The Baker County press. (Baker City, Ore.) 2014-current, February 26, 2016, Image 7

The Baker County press., February 26, 2016, Page 7, Image 7

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Newspaper Page TextFRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2016 THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 7 Outdoor Rec / Local SWCD / NRCS: Post-fire reseeding project completed Submitted by SWCD, Baker City 2015 was a tough year for Baker County. Land- owners and producers ex- perienced another consecu- tive drought year, which brought with it a horriﬁ c wildﬁ re season. Baker County faced four separate wildﬁ res over the summer, which burned hundreds of thousands of acres and disrupted countless liveli- hoods. Now that the ﬁ res are long out, and we are draw- ing closer to a new spring, landowners are facing the next big concern: erosion. Lands affected by wildﬁ re are at a much higher risk for fl ash fl ooding and land- slides, because the burned, bare soil cannot absorb as much water. Erosion also removes or redistributes top soil, the layer of soil with the greatest amount of organic matter and nutri- ents. Not only does losing top soil reduce the chance for a plant community to recover after an event such as a wildlife, but it can cause a shift to less desir- able plants; for example, from native grasses to shrub species. To help mitigate this multifaceted issue, the Burnt River Soil and Water Conservation District partnered with the Natural Resources Conservation Service to hire a contractor to aerially apply a grass seed mix on approximately 5,700 acres of rangeland that were severely burnt in the Windy Ridge/Cornett Fires. Getting a jump start on re-vegetation will decrease the chance for major ero- sion once the snow begins to melt and the rain begins to fall. Participating land- owners, who submitted an application to NRCS’ EQIP program, were cho- sen based on burn severity and vegetation mortality throughout their affected property. Because of these collab- orative efforts, the Burnt River SWCD and the NRCS were able to help 16 individual private land- owners treat their burned rangeland. This amazing partnership and coopera- tion have allowed agencies to come together and help our local landowners when they need it the most. Submitted Photos. A helicopter drops a grass seed mix. —ODFW Weekly Recreation Report— Weekend ﬁ shing opportunities: Steel- head angling is good in the Umatilla River. The Wallowa River is ﬁ shing well for steelhead and the bulk of a very healthy run is on the way. If your favor- ite ﬁ shing spot is no longer listed It’s probably because that river, lake or reservoir is closed for the season, in- accessible due to snow and bad roads, or offers limited ﬁ shing opportunities during the winter months. These water bodies will re-appear in the Recreation Report when they re-open next spring, or when access and/or opportunity improves. GRANDE RONDE RIVER: trout, whiteﬁ sh, bass The Grande Ronde is currently (Feb 22) reletivley high which will make ﬁ sh- ing difﬁ cult. The river likely won’t return to ﬂ ows typical of the last few months but steelhead will still be available when the water isn’t muddy. This year’s run of steelhead is one of the best in recent years and catch rates have been good throughout the season. Remember, the new closure date for the Grande Ronde River steelhead ﬁ sh- ery is now April 30. Year-round ﬁ shing for hatchery trout will also be allowed beginning Jan. 1, 2016. HOLLIDAY PARK POND: rainbow trout Pond was stocked in September with trophy-sized trout. An ADA ﬁ shing dock for anglers with disabilities is available. The pond may be ice covered and unsafe for ice ﬁ shing. HUNTER POND: hatchery rainbow trout This pond was stocked with 150 trophy-sized rainbow trout the lst week of September. The pond will now be ice covered. From I-84 take Hwy 244 to- wards Ukiah. At the Blue Mtns summit, turn left onto USFS Rd 5160. Proceed for approximately 3 miles to the Jct. of roads 5160 and 5155. Stay on 5160. Just past this Jct. on the right will be spur 710. Take this spur. The pond is just off 5160. IMNAHA RIVER: Steelhead With the recent uptick in ﬂ ows steel- head have started to enter the river at a higher rate and angers are ﬁ nding success. Look for the run to continue to improve as the late winter/spring progresses. Local biologists expect very good catch rates this spring with the stronger than usual run.Remember, the new closure date for the Imnaha River steelhead ﬁ shery is now April 30. Year- round ﬁ shing for hatchery trout is also allowed under the 2016 Oregon Sport Fishing Regulations. JOHN DAY RIVER: steelhead Steelhead ﬁ shing has been slow on the John Day River since ﬂ ows are high and water clarity poor. Flows are predicted to be lower by the weekend but will likely be too high for successful ﬁ shing. Steelhead have dispersed throughout the system and numbers are increasing above Service Creek in the upper John Day. Anglers have success primarily drift- ing with jigs, shrimp or eggs with a bob- ber. Another popular method is drifting a worm along the bottom. Fly anglers are primarily nymphing with lower success. ODFW encourages all anglers to keep any ad-clipped steelhead taken in this ﬁ shery. All wild (adipose intact) steelhead must be released unharmed. LONG CREEK POND, CAVENDER POND: trout Both ponds may be iced over so proceed with caution for ice ﬁ shing. Cavender Pond was stocked last fall with trophy trout. LUGER POND: hatchery rainbow trout Luger Pond was treated with the chemical ﬁ sh toxicant rotenone in the fall and all ﬁ sh were removed. The pond with be restocked with legal-sized rainbow trout in May 2016. MAGONE LAKE: rainbow and brook trout Lake is iced over so use caution for ice ﬁ shing. Access road to lake is cov- ered with snow and will require 4-wheel drive to reach. McHALEY POND: rainbow trout Pond was recently excavated to improve capacity and to remove aquatic weeds. Very few ﬁ sh are in the pond post excavation treatment and ﬁ shing will be poor. McKAY RESERVOIR: Closed to ﬁ shing until March 1, 2016. MORGAN LAKE: rainbow trout Closed to ﬁ shing as of Nov. 1. OLIVE LAKE: rainbow trout, brook trout, and kokanee Lake has been stocked with both legal and trophy-sized rainbow trout. Lake is iced over and the access road is covered with snow. It will require a snowmobile to reach lake. PEACH POND (Ladd Marsh): rainbow trout Peach Pond was treated with the chemical ﬁ sh toxicant rotenone in the fall and all ﬁ sh were removed. The pond with be restocked with legal-sized rainbow trout in May 2016. ROULET POND: rainbow trout The pond is ice free and will be stocked with rainbow trout in April. 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! ROWE CREEK RESERVOIR: rainbow trout Remains open all year. Fishing is fair for carryover and stocked trout. TAYLOR GREEN POND: hatchery rainbow trout Was stocked with 150 trophy-sized rainbow trout the last week of Septem- ber. The pond will now be ice covered. From Hwy 203 at Union, turn left staying on Hwy 203 towards Medical Springs. At the summit between Union and Medical Springs, turn left onto USFS Road 7700 (opposite snowpark area). Proceed East on 7700 road for about 9 miles to USFS Road 7740 on the right. Proceed on the 7740 road for about 1/4 mile. The rock pit pond are on the right. UMATILLA/WALLA WALLA FOREST PONDS: trout Boundary, Keyhole, Yellowjacket, Granite Meadows, Goldﬁ sh and Windy Springs ponds are closed to angling until Dec. 31 due to pesticide applica- tions to remove unwanted ﬁ shes. These ponds are closed to access by the pub- lic until all signage is removed. Stocking of these ponds will resume during the spring of 2016. UMATILLA RIVER: steelhead No reports on steelhead ﬁ shing for last week, the river was high and unﬁ sh- able for most of the week. Water levels have dropped and the color is a nice green in the Pendleton area, expect a good week for anglers. Steelhead are spread throughout the river system, creel surveys are now concentrated on the upper river area, but good angling opportunities are still available in the lower river. Anglers can access ﬁ sh counts at updated Threemile Dam ﬁ sh counts. Flow data is available WALLOWA COUNTY PONDS: rainbow trout Surplus steelhead have been out- planted in Marr, and Weaver ponds (Lower Diamond) however Weaver pond is still mostly froze over. This would be a great opportunity to get kids out and into some big ﬁ sh. These ﬁ sh are most often caught by ﬁ shing a worm or other bait under a bobber a few feet. Kinney Lake was treated with a pesticide on Oct. 5 to remove unwanted ﬁ shes. ODFW testing has determined the area is safe to entry and the reservoir has been ﬁ lled. New regula- tions for Kinney Lake will be in effect for 2016. ODFW, Triple Creek Ranch, and the Wallowa Valley Improvement District #1 (WVID#1) have collaborated to open Kinney Lake for year-round ﬁ shing starting Jan. 1, 2016. However, catchable trout will not be available until the lake is stocked in the spring. Non-motorized watercraft will also be allowed at Kinney Lake for 2016. Re- member, to be respectful of the private land access that the Triple Creek Ranch and WVID#1 have provided and pack out any trash you bring or ﬁ nd. WALLOWA LAKE: rainbow trout, kokanee, lake trout Some holdover trout will still be avail- able for the hardy trout ﬁ sherman willing to brave the cold weather. As spring progresses the anglers that ﬁ nd those holdovers will likely have some large ﬁ sh on the end of their line. Kokanee can also be caught by jigging deep during the winter months. Wallowa Lake does not reliably freeze every year. However, when the lake does freeze, ice ﬁ shing can produce good catch rates for trout and kokanee. WALLOWA RIVER: steelhead, moun- tain whiteﬁ sh The Wallowa River is ﬁ shing well and the bulk of a very healthy run is still to come. Biologists expect catch rates to be very good as the season progresses into the spring. This year’s run of steelhead is one of the best in recent years and catch rates have been good throughout the season. Winter ﬁ shing between Minam and the mouth at Rondowa can be very good for anglers willing to walk. Re- member, the new closure date for the Wallowa River steelhead ﬁ shery is now April 30. Year-round ﬁ shing for hatchery trout is now allowed under the 2016 Oregon Sport Fishing Regulations. USDA announces $40 million project USDA Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Envi- ronment Robert Bonnie announced a federal investment of over $40 million for restoration of forests near growing communities to reduce wildﬁ re threats, protect water sup- plies, improve wildlife habitat and support rural econo- mies. This is the third year of the Joint Chiefs’ Landscape Restoration Partnership between the U.S. Forest Service and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to improve the health and resiliency of forest ecosystems where public and private lands meet. “The health of our forests and our rural communities very often go hand in hand,” Bonnie said. “USDA works with other public and thousands of private landowners through a range of programs and partnerships to decrease the threat of wildﬁ re, restore forest habitat and increase economic and other opportunities for the families and businesses that make their homes near woodlands.” Washington and Oregon were awarded funding for two new projects, plus additional funding for ongoing proj- ects. In Oregon and the U.S. Forest Service Paciﬁ c North- west Region, the Greater La Pine Basin Cohesive Strat- egy Project was selected: This project leverages strong partnerships across diverse organizations and community groups to integrate multiple objectives across the landscape. This includes increasing forest resiliency to insects, disease, and ﬁ re; enhancing and protecting water yield and quality; im- proving wildlife habitat; and engaging communities to increase awareness about the project. Spanning 344,701 acres the project area includes state, public, and private lands. The project will implement activities focused on hazardous fuels reduction, restoration, and maintenance on federal lands, fuels reduction and restoration work on private lands, and outreach and education to assist local communities in becoming more ﬁ re-adapted. Fiscal year 2016 funding: USFS - $952,125; NRCS - $250,000 Forest: Deschutes Partners: Deschutes County; Project Wildﬁ re; Oregon Department of Forestry; U.S. Bureau of Land Manage- ment; Oregon State University Extension; Walker Range; Oregon Department of Corrections; Upper Deschutes River Coalition; Upper Deschutes Watershed Council; Firewise Communities; Klamath County; Central Oregon Fire Chief’s Association; Central Oregon Cohesive Strat- egy Initiative; Deschutes Fire Learning Network; Oregon Department of Transportation; Oregon Department of Agriculture; Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. In addition to the two new projects, two existing Joint Chiefs’ projects in Oregon (awarded in 2014 and 2015) will receive additional funds this year. The East Face of the Elkhorn Mountains Partnership in Baker and Union counties will receive $1.2 million this year; and the Ashland Forest All Lands Restoration Project in Jackson County will receive $3 million. In addition, one existing Joint Chiefs project in Washington (awarded in 2015) will receive additional funds this year. The Northeast Wash- ington Initiative in Eastern Washington will receive $1.2 million this year. In total, Bonnie unveiled 11 new Joint Chiefs’ projects totaling $7 million for 2016 and committed additional investments totaling nearly $33 million in 27 projects launched in 2014 and 2015. Local partners plan to invest up to an additional $11 million in ﬁ nancial, technical and in-kind assistance for the 38 projects. The announcement was made at the annual meeting of the Arkansas Association of Conservation Districts, where Bonnie highlighted several projects that demonstrate the power of this kind of partnership. Bonnie said, “By taking an all lands, all hands approach, Forest Service, NRCS, and countless partners are demonstrating that smart, pro- active investments to restore forests yield extraordinary beneﬁ ts for landowners, communities and taxpayers.” Since its start, $104 million has been invested through USDA’s Joint Chiefs’ Landscape Restoration Partner- ship to reduce wildﬁ re threats to communities and landowners, protect water resources, and improve habitat for at risk species. Summaries of all projects selected can be found on the NRCS website http://www.nrcs. usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/national/newsroom/ features/?cid=stelprdb1244394 Find us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/TheBCPress