TUESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2021
LOCAL BRIEFING
Middle school, high school
choirs, bands to perform
Baker Middle School and
Baker High School choirs and
bands have scheduled a pair of
winter concerts.
The choirs from both schools
will perform Tuesday, Dec. 14
at 7 p.m. at the Baker High
School auditorium, 2500 E St.
The bands will perform
Thursday, Dec. 16, also at
7 p.m. at the BHS auditorium.
Baker City Police hosting
Angel Tree
The Baker City Police
Department is hosting, in
ELK
Continued from A1
Marvin can attest only to
the chronological acumen of
the elk that congregate each
year at the Elkhorn Wildlife
Area.
That’s the series of 10
elk-feeding stations, ranging
from Old Auburn Lane in the
south to Shaw Mountain in
Union County, operated by
the Oregon Department of
Fish and Wildlife (ODFW).
Marvin is starting his
fourth winter as the Elkhorn
Wildlife Area manager.
The publicly owned por-
tions of the Wildlife Area
(some stations are on private
land for which ODFW has
leases) close to public entry
on Dec. 1, and remain closed
through April 10.
Marvin said elk start
to show up at some of the
feed sites — most notably
the meadow along Anthony
Creek, west of North Powder
— on Dec. 1.
And the animals stroll
into the meadow even in
years, such as the current
one, when the fall has been
mild, snow is scarce and the
elk have no particular need
for handouts of alfalfa hay.
“These elk, they know
where that feed is,” Marvin
said on Friday morning, Dec.
10. “They have a phenomenal
memory of where they’ve
wintered in the past, and
they can migrate for many
miles overnight to be here at
the feed site the next morn-
ing.”
BAKER CITY HERALD — A3
LOCAL
For more information, call
Phoebe Wachtel at 541-524-
2014, extension 603, or Susan
Bland with The Salvation
Army at 541-523-5853.
partnership with The Salva-
tion Army, an Angel Tree
decorated with gift tags in the
front entrance of the Police
Department at 1768 Auburn
Ave. Angel Tree gift tags are
special wished-for items given
during the holiday season to
children in need within our
community.
If you would like to pick
up an Angel Tree gift tag and
purchase the gift for a local
child, you can then return the
unwrapped gift to the Police
Department.
The last day to turn in a
gift is Friday, Dec. 17.
Chelsea Judy, Anthony
Lakes marketing director.
“We’re very optimistic,”
Continued from A1
Judy said on Monday morn-
And higher in the moun- ing, Dec. 13.
An automated snow-
tains, much more snow
measuring station near
piled up.
Bourne, about six miles
Anthony Lakes Moun-
north of Sumpter, reported
tain Resort reported 13
inches of new snow during 15 inches of new snow, with
16 inches on the ground
the weekend, with a snow
Monday morning.
base of 18 inches on Mon-
At another station, in
day morning, Dec. 13.
Eilertson Meadow along
If the weather forecast
Rock Creek on the east side
for the rest of this week
of the Elkhorns, about 14
proves close to accurate,
with snow likely most days, inches of snow fell during
the weekend. There was
there’s a “very, very good
only one inch of snow there
chance” that the ski area
before the storm.
will open for the season
At Schneider Meadows,
on Saturday, Dec. 18, said
SKI
Pet food collection drive
underway
Bisnett Insurance is
hosting a pet supply drive to
benefi t Best Friends of Baker
through Dec. 17. Donations
of kitten and cat food (wet or
dry), dog food, and cat litter
can be brought to Bisnett
at 2001 Main St. (corner of
Main Street and Washington
Avenue).
bringing heavy snow to the
Elkhorns this past weekend,
Marvin said he expects the
elk numbers will rise at all
the sites soon.
“Peak numbers are usu-
ally in January when it’s the
coldest and the snow tends to
get the deepest,” Marvin said.
During mid-winter, the
Wildlife Area crew feeds more
than 1,000 elk, including
about 500 at the Old Auburn
Lane site and 250 or so at
Anthony Creek.
A few of the feed sites also
attract deer.
The Auburn and Anthony
Lisa Britton/Baker City Herald Creek sites are the two pub-
licly accessible properties
Rocky Mountain elk in a meadow along Anthony Creek on Sunday, Dec. 12. This site, about 10 miles west
of North Powder, is one of the 10 sites that comprise the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Elkhorn
with maintained roads where
Wildlife Area.
people can park and watch
the big herds of elk, which
Nonetheless, about 150
set up feeding stations where of snow accumulating in the
usually include multiple ma-
To be clear, Marvin and
to 170 elk arrived at the An- ture, branch-antlered bulls.
daily distributions of alfalfa mountains the fi rst half of
his crew distribute several
November — elk will wander thony Creek feeding site Dec.
To get to the Auburn site,
hundred tons of alfalfa to elk will, in effect, intercept the
1, and they’ve been showing
into some of the feed sites.
drive south of Baker City on
each winter not because the elk, satisfying their hunger
“Acting like they’re going up daily since, Marvin said.
and discouraging them from
Highway 7 for about seven
animals wouldn’t survive
Elk numbers have been
to starve to death,” Marvin
migrating into the valleys.
miles, and turn right on Old
without the supplemental
said with a chuckle during a much lower at the other sites, Auburn Lane. Follow this
During the ensuing
feed.
however.
2020 interview.
gravel road (maintained in
Elk are tough and hardy, decades, Marvin said, the
That’s pretty typical,
But ODFW doesn’t start
elk have become habituated
winter) for about 3.5 miles
capable of digging through
bucking hay bales before Dec. Marvin said, even though the where a sign marks the Wild-
deep snow to get at the mea- to these seasonal offerings,
Wildlife Area crew set out hay life Area. The elk are fed on a
1, early snow or no.
their instincts so keen that
ger winter forage.
The reason, Marvin said, at each of the sites on Dec. 1. knoll south of the road.
Even a nasty winter, the their arrival, as the calendar
The elk that congregate
is that the Elkhorn Wildlife
Earlier this year, the Wild-
sort that can kill hundreds of turns from November to
at Anthony Creek tend to be life Area crew pruned many
Area remains open to the
mule deer across Northeast- December, is quite reliable.
the most consistent when it
public, including hunters,
“The cows every year
of the ponderosa pine trees
ern Oregon, typically takes
comes to the Dec. 1 arrival,
through Nov. 30, and he
bring their calves here, and
near the road, improving
only a minor toll on elk.
doesn’t want to, in effect, set Marvin said.
they learn, and then they
the view to the feeding site,
ODFW started the Elk-
“They’re very habituated
up bait stations where elk
bring their calves,” Marvin
Marvin said.
horn Wildlife Area in 1971
elk,” he said.
would congregate.
To reach the Anthony
for a very different purpose said.
Elk that migrate to
Typically, as was the case
Although the elk know
Creek site, from North Pow-
— to stop elk from maraud-
the other feeding sites, by
when December comes, they last year, early snow melts
der drive west on River Lane
ing cattle ranchers’ hay-
contrast, often don’t show up for about 8.5 miles. The elk
don’t always wait until then, and the elk return to the
stacks in the Baker, North
mountains, waiting for Dec. 1. in large numbers until snow are fed in a meadow south of
Powder and Bowen valleys. Marvin said.
This fall was quite differ- begins to pile up.
In years when snow
the road. You can also reach
The idea, which has
With the fi rst major
ent, with little snow until this
River Lane via Haines and
proven largely effective over comes early — 2020 was an
winter storm of the season
past weekend.
example, with a couple feet
the Anthony Lakes Highway.
the past half century, is to
and the combined $400 will
be split for a $200 shopping
spree in both stores.
Continued from A1
Each shop is selling raffl e
tickets for the shopping
For every $10 spent, a
spree, and all the sales will
customer is given a hazelnut
go the charity that receives
or walnut to put in a stock-
the most nuts in each loca-
ing labeled for the charity.
tion.
Each nut represents $1
Calder said the stockings
for the organization.
are emptied each night, and
“It’s really so heartwarm-
shoppers in the La Grande
ing to watch people consider
store are supporting Baker
where the donation should
City causes just as much
go,” Calder said. “Many
as the Baker customers are
customers have involved
donating to the Angel Fund.
their kids and let the kids
“People like to see every-
help decide.”
Lisa Britton/Baker City Herald
one benefi t,” she said. “We’ve
Calder said education
BELLA stories in Baker City and La Grande will
had a lot of fun with this
is part of the fundraiser as
donate 10% of sales during December to three local
well — her staff members
organizations, with shoppers deciding how much goes and you hope, at the end of
the day, that our enthusi-
know the background of
to each.
asm is infectious.”
each organization, and
BELLA in Baker City
share the stories with
the donation to the charity Baker City and heard about
customers.
that receives the most nuts the “Give More” fundraiser. is located at 2023 Main St.
The donation — she wanted The La Grande store is at
“We been giving out a lot at each store.
1216 Adams Ave.
to remain anonymous
Calder said BELLA
of brochures,” she said.
— was $300. Calder said
In addition to the stock- received a donation from a
BELLA added another $100,
woman who was raised in
ings, a raffl e will increase
BELLA
Don’t text and
drive... you
won’t have to
come see us!
in the southern Wallowas
north of Halfway, about 22
inches of snow fell during
the weekend, bringing the
total to 31 inches.
The chance for sticking
snow in Baker City and oth-
er valleys of Baker County
will increase this week after
a cold front swept through
Monday night, ushering
in colder air and changing
the upper air pattern to
northwest, which reduces
the rain shadow effect.
The National Weather
Service predicts snow to
continue in the mountains,
with a foot or more during
the week in the Anthony
Lakes area.
RESOLUTION
Continued from A1
The proposed resolution
also states that “the Baker
County Commissioners
proudly join the Constitu-
tional Sheriffs and Police
Offi cers Association and that
the undersigned commission-
ers do hereby denounce any
acts or agencies that promote
the aforementioned practices.
All actions by the federal
government and its agents
will conform strictly and
implicitly with the principles
expressed within the United
States Constitution, Declara-
tion of Independence, and the
Bill of Rights.”
The resolution concludes:
“There is no greater obligation
or responsibility of any govern-
ment offi cer than to protect
the rights of the people. Thus,
any conduct contrary to the
United States Constitution,
Declaration of Independence,
or the Bill of Rights will be
dealt with as criminal activity.”
Also on the agenda for
Wednesday’s meeting:
• Visitor services agree-
ment with Baker County
Unlimited (Baker County
Chamber of Commerce).
• HVAC system for trailer
at Hewitt Park.
• Professional services
agreement with Arros Electric
for upgrades at Hewitt Park.
• Adopting county policy
for public records and travel.
• Public hearing adopting
2022 county fee schedule.
• Order authorizing sale
of property near East Pine
Creek, with the proceeds
going to the county parks
department.
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