
breeding sites for the
Condors, and, the only one
in the state. The Oregon
Zoo’s Johnsson Center for
Wildlife Conservation, a
52-acre, isolated facility in
rural Clackamas County
that first received Condors
in 2003, can house up to
53 of the birds, including
11 breeding pairs.
The Condor, the first spe-
cies listed under the federal
Endangered Species Act
(ESA) of 1973, consisted
of a population of 22 birds
in the wild in 1982, and
1987 was the first year they
were captured for breeding
programs. By the time the
first Condors arrived at the
Jonsson Center, in 2003,
the captive population was
131, with 83 in the wild
(the first release was in
1992, however, the Oregon
Zoo has not released any
into the state). Today, the
population is more than
400, with the majority in
the wild.
The USFWS, in the same
letter addressed to both
the California and Oregon
Departments of Fish and
Wildlife, attached a list of
issues (dated 12/30/2013)
associated with the issu-
ance of a recovery permit
for a new release site,
including: state wildlife
agency support; fund-
ing and management
responsibility; coordina-
tion/cooperation with the
overall Condor Recovery
Program partners; ad-
dressing threats, especially
lead; evaluation of habitat
potential; flight pen and
release site; and permitting
and other environmental
compliance.
A reoccurring theme in
documentation regarding
threats to the Condor is
lead ammunition poison-
ing, either directly, or
indirectly, through inges-
tion from animal carcasses,
for example. In its 5-year
review of the listing status
of the Condor, however,
the USFWS identified and
assessed 13 threats, includ-
ing habituation, power
lines and poles, vehicle
traffic, and firefighting dip
tanks, in addition to lead
poisoning.
The process to release
California Condors isn’t
a quick one, because it
requires a number of
permits, according to the
USFWS, including, but
not limited to: a recovery
permit (ESA section 10(a)
(1)(A) permit), a Migratory
Bird Treaty Act permit,
a Federal Bird Marking
and Salvage permit, and
any required state permits.
In addition, a number of
environmental reviews are
required, including, but
not limited to, a National
Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA) review, consulta-
tion under section 7 of the
ESA regarding issuance
of a recovery permit, and
any required state-level
environmental compliance
review. In addition, a pos-
sibility is that the USFWS
could choose to amend
the recovery plan prior to
approving a new northern
release site.
On March 4, 2014, The
Yurok Tribe, of north-
ern California, signed a
Memorandum of Under-
standing (MOU) with the
USFWS, the National
Park Service (NPS), the
California Department of
Parks and Recreation, and
the Ventana Wildlife So-
ciety (VWS), providing a
framework for the coopera-
tion and encouragement of
close coordination between
the parties, the goal of
which is to support proac-
tive conservation efforts
for the Condor, according
to the MOU.
The Condor, known as
“Prey-go-neesh” to the
Tribe, is “…one of our
most sacred animals,”
according to Yurok Tribe
Chairman Thomas P.
O’Rourke, Sr. Vari-
ous Condor feathers, in
particular the large wing
feathers (the wingspan of a
California Condor can be
around 10 feet), are used in
the construction of ceremo-
nial regalia, and are a key
part of ceremonies, such as
the Jump Dance, and the
White Deer Skin Dance,
according to the May 2014
issue of Yurok Today.
The Tribe’s ancestral ter-
ritory, home to some of the
last remaining old-growth
redwood trees--ideal nest-
ing for the Condors--is
located south of the border
between California and
Oregon, and it is the center
of the historical Condor
range, which spanned from
British Columbia to Baja
California, Mexico, ac-
cording to Yurok Today.
The March MOU
included the following
language, which states the
Tribe’s position regarding
the release of Condors:
Friday, December 18, 2015 — Eastern Oregon
*Report unchanged from last week due to holiday.
Prices trended generally steady compared to week
ago prices. The upcoming holidays have slowed
sales. Many producers have decided to hold on to
their hay for now, in hopes for higher prices. Snow
has hit some of the hay producing areas.
Tons Price Range Wtd Avg
Alfalfa —Large Square Premium
320 190.00-190.00 190.00
Alfalfa —Large Square Good
245 125.00-125.00 125.00
Two weeks ago:
Timothy Grass — Large Square, Good
65 200.00-200.00 200.00
Timothy Grass— Small Square, Good
5 200.00-200.00 200.00
USDA Market News Service—AMS.USDA.gov
— Cattle Market Report —
Submitted Photo.
The California condor, sacred to the Yurok tribe.
“WHEREAS, the parties
agree that further assess-
ment of condor habitat in
the greater Yurok Ancestral
Territory and its histori-
cal range in north coastal
California should be under-
taken, guided, and based
upon sound science, up to
and inclusive of the experi-
mental release of condors
to clarify the potential for
success and identify chal-
lenges to condor recovery
in the region.”
In June of 2014, ODFW
and Oregon State Univer-
sity (OSU) collaborated on
an effort to survey hunters
in the state regarding their
use and knowledge of lead
ammunition, a national is-
sue, because of the impacts
to wildlife and humans, ac-
cording to ODFW Wildlife
Division Administrator
Ron Anglin. The 8-page
survey was sent to 4,200
hunters (they were chosen
at random, in different re-
gions in the state). “There
is no proposal to ban or
limit use of lead ammuni-
tion in Oregon, but devel-
opments outside of Oregon
could affect the use of lead
ammunition within the
state. The Environmental
Protection Agency was
petitioned to ban the use
of lead in ammunition on a
nationwide basis and there
is the potential of condors
being restored in northern
California,” he said.
According to ODFW
Director Roy Elicker, later
that year, a survey of the
non-hunting public was
conducted. “The survey
effort was prompted due
to the increasing effort to
restore California condors
throughout their historic
range, which includes por-
tions of Oregon,” he said.
Anglin said, of the lead
survey, “I haven’t posted
any results yet. The main
analysis is being done by
OSU, and they are work-
ing on it this winter. The
department is in the final
stages of finishing up a
high level of series of sum-
mary graphs, and hopes to
have that out soon.”
“An outright ban on the
use of lead ammunition
for hunting could have
a significant impact on
hunting, wildlife manage-
ment and ODFW funding.
Hunting is an important
tool for managing wildlife
populations. Additionally,
revenue from the sale of
hunting and fishing licens-
es and the related federal
excise tax on firearms,
ammunition, fishing rods,
tackle and other equipment
provides more than forty-
percent of the department’s
funding…The survey ef-
fort is not, as some allege,
the first step towards a ban
on lead ammunition…The
use of lead ammunition for
hunting is legal in Oregon
with the general exception
of waterfowl hunting. The
department sees no reason
to change that. A well-de-
signed voluntary program
should be sufficient to
meet the USFWS require-
ments to address lead
exposure should condors
appear in Oregon,” Elicker
said.
OSU research suggests,
in addition to areas in
western Oregon as possible
ideal future release sites
for the Condors, the Hells
Canyon area, according
to detailed models which
include factors such as
vegetation, proximity to
water sources, prey, cliffs,
etc.
ODFW East Region
Manager Bruce Eddy said,
“The potential for condors
to reinhabit the West has
been a subject of conversa-
tion for some time. I’m
unaware of plans to release
them in Oregon…I’ve
talked to others about the
potential for condors to
migrate to Oregon (includ-
ing Hells Canyon) if the
Yurok Tribe proceeds with
their northern California
reintroduction plans. Most
biologists think it likely.”
If released from northern
California as planned, once
Condors appear in Oregon,
they would have the full
protection of the federal
ESA, Elicker said.
Vale BLM releases EA on weeds
The Bureau of Land
Management’s (BLM)
Vale District is asking for
public input on two envi-
ronmental documents.
The first of these docu-
ments is an Environmen-
tal Assessment (EA).
This document analyzes
the potential effects of
expanding the District’s
integrated weed manage-
ment program to make
an additional ten herbi-
cides available for use on
non-native invasive plants
across the District.
The analysis also ad-
dresses other invasive
species and noxious weed
treatment methods which
could be used either sepa-
rately or as a component of
programs which includes
the proposed added herbi-
cides.
These methods include
prescribed fire, targeted
grazing, seeding, planting,
and seed bed preparation.
The overall goal of the
treatments analyzed in the
EA is to increase the ef-
ficacy of weed treatments
and to improve restoration
efforts.
The second document is
a draft of the conclusions
of this EA—a Finding
of No Significant Impact
(FONSI).
All of these documents
are available for viewing at
http://1.usa.gov/1mwy1HW
under the documents link
on the left side of the page.
Comments can be submit-
ted electronically or by
mail to District Manager,
Vale District BLM, 100
Oregon Street, Vale, OR
97918.
Email: blm_or_in-
vasive_plant_ea_com-
ments@blm.gov
Subject: “Vale Invasive
Plant Management EA
To be considered, com-
ments must be postmarked
by February 5, 2016.
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
Vale, Oregon
Cattle sold through the auction: 1,528
*Report unchanged from last week due to holiday.
Steer Calves
300-400# Bulk 171.00 - 196.00 Top 228.00
400-500# Bulk 162.00 - 203.00 Top 216.00
500-600# Bulk 151.00 - 180.00 Top 180.75
Heifer Calves
300-400# Bulk 151.00 - 176.00 Top 178.00
400-500# Bulk 137.00 - 172.00 Top 175.00
500-600# Bulk 136.00 - 160.00 Top 160.50
600-700#
700-800#
800-900#
900-1,000#
Yearling Steers
Bulk 134.00 - 162.00 Top 163.50
Bulk 128.00 - 139.00 Top 152.75
Bulk 123.00 - 136.00 Top 137.00
Bulk 120.00 - 129.00 Top 135.00
Yearling Heifers
600-700# Bulk 122.00 - 144.00 Top 146.50
700-800# Bulk 118.00 - 131.00 Top 132.00
800-900# Bulk 112.00 - 123.00 Top 124.50
900-1,000# Bulk N/A Top N/A
Thin Shelly Cows 37.00 - 47.00
Butcher Cows 48.00 - 55.00
Butcher Bulls 52.00 - 62.00
Stock Cows Yng. 1175.00 - 1475.00
Younger Hfrts. 74.00 - 111.00
Stock Cows Older. - 935.00 - 1125.00
ProducersLivestock.com
541-473-3136
— Log Price Report —
Price per 1,000 board feet: Northeast Oregon
Doug Fir is $415.00/mbf
White fir is $365.00/mbf
Ponderosa Pine is brought sold
on diameter splits
6 to 11 inch dib $300 to $310/MBF
12 to 17 inch dib $350 to $375/MBF
18 to 23 inch dib $400 to $430/MBF
24 inch plus dib $450 to $500/MBF
DIB is diameter inside bark at
small end of log.
MBF is thousand board feet lumber, net scale.
People interested in selling logs
should call and get specific
quotes from saw mills.
Courtesy of Arvid Andersen,
Andersen Forestry Consulting
— Precious Metals Report —
Price per ounce, USD
Gold: 1,093.30
Silver: $14.00
Platinum: $876.25
Palladium: $509.35
Bloomberg.com
— Ag Commodities —
Corn: $353.25/bu/USD
Wheat: $462.75/bu/USD
Soybeans: $864.75/bu/USD
Oats: $212.00 bu/USD
Rough Rice: $11.83/cwt/USD
Canola: $486.10 CAD/mwt
Live Cattle: $163.53/lb./USD
Feeder Cattle: $165.45/lb./USD
Lean Hogs: $60.83/lb./USD
Bloomberg.com