WEEKEND EDITION
DECEMBER 11-12, 2021
146th Year, No. 22
INSIDE
$1.50
WINNER OF 16 ONPA AWARDS IN 2021
PENDLETON’S BACKFIRE STATION SEEKS MORE FUNDING PAGE A3
U.S. Forest Service/Contributed Photo, File
A study looking into predator-prey interaction
at the Starkey Experimental Forest and Range
in Union County fi nds coyotes are eating the re-
mains of elk at cougar kill sites.
Starkey researchers
consider reasons for
decline of mule deer
LONG
WINTER
AHEAD
Labor shortage makes
snow removal more
diffi cult for ODOT
By DICK MASON
The Observer
LA GRANDE — A short-
age of road maintenance
employees could create delays
in removing snow this winter
in Eastern Oregon.
“Fewer people will be
running plows. Anytime you
have fewer operators it means
that work will take longer,” said
Oregon Department of Trans-
portation spokesperson Tom
Strandberg.
Craig Sipp, manager of
ODOT’s Region 5, which
encompasses a high percent-
age of Eastern Oregon, agreed.
“If we have back-to-back
storms, it may take us longer
to get to some of the secondary
highways,” he said.
Sipp said ODOT’s Region 5
has approximately 12 unfi lled
road maintenance positions,
signifi cantly more than what
is average for this time of year.
Open positions
Statewide, ODOT has 167
road maintenance positions
now open. There were 86
openings at the same time in
2020 and 29 in 2019 during the
same period. Strandberg said
ODOT’s Region 5 has seen
openings for maintenance staff
steadily rise since 2019.
Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian
An Oregon Department of Transportation snowplow clears snow Friday, Dec. 10, 2021, along the
Old Oregon Trail Road near Meacham.
Strandberg said it is not
known if the COVID-19
pandemic is partially respon-
sible for the employee short-
age. Strandberg said 99% of
ODOT’s employees in Oregon
complied with the state’s
COVID-19 vaccine mandate,
which took eff ect in October.
This meant 99% of ODOT’s
employees either were vacci-
nated or fi led for and received
an exemption for health or reli-
gious reasons.
He said it is unknown if
some of the employees who
retired this year did so because
of concerns about the state
vaccine mandate.
ODOT always adds to its
road maintenance staff in
the winter, Strandberg said,
and many of those hired are
seasonal employees. He said
that despite the labor short-
age, travelers can expect
to see ODOT maintenance
crews clearing snow night
and day.
“We will be keeping equip-
ment on the road as much as
possible,” he said.
Ace Cla rk , ODOT’s
manager of District 13, which
includes Union and Wallowa
counties and most of Baker
County, said it has been diffi -
cult to hire road maintenance
staff because there is so much
competition now for employ-
ees due to a regional and
nationwide labor shortage.
With everyone competing for
employees, many employers
are boosting their compensa-
tion packages.
See Winter, Page A9
Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian
Vehicles traverse Interstate 84 on Friday, Dec. 10, 2021, near Meacham. The Oregon Department of Transportation reports it
has few people operating snowplows this winter in Eastern Oregon.
By KATY NESBITT
For EO Media Group
STARKEY — A study looking into preda-
tor-prey interaction at the Starkey Experimental
Forest and Range in Union County revealed fasci-
nating insight into more than predation on deer
and elk, such as the dynamics between competing
carnivores.
To answer why mule deer are declining at Star-
key and across Northeastern Oregon, research-
ers are looking at possible contributors, including
the role of predators. According to OSU associ-
ate professor Taal Levi, who served as an advi-
sor to a study led
by Joel Ruprecht, a
Predator study
Oregon State Univer-
sity wildlife science
reveals more
doctoral student, the
than eff ects
study included collar-
ing a sampling of carni-
on ungulates
vores, monitoring deer
and elk kills sites via
game cameras and analyzing scat to determine
what predators living within the 40 square mile
experimental forest and range were eating.
The Starkey forest is encompassed by a fence
that keeps deer and elk confi ned to the area, which
allows unique types of research.
“Getting at the answer is a little bit challenging
because mule deer compete with elk and are preyed
on by multiple species,” Levi said.
Of the bears, cougars, bobcats and coyotes
collared and monitored, Levi said the most interest-
ing results occurred between cougars and coyotes.
“We learned that while coyotes tend to avoid
cougars, they are strongly attracted to cougar kill
sites,” he said.
Analyzing their scat provided further evidence
that coyotes are eating elk. Levi said coyotes don’t
typically kill elk past their young calf stage, but
video recordings showed more that 90% of cougar
kills were scavenged by coyotes.
This method of eating out is not without its chal-
lenges for the opportunistic coyotes, Levi said 7% of
the dead coyotes discovered during the study were
found at cougar kill sites, and between 20% and 23%
of the Starkey coyotes were killed by cougars.
“There’s a risk to getting a ‘free lunch,’ ” Levi
said.
Bobcats keep clear of cougar kills
While looking specifi cally at the impact of
predators on ungulates, Ruprecht said the study
provided a unique opportunity to learn something
new about carnivores.
“Generally predators are studied solely on how
they infl uence prey, but how they infl uence and inter-
act with each other was my interest,” Ruprecht said.
See Deer, Page A9
Help with digital inclusion may be on the way for Morrow County
Infrastructure set
for early 2022
By ERICK PETERSON
East Oregonian
MORROW COUNTY —
Businesses and local govern-
ment officials are lining up
behind a push to improve inter-
net access in Morrow County.
Aaron Moss, fellow with
Lead for America and Ameri-
Corps, said better digital inclu-
sion — ability of individuals
and groups to access and use
information and communica-
tion technologies — is a need
he is working to help fulfi ll in
the county.
“Our primary goal is to
build out infrastructure to
the unincorporated, most
remote areas and homes in the
county,” he said.
Moss, who said he has been
with Lead for America since
July, lives in Heppner.
“I am stationed at the
Morrow County Commission-
ers Offi ce and will be working
closely with the county govern-
ment to convene a broadband
action team of stakeholders
and partners throughout the
community,” he stated in an
email to EO Media Group. He
said he is working on “expand-
ing broadband access and digi-
tal skills as well as improving
the affordability of internet
services within the county.”
The Tillamook Creamery
Association in partnership
with Land O’Lakes is sponsor-
ing the work, Moss said, and
has assistance from govern-
ment offi cials.
At the height of coronavi-
rus quarantines that closed
schools, some students in
Morrow County had a diffi -
cult time learning from home
because of spotty internet
connections. Similar problems
existed for people who were
trying to connect with their
doctors. Moss explained the
pandemic has highlighted the
importance of internet access
in education, health care and
work life, “with rural commu-
nities facing unique barriers to
connectivity.” Parts of Morrow
County lack reliable internet
connection, he explained, and
some parts have no connection.
See Digital, Page A9
Keller
and Mack
Sweeney
study with
Colbie
Patterson
in 2020. The
three young
students were
part of a class
in Heppner.
When
schools were
closed, they
and other
students
met in a
place where
internet
connection
was reliable.
Angie Hanson/Contributed Photo