FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2016
THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 7
Outdoor Rec / Local
County Commissioners
CONTINUED FROM
PAGE 3
Harvey abstained from
voting, since he was not
involved with any associ-
ated agreements, he said.
Bennett provided a pro-
posed Idaho Power Board-
man to Hemingway (B2H)
Transmission Line Project
update, which he said he
tries to do quarterly.
He said comments were
once again submitted, and
the County’s position is
that the line should not
come through the County,
but rather, through the
corridor in central Oregon
(a position he said received
no support from other
counties), and he men-
tioned the numerous po-
tential impacts, including
visual, agricultural, and
to Greater Sage-Grouse
habitat. He said efforts are
being made to propose an
alternate route through the
County, which is “tolera-
ble” to the County, though
there is strong opposition
to any route whatso-
ever, through the County.
These efforts include dis-
cussions with landowners,
as well as with Bureau of
Land Management (BLM)
Vale District Manager Don
Gonzalez. The discussion
continued, with questions
and comments from sev-
eral attendees.
Order No. 2016-152,
Appointing Members
To The Baker County
Transportation Traffi c
Safety Commission, was
approved, with a mo-
tion from Bennett, and a
second from Kerns. Jason
Yencopal was appointed,
his term set to expire on
July 1, 2018.
Order No. 2016-153,
Appointing Members
To The Baker County
Planning Commission,
was approved, with a
motion from Bennett,
and a second from Kerns.
Lauri Hoopes and Tom
VanDiepen, whose terms
just expired, had asked to
be considered, and were
re-appointed, their terms
set to expire on September
1, 2020. Two other appli-
cations were received for
the positions, from Robert
Crawford, and Raymond
Rienks.
Order No. 2016-154,
Directing The County
Clerk To Add City Council
Positions For The City Of
Unity To The November 8,
2016 Ballot, was approved,
with a motion from Ben-
nett, and a second from
Kerns. According to
the document, no candi-
dates have fi led to run for
election of the Council
positions (there are fi ve
open positions, for two,
four-year, and three, two-
year terms), and the ballot
will include these, as well
as space for write-ins.
Prior to approval, Bennett
explained the diffi culty in
recruiting anyone for the
positions since 2010, when
the remaining City Coun-
cil members resigned (the
Board has acted as Unity
City Council since that
time), but that, in accor-
dance with the law, these
positions would be added
to the ballot.
The Board held an Ex-
ecutive Session, in order to
consider the employment
of a County employee.
Once back into regular
session, Bennett moved to
appoint Nancy Staten, as
the interim Manager of the
County Health Depart-
ment (Robin Nudd plans to
seek employment else-
where), with Bennett serv-
ing as the Administrator,
in conjunction with Martin
in Human Resources,
and County Administra-
tive Services Coordina-
tor Christena Cook in
Administration, to provide
support, and that discus-
sion be initiated with New
Directions Northwest, Inc.,
regarding the expansion of
its services, to potentially
consolidate Health Depart-
ment services, along with
other services. Kerns
seconded the motion, and
the motion carried.
Man dies in accident near NP
On September 4, 2016
at about 6 a.m., OSP
Troopers and emergency
personnel responded to
the report of single vehicle
crash on Highway 237 near
milepost 29 (near North
Powder).
Preliminary investiga-
tion revealed a 2012 Ford
Focus was traveling north-
bound on Highway 237
when it drifted across the
southbound lane and off
the road. The Ford struck
several fog markers and
then a tree.
The driver of the Ford,
Anthony A. George, age
27, of Union, was pro-
nounced deceased on
scene.
OSP was assisted by
North Powder Fire and
La Grande Fire. This is an
ongoing investigation and
contributing factors are
unknown. More informa-
tion will be released as it
becomes available.
Man arrested in fire station
break-in, burglary
On 08-24-16, George
William Simms II (DOB:
08-22-1963) was arrested
in Multnomah County on
a Baker County Warrant
charging Aggravated Theft
in connection with the
Burglary at the Pocahontas
Fire Station that occurred
in April of this year.
Simms is not a resident
of Baker County and we
are still investigating the
crimes at both Pocahontas
and Keating Fire Depart-
ments.
Sheriff Ash said, “I
want to give praise to the
Deputies involved in the
investigation for the col-
lection and preservation of
evidence at the crime scene
and the long hours spent
travelling to the Willamette
Valley on short notice
to interview and locate
suspects.”
Library Board to meet
The Board of Directors of
the Baker County Library
District will meet Monday,
September 19 at 6 p.m. at
the Baker County Public
Library.
Primary topics on the
agenda include
Revision of the Code of
Conduct policy
• Proposed change to
remove “shoes required”
element
Revision of Fee Sched-
ule
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The investigation is still
ongoing and the Sheriff’s
Offi ce asks if anyone
knows or has had contact
with George Simms to
contact Sheriff Travis Ash
at 541.523.6415 or email at
tash@bakersheriff.org.
BLM issues
guidance for
Sage-grouse
plans
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) today moved
forward on its collaborative effort to conserve Greater
Sage-Grouse and its habitat by issuing Instruction Memo-
randums (IMs) that clarify how aspects of the BLM’s land
use plans will be implemented. These seven IMs relate
to oil and gas leasing and development, grazing, and the
collection and use of land management data.
“Consistent with our unprecedented cooperation in
developing the Greater Sage-Grouse plans, the implemen-
tation policies we are releasing today were developed in
coordination with our partners in the states and interested
stakeholders,” BLM Director Neil Kornze said. “These
Instruction Memorandums respond to state and stake-
holder desires to see clear and consistent application of
our management activities across the western Greater
Sage-Grouse states while providing the fl exibility needed
to respond to local situations and concerns. Although
each policy guides the specifi cs of a single issue in great
detail, they all share the same goal of effectively conserv-
ing the West’s sagebrush sea for the benefi t of the people
and animals who depend on it.”
The seven IMs cover:
Oil and gas leasing and development: This IM pro-
vides guidance on how the BLM will prioritize oil and
gas leasing and development in relation to habitat man-
agement areas, consistent with its sage-grouse conserva-
tion strategy and Greater Sage-Grouse land use plans.
Grazing permit review priorities: The BLM’s land use
plans commit the BLM to prioritize the review of grazing
permits that are located within areas that were identi-
fi ed by a team of state and federal wildlife biologists as
the highest quality habitat for breeding populations of
sage-grouse. This policy provides further guidance on
the considerations and process that should inform that
prioritization.
Grazing management thresholds and responses: Under
the Greater Sage-Grouse land use plans, the NEPA
analysis for renewals or modifi cation of grazing permits
in priority habitat management areas must consider and
may incorporate specifi c indicators of land health, as well
as grazing management responses. This policy provides
further guidance as to how and when thresholds and
responses should be considered and implemented.
Adaptive management triggers: Most plans contain
triggers developed with state wildlife agency experts
that require the agency to take pre-defi ned management
actions in response to changes in habitat or populations.
This policy details how the BLM will proceed with
notifi cation and implementation of identifi ed management
actions if triggers have been exceeded.
Disturbance tracking: The land use plans commit the
BLM to tracking disturbance and reclamation of sage-
brush habitat. This policy guides the use of tracking
tools to help ensure the consistent reporting of habitat
disturbances and reclamation success across the Greater
Sage-Grouse range.
Effectiveness monitoring: This policy explains how
data gathered using the BLM’s Assessment, Inventory
and Monitoring (AIM) strategy will be pooled to assess
how well the BLM is achieving its goals in the land use
plans. These reports will use the data gathered under the
AIM strategy and disturbance tracking policies and as-
sociated monitoring efforts.
Habitat assessment framework: Under this policy,
the BLM will use Habitat Assessment Reports to gather
information about the Greater Sage-Grouse and the health
of its habitat into a single report that allows managers to
make accurate assessments of habitat conditions at local,
regional and range-wide scales.
The full text of each IM is available at www.blm.gov/
sagegrouse in the Documents and Resources section.
On September 22, 2015, the Departments of the Interior
and Agriculture fi nalized the Greater Sage-Grouse plans,
which included amendments and revisions to 98 BLM
and U.S. Forest Service land use plans across the West.
The plans, which were developed in cooperation among
local, state and federal agencies as well as private land-
owners, were cited by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
as a key reason it found that the Greater Sage-Grouse did
not warrant protection under the Endangered Species Act.
Information on the plans can be found here.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of
public land, the most of any federal agency. This land,
known as the National System of Public Lands, is primar-
ily located in 12 western states, including Alaska. The
BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface
mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM’s mis-
sion is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of
America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of pres-
ent and future generations. In Fiscal Year 2015, the BLM
generated $4.1 billion in receipts from activities occurring
on public lands.
• Proposed change to
detail charges for lost/dam-
aged parts on children’s
Launchpad tablets
• Consideration of a Tax
Anticipation Note loan
• Financial projection
indicates no need for short-
term operations loan again
this year
Review of 2015-2016
statistics report
• Highlights of annual
report submitted to Oregon
State Library
The September 2016
meeting has been resched-
uled from the regular
second Monday due to
schedule confl icts of par-
ticipants.
The Board of Directors of
the Baker County Library
District regularly meets
monthly from 6-8 p.m. on
the second Monday in the
Riverside Meeting Room
of the Baker County Public
Library, 2400 Resort St,
Baker City.
Library board meetings
are open to the public.
Comments from the
public are welcomed as one
of the fi rst agenda items.
For agendas and minutes
of past meetings, please
visit Baker County Public
Library or see the library
The Quail Ridge Ladies golf and bridge scores for
website at http://bakerlib.
August 31 are:
org/about-us/board-of-
Golf Winners: Low Net 1st Flight 1st Myrna Evans
directors.html for more
2nd Judy Karstens; 2nd Flight 1st Kathy Hopins, 2nd
information.
Karen Wollard; 3rd Flight Marianne Klinger
Bridge Winners: 1st Sandy Grover, 2nd Marlene Cross
3rd Marilyn Delfatti
Ladies golf and
bridge scores