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.
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Baker
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541-963-0265
888-843-9090
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