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About The Baker County press. (Baker City, Ore.) 2014-current | View Entire Issue (March 17, 2017)
FRIDAY, MARCH 17, 2017 THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 7 Outdoor Rec / Local HELP WANTED The Baker Valley Soil and Water Conservation District is accepting applications for a seasonal irrigation system worker. This position will be responsible in assisting partnering agencies with the implementation of small scale irriga- tion systems and riparian vegetation. Candidates must have the following; 1.) Valid Drivers License 2.) Basic knowledge of household irrigation systems, small pumps, and controllers 3.) Ability to use hand tools 4.) Ability to operate small engines/equipment 5.) Ability to perform routine tasks for long periods of time 6.) Basic knowledge of weed identification and treatments 7.) Strong communication skills 8.) Ability to make maintenance decisions with little or no supervision This position will be from May 2017 to approximately November 1, 2017 and will require a 32 hour work week. The rate of pay will be $13/hr. To apply, please drop off or email resume along with a cover letter explaining your qualifications for the position to; Whitney Collins 3990 Midway Dr. Baker City OR 97814 or whitney.collins@bakercountyswcds.com. All applications must be in by 3:30pm, March 30th 2017. “Baker Valley Soil and Water Conservation District is an Equal Opportunity Employer.” For questions, please feel free to contact me at 541-523-7121 x 109. 3.31 Lead ammo, wildlife, and the like tion (lead toxicity), on scavenging animals, such as eagles. The previ- ous week’s journal began with details regarding a Bald Eagle, designated 17-084, THE OUTDOOR COLUMN which had By Todd Arriola been found on the ground In one of the most near Mesa, recent editions of “Lynn’s Washington, on February Journal,” a weekly recap of 27, and which showed happenings at Pendleton- signs of ingested lead based rescue organization toxicity. Blue Mountain Wild- This led to the subject life (BMW), Executive of the LeadCare II, a blood Director Lynn Tompkins lead testing device manu- said she received an factured by North Bill- overwhelmingly positive erica, Massachusetts-based response to the previ- Magellan Diagnostics, ous week’s journal entry which was used to measure regarding ingested lead the blood lead level in the toxicity in raptors, howev- Bald Eagle. er, she noted that some of Initially, Lynn said, the the information presented machine read “high,” was used to promote agen- which meant that the read- das not in alignment with ing was above the manu- BMW’s. facturer’s limit of what To set the record the machine can detect, 65 straight, Lynn stated this, micrograms per deciliter. literally, in bold type: After diluting the sample, “Blue Mountain Wild- per Magellan’s protocol, life respects the rights of in order to try to obtain a hunters. Blue Mountain proper reading, the level Wildlife recognizes that was again “high,” and after sportsmen are conserva- a second time diluting tionists...Blue Mountain the sample, the level was Wildlife supports hunting finally detected: 622 mi- with non-lead ammuni- crograms per deciliter. tion...” Lynn said this was the She elaborated on all highest lead level ever three statements, recog- documented by BMW, and nizing that hunting and 30 times the level consid- fishing licensing fees pay ered toxic in raptors, 20 for conservation programs, micrograms per deciliter. benefiting both game, and Lynn said that, over non-game species of wild- the course of five days, life, and that staff of BMW through aggressive chela- regularly see the first-hand tion treatment (in which a effects of the consumption solution is injected into the of the remains of animals bloodstream, to bind to, shot with lead ammuni- and remove the lead), the lead level of the bird was reduced to 105 micrograms per deciliter, but the bird was unable to overcome the effects of the toxicity, and he died. In Lynn’s Journal, she said, “There is no safe level of lead for humans or wildlife...” as she listed some potential effects, such as anemia, high blood pressure, and the lowering of IQ and learning ability in children. Lynn said, “Non-lead ammunition performs as well or better than lead ammunition. Eating game shot with non-lead am- munition is safer for your family. Hunting with non- lead ammunition prevents secondary poisoning of wildlife like Bald Eagle 17-084...” At this point in her journal, Lynn included the address of a website, www. huntingwithnonlead.org, for further information regarding the topic. The website, still within the same theme as Lynn’s and BMW’s philosophy about the benefits of using non-lead ammunition (the first tip-off is the logo with the bull elk and the words “MORE HUNTING LESS LEAD”), presents informa- tion regarding the differ- ences with using lead am- munition versus non-lead ammunition, in contrast to what any group(s) mis- understood, purposely or not, from Lynn’s journal, resulting in misuse of the information, in an attempt to advance specific agen- das, such as hunting versus anti-hunting. An introductory state- ment on the website, re- garding its contributors and mission, reads as follows: “Hunting with Non-lead is dedicated to promoting hunting and wildlife con- servation through the use of non-lead ammunition. “We are hunters and wildlife biologists who recognize the common ground between hunting and wildlife conserva- tion. It is our mission to promote the positive contributions of hunting and the use of non-lead ammunition by providing accurate information and resources to hunters and wildlife managers.” Credited as contribu- tors are the Institute for Wildlife Studies California Non-lead Outreach Coor- dinator Russell Kuhlman, a lifelong outdoorsman who’s hunted multiple game species in multiple states across the country; Wildlife Biologist Jim Peterson, a lifelong hunter from Idaho, who’s worked for the National Park Service; and avid hunter and outdoorsman Leland Brown, a former wildlife biologist from New Hamp- shire, who’s worked on a variety of invasive species control programs, and who works with hunters in the Northwest to reduce the unintended impacts of lead ammunition on wildlife, according to information on the website. The Institute for Wildlife Studies partnered with the National Park Service to remove feral hogs from Pinnacles National Monu- ment (located about five miles east of Soledad, and about 80 miles southeast of San Jose, California), having successfully culled more than 300, gaining extensive experience with the use of non-lead am- munition. Their conclusion, ac- cording to the website: “Based on these real world evaluations of non-lead ammo, we have found it to be extremely accurate and lethal.” Free fishing days coming in April Anglers and would- be anglers can enjoy a weekend of free fishing on April 22 and 23. On these two days, Oregonians and visitors can fish, crab and clam for free anywhere in Oregon without a license, tag or endorsement. This free fishing week- end —as well as to two other free fishing holidays Nov. 25 and 26 and Dec. 31 – Jan. 1, 2018 — is in addition to the traditional free fishing weekend on June 3-4. These additional free fishing days are thanks to a 2015 law passed by the Oregon Legislature allowing the Fish and Wildlife Commission to set up to eight days of free fishing every year. “April 22 is also Earth Day, and what better way for Oregonians to get outside and celebrate the natural world than by tak- ing family and friends out for a day of fishing,” said Mike Gauvin, ODFW rec- reational fishing manager. While licenses are waived during free fishing days, all other regulations and regular closures still apply. Chance ahead to win guided hunt ODFW is offering 10 youth hunters (ages 17 and under) the chance to win a guided turkey hunt on a private ranch in Jackson County during the spring 2017 turkey season. Ten hunts will be raffled off on March 31, 2017. Winners will receive one day of turkey hunting on the C2 Ranch in Jackson County, accompanied by a guide who will help locate wild turkeys. A parent or other family member may also accompany the youth on the hunt. “The ranch has a lot of oak savannah and brushy areas, which makes for good wild turkey habitat,” says ODFW wildlife biolo- gist Vince Oredson. Spring turkey season runs April 15-May 31 statewide, and youth hunt- ers also get their own two- day season April 8-9. Hunt applications are available at the ODFW Central Point office, 1495 East Gregory Rd., or online under A&H Hunting Opportunities. Applications must be received at the Central Point ODFW office by 5 p.m., March 31, and may be submitted by mail, in person, or email. There is no cost to enter the raffle, though winners are still responsible for purchas- ing a hunting license and turkey tag before hunting. Winners will be notified on April 3. Youth without hunter education certification may apply and hunt under the Mentored Youth Hunter program, but only during the regular spring turkey season (April 15-May 31), not the two-day youth season. For more information, contact Vince Ored- son at (541) 826-8774, Vince.J.Oredson@state. or.us. Sumpter City Council talks cannabis tax BY MEGHAN ANDERSCH Meghan @TheBakerCountyPress.com Sumpter City Council met in regular session March 13, 2017. In attendance were mayor Cary Clarke, Linda Wise, and Samantha Rowan. Among other business, the Council passed Ordinance 2017-2 regarding collection of tax on sales of cannabis products. Utility Manager Report Jeff McKinney started with, “Wow, what a winter!” He said everything is running smoothly now. There will be some inevitable flooding as spring thaw comes with ditches plugged with ice and snow. Tuesday afternoon, there were some flooding issues right by City Hall. McK- inney said the mayor grabbed a shovel and helped him get the issue under control. McKinney stated the winter was brutal and hard on everybody. The City spent tremendous amount of money for snow removal. McKinney acknowledged Tim Peters for digging out hydrants. He said Clarke has come to the rescue countless times, more often than not without submitting a bill. He also thanked Lee German and Phil Callahan for their help, saying there was more here than one guy could possibly keep up with. McKinney said there are usually some water issues concerning inflow to the City about this time of year, and maintaining access to McCully will be a priority. Fire Department Report Jim Sheller reported things are really quiet with no call-outs since the last meeting. They are waiting to begin their heavy training again when the snow goes. All equipment is ready to roll. Planning Report LeAnne Woolf reported the Planning Commission met on 3/2. She submitted a zoning application to an archi- tect for corrections to some issues. The application will be reviewed at the next meeting. The Commission also discussed the evacuation plan. John Young will invite Sheriff Ash to come and share the perspective of the Sheriff’s Department. Commission members are watch- ing water drainage and how the snow berms affect it, as that is a part of the section they are currently working on in the Comprehensive Plan. Finally, Woolf stated there are openings on the Commission. She said there is little to do except at meetings, unless someone volunteers to take on something additional. Clarke asked if anything has been heard from the State Parks people. Woolf said they will be coming to April’s City Council meeting. Offer Assistant Recorder Position Clarke reported the Council held a meeting and went through resumes. He said of those submitted, he thinks LeAnne Woolf is best qualified for the position. Clarke made a motion to offer her the job. Motion passed unani- mously. Replacing Attorney Skerjanec Clarke stated he’s talked to Josh Stump quite a bit and he seems pretty much on the ball and willing to take on the job. Wise commented that his resume looks good. Clarke said Stump comes highly recommended by the League of Oregon Cities and the City insurance company. Rowan commented that Stump is good about returning calls and e-mails. Clarke made the motion to hire Joshua Stump as City attorney. Motion passed unanimously. Woolf stated that named defendants on the lawsuit would like it clarified if Stump will be handling that. Clarke stated he thinks Stump will handle everything. Clarke asked who will be representing City Hall at the 3/24 meeting. Clarke motioned to elect Rowan as repre- sentative of the City. Motion passed unanimously. ORD NO 2017-2 3% Sales Tax on Cannabis Products City Recorder Julie McKinney explained this is required by State in order to collect taxes on cannabis sales. She said citizens already voted on receiving the three percent tax, but now the ordinance has to be done. It has been posted for a long time. McKinney read the ordinance in its entirety and did a second reading by title only, per unanimous vote of the Council. Motion to pass the ordinance was approved unanimously. ORD NO 2017-3 Revised Time, Place and Manner on Cannabis Businesses McKinney stated she made the requested amendments and asked Council to approve the changes so she can get the ordinance posted. Motion passed unanimously. ORD NO 2017-4 To Prohibit Marijuana Grows McKinney stated she contacted the DLCD (Department of Land Conservation and Development). They will get back to her on which person in particular to send the ordi- nance to. She said they going to help so the City doesn’t run into trouble again like it did with LUBA. There will be a hearings process on the ordinance. Resolutions 330 and 331: Update and Continue Wa- ter Reserve Account and Update and Continue Sewer Reserve Account McKinney read both resolutions. As the need contin- ues to exist to set aside funds for updating and maintain- ing the water system and updating and maintaining the sewer system, the Council resolves to continue setting the funds aside. This resolution must be reviewed and re- newed every 10 years. Motion to adopt both resolutions passed unanimously. Resolution 332: Moving funds from LGIP This resolution covers moving funds not to exceed $62,000 to the water utilities fund account for the pur- poses of paying outstanding overtime and comp hours, on the advice of attorney Stump. Motion to adopt resolution passed unanimously. SEE SUMPTER PAGE 9