THURSDAY
UNION COUNTY SHERIFF CHASTISES BROWN ON MASK MANDATE: PG. A5
Ã×É×ÕÖ$¬!
ÙÙÙÉÑÇÃÕÖÇÔÐÑÔÇÉÑÐÅÑÏ
Walk
Railroad
history
ÒÃÉÇ#
Listen
Side A-lley
concerts
Celebrate
ÒÃÉÇ
Watch
Live theater
Culture
ÒÃÉÇ#
WITH ‘NIMIIPUU EXPERIENCE’
IN BAKER CITY
ÒÃÉÇ$
www.nezpercetraditions.com
“Nimiipuu Experience” showcases Nez Perce traditions,
Aug. 21-22 and Aug. 28-29 in Baker City.
“The food is fresh, locally sourced and unbelievably delicious.
Their IPAs are distinct and clearly not copy-cats of each other or
anyone else making NW IPAs.” - Yelp Review, Bend. Oregon
1219 Washington Ave • La Grande, OR 97850
www.sideabeer.com
GO! Magazine
Serving Baker County since 1870 • bakercityherald.com
August 19, 2021
IN THIS EDITION:
Local • Business & AgLife • Go! magazine $1.50
Phillips Reservoir Has Been Lower Only Once Since 1968
QUICK HITS
Good Day Wish
To A Subscriber
A special good day to
Herald subscriber Betty
Milliman of Baker City.
Community, A3
PHILLIPS RESERVOIR
— A brisk wind that feels
more like October than
August is whipping up
whitecaps and pushing
the two lengths of fi shing
line into curves, but the
Foersterling brothers are
unperturbed.
They’re concentrating
on the rod tips, waiting for
the telltale twitch.
Receding Reservoir
Nears Record Low
BRIEFING
Wyden sets
online town hall
to discuss River
Democracy Act
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-
Ore., has scheduled a live,
online town hall for rural
Oregonians to comment
about legislation he is
sponsoring, the River De-
mocracy Act. It would des-
ignate about 4,700 miles
of rivers and streams
under the federal Wild and
Scenic Rivers system. A
link to the town hall is at
https://m.facebook.com/
events/244904110829033/
Jayson Jacoby/Baker City Herald
This image taken from a drone on Tuesday, Aug. 17, shows Mason Dam at lower right, and the water intake
structure, center right near the shore, at Phillips Reservoir.
By JAYSON JACOBY
jjacoby@bakercityherald.com
BHS football
players selling
gold cards
The Baker High School
football team will be sell-
ing gold cards again this
year. The cards are good
for discounts at many local
businesses. They will be
available from any football
player starting this week-
end. Cost is $10.
WEATHER
Today
78 / 44
Sunny
Friday
80 / 47
Partly sunny
The space below is for
a postage label for issues
that are mailed.
There’s a strip of
moist ground in Baker
County that’s being
exposed to the air after
more than three decades
under the water.
And if things keep on
as they have been, a bit
more land might emerge
for the fi rst time in bet-
ter than half a century.
These patches form
the shoreline of Phil-
lips Reservoir, along
the Powder River in
Sumpter Valley, about
17 miles southwest of
Baker City.
The reservoir, cre-
ated by the completion
Jayson Jacoby/Baker City Herald
of Mason Dam in 1968
Phillips Reservoir on Tuesday, Aug. 17. The Mason Dam boat ramp, at left, is well
and designed to store
above the water line.
water for irrigation and
fl ood control, has been
depleted by drought to its lowest
George Chandler, a Baker Valley
Chandler recalls that the intake,
level since late October 1988.
rancher and longtime board member the concrete structure near the dam
And if the reservoir recedes slight- for the Baker Valley Irrigation Dis-
where water drains to fl ow through
ly farther, ground will be revealed
trict, which manages the reservoir,
the dam and into the river below,
that has been covered by water since said the fall of 1988 is the only time was exposed.
1968, the year the dam began to
he’s seen Phillips so low.
See, Reservoir/Page A3
impound the Powder River.
That’s also the only other time
Your guide to arts,
entertainment
and other events
happening around
Northeast Oregon
Water
use up
a little
BY SAMANTHA O’CONNER
soconner@bakercityherald.com
With temperatures ris-
ing last week, Baker City’s
water usage also increased,
to a daily average of almost
4.1 million gallons.
But water demand
remains lower than the
nearly 5-million-gallon
daily averages earlier in the
summer that prompted city
offi cials to ask residents to
voluntarily restrict outdoor
watering to the period 7 p.m.
to 7 a.m.
And with temperatures
dropping this week, water
use has followed suit, dip-
ping below 4 million gallons
on Tuesday, Aug. 17 for the
fi rst time in a week.
“The cooler weather
helps,” said Michelle Owen,
the city’s public works direc-
tor.
See, Water/Page A2
Baker
gets a
refreshing
break
By JAYSON JACOBY
jjacoby@bakercityherald.com
Baker County’s record-
setting summer is taking
some time off this week.
And a well-deserved inter-
ruption it is.
The late June heat wave
broke three consecutive
daily high temperature
records at the Baker City
Airport.
July was the hottest
month on record at the air-
port, with an average high of
92.3 degrees.
And with fi ve weeks of the
season left, this summer has
already broken the record of
90-degree-plus days, with 44
(11 in June, 22 in July, 11 so
far in August).
See, Break/Page A2
Fire crews have
little effect from
COVID-19 surge
much of the nation’s fi refi ght-
ing resources are already com-
The surge in COVID-19
mitted to existing fi res.
cases has had minimal effects
As a result, local fi re man-
on state and federal agencies’ agers say, their standard goal
capacities to fi ght wildfi res
of dousing fi res as quickly as
in and around Baker County possibly is even more pressing,
during a summer when ex-
because if a fi re in Northeast-
treme fi re danger means these ern Oregon grows rapidly,
local crews’ efforts are vital
there’s no guarantee that
in keeping small fi res from
large numbers of fi refi ghters
becoming confl agrations.
and aircraft would be readily
With big blazes burning
available from other areas.
elsewhere in Oregon and in
See, Fire Crews/Page A2
most other western states,
By JAYSON JACOBY
jjacoby@bakercityherald.com
TODAY
Issue 43, 32 pages
Business ...........B1 & B2
Classified ............. B2-B4
Comics ....................... B5
Dan Cothren/Contributed Photo
A nighttime fi re crew works on the Black Butte fi re south of Unity on Aug. 13,
2021. The fi re, started by lightning on Aug. 3, has burned 21,237 acres.
Community News ....A3
Crossword ........B2 & B4
Dear Abby ................. B6
Senior Menus ...........A2
Horoscope ........B3 & B4
Letters ........................A4
Lottery Results ..........A2
News of Record ........A2
Obituaries ..................A2
Opinion ......................A4
Sports ........................A6
Weather ..................... B6
SATURDAY — DOVE DECOYS ENHANCE THE HUNTING EXPERIENCE