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About Baker City herald. (Baker City, Or.) 1990-current | View Entire Issue (July 28, 2020)
BAKER CITY HERALD — 3A TUESDAY, JULY 28, 2020 Invasive weed of the week By Jeffrey Pettingill Brooklyn playground The enemy Medusahead (Taeniather- um caput-medusae). The strategy This is a winter annual plant that is extremely in- vasive to our valuable open range. As mentioned, this invader germinates in the fall (winter annual) when our desirable grasses are dormant, thus getting a head start for nutrients and sunlight in the very early spring. Medusa- head generally grows to a height of 10 inches, but can grow to a height of 36 under the right conditions. The seed head contains long spirally awns that grow up to 3 inches long, sometimes being con- fused with foxtail barley. The attack Medusahead is more competitive than Downey brome (Bromus techtorum). It creates a worse fi re hazard as the plant is heavy in silicone, which does not break down under sunlight. It has shown to be the intermediate invasive plant when it comes to destroying the landscape: First comes cheatgrass, then Medusahead replaces the cheatgrass, then the devil of all plants invades — yellow starthistle. This plant can also cause “chewing disease” in livestock, where the seed head can become implanted between the teeth, fester, and be too painful for the animal to eat. The defense As medusahead is a fall an- nual it can be controlled as the other plants become dormant. Applications in the late fall or very early spring can be made by using products such as Plateau, Open Range G, or in some cases Roundup. There is new product by Bayer called Rejuvra that offers multiple years of control. The plants are controlled and the damage to desirable grasses and forbs is minimal as they are dormant COVID-19 The orange-shaded line, on the south side of Broadway Street east of Clark Street, is the area proposed for on-street parking restrictions. PARKING Continued from Page 1A Photo by Rich Old The spiral awns are a distinctive feature of medusahead. Photo by Rich Old Medusahead is an aggressive invader of open rangelands. and not absorbing nutrients or water. Mechanical control is an option by plowing or disking after the weeds have emerged. Livestock can forage on the plant very early in the spring, although there is very little value in the food. As this plant resembles other species proper identifi cation is important. expecting a phone call. Staten said people have Continued from Page 1A in almost every case been A press release from the very cooperative with the county on Saturday an- county, both those who tested nounced four new cases, positive and those who were but Staten said one of those called by a contact tracer. cases was reported late “I think people want to Friday, after the press state- do the right thing to protect ment had been released. their family and the commu- Staten said that county nity,” she said. “I think that’s offi cials, in investigating reassuring.” each of the positive cases and Staten encourages in interviewing people who residents, before agreeing to might have been in close con- attend an event that might tact with an infected person, bring them in close contact have found a commonality. with someone — particu- Each infected person had larly an indoor event, where been in close contact with an- the risk of transmission other person who previously is greater — to ask some tested positive, she said. simple questions. (Close contact is defi ned These include whether the as being closer than 6 feet to person, or any other people another person for at least attending the party, might 15 minutes, Staten said.) have traveled outside the These cases of what’s county or state recently. known as “community And she strongly urges spread” don’t involve one large event, workplace or group housing such as an assisted living facility, Staten said. Rather, the infections are resulting from smaller “social gatherings.” The largest number of cases connected to a single group involves fi ve U.S. For- est Service employees, two of whom shared a home and three others who are friends and often visited the house. Investigators can’t always be completely certain about the encounter that resulted in one person infecting an- other, Staten said. But they have high confi - dence in most cases based on interviews with people who are infected. In some cases, Staten said, the person who tested positive alerted friends or family even before the county’s contact tracer had called, so those people were Series Continues Jeffrey Pettingill, weed control supervisor for Baker County, will be writing an occasional article about a common noxious weed in the area. Pettingill encourages people to call him if they have weed questions or see a species they’re not familiar with. His offi ce number is 541-523-0618 and his cell is 541-519-0204. people not to attend an event with someone who has had symptoms consistent with COVID-19, such as a fever, cough or diffi culty breathing. Staten said the county’s in- vestigations have shown that many people who are the likely source of an infection did have symptoms, so these precautionary questions can give a person good reason to avoid a particular gathering. She cautions, however, that making a decision solely on whether a person has had symptoms is not foolproof, since some people who are infected never show symp- toms. “There’s still a risk, regard- less,” of being in close contact with someone, Staten said. That’s why it’s important, regardless of the circumstanc- es, to follow other precautions such as wearing a mask and maintaining a distance, she said. Staten said that although Baker County has avoided the large outbreaks that have other nearby counties, including Union, Malheur and Umatilla, the local rate of transmission has increased over the past few weeks. “We’re seeing a smaller number of cases than many counties, but we do not want an outbreak,” she said. Staten noted that if county residents are responsible and adhere to precautions they not only protect them- selves and their families, but they also can help local businesses that would suffer if case numbers climb, po- tentially leading to business restrictions similar to those in place during much of the spring. According to a report to councilors from Michelle Owen, the city’s public works director, Anderson wants to designate drop-off zones by age group, which isn’t possible using only the section of Washington Avenue at the school’s front entrance. The school’s goal is to make it possible for students to walk to and from school without having to cross a street. The Baker School District plans to build a parking lot at Washington and Oak, on the northeast corner of the school, to create more long-term parking, accord- ing to the report to councilors from Owen. Owen recommends councilors approve the resolution. In other business this evening, the Council will: • Consider approving the second reading of an ordinance allowing candidates to run for a City Council seat by paying a $25 fee rather than collecting signatures of at least 46 registered voters, which is the current requirement. Councilors approved the fi rst reading during their July 14 meeting. The ordinance was prompted by the coronavirus pandemic, and in particular the continu- ing recommendation that people stay at least 6 feet from others. Because social distancing could make it more diffi cult for prospective candidates to gather sig- natures, city offi cials suggested giving them the option of paying a fee instead. Councilors could approve the third and fi nal read- ing at a later meeting. The deadline for candidates to apply for the Nov. 3 election is Aug. 25. Six of the seven seats on the City Council will be up for election in November. • Appoint a three-member committee to oversee the process of recruiting a new city manager. The current manager, Fred Warner Jr., who was hired in June 2016, plans to retire at the end of this year. • Authorize Warner to sign an agreement with the Federal Aviation Administration accepting about $99,000 from the federal agency that the city would use to apply a protective sealant to the pavement on the main runway at the Baker City Airport. • Consider appointing volunteer Judith Stof- fer to a 3-year term on the Baker City Public Arts Commission. New Name. Same Great Team. Same Exceptional Service. Travis T. Hampton, D.P.M. Foot and Ankle Surgeon La Grande 1408 N Hall Street Enterprise 601 Medical Parkway Baker 3175 Pocahontas Rd. 541-963-0265 888-843-9090 www.GVfoot.com Open for dining in 6 am to 12 am Daily Take out and Catering is Available. 515 Campbell Street Baker City 541-523-4318 Visit the store for Baker’s best Gifts
