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About The Baker County press. (Baker City, Ore.) 2014-current | View Entire Issue (May 5, 2017)
FRIDAY, MAY 5, 2017 THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 7 Outdoor Rec / Local HERBACIDE GIVEAWAY BUDGET COMMITTEE NOTICE For 2017, Baker County Weed District will again be giving out herbicide on the following locations, dates, and times. This fully mixed, ready-to-go herbicide will be targeting whitetop and scotch thistle. Folks need to bring chemical-resistant containers, preferably gas or oil cans, and a pair of chemical-resistant gloves. Please, no food containers. There will be a five gallon limit imposed for each residence. Note location for Baker City Giveaways! Where Date Time Huntington Lions Park May 5 9:00 - 12 AM Richland/Halfway Wildflower Corner May 12 7 - 12 Noon Baker City Old ODOT Building May 20 7 - 12 Noon 1050 S. Bridge Baker City Old ODOT Building May 27 7 -12 Noon 1050 S. Bridge Street Hereford Hall June 2 9 - 10:30 AM Unity Hall June 2 11:00 - Noon Notice of Budget Committee Meeting A public meeting of the Budget Committee of the Baker School District 5J, Baker County, State of Oregon, to dis- cuss the budget for the fiscal year July 1, 2017, to June 30, 2018, will be held at the Baker School District office at 2090 4th Street, Baker City, OR 97814. The meeting will take place on May 23, 2017, at 5:00 p.m. The purpose of the meeting is to receive the budget message and to receive comment from the public on the budget. This is a public meeting where deliberation of the Bud- get Committee will take place. Any person may appear at the meeting and discuss the proposed programs with the Budget Committee. A copy of the budget document may be inspected or obtained on or after May 17, 2017, at Baker School Dis- trict 5J between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. This notice and future notices will be posted on our website at www.baker.k12.or.us . 5.5 5.26 Wolf grant award discussed BY TODD ARRIOLA Todd@TheBakerCountyPress.com The Baker County Wolf Depredation Compensa- tion Committee met on Wednesday. April 26, 2017, 3 p.m., in the Com- mission Chambers of the Baker County Courthouse, in order to discuss the Oregon Department of Ag- riculture (ODA) 2017 Wolf Grant award, which totaled $23,219, $16,125 of which will be dispersed to three area producers, for missing livestock. Committee Chair and County Commissioner Mark Bennett was pres- ent for the meeting, joined by members Tom Van Diepen and Mike Colton, and County Commission Executive Assistant Heidi Martin. Martin received an email in April 2017, from Wolf Grant Program Area Director Jason Barber, with notification of the award amount, which also includes $6,599 for imple- menting methods to limit wolf-livestock interaction (such as Halfway-based James Chetwood, whom the County recruited last year, as a Range Rider), and $495 for qualified County expenses. The grant amount was awarded to Richland-based Chad Del Curto, Richland- based Deven Thompson, and Ontario-based Earl Andersen, according to their percentage of the total claimed missing livestock loss. Del Curto, with the largest claim, was awarded 59% of the grant for missing livestock, or $9,540 ($12,720 had been requested); Ander- sen was awarded 22%, or $3,588.75 ($4,785 had been requested); and Thompson was awarded 19%, or $2,996.25 ($3.995 had been requested). These amounts requested represent the amended claims, as the producers originally had claimed a total loss of almost $55,000, with 73 ani- mals—54 calves, 18 cows, and one bull. In April, Barber communicated to the committee that he needed more information, because, among other details, “With only having a grand total of $150,000 to $160,000 to award the entire state, the ODA is having a hard time recon- ciling/justifying this Baker County’s missing livestock claim... “Further, Baker County did not appear to have a single depredation in- vestigation of any kind for 2016; It is our under- standing that there have only been three wolves in the Baker County area for most of 2016 (radio- collared wolves OR 29, 36, and 37), and OR 37 has no known depredation history.” The committee noted the shortfall in funding for missing livestock, and doubts the claim that there are only three radio-col- lared wolves in the County, as stated by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), but the group nonetheless re- quested more information from the producers, and provided that to Barber, who reviewed the amended claims, and subsequently informed Martin of the grant award. During the April 26 meeting, the committee discussed a concern of Barber’s, the Areas Of Known Wolf Activity (AKWA), in relation to where cattle are located, as part of a claim for missing livestock. The committee discussed requesting more detailed information from producers when a claim is made, such as specifics to include AKWA maps. The $6,599 reserved for limiting wolf-livestock interaction is expected to be used to recruit a Range Rider again this year, ac- cording to the committee (Chetwood had expressed interest in continuing in that position, if funding were available, said Baker County Soil and Water Conservation Districts Manager Whitney Collins. Chetwood logged 318 hours of riding time last year, at $22 per hour, for a total of $6,996). The committee expects to get details out to live- stock producers regard- ing the requirements for claim applications for next year, by probably, among other methods, putting that information in Baker County Livestock Asso- ciation (BCLA) fliers (the BCLA sends reminders of its monthly meetings, with agenda items included, for example). Anyone who would like to request more informa- tion regarding the claim application process for missing livestock and wolf depredation is asked to contact the County Board of Commissioners office, at 541-523-8200. Fish liberation! Firewood permits available 2017 Firewood permits for the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest will go on sale May 1. Personal-use firewood permits can be purchased for $5 per cord, with a four cord minimum and a 10 cord maximum. Personal- use firewood permits will be available at Forest Service offices on Monday, May 1 and at several local vendors throughout the area. Commercial firewood permits are only available at Ranger District Offices. Vendors that sell firewood permits may add an ad- ditional vendor fee of up to $2 per permit. “Our vendors provide a great service to the woodcutter by selling firewood permits at times more convenient to the public,” said Tom Montoya, Forest Supervisor. Most vendors are open early mornings, late evenings and on the weekends. An additional fee is not charged if you purchase a permit at a Forest Service Office. Firewood cutters will be required to keep a record of the date, time, and quantity of firewood removed from the National Forest System Lands. There is a chart on the front of the permit called the “Product Quantity Removal Record.” Law enforcement officers will be enforcing this law. Additional information can be found in the Firewood Guide that accompanies each permit. To provide consistency and minimize confusion, firewood permittees will follow the same system as com- mercial operations and will be affected by Industrial Fire Precaution Levels (IFPL): · Level I – 1 hour fire watch after completing chainsaw activities. · Level II – Partial Hootowl – no internal combustion engine operation between the hours of 1:00 PM and 8:00 PM and a 1 hour fire watch. · Level III – Partial Shutdown – no internal combustion engine operation (No Firewood Cutting) · Level IV – no internal combustion engine operation (No Firewood Cutting) During fire season, IFPL levels can be found at: http:// bmidc.org/ifpls.shtml. Firewood cutting information and restrictions will also be updated and posted on a recorded message. Restric- tions will be announced by 6:00 p.m. on the day prior to the restriction going into effect. Weekend restrictions will be announced by 6:00 p.m. on Friday. It is the public’s responsibility to check to see if restrictions are in affect. Call the appropriate Forest’s Firewood Hotline to check if firewood cutting is allowed, restricted, or prohibited. An updated recorded message will let you know if firewood cutting is: allowed all day; restricted to specific hours (i.e. 1:00 p.m. chainsaw shutdown); restricted to specific areas of the Forest; or closed completely due to wildfire danger: Wallowa-Whitman Firewood Hotlines: · Baker City (541) 523-1234 · La Grande (541) 962-8679 · Joseph (541) 426-5552 Permits are not valid in areas where firewood cutting restrictions are in effect. Woodcutters are also encouraged to remain in the work area for a minimum of one hour after the chainsaw is shut down to watch for and suppress any fires or smoldering duff. A one hour fire watch is required during IFPL 1 and 2. Mountain travel requires care to avoid getting stuck or causing extensive and illegal resource damage to the land and vegetation. Woodcutters are asked to check our Cur- rent Road Conditions Report before heading out to make sure the area you’re traveling to is accessible. Avoid driving off roads and onto wet, unstable ground or fragile meadow environments to load firewood. Pack additional food, water, clothing and other emergency supplies to ensure you’re fully prepared. Let someone know the destination you plan to cut wood and an estimated time you should return. For more information on firewood cutting, please contact: La Grande Ranger District: (541) 963-7186 Wallowa Mountains Office (Joseph): (541) 426-5546 Whitman Ranger District: · Baker City: (541) 523-6391 · Halfway: (541) 742-7511 Wallowa-Whitman Supervisor’s Office: (541) 523-1218 Local Permit Vendors Burnt River Market 304 Main Street Unity, OR 97884 (541) 446-3660 Fergus Gold Post 150 N. Mill Street Sumpter, OR 97877 (541) 894-2362 Halfway Market 117 South Main Street Halfway, OR 97834 (541) 742-6171 D & B Supply 3515 Pocahontas Road Baker City, OR 97814 (541) 523-6442 Fall controlled hunt deadline May 15 Photos submitted by Amy Lord of the Hells Canyon Inn. On Monday at the Hells Canyon Dam, a process called “fish liberation” took place as 40,000 steelhead were released into the waters. Two trucks, each carrying 20,000 fish in tanks strictly controlled for tem- perature and oxygen levels, pulled up near the dam where onlookers watched in fascination. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife stocks ponds, creeks, rivers and reservoirs across Oregon with various species of fish each year. Fall may be months away but it’s time to start planning your big game hunt. Don’t forget to apply for a controlled hunt by Monday, May 15 at 11:59 p.m. PT. Apply online, at a license sales agent or ODFW office that sells licenses, or by mail/fax order. The cost is $8 per application and hunters need a 2017 annual hunting license to apply. Last year, more than half of the 467,028 applications were submitted in the last week before the deadline, including nearly 74,149 on deadline day.
