FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017
THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 7
Outdoor Rec / Local
Pine-Eagle school closure
CONTINUED FROM
PAGE 1
“To the best of my
knowledge it has never
closed because of a direct
weather issue. Just water,
power, heat outages,” Tom
Huff of Halfway said.
“Never had a snow day
we did get out due to pow-
er outage though,” added
Justin Welch, another local
resident.
The severe weather
conditions that have been
having a devastating effect
on all of Eastern Oregon
have played out a little dif-
ferently in the tiny town of
Halfway.
Although seated at a
much lower elevation than,
for example, Sumpter (at
4,429 ft.), Halfway, at
2,651 ft,, is well known
for receiving signifi cant
snowfall.
The town sits in Pine
Valley, fully ringed by
the Wallowa-Whitman
National Forest, the Eagle
Cap Wilderness and Hells
Canyon National Recre-
ation Area.
Snow-lovers fl ock to
Halfway in the winter
to enjoy the hundreds of
miles of groomed trails and
winter play opportunities
nearby.
When the cities of
Baker or LaGrande receive
several inches of snow,
Halfway measures theirs in
feet. Consequently, closing
the charter school, which
also serves the nearby
communities of Richland
and Oxbow, is nearly
unheard of.
Once in a great while
there may be a two-hour
delayed start time, to give
city plows time to clear
roads for the busses.
However, the storm this
week has changed all that.
Busses headed home on
Wednesday ran into a num-
ber of diffi cult situations,
from getting stuck and tak-
ing two hours for a normal
45-minute route, to sliding
off the road in Richland,
on Dance Hall Road.
“Been here 50 years,”
said bus driver Lolah Yo-
shikawa. “Not closed for
snow that I can remem-
ber. Power outage and no
heat were the only time I
can remember. 34 years
driving bus. We just kept
rolling along. Sometimes
not sure we would make
it. This year has been a
nightmare.”
Locals are struggling to
remember a worse winter.
One group of local resi-
dents is in the process of
developing a community-
wide resource to help con-
nect people in need of help
with snow removal with
those who can provide the
service.
The Pine Valley Snow
Team is working on a web-
site, which will streamline
the process, but at present
is working from a spread-
sheet showing providers or
volunteers, and those who
have requested help.
Both paid and donated
services are offered, with
one of Halfway’s more fa-
mous residents, Olympian
Inga Thompson, offering
to donate her help for those
in need.
Emergency service
providers in the area are
also working on develop-
ing plans to meet the needs
of the communities they
serve.
With the intense snow-
fall and diffi cult driving
conditions, collaboration
between all agencies is a
neccesitating.
Debi Duggan, EMT with
Eagle Valley Ambulance
Service, Richland, said,
“We are working on plans
with other agencies so that
our patients can be taken
care of if the need arises.”
On a more cheerful
note, one of the benefi ts of
the intense cold that has
gripped Pine Valley is that
two local volunteers have
created an ice skating rink
from the tennis courts at
Pine Eagle High School.
With the assistance of
the local Lion’s Club, who
is covering the insurance,
Steve White and Galen
West, with help from Half-
way Fire Department who
fl ooded the courts, have
created a large ice rink and
offer free use of around
45 pairs of ice skates in all
sizes.
Their opening night was
Tuesday, when several
families came out to enjoy
evening skating.
White and Galen stay on
site to offer assistance and
supervision.
City’s Development code to be reviewed
On February 1st, 2017 at
7:00 p.m., the Baker City
Planning Commission will
hold a public hearing to
review proposed changes
to the City of Baker City
Development Code.
The Baker City Devel-
opment Code (BCDC) was
amended in 2015.
During the adoption
process, a court decision
was released identifying
principles that needed to be
incorporated into the sign
chapter.
City Council adopted all
of the proposed changes
in 2015 except for the
sign chapter, and in 2016,
the Planning Commission
began work to revise the
sign chapter.
During the Planning
Commission’s work
sessions, other revisions
were identifi ed. Some of
these revisions are more
complex and may have an
impact on landowners.
Other revisions are
needed, including incon-
sistencies and reference
corrections, clarifi cations,
organization, and other
minor corrections.
These types of house-
keeping revisions are
straightforward and do not
materially alter the Code.
Making changes to land
use regulations is a Leg-
islative (Type IV) proce-
dure, which is considered
initially by the Planning
Commission with fi nal
decisions made by City
Council.
A list of revisions was
developed during Plan-
ning Commission work
sessions held in 2016 on
January 20th, February
17th, March 16th, April
20th, May 18th, June 15th,
August 17th, November
9th and December 14th.
Proposed changes include
corrections to inconsisten-
cies and reference er-
rors, clarifi cation of code
content, clearer organiza-
tion of defi nition section;
revisions to the sign code
based on case law princi-
ples, as well as readability
and ease-of-use, modifi ca-
tions to approval criteria
for temporary occupancy
of motor homes in residen-
tial zones, clarifi cation of
language in Lot of Record
criteria, clarifi cations and
increases to size allow-
ances for accessory struc-
tures in residential zones,
simplifi cation of submis-
sion requirements for site
plans and preliminary
plats; addition of proposed
public dedications as part
of requirements to submit
a preliminary plat, addition
of requirement that City
acceptance of any dedica-
tion must be indicated on
fi nal plats, and the addition
of a process for determin-
ing rough proportional-
ity for development and
required public improve-
ments.
Additional information is
available on the Baker City
website at: http://www.
bakercity.com/depart-
ments/planning/123.
The Planning Depart-
ment will also hold an
open house on January
25th from 4:00 p.m.-6:00
p.m. at the Council Cham-
bers in City Hall to answer
questions and address any
concerns from the public.
If you have questions
regarding changes to the
City of Baker City Devel-
opment Code, please visit
the Planning Department
or contact the Planning
Department at (541)-
523-8219 or planning@
bakercounty.org.
First Chamber Concert of 2017 ahead
The next concert in
the 2016-2017 Chamber
Concert series, sponsored
by the Grande Ronde Sym-
phony Association, will
take place Saturday, Janu-
ary 21, 2017, at 7:30 p.m.
The concert will be held
at 905 14th Street, in La
Grande which is handicap
accessible.
This fi rst chamber con-
cert of the new calendar
year will feature wood-
wind and brass performers,
in various combinations,
from Union and Wallowa
counties. The fi rst selec-
tion, Duo for Flute and
Oboe, will feature Colleen
Nelson on fl ute and Lauren
Guthridge on oboe. This
will be followed by a Mo-
zart piece, Divertimento
II, performed by Lauren
on oboe, and adding Aaron
Boudreaux on clarinet and
Hayley Buckley on bas-
soon. The third selection
features the combination
of oboe, played by Lauren,
and English horn, played
by Heather Tyreman,
performing Shepherds of
Provence. The fi nal selec-
tion will be Le Cheminee
du Roi Rene by Milhaud
for fl ute, oboe, clarinet,
bassoon, and adding Steve
Tanner on French horn.
Season chamber concert
pass holders get in by
fl ashing their passes. A
season pass for the remain-
der of the season may be
purchased at the door for
$75. Tickets are $25 at the
door.
For further information,
please contact Patty San-
doz at 541-963-7595.
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Eastern Oregon
backcountry
festival this
weekend
The Eastern Oregon Backcountry Festival returns for
its fi fth fun-fi lled weekend celebrating winter recreation
in the region while supporting the Wallowa Avalanche
Center.
The Winter Wildlands Film Festival kicks things off
at 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 20 at the La Grande Arts Center.
Proceeds from a raffl e and auction that evening benefi t
the avalanche center.
Benchwarmers Pub and Grill is catering the event with
micro brews available for purchase along with other
beverages and food.
The raffl e and auction features a selection of prizes
donated by local businesses and individuals, including
but not limited to a whitewater rafting trip from Winding
Waters River Expeditions, a ski trip at one of the legend-
ary Wallowa Alpine Huts, a pair of Black Diamond skis,
outdoor gear from Blue Mountain Outfi tters and much
more.
The party moves to Anthony Lakes Mountain resort
Saturday, Jan. 21, where the Kip Rand Memorial Uphill/
Downhill Race starts at 8 a.m. The two race winners will
each receive a 2017-2018 season pass to Anthony Lakes.
Other activities include free clinics in companion
rescue and avalanche safety and live music by “Bag of
Hammers” at the Starbottle Saloon.
A backcountry tour of the Anthony Lakes area is the
festival fi nale Sunday, Jan. 22.
To sign up for the tour or for more information about the
festival, contact Michael Hatch, EOU’s Outdoor Adven-
ture Program coordinator, at 541-962-3621, mhatch@
eou.edu or visit eou.edu/outdoor.
BLM to remove
more Oregon land
from mining
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced
today that the Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals
Management has signed a public land order for a 20-year
term withdrawing lands managed by the U.S. Forest
Service and the BLM in the southwest corner of Oregon,
subject to valid existing rights.
This withdrawal includes 95,805 acres of National For-
est System lands on the Rogue River-Siskiyou National
Forest, and 5,216 acres of Bureau of Land Management
public lands in the Medford and Coos Bay Districts of
the BLM. The lands are in Josephine and Curry Counties.
The Assistant Secretary's Order withdraws these lands
from settlement, sale, location, and entry under the public
land laws, location and entry under the U.S. mining laws,
and operation of the mineral and geothermal leasing
laws, for a period of 20 years while Congress considers
legislation to permanently withdraw those areas. This ac-
tion will also protect the natural resources in the south-
western Oregon watersheds from possible adverse effects
of mineral development.
This withdrawal does not prohibit or restrict any other
authorized uses on these lands. The withdrawal protects
these watersheds from possible adverse effects of mineral
development. Also, while this action prohibits the loca-
tion of new mining claims, it does not prohibit ongoing
or future mining exploration or extraction operations on
valid pre-existing mining claims.
The area covered by this action is generally known
as the Klamath Mountains and includes the Rough and
Ready-Baldface Creek and the Hunter Creek-North Fork
Pistol River subwatersheds of southwestern Oregon. The
defi ning characteristic of the proposal is the North Fork
of the Smith River, which originates in the Kalmiopsis
Wilderness and drains most of the area under consid-
eration for withdrawal. Creeks that feed into the North
Fork and other rivers that fl ow to the Oregon Coast offer
unique ecological features stemming from the confl uence
of the Coast Range, Cascades, and Siskiyou Mountains.
A high concentration of rare plants, forested trails, and
scenic views are all emblematic of these drainages.
Rough and Ready Creek and Baldface Creek are listed as
eligible for National Wild and Scenic River designation
by the U.S. Forest Service.
The areas protected include the watershed of the
National Wild and Scenic North Fork Smith River in
Oregon and the watershed of Rough and Ready Creek.
These rivers are known for their wild salmon and steel-
head populations, and provide vital economic, recreation
and natural resources to the area.
ODFW commission
to meet in Salem
The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission will meet
Friday, Jan. 20 at ODFW Headquarters in Salem (4034
Fairview Industrial Drive SE) to consider changes to the
Columbia River Fishery Reform program.
The meeting begins at 8 a.m. and follows this agenda
http://www.dfw.state.or.us/agency/commission/min-
utes/17/01_jan/index.asp.
The Commission is the policy-making body for fi sh and
wildlife issues in the state and it usually meets monthly.
Individuals needing accommodations may call the ODFW
Director’s Offi ce at 800-720-6339 or 503-947-6044.