THE OUTDOOR COLUMN: Eagle Cap
Extreme Sled Dog Race. PAGE 7
The
LOCAL: Sam-O Swim Committee receives
grants. PAGE 8
Baker County Press
TheBakerCountyPress.com
75¢
All local. All relevant. Every Friday.
Friday, January 15, 2016 • Volume 3, Issue 3
Lawsuit filed against
gray wolf delisting
• ENVIRONMENTAL
GROUPS SAY
OREGON WOLVES
HAVE NOT
RECOVERED
BY TODD ARRIOLA
Todd@TheBakerCountyPress.com
On November 9, 2015,
the Oregon State Fish and
Wildlife Commission, with
a vote of 4-2, removed the
Gray Wolf from the List of
Endangered Species, under
the Oregon Endangered
Species Act.
In response, on Decem-
ber 30, 2015, Cascadia
Wildlands, the Center For
Biological Diversity, and
Oregon Wild collectively
fi led a legal challenge to
that decision.
Oregon Wild documen-
tation states, as a reason
for fi ling the lawsuit, that,
“Simply put, the govern-
ment must follow its own
laws. The Oregon Depart-
ment of Fish and Wildlife
(ODFW) violated several
of its own laws by refus-
ing to consider the best
available science, ignor-
ing confl icts of interest,
and bending to political
pressure to delist wolves.
Wolves in Oregon have not
recovered.”
“It’s simply too soon to
remove protections for Or-
egon’s wolves,” said Noah
Greenwald, Endangered
Species Program Director
for the Center for Bio-
logical Diversity. “It’s not
rocket science that roughly
80 wolves in 12 percent of
suitable habitat in Oregon
does not equal a recovered
population. The gray wolf
remains endangered, and
protections should never
have been removed,” he
said.
SEE WOLVES PAGE 7
Photo Courtesy of ODFW.
Wolf OR14 near the Umatilla River.
‘Birds and Burns’
presented to Powder Basin
Watershed Council
New City
Council
member
Gina K. Swartz / The Baker County Press
Luke Yeaton swears in Daniel Lowe as the newest
City Council member.
• DANIEL LOWE UNANIMOUSLY
APPOINTED TO VACANCY, FAVORABLE
FINANCIAL REPORT GIVEN
BY GINA K. SWARTZ
Gina@TheBakerCountyPress.com
Todd Arriola / The Baker County Press
Jamie Ratliff presented a slideshow and discussion titled “Birds and Burns: The Ecological Necessity of
Severe Wildlife.”
An hour-long executive session was scheduled to
begin the fi rst City Council meeting of 2016. The agenda
indicated there was to be a discussion about current and
possible future litigation stemming from the water/sewer
rate issue out on the east end of Campbell street. That
discussion was over and done with in about 10 minutes.
SEE CITY COUNCIL PAGE 10
BY TODD ARRIOLA
Todd@TheBakerCountyPress.com
The Powder Basin Watershed Council’s (PBWC)
monthly meeting Wednesday, January 6, 2016, included
special guest Jamie Ratliff, Wildlife Biologist for the
United States Forest Service (USFS) Whitman Ranger
District, Wallowa-Whitman National Forest (WWNF).
Ratliff presented a slideshow and discussion titled
“Birds and Burns: The Ecological Necessity of Severe
Wildlife.”
This presentation was an extension of the Birds and
Burns Network, a research program initiated by the
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest
Service Rocky Mountain Research Station (RMRS), in an
effort to “…examine fi re effects on populations and habi-
tats of wildlife in ponderosa pine forests in eight states
across the western United States, including Washing-
ton, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, South Dakota, Colorado,
Arizona and New Mexico…this research program seeks
to characterize bird community response to forest change
following wildfi re and prescribed fi re, namely for cavity-
nesting species dependent on fi re-maintained habitats,”
according to the RMRS.
Council Member and USFS Hydrologist Suzanne
Fouty welcomed the crowd of between 20 and 30 people,
and, introduced Ratliff, a colleague of hers and a Re-
source Advisor for the Cornet/Windy Ridge wildfi res,
who provided the presentation at the request of Fouty.
Ratliff talked initially about a 1969 Smokey the Bear
advertisement, a video which includes statements about
the effects of fi re devastation, including “not a bird left
in sight,” but, since then, though there is still progress to
make, she said there has been much advancement regard-
ing acceptance of wildfi res.
She said that the value of low-intensity fi re has been
widely recognized, however, the benefi ts of high-intensity
fi re have not been recognized, and, headlines showcase
the devastation and destruction instead.
She contrasted the viewpoint of an “ecological waste-
land” after wildfi re seen by most people, with that of a
wildlife biologist who may view it as valuable wildlife
habitat.
SEE BIRDS AND BURNS PAGE 5
Chief Lohner elected
to regional director
for chiefs association
BY KERRY McQUISTEN
News@TheBakerCountyPress.com
Baker City Police Chief
Wyn Lohner was elected
Tuesday morning to
the District 15 Director
position for the Oregon
Association Chiefs of Po-
lice (OACP), serving the
northeast Oregon area.
The election took place
at the Winter Confer-
ence, Executive Leader-
ship Training Seminar in
Seaside.
Kerry McQuisten /
The Baker County Press
Police Chief Wyn
Lohner.
SEE POLICE CHIEFS PAGE 8
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Mostly cloudy with a chance for early snow
showers. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Highs
near freezing. Lows in the lower 20s.
Your weekend weather forecast for Baker County.
Our forecast made possible by this
generous sponsor:
Snow likely with highs near freezing. Chance of
precipitation is 80%. At night, mostly cloudy with
a chance for lingering snow showers. Chance of
precipitation is 30%. Lows in the lower 20s.
Chance for rain and snow showers. Chance of
precipitation is 30%. Highs in the mid 30s. At
night, a chance for snow showers, mid-20s.
Offi cial weather provider for
The Baker County Press.
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE
Compass Real Estate opens
Winery seeks to expand
Unclaimed property notice
Bemtz on energy committee
Sumpter City Council
Soroptimists award scholarships
Page
Page
Page
Page
Page
Page
3
3
5
8
9
12