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.