Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Baker County press. (Baker City, Ore.) 2014-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 1, 2017)
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2017 4 — THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS Outdoors / Opinion Holidays and outdoors defensive shooting, if Governor Kate Brown forced the in- vestigation to be reopened, the message would basi- cally be that the Oregon State Police (OSP) and the Union County Dis- THE OUTDOOR COLUMN trict Attorney By Todd Arriola don’t know what they’re Though I paid nearly doing—prob- zero attention to two ably not the best scenario. events—the Washington Last winter was the Redskins beating the New harshest one in a long time, York Giants in the first what we jokingly called Redskins-hosted football an “actual winter,” but it game on Thanksgiving, affected the numbers of and the limited chaos from game tags issued to hunt- single-minded shoppers on ers, because of the losses Black Friday—I’m pleased in deer populations, for to see that the holiday was example. a great success. When I asked about the With no snow on the possibility of a deer dam- ground yet (down where I age tag this year, Oregon am, anyway), and tempera- Department of Fish and tures still relatively forgiv- Wildlife (ODFW) Baker ing, I wonder whether this District Biologist Brain winter will be as harsh as Ratliff said something like, the last one. I also wonder “You’ll have a tough time about the water situation convincing me to issue a next year. damage tag for a doe.” Fair With the beginning of enough. December, and the nearly I still had other opportu- month-long reminder of nities, and I had ambitious the Christmas holiday to goals for the year, outdoor come, I wonder how the and indoor, which included year’s gone by so quickly. a honey-do list I dreamed In the outdoor world, would be non-existent by we saw the full spectrum December 31st. of activity, from major ac- As in most cases, complishments, successes, “Things don’t always go and bragging rights, to fail- according to plan,” and ures and outright poach- that probably won’t hap- ing. In the special political pen. And to the delight firestorm that is Oregon, of some coyotes this year, whenever there is death to my particular harvest was wildlife—legal or not— minimal, but there’s still a there seems to always be a month left, and all of 2018. delicate balance between Brandi, Airianna and I seeing both sides of the did manage to get some issue and getting along fishing in, but maybe not and playing well, and all as much as I would have parties kicking the crap out liked. Still, part of the of each other in a series of point was to do something cage fights. together, and to teach the This kind of combative little one about the activ- attitude is expected year- ity, and Airianna did learn long, especially with a quickly. subject such as wolves, the My girls don’t ex- recent defensive shoot- actly enjoy the sound of ing of an attacking wolf a centerfire rifle shot, but by an elk hunter, as well amazingly, when I stepped as deliberate or undeter- outside one night to shoot mined deaths, being prime at a problem skunk with examples. a shotgun, neither one of In the case of the them awoke from their nap, roughly ten feet away on the couch. Heavy sleepers. Hunting and fishing re- minds me of an interesting experience I had this year, while shopping at one of the local grocery stores. Someone I know, a relatively recent trans- plant from another area to eastern Oregon, asked me about living in the region—basically, the “purist” kind of living, which involves “growing, catching, or shooting” all of his own food needed to survive, and living a more subsistence-type life where he lives (he said he could raise sheep and other animals in that area). He said that most of the people he talked to don’t live completely in that mode (many are older, and either aren’t able to hunt and fish, for example, or choose not to, for different reasons), and that he has limited learning opportuni- ties which teach the needed skills. I said that I don’t really have all the answers to his question, and that I’m no expert, but that his situation could certainly be remedied. In no case did he say that anyone was hostile about the topic, which makes sense, because I told him that people here are generally friendly and helpful. Back to Thanksgiving. I got together with a small, merry tribe in our family, and we attempted to eat a large amount of food. A valiant effort every time we try that, and the company was great, but we always have leftovers (we’re still eating them). I’ve come to the conclu- sion that this is on purpose, because neither I, nor many people I know, com- plain about having extra food around, post-grand feast, despite being stuffed to the point of sickness at the time. I presented my cats with some scraps, who tried to eat my hand in their ex- cited state, and who were also thankful for another year. They agreed—the turkey was wonderful... Salmon and Trout committee to meet The Oregon Depart- ment of Fish and Wild- life’s Salmon and Trout Enhancement Program (STEP) Advisory Com- mittee will meet Thursday, Dec. 7 beginning at 8 a.m. in the Commission Room at the ODFW Headquar- ters Office, 4034 Fairview Industrial Drive in Salem. The meeting is open to the public and the agenda includes STEP program planning, STEP program updates, and review of mini-grant applications. The Oregon Legislature created Salmon and Trout Enhancement Program in 1981 to provide a way for volunteers to partici- pate in the restoration of native stocks of salmon, steelhead and trout. The STEP Advisory Committee makes recommendations to ODFW and the Fish and Wildlife Commission on issues regarding its pro- grams. The committee’s 13 members are appointed by the Governor and represent all areas of Oregon. Reasonable accommo- dations will be provided as needed for individuals requesting assistive hear- ing devices, sign language interpreters or large-print materials. Individuals needing these types of ac- commodations may call the Information and Education Division at (800) 720-6339 or (503) 947-6002 at least 24 hours in advance of the meeting. For more information on the Salmon Trout Enhance- ment Program visit the ODFW Web site at http:// www.dfw.state.or.us/fish/ STEP/ or call program staff at (503) 947-6211. Parks and Rec permits go on sale Dec. 1 From Dec. 1-31, holi- day shoppers can buy the annual parking permit for only $25—that's $5 off the regular price of $30. The permits are transferable from vehicle to vehicle. Shoppers can round out their gift with holiday gear branded with the iconic Oregon State Parks shield, including hats, water bot- tles, dog bowls, ornaments and stickers. The holiday gear will be on sale during the month of December. Gift gear and parking permits are for sale online at https://store.oregonstate- parks.org/. Gift items can also be purchased in per- son at Oregon State Parks headquarters in Salem, 725 Summer St. NE Suite C. Parking permits are also sold at major OPRD offices, some state park friends' group stores and selected local businesses throughout the state. For a complete list of vendors, visit http://oregonstate- parks.org/. — Editorial — Hodge Podge The Privilege Tax. We reported earlier on the “privilege tax” being enacted as part of the new Transporta- tion Package, which puts a .5% sales tax on dealerships for the privilege of selling new gas or diesel-powered ve- hicles. That sales tax would, of course, be passed along immediately to the consumer. That tax revenue would then be redistributed to citizens purchasing electric cars in the form of some whop- ping rebates. We were pleased to see that this incred- ibly unfair (and we think illegal) tax is being challenged in court. The Oregon AAA and Oregon Trucking Association have filed a position with the Supreme Court asking essentially for the full repeal of that tax. We certainly hope they’re successful. Our Mail System. It’s pretty com- mon for us to get complaints about the length of time it takes for our mail subscribers to receive their newspapers. Sometimes those complaints come with threats to cancel the subscription entire- ly. Sadly, we have no more control over the United States Postal Service than we do over the number of stars in the sky. If your paper spends a week stuck on the floorboard of your carrier’s truck, go speak to a supervisor at your local post office. If your paper is routinely lost in transit, always winding up in your neighbor’s box first, please talk to the USPS about it. While we can report the problem, we have no real effect on the solution. We do offer up electronic subscriptions, which are cheaper, and give subscribers who are out of the area instant access to their papers—it’s worth a thought. News Tips. We love getting news tips from the public. And, while most of the tips we get are rooted in fact, every so often we do encounter one that seems to have been created out of thin air. Much of our duty, and that of our reporters, ends up somewhere in the business of debunking fact from fiction. So when we don’t run a suggested story, it’s truly because we didn’t find a story under- neath it all to run. It’s also interesting to note that in four years, we have never received a tip that was 100% accurate. The reason? There are usually at least three sides to every story, and it takes all sides to paint the full picture. The most common response to this statement is, “But I spoke with her directly!” Or, “I heard it from a member of his family!” We’ll refer those folks back to our original state- ment. We’re pretty sure if this theory applies to news tips, it applies even more so to local gossip. Every single time. Some- thing to consider … —The Baker County Press Editorial Board Walden examines online consumer protection Continuing his efforts to strengthen consumer protection in the digital age, Rep. Greg Walden (R-Hood River) today led a hearing at the House Energy and Commerce Committee to examine the personal data collec- tion and online content management practices of technology companies. Walden, who chairs the Energy and Commerce Committee, stressed the need for consumer protec- tion online to ensure sensi- tive personal information is safe, and that consum- ers maintain control and choice over the content they see online. "The goal for today’s hearing is to help provide all Americans with a better understanding of how their data flows online, how on- line platforms and online media sources determine what they see or don’t see, and the extent of and methods by which their information is collected and used by online firms,” said Walden. “Americans should be able to feel con- fident that their well-being, freedom of expression, and access to the content of their choice are not being wholly sacrificed for profit. Americans should have vibrant, competitive markets both offline and online, where consum- ers know their rights and options, and have the free- dom to choose what is best for their circumstances.” Specifically, the Energy and Commerce Commit- tee today examined how Letter to the Editor Policy: The Baker County Press reserves the right not to publish letters con- taining factual falsehoods or incoherent narrative. Letters promoting or detracting from specific for- profit businesses will not be published. Word limit is 375 words per letter. Letters are limited to one every other week per author. Letters should be submitted to Editor@TheBakerCountyPress.com. Advertising and Opinion Page Disclaimer: Opinions submitted as Guest Opinions or Let- companies’ algorithms, and decisions about personal data and online content, are impacting consumers. This hearing comes as the Committee is continu- ing to investigate the mas- sive Equifax data breach, which compromised the personal information of over 145 million Ameri- cans, including over 1.7 million Oregonians. During today’s hearing, Walden said that as the in- ternet economy continues to grow substantially, con- sumer safety and choice must remain a top priority. “Consumers should remain as safe from unfair, deceptive, and malicious practices by online firms and their algorithms on the internet as they do in the real world,” said Walden. ters to the Editor express the opinions of their authors, and have not been authored by and are not necessarily the opinions of The Baker County Press, any of our staff, management, independent contractors or affiliates. Advertisements placed by political groups, candidates, businesses, etc., are printed as a paid service, which does not constitute an endorsement of or fulfillment obligation by this newspaper for the products or services advertised. — Contact Us — YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS The Baker County Press President Donald Trump PO Box 567 Baker City, Ore. 97814 202.456.2461 fax Open Monday-Thursday for calls 9 AM - 4 PM Open 24/7 for emails 202.456.1414 Whitehouse.gov/contact US Sen. Jeff Merkley 503.326.3386 503.326.2900 fax Merkley.Senate.gov Phone: 541.519.0572 TheBakerCountyPress.com US Sen. Ron Wyden 541.962.7691 Wyden.Senate.gov Kerry McQuisten, Publisher Editor@TheBakerCountyPress.com US Rep. Greg Walden Wendee Morrissey, Advertising and Sales Wendee@TheBakerCountyPress.com 541.624.2402 fax David Conn, Advertising and Sales David@TheBakerCountyPress.com Published weekly every Friday. Subscription rates per year are $29.95 all areas, e-mail delivery. $39.95 print issue, home delivery, Baker City city limits only. $49.95 print issue, mail delivery, outside Baker City city limits only. Payment in advance. A division of Black Lyon Publishing, LLC 541.624.2400 Walden.House.gov Oregon Gov. Kate Brown 503.378.3111 Governor.Oregon.gov State Rep. Cliff Bentz 503.986.1460 State Sen. Ted Ferrioli 541.490.6528 Baker County Commissioners Bill Harvey; Mark Bennett; Bruce Nichols 541.523.8200 Copyright © 2014 -2017 541.523.8201