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About Baker City herald. (Baker City, Or.) 1990-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 20, 2020)
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2020 WOLVES COMMUNITY BAKER CITY HERALD — 3A Primus said he deemed it “probable” rather than “confi rmed” that wolves also attacked the steer only be- cause the steer’s carcass had been mostly consumed, with no muscle tissue remaining to allow him to examine wounds in the same detail as with the bull. “The steer was largely con- sumed, and only a small piece of the hide, skull and pelvis remained,” Primus wrote. He did fi nd numerous wolf tracks near the steer’s carcass, as well as tooth scrapes up to 1/4-inch in diameter and up to 3 inches long on the steer’s hide. Those marks “appeared to be postmortem,” Primus wrote in his report. Given that the bull and the steer had been traveling to- gether, and that he confi rmed that wolves had attacked the bull, Primus said even in the absence of wounds to examine on the steer he could conclude that it’s “probable” that wolves attacked both animals. “The steer died at the same location and time as the injuries to the bull occurred,” he wrote in his report. Specifi cally wolves from the Keating pack, which ODFW believes consists of at least six wolves, said Brian Ratliff, district biologist at the agency’s Baker City offi ce. Ratliff said that tally is based on ODFW trail camera images of wolves, tracks found by biologists, as well as reports from citizens. The Keating pack wolves have roamed this winter over an area from roughly Eagle Forks north into the Eagle Cap Wilderness and west to near Medical Springs, Ratliff said. Ratliff said the pack had at least two pups last year. None of the wolves has been captured and fi tted with a tracking collar, however, so ODFW can’t monitor the ani- mals’ movements in detail. One of the wolves appears to have an injured left hind leg. Ratliff said biologists have found wolf tracks this winter that were likely made by an animal with an injured leg. Kylee Simonis of Baker City, who said he had four trail cams set up earlier this winter about 6 to 8 miles from where Dailey’s cattle were attacked, captured a video of two wolves, one of which trots past the camera with a gait clearly affected by its left hind leg. Three animals uninjured Dailey’s two other bulls and the cow were not injured, and he said Wednesday morning that he hoped to bring that trio back to his ranch later in the day. Dailey said he reported the incident to the Baker County Sheriff’s Offi ce on Sunday. Sheriff Travis Ash said his offi ce “responds in all wolf depredations” and conducts its own investigation in addi- tion to ODFW’s work. Deputy Adam Robb trav- eled to the site Sunday to meet with Dailey. Snow had fallen during the previous night, and Dailey said he found what he believes were wolf tracks that had no fresh snow in them Sunday morning. “I think they heard us com- ing,” he said. Dailey said he had no doubt that ODFW would con- clude, based on the size and depth of the fresh wounds on the bull, that wolves attacked the animal. “It’s the only thing that could have caused it,” he said. to reduce the state’s carbon emissions. Continued from Page 1A “Governor Brown sup- OTEC offi cials are “ex- ports a course of action that tremely disappointed with is estimated to increase CO 2 Governor Kate Brown’s emissions by over 2 million stunning decision to sup- metric tons — every year,” the press release reads. port the removal of the four lower Snake River dams,” “Governor Brown’s decision said Joseph E. Hathaway, the to remove the Snake River cooperative’s communications dams completely contradicts coordinator. and undermines the State The press release notes of Oregon’s claim they are that Brown, in a Feb. 11 serious about carbon reduc- letter to Washington Gov. tion and also undermines Jay Inslee in which Brown the integration of renewables endorsed the removal of the onto our transmission grid, dams, wrote the letter while as the federal hydro system the Oregon Legislature is de- is fl exible, carbon-free and bating a bill that is designed complements intermittent resources such as wind and solar power. The Governor’s call could have dangerous consequences for our mission to provide the nearly 60,000 residents of Baker, Grant, Harney and Union counties with competitively priced electricity.” In her letter to Inslee, Brown contested the conten- tion that removing the four dams was contrary to a goal of reducing carbon emissions. “This can be done while preserving the foundation of the low cost, carbon-free hydropower system that has helped fuel Oregon’s economy for the last century, and will help us to integrate more wind and solar to achieve our long-term climate goals,” Brown wrote. The governor wrote that she supported the removal of the dams because doing so would help restore salmon and steelhead runs as well as help killer whales in the ocean that depend on salmon for food. “The science is clear that removing the earthen por- tions of the four lower Snake River dams is the most certain and robust solution to Snake River salmon and steelhead recovery,” Brown wrote. CONTRACT Commissioners decided to schedule public meetings at Continued from Page 1A locations across the county Commissioner Bruce to solicit comments from Nichols agreed with Bennett, residents about the visitor saying he was concerned services contract. with both the timing and the In an email to the Herald potential legality of awarding Wednesday afternoon, John- the visitor services contract. son wrote: “ALMR is dedi- Nichols cited the county’s cated to promoting tourism Transient Lodging Tax ordi- and economic development nance, and he read from a sec- throughout Baker County, tion that defi nes the lodging regardless of the vote to table tax committee’s authority. the decision. We look forward “The Committee may, from to working with all commu- time to time, determine that nity partners moving forward contracted professional con- to help promote tourism sultation may be necessary and economic growth in our to perform a variety of tasks County.” such as conducting an annual Cutler said she appreciated audit, updating the Tourism the consideration the commis- Marketing and Development sioners put into the decision. Plan, assisting with tourism “We look forward to a marketing and promotion, strong 2020 and everything or other endeavor the TLTC that comes with it,” Cutler may determine appropriate. said on Wednesday. “We look In such case, any Request For forward to continuing to do Proposals, Request for Qualifi - good work for Baker County.” cation, or resulting contracts Commissioners didn’t shall be adopted by the Com- discuss the contention Cutler mission Prior to enactment.” made recently regarding “Postponing this decision is the potential effects on the the right thing to do,” Nichols Chamber’s coordination of said. “We shouldn’t be do- Miners Jubilee should com- ing something very quickly missioners award the contract without knowing exactly to Anthony Lakes. what we’re doing, make sure Cutler said that if that hap- we don’t break the law in our pened, the loss of the lodging own ordinance.” tax revenue would force the Chamber to eliminate one of its two full-time positions and to reduce her position to part-time. In that case, Cutler said, she doesn’t think the Cham- ber could continue to coordi- nate Miners Jubilee. The visitor services contract is solely for operating the visitor center, and not for coordinating events. In other business Wednes- day, commissioners discussed the Second Amendment Preservation Ordinance that county voters approved 5,432 to 2,736 in the November 2018 election. Commission Chairman Bill Harvey read a statement in support of the voter-approved ordinance. “Commissioners today recognize the ordinance approved by the people and ensuring the ordinance is documented in court records,” Harvey said. “That’s our only action. We support it and we’re making sure all records are correct as voted on. There is no change, no request for change, and there is nothing else that we are doing other than recognizing and support- ing.” The statement followed concerns expressed by offi cials from the Baker County Re- publican Party, three of whom — Suzan Ellis Jones, Jake Brown and Tom Van Diepen — were the chief petitioners for the 2018 ordinance. They reacted to the county removing that ordinance from its website and posting in- stead a proposed new Second Amendment preservation ordinance. Bennett said that resulted from a clerical error that led he and Harvey to believe, mistakenly, that the county didn’t have a robust protec- tion ordinance in place. When they recognized the error, they withdrew the proposed ordinance, leaving the voter-approved ordinance from 2018 as the offi cial Sec- ond Amendment preservation document. Also on Wednesday, com- missioners: • approved placing renew- als for the vector control local option and weed control local option levies on the May 20 ballot. • appointed Don Williams as Justice of the Peace Pro- Tem. Williams is a former Justice of the Peace • appointed Candis Lee to the Early Learning Regional Council TOWER deny Verizon’s application. That left the company with the option of appealing to the Land Use Board of Appeals, the three-member board the Legislature established in 1979 to hear appeals of local land use decisions. The board members are appointed by the governor. Continued from Page 1A Dailey went to the site the next morning, Sunday, Feb. 16. His son, Shondo, put down the bull due to the animal’s severe wounds. Dailey said the bull was worth about $2,500. He put the 600-pound steer’s value at around $1,000. Justin Primus, assistant district biologist at ODFW’s Baker City offi ce, investigated the case and examined the bull’s carcass on Sunday. In his report confi rming that wolves killed the bull, Primus wrote that “fresh wolf tracks were found at the scene.” He estimated that the bull had been attacked three to four days earlier, which would put the attack one or two days after Dailey’s friend had last brought hay to the cattle. Primus, in examining the bull’s carcass, found numer- ous “bite scrapes” and muscle tissue trauma up to 9 by 6 inches across and 3 inches in depth. The number, location and direction of the bites and the associated depth of inju- ries on the bull are consistent with other confi rmed wolf attack injuries on cows.” DAMS Continued from 2A The city’s zoning rules al- low cell towers up to 50 feet in the industrial zone without a conditional use permit. But according to Verizon’s applica- tions, engineers determined that the tower needed to be 70 feet to meet the company’s goals for improving cell cover- age and allowing for increased capacity in the future. During public hearings be- fore the Baker City Planning Commission last fall, multiple residents, including some who live near the industrial parcel, urged commissioners to reject Verizon’s application. Opponents, some of whom wrote letters to the Planning Commission, said they were concerned that the tower would mar their views of the Elkhorn Mountains and reduce their property values, and that electronic emissions from the tower would be a health hazard. The federal Telecommuni- cations Act prohibits offi cials from using health concerns as a criteria in land use decisions involving cell towers. On Dec. 4 the Planning Commission voted 5-2 to deny Verizon’s application for a conditional use permit. The company appealed that decision to the Baker City Council. On Jan. 21 the City Council voted 5-2 to uphold the Plan- ning Commission’s decision to Simonis said he shared that video and other images of wolves in the area with ODFW. L OCAL B RIEFING Barbecue, worship Saturday at Ruda Ranch Guests are invited to a barbecue potluck, with music and worship, a guest speaker and fellowship, Satur- day starting at 5 p.m. at the Ruda Ranch, 18070 West Campbell Loop. Please bring a side dish or dessert. More information is available by calling 541-519-6261. Bill Davis celebrates 81st birthday William Fred Davis, a longtime North Powder resi- dent, celebrated his 81st birthday on Feb. 6 with his wife, Marilee. Bill was born Feb. 6, 1939, at Baker, and he grew up on his parents’ ranch in North Powder, working there with his parents for 41 years. He attended public school in North Powder Davis and was active in 4-H, FFA, orchestra, basketball and football during high school. From a young age, Bill has had a love for animals, and can tell you many facts about cattle during a drive on the ranch. In his later years, he discovered a love for woodworking and even took the initiative to sell his pieces at local art shows, a pastime he and his wife share. Bill retired from the University of Idaho Caine Vet- erinarian Teaching Facility at Caldwell, Idaho, in 2002. Cards are welcome and can be mailed to Bill at 428 W. Washington Ave., Nampa, ID 83686. Baker School District retirees to gather A gathering for retirees of the Baker School District is planned for Friday, March 13, from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Baker High School, 2500 E St. Attendees and their guest will be treated to a free dinner. The evening includes tours of Baker Technical Institute, various presentations, door prizes, and a raffl e. If planning to attend, please RSVP to Lisa Young at lisa.young@ bakersd.org or call 541-524-2260. Diaper drive extended through February The Rachel Pregnancy Center has extended its Diaper Drive at the request of several participating churches. The drive, which began on Sanctity of Life Sunday (Jan. 19) will continue through February, said Vera Grove, Rachel Center director. The Center’s days of operation have changed in February to Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (closed for lunch each day). The offi ce, at 2192 Court Ave., is closed Mondays and Fridays. More information is available by calling the Center at 541-523-5357. County seeking economic developer Baker County is requesting proposals from contrac- tors to provide research and assess the requirements for economic development in the county, provide the lead on connections with all agencies requiring econom- ic development direction and assistance, and maintain a website and social media pages. The county is accepting proposals through 4 p.m. on Feb. 28. More information about the contract is available by emailing Heidi Martin, executive assistant to the Baker County Board of Commissioners, at hmartin@ bakercounty.org Herbicide application training scheduled The Tri-County Cooperative Weed Management Area will have its annual herbicide application training March 3 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in La Grande. For loca- tion and other information, call the Weed Management Area at 541-624-5353 or email to mail@tricountywma. org Fireline Safety Refresher class March 21 Eastern Oregon Training Group will have an RT- 130 Annual Fireline Safety Refresher class on March 21. The class will start at 8 a.m. at the Baker School District offi ce, 2090 Fourth St. in Baker City. A prac- tice fi re shelter deployment will take place. This is a required class for all federal and state contractors that will be on the fi re line. A certifi ed National Wildfi re Suppression Association (NWSA) instructor will teach the class. Cost is $100 for NWSA members and $130 for nonmembers. Registration can be done at oregon- fi retraining.com. Pre-registration is requested. More information is available by calling Laurel Goodrich at 541-403-0907 or Jeff Sherman at 541-519-6213. C ONGRATULATIONS to the February Baker High School Kiwanis Student of the Month Rachel Pregnancy Center 2192 Court Avenue, Baker City • 541-523-5357 Services Provided: A resource Free Pregnancy Tests center for Referrals for Free Ultrasounds families Pregnancy Options Counseling Adoption Referrals Prenatal, Infant Care & Parenting Classes Maternity & Baby Clothing Post Abortion Recovery Helping women & men in an Open Tues -Th urs unplanned pregnancy. All services free & confi dential. 10 am - 5 pm (closed for lunch) Michael Zemmer Isaac Nemec Sponsored by: www.bannerbank.com 541-523-4240 Member FDIC