FRIDAY, JANUARY 13, 2017
THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 7
Outdoor Rec / Local
No early end to chukar season Governor
draws mixed public reviews declares state
of emergency
BY TODD ARRIOLA
Todd@TheBakerCountyPress.com
In response to Oregon
Department of Fish and
Wildlife’s (ODFW) plan
not to end the chukar and
Hungarian (gray) partridge
hunting seasons early,
which began October 8,
2016, and run through
January 31, despite the
snowy conditions this De-
cember, there was mixed
opinion from the public.
ODFW Wildlife Biologist
Brian Ratliff, of the North-
east Region/Baker District
Offi ce, said, “What it boils
down to is simply this:
game bird populations are
not driven by winter sur-
vival, meaning, if they’re
going to die, they’re going
to die anyway.”
Ratliff had received,
among other communica-
tion in favor of and in
opposition to an early
closure, a letter from local
bird hunters Mike Purvine,
Steve Mclean, and Ed
Huggins, dated January 4,
2017, in which the three
plead for an early closure
they say should have hap-
pened near the beginning
of December.
The letter, which begins,
“As avid upland game
bird hunters, we read with
interest that state biolo-
gists have decided to not
impose an early end to the
hunting season, despite
the snowiest December
in more than a decade,”
because of some similari-
ties, appears to have been
at least partially prompted
by an article titled “Full-
feathered Season,” by The
Baker City Herald edi-
tor Jayson Jacoby, in the
Outdoors & Rec section,
on Friday, December 30,
2016.
Ratliff noted a specifi c
section in the 2016-2017
Oregon Game Bird
Regulations, on page
14, titled “Upland Game
Bird Emergency Closure
Procedures,” which begins,
“Irregularly, severe winter
conditions can negatively
impact segments of upland
game bird populations.
There’s little that can be
done to alleviate the effects
when these conditions
occur, including stopping
hunting. In fact, a hunt-
ing closure may have the
opposite effect by allowing
more birds to compete for
what little food may be
accessible...”
Raliff said that upland
game bird populations,
including chukars—a
non-native game species,
introduced specifi cally for
hunting opportunities—are
driven by hatch rates in
the spring, and not winter
survival, and, “That’s the
point that’s really hard for
people to see. It makes
sense, because they see
those birds, and they’re
starving to death, but,
guess what? Even if you
close the season, they’re
going to starve to death...
Biologically, there’s
no reason to close it...
Wildlife (deer, elk, bighorn
sheep, chukars, etc.) will
naturally succumb in the
winter—there’s no way
around that...You can close
the season, and take away
opportunities for hunters,
Submitted Photo.
Hungarian (gray) partridge.
with a reduced economic
input to the County...
and you piss off, usually,
potentially, it’s more than
half of the chukar hunt-
ers...” Ratliff said that in
the past, there have been
early closures, and the fl ak
ODFW had received in
response to those closures
signifi cantly surpassed the
amount of requests to close
the season.
He displayed a Baker
District Chukar Inventory
graph, using an ODFW
terminal, as he explained
the resiliency of the
chukar, following harsh
winters. The graph covers
“hatch years (the spring),”
from 1973 through 2016,
and shows the counted
number of birds per 10
miles (there are differ-
ent routes throughout the
County), along with the
chicks per brood. Looking
at the graph, there were
indications of some harsh
winters, where the num-
bers were low, down to
less than 10 per 10 miles,
but the population bounced
back, with an increase
following those, in some
cases like a major “baby
boom” the next year. For
example, the number ob-
served in 1986 was about
20 per 10 miles, followed
by about 90, in 1987. In
1995, it was about 12,
followed by about 65, in
1996.
The highest number
observed, about 95 per 10
miles, was in 2003, the
second highest 90, in 1987,
the third about 85, in 2004,
and the fourth about 80, in
2002. For the last eleven
years, the cycle varies from
the lowest, about 12, in
1995, to the highest, about
95, in 2003. The 2016
hatch year shows about 57,
with about 60 observed in
2015.
Ratliff said that, for
the last eleven years, the
winters have been fairly
“mild,” but this season,
“This is a winter. It’s cold,
there’s a lot of snow,” but
it’s not an “abnormal” win-
ter. He said that the graph
shows the cyclical nature
of chukar populations,
and how quickly they can
rebound.
Ratliff noted that the
snowy conditions could
force, and has forced, birds
to congregate near roads,
causing some unethical
hunting practices, such as
shooting from a vehicle,
or shooting from a road,
both of which are illegal,
and that actions such as
these have been witnessed
and reported this season.
Ratliff said that, as a result,
ODFW, working with the
Oregon State Patrol (OSP),
has increased game en-
forcement patrols and en-
forcement, including using
extra OSP personnel from
the Ontario area, to patrol
for, and to investigate
unethical hunting practices
specifi cally. He said that
the primary target area for
enforcement (as far as chu-
kar hunters are concerned)
is along the Snake River.
Other areas include Rye
Valley, Burnt River, and
the Powder River canyon,
though Ratliff said that he
hasn’t seen evidence in
the Rye Valley and Burnt
River areas of illegal hunt-
ing, and the likelihood isn’t
high that the acts would be
committed in the Powder
River canyon area (the
letter to Ratliff stated that,
“We also have eye witness
reports of unethical hunt-
ing practices in Powder
River, Burnt River, and
Snake River areas.”).
The bird hunters’ letter
went on to say that, “We
as hunters have shut down
our hunting season for
Chukar! (this was unex-
plained). Why doesn’t
ODFW do the right thing,
close the season early,
and provide some much
need(ed) nutrition for the
upland game birds? I am
sure many hunters would
be more than happy to vol-
unteer time and equipment
for the distribution of some
much needed FEED. The
upland game bird season
closure which should have
happened three weeks ago
needs to happen imme-
diately! (this part caused
confusion, as the hunters
had indicated that their
most recent hunting trip for
birds had been near the end
of December. This result-
ed in a successful harvest,
but they said the quality of
the birds indicates the birds
are starving to death).”
Ratliff said, “If there was
some logical, reasonable,
and even possible way to
do that (to feed the birds),
I would be all for it...but,
you’re not going to save
them. For example, how
do you keep the deer out of
the feeders?” He said that,
while feeding the birds
sounds like a great idea, it
isn’t feasible at this point,
and that the increased
patrols to combat unethi-
cal hunting practices is the
major focus. Ratliff said
that OSP could request
an early season closure if
there were a lack in man-
power, but that isn’t likely,
because of the availability
of funds and resources to
help curb unethical hunting
practices.
Ratliff received a call
from Baker County Com-
missioner Bill Harvey, who
had received a copy of the
letter from the bird hunters,
along with Baker County
Parks and Recreation
Director Karen Spencer,
Baker County Economic
Development Director
Greg Smith, Jacoby, and
The Baker County Press
editor and publisher Kerry
McQuisten (Jacoby had
also sent Ratliff a copy of
his article, “Full-feathered
Season,” Ratliff said).
Harvey told Ratliff that he
doesn’t have the man-
power to request the Baker
County Sheriff’s Offi ce
assist with enforcement,
to which Ratliff responded
that’s okay, and he appreci-
ates any help offered, but
he didn’t request or expect
that, because, “It’s not the
Sheriff’s job,” but rather,
a duty that OSP is charged
with.
Ratliff demonstrated the
status of the conditions
(at the time of this writ-
ing), outside the District
offi ce, by kicking some of
the snow with his boot, to
clear away enough to get
to the grass below, which
looked green and healthy.
He reached down, dug up
some still unfrozen and
muddy soil, and displayed
it, making the point that
the snow was fl uffy and
didn’t have a crust (at that
time). He said that, of
course, deer and elk, for
example, would not have
diffi culty doing what he
did, but that birds would
fi nd it more diffi cult, and
crusted snow would cause
a second look at the situ-
ation. Ratliff and others
investigate the conditions
week to week, and they
could change at any time,
but he said the option, at
this point, would be (and
this is stated in the Game
Bird Regulations, too) to
close the season early on
January 15 if conditions
warrant it, or to let it run
through January 31 (condi-
tions on December 31, the
other possible closure date,
didn’t warrant a closure
then). Either way, the pub-
lic will know the status of
the season by January 15.
Subscribe today! See Page 9 for how!
(Salem, OR) — Governor Brown today declared a
state of emergency in Oregon due to severe winter storm
conditions. This declaration comes at the request of local
offi cials and is based on the recommendations of the
Oregon Offi ce of Emergency Management (OEM).
“As snow continues to accumulate and local authori-
ties respond to provide core services and clear roadways,
all available state resources will be made available to
ensure the safety of communities throughout Oregon,”
Governor Brown said. “I urge all Oregonians to follow
the recommendations of local authorities, and avoid travel
while ODOT crews clear roads and work to restore core
services.”
Governor Brown directed OEM to coordinate the
deployment of the Oregon Department of Transportation,
Oregon State Police, and the Oregon National Guard to
Oregon support to local communities needing assistance.
OEM will facilitate the access and use of state resourc-
es, personnel, and equipment to protect communities,
property, and the environment, and aid in the recovery
from issues related to the recent of series of severe winter
storms. Governor Brown verbally issued the state of
emergency that is in effect for 30 days, unless terminated
sooner by the Governor.
PEO
scholarships
available
Chapter AX of the P.E.O. Sisterhood will award two
academic scholarships to two graduating senior girls
from high schools in Baker County and North Powder in
Spring of 2017.
The Gertrude Fortner-Rose Haskell Scholarship was
named for two charter members of Chapter AX who
strongly believed in higher education for women.
The Mildred F. Rogers Chapter AX P.E.O. Scholarship
was established in 2000 by her daughter and her grand-
children. Mrs. Rogers was a long time member of Chap-
ter AX, being initiated in 1951 and holding the offi ce of
president in 1952. She was a descendent of Oregon Trail
pioneer grandparents and lived her entire life in Baker
City. Always a loyal citizen, she gave of herself to the
community of Baker City and to its people, so that future
generations would have the opportunity to appreciate life
as she had. She died at the age of 100.
Scholarship applications are available in the guidance
offi ce at high schools in Baker County (Baker, Pine
Eagle, Burnt River and Huntington) and North Powder.
Baker High School applicants must return applications
to the high school offi ce by 8AM February 28, 2017.
Other Baker County and North Powder applicants must
mail applications to arrive by 8AM February 28, 2017 to
Dorothy Mason, PO Box 446 Baker City, OR 97814. All
women students from Baker County or North Powder,
who plan to enroll in an accredited college or university,
are eligible. The scholarships are awarded on the basis of
academic achievement, goals, activities, fi nancial need
and personal character.
The P.E.O. sisterhood is an international philanthropic
educational organization, which was founded in 1869
at Iowa Wesleyan College in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. P.E.O.
promotes educational opportunities for women through a
variety of scholarship and grant opportunities. The P.E.O.
sisterhood owns and supports Cottey College in Nevada,
Missouri. Chapter AX was organized in 1932 in Baker
City.
Grants available
for Main Street
projects
The State Historic Preservation Offi ce is offering grants
for up to $100,000 in matching funds for downtown
revitalization efforts in communities participating in the
Oregon Main Street Network. The Oregon Main Street
Revitalization Grant funds may be used to acquire, reha-
bilitate, and construct buildings on properties in desig-
nated downtown areas statewide.
Funded projects must facilitate community revitaliza-
tion that will lead to private investment, job creation or
retention, establishing or expanding viable businesses, or
creating a stronger tax base. Projects may include façade
improvement, accessibility enhancement, basic utilities,
second fl oor renovations and more. Only organizations
participating in the Oregon Main Street Network are
eligible to apply. Projects must be within approved Main
Street areas. A free workshop specifi c to the Oregon
Main Street Revitalization Grant will be January 31 in
Cottage Grove. Additional grant workshops on project
planning and grant writing and using the online grant
application will be offered. A two-hour workshop will be
in Salem on March 15. A shorter webinar will be avail-
able on March 16. Two webinars, January 18 and 19,
will explain the online grant system. To learn more visit
www.oregonheritage.org or contact Sheri Stuart at Sheri.
Stuart@oregon.gov or 503-986-0679.