B
Saturday, November 14, 2020
The Observer & Baker City Herald
P LEASED
B Y T HE
P OWDER
■ A series of snowstorms means it’s
possible Anthony Lakes Mountain
Resort could open for the season
during Thanksgiving weekend
Peter Johnson/Contributed Photo
Skies cleared briefl y on Monday, Nov. 9, after a storm dropped several inches of snow at Anthony Lakes Mountain
Resort. With another powerful storm forecast for the fi rst part of the weekend, Peter Johnson, general manager at
the ski area in the Elkhorn Mountains, said it’s possible that skiing could start Thanksgiving weekend.
son’s 10-year tenure
as the resort’s general
A little more than a week ago,
manager.
pedaling a mountain bike probably
“Things are looking
was the fastest way to descend the really good right now,” Johnson
slopes at Anthony Lakes Mountain said on Thursday, Nov. 12. “It’s eas-
Resort.
ily the best start we’ve had since
Today, anything with wheels
I’ve been here.”
would be about as useful there as a
The situation is dramatically dif-
motorboat.
ferent from a year ago.
Anthony Lakes’ Broadway Flow
In 2019 Anthony Lakes didn’t
bike trail is gone.
open until Dec. 21.
Well, the trail itself is still down
“We could be looking at an
there, somewhere, probably with
earlier opening than we’re used
the indentations from knobby tires to,” Johnson said. “A Thanksgiving
preserved in the soil.
weekend opening is realistic this
But you’d need a shovel and a
year.”
stout back to see the marks.
Storms over the past week or so
Since record-setting warmth
have dropped about 36 inches of
made the fi rst week of November
snow at Anthony Lakes, Johnson
feel more like late summer than
said.
mid autumn, a series of decidedly
Snow settles during lulls, and he
wintry storms has plastered the ski said that as of Thursday morn-
area.
ing the base depth was about 18
The blizzards have been benefi - inches.
cent enough that the resort could
That’s not enough to start skiing,
potentially open the weekend of
but Johnson was watching with
Thanksgiving.
glee the National Weather Service
That hasn’t happened often in
forecast.
the past couple decades, and only
The agency on Thursday issued a
once, in 2011, during Peter John-
winter storm warning for the latest
By Jayson Jacoby
Baker City Herald
“Things are looking
really good right now. A
Thanksgiving weekend
opening is realistic this year.”
— Peter Johnson, general
manager, Anthony Lakes
Mountain Resort
blizzard, which was scheduled to
arrive Friday and continue into the
weekend.
That storm could bring from 1 to
2 feet of new snow.
“I don’t want to jinx it,” Johnson
said on Thursday, while clouds
were beginning to stream into
Northeast Oregon but the fi rst
fl akes of the latest tempest had yet
to fall. “But it looks promising.”
Despite the prospect for what
amounts to an early holiday gift
for skiers and snowboarders, the
specter of the COVID-19 pandemic
looms over the upcoming ski sea-
son, Johnson said.
Although he’s still working on
the operating plan — some details
will depend on how things go for
the fi rst few days of skiing — John-
son said Anthony Lakes will have
to limit the number of people on
the mountain each day.
The fi rst priority, he said, is for
people who buy a season pass.
They won’t have any limits on how
many days they can ski or snow-
board, nor will they have to make a
reservation.
Chelsea Judy, the ski area’s mar-
keting director, said that in past
seasons, on a typical day about
25% to 30% of the visitors have
season passes.
The second priority constitutes
people who have a discount ticket
from one of the resort’s 48 lodging
partners, which includes motels,
vacation rental homes and other
establishments.
A list of those partners is avail-
able online at https://anthonylakes.
com/almr-lodging-partners/
Making the outdoors accessible to all
■ Advocates seek to find best places for people with disabilities to fish, hunt, hike and more
By Sabrina Thompson
The Observer
LA GRANDE — There are
hundreds of hiking, fi shing and
hunting spots in Oregon. But only
a portion of them are accessible
to people with disabilities. The
Oregon Department of Fish and
Wildlife (ODFW), Travel Oregon,
Oregon Adaptive Sports and
other organizations are working to
identify which spots are the most
accessible every day.
While there are no identifi ed
hunting spots in the Northeast
Region compliant with the federal
Americans With Disability Act
(ADA), ODFW has an interac-
tive map and guide to the most
accessible hatcheries and areas
for fi shing. These spots can
include paved paths, ramps and
accessible restrooms. The Wal-
lowa Hatchery, Jubilee Lake,
Morgan Lake, Peach Pond, and
the Powder River Recreation Area
between Baker City and Sumpter
are among some of the accessible
spots for fi shing for people who
have mobility issues.
To make hunting and fi shing
accessible and fair for people with
disabilities, ODFW offers a free
Oregon Disabilities Hunting and
Fishing Permit. This permit does
not take the place of a hunting
and fi shing license. It does allow
hunting from a parked motor
vehicle, except on parked roads.
It also allows for a companion
hunter to accompany the permit
holder. A permit holder also can
fi sh from an anchored craft in
Finding The
Best Places
For a brochure and map
showing accessible outdoor
sites in Oregon, go to
https://www.dfw.state.or.us/
resources/hunting/big_game/
docs/access.pdf
“While every trail may not be
accessible to every disability, it is
important, too, to focus on univer-
sal design.”
Dick Mason/The Observer, File Photo
Jay Moore, a recreation tech-
Morgan Lake is one of the accessible fi shing spots identifi ed by
nician in the Whitman Ranger
the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. The area features two District of the Wallowa-Whitman
boat ramps, four fi shing piers, picnic tables, a new restroom and
National Forest, said there are
updated trails for easier access. Morgan Lake closed to fi shing for several elements to consider for
the season on Oct. 31. The lake reopens for fi shing in April 2021.
accessibility.
These include designated park-
ing areas, accessible routes, fi shing
outdoor experiences for people with platforms, tables that allow for
“Access to the outdoors and
disabilities. These include sup-
access by wheelchair, fi re pits that
public land is important for
plying adaptive equipment such
are at an easy height to be reached
everybody. It provides access to as bicycles with pedals operated from a chair, close proximity to
accessible restrooms, and water
healthy, thriving communities.” by hands rather than feet, and
offering support and guidance to
facilities that are easy to operate.
— Patrick Addabbo, executive
all ages and disabilities. Addabbo
“All people in the United States
director, Oregon Adaptive Sports said it is important to have acces- need to have equal access to public
sible places for all individuals to
property, and public land manag-
waters where ODFW prohibits
participate in outdoor recreation, ers are obligated to do their best to
angling from a fl oating device.
regardless of any physical disabil- accommodate all visitors,” Moore
“Access to the outdoors and pub- ity. While not all areas and sites
said. “Folks that require ADA
lic land is important for everybody,” are accessible to everyone, having accessibility are as welcome to
said Patrick Addabbo, executive
spots that are more accessible
use public land as anyone, and al-
director of Oregon Adaptive Sports. gives outdoor enthusiasts options. though land managers may seem
“It provides access to healthy, thriv-
“It is important to have people
slow to respond to that need, they
ing communities.”
with disabilities be a part of the
are doing the best they can given
Oregon Adaptive Sports provides design process,” Addabbo said.
current budgetary limitations.”
The ski area will also have 20 lift
tickets for each operating day, at a
50% discount, for guests who have
a receipt for a purchase of at least
$40, from the past 7 days, from a
locally owned restaurant or retail
shop in Baker, Union, Grant, or
Wallowa counties.
Lodging partner and local
business support discount tickets
will be available only at the ticket
window at Anthony Lakes. Visitors
can show their voucher or receipt
and have a ticket printed.
Once the priority groups have
been counted, a certain number
of general one-day tickets will be
available, Judy said.
Those tickets are sold online
only, at www.anthonylakes.com —
there will not be any general day
ticket sales at the ski area. These
online tickets will be available
for any operating day during the
season.
See Skiing/Page 2B
FISHING FORECAST
FREE FISHING DAYS COMING
The Friday and Saturday after
Thanksgiving — Nov. 27 and 28 — are
Free Fishing Days in Oregon. That
means you can fish, crab or clam for
free – no license, tag or endorsement
required. Some restrictions apply, as in
all current closures, bag limits and other
regulations still apply.
GRANDE RONDE RIVER
Catch rates for steelhead and coho
have been slow but anglers are finding
a few fish. Pressure has been relatively
light the past two weeks with plenty of
water available to fish. The bag limit for
steelhead has been reduced to 2 fish
per day to ensure enough fish return to
the hatchery facilities to meet program
goals.
As water temperatures continue to
cool headed into winter, look for steel-
head in slower water where they may
move to conserve energy.
IMNAHA RIVER
Fishing for whitefish in the upper
reaches of the Imnaha can be good as
fish move upstream to spawn in the fall.
Fishing for steelhead on the Imnaha
has been slow with the occasional
good day. The bag limit has been
reduced to 2 hatchery steelhead per day
to ensure enough broodstock can be
collected at hatchery facilities.
WALLOWA COUNTY PONDS
These ponds were recently stocked
with a small number of fish and fishing
should be good. Honeymoon Pond,
Kinney Lake, Marr Pond, Mcgraw Pond,
Salt Creek Summit Pond, Teepee Pond,
Victor Pond, Weaver Pond. Kinney
Lake has been fishing well for fish to 18
inches with reports of very high catch
rates.