FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 2016
THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 7
Outdoor Rec / Sports
Regional swim meet results
Submitted Photo.
Submitted Photo.
Riana Scott.
Jozie Ramos.
SUBMITTED BY NOEL
SCOTT
Baker swimmers Jozie
Ramos (BST) and Riana
Scott (LGSC) competed in
the Northwest Age Group
Regional Championship
swim meet on March 10-
13 in Federal Way, WA.
This highly competitive
meet required qualifying
Winter Special
Olympics games
start with success
times.
There were over 1000
athletes entered from OR,
WA, ID, MT, WY, HI and
AK. Below are the results
of the events that both girls
entered, time trials not
included.
They both swam personal
best times and competed
very well.
Results:
Girls 10&U 50 Yard
Free 11 28.85 Ramos,
Jozie
Girls 10&U 100 Yard
Free 16 1:04.13 Ra-
mos, Jozie
Girls 10&U 200 Yard
Free 15 2:21.03 Ra-
mos, Jozie
Girls 10&U 50 Yard
Breast
30 39.60 Ra-
mos, Jozie
Girls 10&U 100 Yard
Breast
32 1:27.21
Ramos, Jozie
Girls 14 200 Yard Breast
20 2:33.80 Scott, Riana
The next meet for both
teams will be a home meet
in Baker City on May
7 and 8 at Sam-O Pool.
Come out and support your
local swimmers!
Wandering into the weeds ...
in the Hells
Canyon area.
On June
10th of last
year, the
Board of
Commission-
ers held a
work session
that included
CWMA Di-
rector Mark
Lincoln,
Grammon,
Wallowa
THE OUTDOOR COLUMN
County Weed
Supervisor
By Todd Arriola
Allen Sch-
Earlier this month,
netzky, and
Baker County Commission BLM Weed Specialist Erin
Chair Bill Harvey, Com-
McConnell, for a discus-
missioners Mark Bennett
sion regarding goals and
and Tim Kerns, Baker
objectives of the CWMA,
County Weed Supervisor
projects and funding. The
Arnie Grammon, and For-
CWMA covers Baker,
est Access For All (FAFA)
Union, and Wallowa Coun-
President Tork Ballard
ties.
brought up the topic of the
Lincoln presented
unresolved, rocky partner-
details about the CWMA’s
ship between the Tri-Coun- mission (at the time):
ty Cooperative Weed Man- “Improve effectiveness of
agement Area (CWMA),
the current noxious weed
and Baker County.
programs in Baker, Union,
Highlights from the
and Wallowa Counties;
CWMA, of the 2015 sea-
identify and obtain tradi-
son, includes: 195 net acres tional, and non-traditional
of rush skeletonweed were
funding sources for weed
treated, and another 65,000 programs; provide public
acres were surveyed, out-
awareness/education as
side of Halfway, and Rich- to the serious nature of
land; nearly 50 net acres
the problem, and educate/
of noxious weeds were
inform the public on the
treated on BLM-managed
legal obligations, identifi-
land, in Baker County; one cation, and control of nox-
net acre (very low density) ious weeds; and encourage
of leafy spurge was treated, cooperation, and coordina-
and another 33,000 acres
tion between jurisdictions,
were surveyed, in Hol-
agencies, land managers,
man Creek; 24 net acres of and private landowners.”
perennial pepperweed were
Currently, that mission
treated, near Baker City;
is: “The purpose of the
and the CWMA assisted
Tri-County Cooperative
the United States Forest
Weed Management Area
Service (USFS) in Hells
is to facilitate cooperation
Canyon-area rush skeleton- among all land managers
weed treatments.
and landowners to man-
Planned CWMA proj-
age a common problem
ects for the 2016 season
with noxious weeds. Our
includes: continuing to
mission being to serve
treat rush skeletonweed
as responsible stewards
outside of Halfway, to
of the land and resources
finish the 2015 season
in the state of Oregon by
progress; surveying Hol-
protecting and preserving
man Creek for leafy spurge all lands and resources in
outlying infestations;
the tri-county area from the
working with the BLM
degrading impact of exotic,
to treat smaller noxious
invasive noxious weeds.”
weed infestations around
Lincoln also pro-
the county; beginning
vided details about the
work on CWMA’s sage
CWMA projects, noting
grouse habitat restoration
that $146,200 was paid
project, which includes
to contractors for proj-
treatment of medusahead
ects completed in Baker
monocultures, and seed-
County in 2014; $64,000
ing of competitive, native
to contractors in Union
species, favored by the
County; and $10,000 to
sage grouse; administering contractors in Wallowa
noxious weed treatment
County. The projected
on BLM-managed land, in
total funds at the time
areas that were burned in
for 2015 Baker County
the Lime Hill, and Windy
projects was $262,097.43,
Ridge wildfires last sum-
most of which was set
mer; and continuing to
aside for Rush Skeleton
assist the USFS with rush
treatment sites in the Hells
skeletonweed treatments,
Canyon area.
Following this discus-
sion, Bennett voiced con-
cerns about lack of specific
details about funding, CW-
MA’s coordination with
the Counties, and staffing
locations (the CWMA
is based in La Grande),
since a majority of the
funding spent, and work
performed, is in Baker
County. Grammon echoed
Bennett’s sentiments, add-
ing that there was a lack of
communication between
the CWMA and Grammon,
a lack of coordination, and
a lack of prioritizing weed
control areas effectively.
The Board then requested
more details regarding
expenditures, followed by
a disagreement between
Grammon and Lincoln.
On Wednesday Septem-
ber 9th, the Board held
another work session, with
Grammon present, once
again voicing his concerns
about the lack of clarity in
the CWMA budget, and
with billing issues between
the CWMA, and Baker
County. Among other
documents, Grammon
provided the Board with
the Articles of Agreement
And Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU) of
the CWMA. The Board
voiced its confusion with
the CWMA budget, and
Kerns, a Baker County
Weed Board member,
suggested holding another
work session to further
discuss the topic, question-
ing whether partnership
with the CWMA was even
beneficial to the County.
On September 23rd,
Grammon discussed weed
topics during a meeting of
the Baker County Natu-
ral Resources Advisory
Committee (BCNRAC),
and cited ongoing issues
with the CWMA. “There
have been some bumps
in the road recently, and
you know about them, and
what I would like to see in
the future is better com-
munication, as it relates
to Tri-County, and federal
agencies. It hasn’t been
very good recently, with
federal agencies dealing
with noxious weeds...What
I’d like to see is more co-
ordination, and cooperation
with local Counties, and
right now, it’s minimal.”
Fast forward to the regu-
lar Commission session,
Wednesday, March 2nd,
and it appears that issues
between the CWMA, and
the County are still in need
of a remedy. Harvey spoke
about attending the local
Baker County Weed Board
meeting (they’re held on
the fourth Tuesday of each
month), and he said, “We
still have not dealt with the
situation with Tri-County
at all, because, we never
really got, in my opinion,
satisfactory information
back, in regard to bud-
gets, expenditures...We
tried many times to get
the gentlemen to give us
something we can actually
understand, and I have not
gotten to that point...Since
80% of the budget they get
comes from Baker County
resources, or Baker County
lands, why would we not
entertain the thought of
moving Tri-County back to
Baker..?”
Harvey explained that
the CWMA used to be
headquartered in Baker
County, including the
Director, other staff, and
spray applicators, but,
now, there is no longer a
CWMA presence, in-
cluding any applicators
hired locally, though, the
majority of a $1 million
budget this year is spent
on projects within Baker
County.
Bennett said, “I agree...
We need someone in Bak-
er...The majority of money
is spent in Baker County.
The majority of the money
was raised, based on the
strength of issues in Baker
County...” Bennett spoke
with Grammon about the
issue the day before, he
said, and Bennett thinks
there also should be ac-
tive recruitment for spray
applicators in the County.
He mentioned inviting rep-
resentatives of the CWMA,
and Board of Commission-
ers of Union, and Wallowa
Counties, for a Commis-
sion work session.
Kerns said, “We are not
happy... I just don’t see
how they can have people
travel from La Grande, and
do an efficient job.”
Ballard said, “I have a
hard time understanding
how this ever got away
from us in the first place.”
Bennett explained that
there were opportunities
to receive more in fund-
ing during the late 90s,
if there were a “regional
goal approach” to weed
programs, resulting in the
creation of the operational
entity of the CWMA.
However, he said, though
the CWMA Director, and
staff of the CWMA were
originally located in Baker
County, there had been a
change in staffing, and the
CWMA was relocated to
La Grande, the result being
a redundancy with weed
program entities associated
with the County.
“Now, we need to bring
it back home ...” Bennett
said.
Submitted Photo.
Nick Mendiguren of La Grande.
Submitted Photo.
Mandi Durfee from Elgin.
SUBMITTED BY STEPHANIE TWEIT
Last weekend, March 5-7th, started the Winter Olympic
Games at Mt. Bachelor and our Local Anthony Lakes.
The team, composed of Baker and Union counties, had
been practicing for nine weeks and were ready to com-
pete.
Our team practices more than most because of our
wonderful mountain and great coaches who commit to
each week. The competition ended with a ton of medals
and someone said the bus was going to be too heavy to
return.
Here are the results:
Baker County:
Jennifer Glerup 1st in the 50 meter xc ski, 3rd in the
100 xc ski; Jamie Mcclaughry 3rd in the 3 k xc ski, 1st
in the 1k, 1st in the 1k relay with union county; Emily
Moe 2nd in the 100 meter snowshoe, 5th in the 50 meter
snowshoe.
Union County:
Snowshoes Dani Thorne gold in the 50 meter and 100
meter races, Cross country Jason Franks gold 500 meter
gold 100 meter race, Joey Gross gold 500 meter race, sil-
ver 100 meter race, Alex Koiv gold 100 meter race silver
500 meter race, Nick Mendiguren gold in 3 races 1K, 500
meter and the 1K relay, Remy Spangler 3 gold 3K was a
tie and the 5K won by .06 sec. and the 1K relay, Braden
Trice Gold 1K relay, bronze in both the 1K and 500 meter
race, Alpine/Downhill skiers Mandi Durfee gold in the
Super G and Giant Slalom, silver in the slalom, Alex
Weissenfluh gold in the Super G and silver in the Giant
Slalom and Slalom,
Any athlete who revives a gold medal will get a chance
to have their name put in for Special Olympics World
Games to be held in Austria in 2017.
The state choses two athletes to compete in the World
games in 2017 in Austria, one male and one female.
Guess what? They both came from our team! Downhill
skier, Mandi Durfee received two golds and one Silver
and will go and Nick Mendiguren earned three gold
medals and will go in cross country. As coaches, we are
extremely proud of all our athletes and the passion they
have to enjoy and compete. Bryan Tweit has coached for
23 years and runs the state games downhill portion and I
have coached locally for 13 years.
Our biggest thank you is to Anthony Lakes, local fire
and police departments for fundraising for us and fans!
The Knights of Columbus send us monthly checks and
we received a Leo Grant as well as private donations.
Our next fundraiser is in May with Tip-A-Cop at Barley
Browns.
Please come help support our local athletes. Donations
can be sent to P.O. Box 508 Baker City Chapter 511.