8
i Record-Courier
THURSDAY, MARCH 31,2016
Mining Summit to be
Held April 26
The second annual Eastern Oregon Mining and Ag­
gregate Development Summit will be held on April 26
at the Baker County Event Center. The event is free to
attend and begins at 10 a.m. Questions should be
directed to Baker County Economic Development by
calling 541-523-5460. Note: the event was originally
scheduled for April 25 and changed to April 26.
Dates of
Regional Fairs
and Livestock
Show
Eastern Oregon
Livestock Show
June 6-12, Union
Union County Fair
Aug. 3-6, La Grande
Baker County Fair
Aug 7-13, Baker City
Wallowa County Fair
Aug 6-13, Enterprise
Baker Community
Orchestra to Hold
Spring Concert
The
Baker
Community
Orchestra will hold its Spring
Concert, Friday, April 8 at 7 p.m.
at the South Baker Intermediate
School Gym,1285 Third ST,
Baker City. There is no admis­
sion and all are welcome.
The family of
Marge Hall
would like her
friends to help her
celebrate her 90th
birthday at the
Eagles Club on
April 2 at 3 p.m.
No gifts please.
Baker County Is Part of Study
Linking Federal Lands to Growth
By Tim Marema, The Daily Yonder
Western rural counties with the highest proportion of federally
owned land tend to have faster growth than areas with the least
amount of federal land, according to a study that included data
from Baker County.
The study looked at Baker and every other non-metropolitan
county in the 11 contiguous states from the Rockies to the west.
It found that rural counties with the highest percentage of federal
land averaged quicker expansion in population, jobs and income:
than other western counties.
In Baker County, about 51 percent of the land - or 1,001,007:
acres - is owned by the federal government. Across the rural
West, 41 percent of the land is federally owned.
Baker County ranked 118th out of the 276 counties in the study
in the proportion of its land area that is federally owned.
Baker County’s economic performance was positive over the pe­
riod of the study:
• The county’s population grew by about 7 percent, from 15,070.
in 1970 to an estimated 16,Q59 residents in 2014.
• During the same period, jobs in Baker County increased by 31:
percent, from 6,347 to 8,322.
• Per capita income increased by 51 percent, from $22,350 tQ;
$33,723 in 2014 dollars.
< *
By comparison, the average county in the study saw its popula­
tion grow by 79 percent. Average employment increased by more
than 150 percent, and average per capita income climbed by -
about 80 percent.
Megan Lawson, the lead researcher for the study, said her re­
search does not prove that federal lands cause economic growth.
But it does contradict claims that federal land is a detriment to the
local economy, she said.
‘We don’t see any evidence that federal lands are impeding local
growth,” said Lawson, an economist at Headwaters Economics,
the independent, nonpartisan organization based in Montana that
conducted the study.
Another economist, Paul Jakus, a professor of applied econom­
ics at Utah State University, said he thinks the study reveals more
about historic land-use patterns than the influence of federal land
on local economies. Counties with less federal land are more likely
to depend on agriculture, he said.
‘What the study is telling me is that rural counties with large pri-:
vate land holdings are relying on production agriculture, and those
counties are growing more slowly than other parts of the West,”
he said.
But Jakus did say his own research concurs with Lawson’s find­
ings that counties with more federal land are growing more quickly:
than other counties on average.
‘The study suggests that the assertion federal land ownership
harms rural communities unambiguously is not as clear cut as:
some claim,” he said. ‘The situation is much more nuanced.”
Lawson.said the role of federal lands in local growth has shifted;
in the past 40 years. Instead of merely providing commodities like;
timber or oil, the natural amenities and recreational uses of federal
lands help attract entrepreneurs and skilled service workers to:
rural areas, she said.
“Federal lands are an asset,” Lawson said. “It’s not just about;
natural resource extraction or just recreation. There can be a mix
of uses, and diverse economies tend to do better.”
The study examined rural counties in Arizona, California, Col-:
orado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah,
Washington and Wyoming. It ranked the 276 rural counties in
those states qccordjng to the pgrcgntege of land owned by the
federal government. Thestudy compared the top quarter of coun­
ties with the biggest proportion of federal land to the bottom quar­
ter of counties with the smallest proportion of land.
The study found a substantial difference in the growth of popula­
tion, employment and personal income from 1970 to 2014 be­
tween the top and bottom groups. Growth in per capita income
was less pronounced, suggesting that economic growth was tied
to population gain, Lawson said.
The complete study is available at http://headwaters
economics.org/.
Tim Marema is editor of DailyYonder.com, a national online news
platform that covers rural issues. The Daily Yonder is published
by the Center for Rural Strategies.
Myrtle Spurge - a Very
Nasty Noxious Weed
Submitted by Arnie Gram mon
Women’s Celebration
Women: Minding Their Own Business (es)
Join AAUW in celebrating the many women owned businesses in Baker County
Desserts Provided by Sweet Wife Bakery
Chocolate provided by Peterson's Gallery and Chocolatier
$ Savories provided by Zephyr
No diost wine served by Earth and Vine
Silent auction
Entertainment provided by Baker High School Treble
Choir
Kristi Hensley, owner of the
Inland Cafe, inquired about a
plant that was suspected to
cause recent severe rashes on
her grandchildren. This plant
was identified as Myrtle
Spurge, a plant that iq very
toxic to people and livestock,
causing severe rashes and
even temporary blindness.
This plant is an early spring
arrival, so this is the time of
year to patrol for the weed.
Please use gloves and take
special precautions when re­
Submitted photo
moving the weed.
Myrtle Spurge is listed as a Logan Crawford, age 8
State
Noxious Weed
in
Oregon. According to their site, "The sap of myrtle spurge is '
caustic and creates rashes, swelling, and blistering of the skini
and is a human health concern."
Hensley stated that her grandsons incurred the plant unknow­
ingly. They live in Pendleton and were playing with a toy dart gun
in a field. When they retrieved the darts out of the weeds they
touched the plant and then their arms and face. Hensley reports
the children are now okay and were given ointment after a
hospital visit.
Tfckrts $20, a vallebk at Betty’s Books or from AAUW members
For more information, contact:
Dixie Driggers eeetfl eoni.com 541-519-8427
or
Wanda Raffety wraffetv6(8>vahoo.com 541-523-2551
Women's Celebration 2016
Thursday April 7
6:30-8:30
Community Connections
Myrtle Spurge / Submitted photo