2A — BAKER CITY HERALD
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2020
BIGHORNS
Continued from Page 1A
B AKER C OUNTY C ALENDAR
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2
■ Baker County Board of Commissioners: 9 a.m.;
Commission meetings will be streamed live. A link will be
available on the county’s website, www.bakercounty.org
T URNING B ACK THE P AGES
50 YEARS AGO
from the Democrat-Herald
December 1, 1970
Sig Ellingson, co-owner of Ellingson Lumber and Tim-
ber Co., said yesterday he hopes to reopen the Ellingson
plywood plant shortly after the fi rst of the year.
Speaking before a noon luncheon of the Rotary Club,
Ellingson explained that housing starts have increased in
the last few months.
25 YEARS AGO
from the Baker City Herald
December 1, 1995
The power is on again, but the fi nal cost from Monday
night’s blustery snowstorm won’t be available until next
week.
Electricity was restored to the last customers, Elton and
Loretta Cook of Keating Valley, about 10 p.m. Wednesday,
said Ken Kissell, Baker District superintendent for Oregon
Trail Electric Cooperative.
10 YEARS AGO
from the Baker City Herald
December 1, 2010
Baker County employees are moving out of the water-
damaged Courthouse today to set up temporary offi ces in
the former North Baker School building at 2725 Seventh
St.
The Baker School District and the county are fi nalizing
details of an agreement for use of the building today, said
Karen Spencer, the county’s information assistant.
An earlier plan to move county services to the former
Extension building on Grove Street fell through after it
was discovered that wiring had been pulled from the
building.
ONE YEAR AGO
from the Baker City Herald
December 2, 2019
A pair of snowstorms, one starting the day before
Thanksgiving and the other two days after the holiday,
have kept snowplowing crews from the Baker City Public
Works Department busy.
“There’s a lot of snow out there,” Michelle Owen, the
city’s public works director, said this morning.
A nine-person crew started at midnight Sunday to plow
and haul away snow from sections of several downtown
streets and other higher-priority routes such as Campbell,
Broadway and 10th streets, Owen said.
Crews also plowed streets near schools to prepare for
this morning’s rush.
A day crew was working today, and workers will be
out overnight again to continue hauling away snow from
temporary berms, Owen said. Trucks are dumping snow
at the Ellingson Lumber Company property off Broadway,
and at the Baker County Fairgrounds.
Owen said she’ll decide later this week whether to have
residential streets plowed. Warmer temperatures, with
daytime highs in the upper 30s, are forecast for much of
this week.
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• 10 p.m.: 5 — 3 — 9 — 8
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Next jackpot: $39,000
Sheep from two other do-
mestic fl ocks near Richland, at
the north end of the Lookout
Mountain unit, were tested
earlier this year and none was
carrying the Mycoplasma ovi-
pneumoniae bacteria, Ratliff
said. A llama owned by a
resident along the Snake River
Road was also tested, and was
also negative for the bacteria.
The owners of those animals
volunteered for the tests,
which ODFW paid for, Ratliff
said. He welcomes owners of
sheep and goats in either area
to call the ODFW offi ce at 541-
523-5832 if they’re interested
in having animals tested.
Ratliff said it’s also plausible
that the Baker County big-
horns were infected by contact
with other bighorn sheep,
possibly from Idaho.
The bottom line, he said, is
“we just don’t know” the source
of the bacteria that infected
the two bighorn herds.
Ratliff is confi dent, however,
in saying that whatever the
source, sheep from the Lookout
Mountain herd were infected
fi rst.
The reason, he said, is tim-
ing.
Lookout Mountain bighorns
were infected some time before
Feb. 13, the day biologists,
responding to a report from a
passerby, found a dead bighorn
ram lying on the Snake River
Road near Connor Creek,
about 18 miles north of Hun-
tington.
Ratliff said the fi rst evidence
of illness in Burnt River Can-
yon bighorns didn’t show up
until October.
Although he acknowledges
it’s possible that bighorns from
each herd were infected sepa-
rately, from different sources,
Ratliff said he thinks that’s
highly unlikely.
He’s skeptical of that sce-
nario largely because evidence
is mounting that Burnt River
Canyon and Lookout Moun-
tain bighorns mingle more
often than biologists had
believed.
Nick Myatt/Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, 2011 Photo
A bighorn sheep ram photographed in the Burnt River Canyon.
animal was infected with the
same strain of bacteria.
But the more signifi cant
part of the story, he said, is that
he’s all but certain — again,
pending lab confi rmation —
that the dead ram wasn’t from
the Lookout Mountain herd
but rather from the Burnt
River Canyon herd.
Ratliff said the ram, which
was 9 to 10 years old, is about
one-third smaller, both in
body size and horns, than a
typical mature ram of the
Rocky Mountain subspecies.
The ram’s size was con-
sistent, however, with the
smaller California subspecies,
and Ratliff believes the ram
migrated from the Burnt
River Canyon herd — further
evidence that the two herds
mingle.
What’s impossible at this
point to determine, Ratliff
said, is how the bacteria
spread from the Lookout
Mountain herd to the Burnt
Recent ram death
River Canyon sheep.
deepens mystery
Either Lookout Mountain
Ratliff said that on Nov.
sheep crossed the freeway and
19, ODFW biologists found a mingled with Burnt River
dead bighorn ram near Little Canyon sheep and infected
Deacon Creek, a few miles
the latter, he said, or Burnt
west of Brownlee Reservoir
River Canyon sheep made the
and near the geographic cen- journey, became infected from
ter of the Lookout Mountain contact with Lookout Moun-
herd’s range.
tain sheep, then returned to
Ratliff said the ram defi -
the Burnt River Canyon and
nitely died from pneumonia, spread the bacteria among
although he has yet to receive that herd.
a lab result confi rming the
Ratliff said biologists found
The two herds generally are
10 miles or so apart, and with
Interstate 84 between them.
But early this summer, two
young rams from the Burnt
River Canyon herd tried to
cross the freeway from the
south (Burnt River) side to
the north, Ratliff said. One of
the rams was hit by a car and
killed. A tissue sample from
that ram did not contain the
Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae.
Ratliff said that had he
been asked a year ago to
estimate the relative risk
of Baker County bighorns
contracting a bacteria or
virus from domestic sheep, he
would have rated the Burnt
River Canyon as more vulner-
able because of the proximity
of domestic sheep in Durkee
Valley.
“I would have been wrong,”
he said, citing his belief that
the Lookout Mountain big-
horns were infected fi rst.
O BITUARY
Kenneth Johnson
Formerly of Baker City, 1928-2020
Kenneth G. Johnson, 92, of
Dallas, Oregon, and a former
Baker City resident, died Nov.
20, 2020, at the Salem Hospital.
Private family interment
with military
honors will take
place at the Wil-
lamette National
Cemetery in
Portland.
Kenneth
Ken was born
Johnson
on Feb. 22, 1928,
at Baker, the son
of Sydney and Clarissa Gates
Johnson. He grew up at the
family farm near Pleasant
Valley and later moved to the
family ranch at Muddy Creek
outside of Haines. Ken gradu-
ated from Baker High School in
1946 where he excelled at foot-
ball and basketball. He attended
both the University of Oregon
and Eastern Oregon University,
where he played basketball. He
earned a bachelor’s degree at
Eastern Oregon and a master’s
degree at the University of
Oregon. He served in the Oregon
National Guard for 30 years. He
retired at the rank of captain in
1988.
He served in various admin-
istrative posts in the Baker and
Dallas school districts, where
he was principal of Dallas High
School from 1971 to 1986. He
also served as juvenile counselor
of Baker County.
Ken married Marilyn
Dorthey Muller in 1952. She
S ENIOR M ENUS
■ WEDNESDAY: Spaghetti with beef sauce, caulifl ower,
garlic breadsticks, green salad, pudding
■ THURSDAY: Salisbury steak, mashed potatoes, broccoli-
blend vegetables, roll, macaroni salad, cheesecake
■ FRIDAY: Barbecued ribs, baked beans, corn, roll, coleslaw,
cookies
■ MONDAY (Dec. 7): Boneless chicken with cream gravy,
mashed potatoes, roll, baby carrots, ambrosia, lemon
squares
■ TUESDAY (Dec. 8): Chicken cordon bleu, rice pilaf, mixed
vegetables, roll, brownies
Lunches at the Senior Center, 2810 Cedar St., 11:30 a.m. to
12:30 p.m.; $4.50 donation (60 and older), $6.75, under 60.
Meals must be picked up; there is no dining on site.
C ONTACT THE H ERALD
1668 Resort St.
Open Monday through Friday
8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Telephone: 541-523-3673
Fax: 541-833-6414
Publisher
Karrine Brogoitti
kbrogoitti@lagrandeobserver.
com
Jayson Jacoby, editor
jjacoby@bakercityherald.com
Advertising email
ads@bakercityherald.com
Classifi ed email
classified@bakercityherald.com
Circulation email
circ@bakercityherald.com
ISSN-8756-6419
Serving Baker County since 1870
Published Tuesdays, Thursdays and
Saturdays except Christmas Day by the
Baker Publishing Co., a part of EO Media
Group, at 1668 Resort St. (P.O. Box 807),
Baker City, OR 97814.
Subscription rates per month are:
Baker City (97814), $10.80; all others,
$12.50.
Postmaster: Send address changes to
the Baker City Herald, P.O. Box 807, Baker
City, OR 97814.
Periodicals Postage Paid
at Pendleton, Oregon 97801
Copyright © 2020
the dead ram while working
on a project to learn more
about the prevalence of the
bacteria in Lookout Mountain
sheep.
Biologists used tranquilizer
darts to capture sheep, take
tissue samples for lab testing,
and attach tracking collars to
the animals.
Ratliff said ODFW has
collared nine sheep during the
operation, with about a dozen
collars remaining.
Collaring bighorns will
allow ODFW to employ the
“test/cull” strategy if the
illness is so prevalent, and
lethal, that it threatens the
future of the entire Lookout
Mountain herd.
Biologists can track the
collared sheep and test them
occasionally for the bacteria.
That’s important, Ratliff said,
because some sheep are likely
to be “intermittent shedders,”
meaning they carry the bacte-
ria but shed it only some of the
time.
Those that are actively shed-
ding bacteria could potentially
be euthanized to prevent them
from infecting others.
The Lookout Mountain
herd was established in the
early 1990s when a few
dozen bighorns were captured
elsewhere and released along
Fox Creek. The animals have
thrived in the steep canyons
on the breaks of the Snake
River.
died in 1973. He later married
Carol “Jean” Berry on June 29,
1974, at Dallas.
Ken attended St. Thomas
Episcopal Church at Dal-
las. He enjoyed the outdoors
and was an avid hunter with
favorite hunting spots in the
Elkhorn Mountains of Eastern
Oregon. A voracious reader
of both fi ction and nonfi ction,
Ken would, upon retirement,
travel extensively to many
corners of the world. He was
an avid University of Oregon
fan and enjoyed working with
his fl owers in later life. He was
well known for his wit and
puns, often being too hip for the
room.
Kenneth is survived by
his brother, Tim Johnson of
Clarkston, Washington; his
sons, Kyle Johnson of Kalama,
Washington, Kent Johnson
and his wife, Phyllis, of Baker
City; his daughter, Jeri and
her husband, Ken Houle, of
Hillsboro; his son, Greg and
his wife, Christina Miller of Se-
attle; his grandchildren, Robbie
and Kerrie Houle, and Natalie
and Jacqueline Miller; and his
friend, Nancy Rosenbalm.
He was preceded in death by
his brother, Sidney Johnson.
Memorial contributions are
suggested to the Dallas Booster
Club for the Dallas High School
Athletic Department in care
of Dallas Mortuary Tribute
Center. To leave an online
condolence for the family go to
www.dallastribute.com
N EWS OF R ECORD
DEATHS
Belva ‘Mickey’ Mae Reyn-
olds: 98, of Baker City, died on
Nov. 29, 2020, at her home. She
will be interred at Juniper Haven
Cemetery in Prineville at a later
date. To leave an online condo-
lence for Mickey’s family, go to
www.grayswestco.com
POLICE LOG
Baker City Police
Arrests, citations
POSSESSION OF METH-
AMPHETAMINE (Multnomah
County warrant): Christopher
John Carroll, 34, of Baker City,
4:07 a.m. Saturday, in the 1900
block of Main Street; cited and
released.
PROBATION VIOLATION (Two
Baker County warrants): Alex-
ander Allen Adams, 24, of 2375
Campbell St., 2:01 p.m. Friday,
in the 1500 block of Campbell
Street; jailed.
Crime reports
FIRST-DEGREE THEFT: At a
Baker City motel in the 600 block
of Campbell Street Sunday.
Police Chief Ray Duman said
Ashleigh Nelson, 20, and Daniel
Schick, 20, both of Everett, Wash-
ington, reported that a large
suitcase fi lled with clothing was
taken from the top of their 2007
Mazda 6 sedan about 6:40 p.m.;
the loss is valued at $3,140.
SECOND-DEGREE BUR-
GLARY: At St. Francis Catholic
Church, between Nov. 26 and
Nov. 27. Police Chief Ray Duman
said a burglar entered the church
through a basement door and
took a projector, rosary beads
and other items. Duman said
entry was gained through a door
on the west side of the church.
A second basement door was
damaged in an unsuccessful
attempt to enter the church.
Duman said church offi cials will
Jay & Kristin Wilson, Owners
2036 Main Street, Baker City
541-523-6284 • ccb#219615
take inventory to determine what
else might have been taken.
Oregon State Police
Arrests, citations
POSSESSION OF A FALSELY
APPLIED FOR HUNTING
LICENSE/ELK TAG and UNLAW-
FUL TAKE/POSSESSION OF A
COW ELK: William G. Frerichs,
43, of Herald, California, 1:16
p.m. Monday, Nov. 23, on High-
way 86 near Halfway; cited and
released.
HUNTING FROM A PUBLIC
ROAD RIGHT OF WAY and
UNLAWFUL TAKE/POSSESSION
OF A COW ELK: William George
Frerichs, 76, 1:16 p.m. Monday,
Nov. 23, on Highway 86 near
Halfway; cited and released.
FELON IN POSSESSION OF
A FIREARM: Brandon Charles
Harris, 41, of Halfway, 3:20 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 29, at his home;
cited and released.
Baker City Fire Alarms
Sunday, Nov. 29
6:04 p.m. — Firefi ghters
responded to 295 Elm St. on
a report of a fi re in a front-end
loader belonging to Bill Harvey
Jr. Fire Chief Sean Lee said
the front-end loader had been
plugged in to warm the engine
and the fi re was caused by an
electrical problem in the wiring.
Firefi ghters spent about an hour
extinguishing the blaze, Lee said.
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