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About The Baker County press. (Baker City, Ore.) 2014-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 22, 2017)
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2017 THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 7 Outdoor Rec / Local Fire season remains in effect, ODF’s fire restrictions terminate While cooler and wetter conditions have arrived throughout the region, fire season remains in effect for private, state, county, municipal and tribal lands protected by the Oregon Department of Forestry in northeast Oregon. Due to the change in the weather, the additional restrictions of the Regulat- ed-Use Closure have been terminated as of 12:01 am, September 21, 2017. ODF’s general fire sea- son restrictions mean that burn permits are required for all open fires (except campfires), debris burns and burn barrels. ODF will still need to issue a burn permit for any open burns or burn barrels within the protec- tion district until weather conditions warrant an end to fire season. Campfires fires are now allowed with landowner permission. Steve Meyer, Baker Wildland Fire Supervi- sor, cautions, “The recent moisture we’ve received has really improved fire danger conditions. How- ever, those conditions can change rapidly with a spell of hot and dry weather, or a wind event. There’s still a need to use caution when having a campfire or light- ing a burn barrel or debris pile. This is the time of year when human caused fire numbers can really increase.” The Northeast Oregon District includes lands in the following counties: Union, Baker, Umatilla, Wallowa and small por- tions of Grant, Morrow and Malheur counties. To obtain a burn permit from ODF, call your local ODF office: La Grande Unit (541)963-3168 Baker City Sub-Unit (541)523-5831 Wallowa Unit (541)886- 2881 Pendleton Unit (541)276- 3491 Fire restrictions may differ on lands protected by rural fire departments or lands managed by the US Forest Service or BLM. Check local regulations before burning. More information on fire restric- tions can be found the Blue Mountain Interagency Dispatch Center website at www.bmidc.org. To report a fire, call the Blue Mountain Inter- agency Dispatch Center at (541)963-7171, or dial 9-1-1. http://bluemountain- fireinfo.blogspot.com/ is your spot for current fire information in the Blue Mountains. Find us on Facebook at https://www.facebook. com/oregondeptofforest- ryNEO/ ODFW creates wolf vs. coyote ID quiz WWNF use restrictions ease again With cooler weather conditions and a decrease in fire danger, Public Use Restrictions (PURs) for campfires, smoking, off- road travel, and chainsaw use have been reduced to Phase A on the Wallowa- Whitman National Forest, effective Wednesday, September 20, 2017. Phase A is the second level of restrictions, generally implemented when fire danger is moderate to high. PURs are phased in and out across the Blue Mountains, as conditions warrant, and may differ from forest to forest. Phase A restrictions include the following: Seasonal campfire restric- tions and requirements described for June 1 - Oc- tober 31 apply. Campfires allowed only in fire pits surrounded by dirt, rock, or commercial rings and in areas not conducive to rapid fire spread. All flammable material shall be cleared within a 3-foot radius from the edge of the pit and free of overhanging material. Use existing pits wherever possible. Campfires must be at- tended at all times and completely extinguished prior to leaving. In all cases with all types of fires, a shovel, and one gallon of water, is required to be present at all times, except in designated Wil- derness Areas (Eagle Cap Wilderness, Hells Canyon Wilderness, Monument Rock Wilderness, North Fork John Day Wilder- ness) and the following developed recreation sites on the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest: Anthony Lakes Campground and Picnic Area, Union Creek Campground & Picnic Area, and Fish Lake Campground. Portable cooking stoves using liquefied or bottled gas and wood burning stoves, equipped with a chimney that is at least five (5) feet in length with a spark-arresting screen consisting of ¼ inch mesh hardware cloth, are al- lowed. Use of charcoal bri- quettes is permitted under the same restrictions as campfires described above. Chainsaws may be operated only between the hours of 8 p.m. and 1 p.m. local time. A one-hour fire watch is required after saw operations cease. Saw operators are required to have an axe (minimum 2 lb. head, 26” length), shovel (8” wide, 26” length), and fire extin- guisher (minimum ABC 8 oz.) in their possession. Chainsaw operations as- sociated with commercial and personal use firewood permits are regulated under Industrial Fire Precaution Levels (IFPLs) and are not impacted by these PURs. Please continue to check the Blue Mountain Inter- agency Dispatch website for up-to-date information on IFPLs. (http://bmidc. org/ifpls.shtml) Smoking is allowed only in enclosed vehicles, buildings, or areas cleared of flammable material with a minimum diameter of 3 feet. No off-road/off-trail vehicle travel or travel on roads not cleared of stand- ing grass or other flam- mable material; no vehicle travel on Forest Service roads where access has been impeded or blocked by earthen berm, logs, boulders, barrier, barricade or gate, or as otherwise identified in a Fire Order. The public’s awareness of the increased fire danger and cooperation is essen- tial to a continued safe fire season. Recreationists, firewood cutters, hunters, and other forest users can all help by closely adher- ing to restrictions, operat- ing safely and cautiously, and keeping up-to-date on the latest orders and regulations. Please check with your local Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) office for PURs on lands protect- ed by ODF. Visit the Blue Mountain Interagency Dis- patch webpage at: http:// www.bmidc.org for more information. Similar re- strictions may be in effect on State and private lands protected by the Washing- ton Department of Natural Resources (WA-DNR). More information can be found on the WA-DNR website at: http://www.dnr. wa.gov. For more information about the Wallowa-Whit- man National Forest’s PURs, please call our office at 541-523-6391 or call our information hotlines in Baker City at 541-523-1234, La Grande at 541-962-8679, or Joseph at 541-426-5552. You may also visit our website at www.fs.usda.gov/wallowa- whitman, or check our so- cial media Facebook page at https://www.facebook. com/WallowaWhitmanNF or the Blue Mountain Fire Information Blog at http:// bluemountainfireinfo. blogspot.com. Crossroads announces October artist of the month Textures in Clay by Ce- ramic Artist Linda Gray- McKean features clay sculptures and functional work. The exhibition is on display Friday, October 6th through Saturday October 28th. Location: Crossroads Carnegie Art Center-2020 Auburn Ave., Baker City, OR 97814 Opening reception Fri- day, October 6th from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. during Historic Baker City’s First Friday Art Walk In the Student Gallery: Artwork of Keating El- ementary School Live music by Hannah Violette, Piano. Light refreshments provided by Friends of Crossroads. This exhibition is made possible through the gener- ous support of Britt Sand & Gravel. Gallery hours: Monday thru Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Exhibition Description: Linda works primarily with stoneware clay (a clay that is fired to a tempera- ture that transforms it to a point where water cannot pass through it). She works primarily with slabs of clay that are thrown out by hand on a canvas-covered worktable. The process of trans- formation from “mud to stone” first captured her soul in 1973. The artist said, “I’m still fascinated by the mysteri- ous somewhat unpredict- able process. God’s hands are upon every firing. “ Much as the turtle’s shells are their place of refuge and rest, clay has become hers. Their shells have been her easel for explora- tion of textural patterns and color. During Linda’s daily ranch life she sees a mul- titude of textural patterns and colors. She is always explor- ing what impression Photos courtesy of Crossroads. An example of Gray-McKean’s texture in clay. they would make in her claywork. Linda will gather many different objects, or take pictures for later reference and will then sometimes create an object to mimic a similar texture in the clay. An example of this is the crater texture she uses for her bowls. The lava rocks on the ranch inspired the idea, but found the actual rock impression was not what she had envisioned, so Linda made her own object to create texture upon the bowls. About Crossroads Carn- egie Art Center: Crossroads Art Center, Inc., is a 501(c) (3) non- profit founded in 1963. Our mission is to create opportunities for the entire community to be engaged, inspired, and transformed by the arts. Photos courtesy of ODFW. Top: This coyote has a smaller pointy nose, large triangular ears, thinner legs, and smaller feet than a wolf. Bottom: This yearling wolf has a broad muzzle, shorter ears, longer legs and larger feet than a coyote. ODFW has launched a new online Coyote and Gray Wolf ID Quiz to help people differentiate between wolves and coyotes. Find the online quiz at http://bit.ly/2x56uoU or at the ODFW Wolves website, http://www.dfw.state. or.us/wolves/. The quiz uses actual photos of various wolves and coy- otes of various ages to test user’s knowledge, and gives tips on how to tell wolves from coyotes. For example, coyotes have taller, pointed ears and a pointed face and muzzle while wolves have shorter rounder ears and a blocky face and muzzle. “We encourage everyone who spends time in the outdoors to take this quiz, but especially hunters that pursue coyotes,” said Roblyn Brown, ODFW acting wolf coordinator. “It is the responsibility of every hunter to know their target.” Wolf pups in particular can resemble coyotes in the fall. Wolves are protected throughout the state of Oregon and there is no hunting season for wolves anywhere in the state. Intentionally hunting or accidentally “taking” a wolf is unlawful and can have serious legal consequenc- es. In 2015, a hunter shot and was prosecuted for killing a collared gray wolf in Grant County that he misidentified as a coyote. ODFW also relies on hunters, outdoor recreationalists, livestock producers and others to report wolf observa- tions. These public wolf reports help wildlife biologists know where to focus wolf survey efforts. If you think you have seen a wolf, wolf sign or heard wolves howling please report it at www.odfw.com/Wolves/wolf_report- ing_form.asp “This quiz can help anyone better identify wolves in the field,” said Brown. “We really appreciate everyone taking the time to take the quiz.” ODFW seeks fish screening task force ODFW is seeking a candidate to represent agricultural interests on the state’s Fish Screening Task Force. Apply by Oct. 13 using the Fish Screening Task Force Member application form found at www.dfw.state. or.us/fish/screening. Submit the application via email to tracy.d.wyllie@state.or.us or mail to Tracy Wyllie, 4034 Fairview Industrial Drive SE, Salem, OR 97302. The ODFW Fish Screening Program helps water users install and maintain fish screens to prevent fish from entering water diversions. The Task Force advises ODFW on program development, implementation, monitoring, technology, funding and reporting. “This is a great opportunity to get directly involved helping make recommendations regarding Fish Screen- ing Program implementation and to learn more about fish screening and passage issues,” he added. The Task Force meets three times a year at various locations, and meetings may include a field trip to project sites in the area. The seven members of the Task Force are appointed by the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission. Three members represent agricultural interests, three members represent fishing or fish conservation interests, and one member represents the public at large. Members serve two-year terms and may be reappointed. For questions or additional information regarding the Task Force, please call (503) 947-6256.
