OUTDOORS
B2 — THE OBSERVER & BAKER CITY HERALD
KLAMATH
BACKYARD
Continued from Page B1
Continued from Page B1
only a matter of time before
trout populations collapse.
I’ve often daydreamed, while
hiking in the woods, about how
fi ne it would be to take a rest on a
stump or log and munch a savory
slice, grease pooled in the pep-
peroni and molten cheese dripping
from the crust. But these episodes,
which I suspect plague most
hikers at some point, inevitably
end with salivation rather than sal-
vation. A handful of trail mix sat-
isfi es the body, but the brain, after
such episodes, reacts with disdain
to peanuts and dried fruit.
I scarcely had time to ponder
the pizza delivery scenario before
we got to the parking lot. I sus-
pect that if I lived around River-
side Park I could make the trip in
about as much time as it takes to
drive from my house to the gro-
cery store. Which in Baker City,
with its tidy dimensions, is not
long at all.
We applied bug spray for
the fi rst time in many blissfully
insect-defi cient months, and
started hiking on the Red Apple
trail.
The bugs, happily, weren’t
numerous enough — or voracious
enough, anyway — to constitute
even a minor annoyance. Although
when we paused for more than 10
seconds or so I noticed that every
mosquito in the vicinity veered
over to have a look at the rich
sources of carbon dioxide that had
suddenly appeared, although they
were strangely apathetic. Perhaps
they were satiated and sluggish
after assaulting previous hikers or
mountain bikers.
It was the sort of evening that it
seems to me is exclusive to June.
We started hiking around 7
o’clock. I donned a fl eece jacket
but this was for protection against
Unite
So much of the narrative in my
lifetime has been one of polar-
ized, opposing sides. Farmers and
ranchers on one side and Native
Americans on the other. It’s time
for this to stop. Despite diff er-
ences, everyone will benefi t from
a healthier Klamath.
The Klamath, Modoc and
Yahooskin Tribes are not alone
in their victimization by United
States policy and past actions.
There is no denying the mis-
treatment and genocide of tribes
across the country; however, past
sins are not an excuse for con-
tinued marginalization. Society
has evolved and can continue to
do so. We can respect the legacy
of the people who were here fi rst
without completely eliminating
agriculture.
A healthy Klamath Basin is a
healthy Klamath Falls, a healthy
Klamath County and a healthy
public at large. We do not have to
choose between agriculture and
ecology. At least, not yet. Water
availability is its own discussion,
but we have no control over the
rainfall. We absolutely have con-
trol over habitat loss.
It’s time to buy back and
rewild vacant land where possible
then open it to regulated public
use. Create new wetlands. Limit
erosion. Rebuild banks where
possible. The fi rst step is to keep
cattle out of the water with fences
and begin to replant shoreline
vegetation to keep the banks from
eroding further.
Many ranchers have already
taken these steps, including
Luke Ovgard/Contributed Photo
Local guide Tim Cleland (rear)
motors in the boat for the author and
videographer Nick Mitchell (front),
who is working on a documentary
of his own centered in the Klamath
Basin.
a close friend and successful
rancher in the area who has
already fencing his properties on
Lost River where waterfowl ben-
efi t just as much as fi sh from the
natural, healthy habitat untram-
pled by hooves.
Fencing is a solution neither
prohibitively expensive nor over-
whelmingly complex. Cattle
ranching can persist even as we
restore the Klamath and its trib-
utaries to its former glory. This
isn’t controversial; it’s common
sense.
█
For similar stories, read the author’s
book “Fishing Across America,” which
is available for preorder now at https://
bit.ly/3MKucLp. Sign up for every single
CaughtOvgard column at www.patreon.
com/CaughtOvgard. Read more for
free at caughtovgard.com; contact luke.
ovgard@gmail.com. Thank you for your
continued support of local journalism.
SATURDAY, JUNE 25, 2022
mosquitoes rather than insulation.
The temperature, according to the
thermometer in our car, was 65.
If mild can be defi ned precisely, I
think 65 degrees would do nicely.
The air had the fresh clean
quality that disappears along about
the middle of July, when the heat
and the dust — and more so in
recent years the wildfi re smoke —
make outdoor endeavors sweaty
and sometimes unpleasantly
congestive.
Patches of lupine perfumed the
air.
There was little wind, and the
occasional breezes seemed per-
fectly timed to cool our brows
during an uphill stretch or when
the trail found a patch of waning
but still potent sunlight. It was as
if MERA had sent along an aid
with a portable fan to ensure we
were never even slightly too warm.
We sampled just a small section
of MERA, having limited time
and being on foot besides.
(Our own feet, that is. We saw
plenty of evidence that equestrians
had enjoyed portions of our route
as well.)
We had so much fun, though,
that we returned two nights later,
on June 22.
This time we hiked farther
north, on the MERA Loop and a
few other sections of trail.
It was noticeably warmer —
the hottest day in more than 9
months, in fact, in Baker City —
but the basalt ramparts of Mount
Emily block the sun pretty early,
and we were in shade almost the
whole way.
We swatted at a few more mos-
quitoes than we did two evenings
earlier.
And we had to rush the last
mile or so to get back to LHS to
pick up Olivia.
But otherwise it was again an
altogether enjoyable visit — the
sort of hike I usually have to wait
until the weekends for.
Unlike our previous visit, when
we saw only one person on the
trails, we came across about a
dozen mountain bike riders, all
of them courteous and apprecia-
tive when we stepped aside as they
grinded up a series of switchbacks
above the Upper Igo trailhead.
We also passed a pair of hikers,
each of whom was accompanied
by a friendly dog.
MERA, which is managed by
the Union County Parks Depart-
ment and has an advisory com-
mittee, is renowned for its moun-
tain bike trails and its network of
paths for ATVs.
I’ve never pedaled at the place
but I’m sure I would have fun —
albeit not the same variety of high-
fl ying fun that a couple of riders
were indulging in as they navi-
gated a downhill section of trail
amply endowed with jumps and
smoothly banked corners.
MERA is no wilderness, to be
sure.
But it’s a pretty fair approxima-
tion, with its patches of forest and
its meadows and its occasional
streams, the latter lined with thick
vegetation and spanned in places
by simple but quaint wooden
bridges.
As we walked along on the
two evenings it occurred to me,
now and again, about how close
we actually were to the bustling
city, and the busy freeway, yet
we could neither see nor hear the
commotion. They might as well
have been a hundred miles away
instead of a handful.
I was also consumed, as it
were, with the nagging reality
that a hot pizza was mere minutes
away.
█
Jayson Jacoby is the editor of the Baker City
Herald.
C lassifieds
Published by The Observer & Baker City Herald - Serving Wallowa, Union and Baker Counties
PLACING YOUR AD IS EASY...Union, Wallowa, and Baker Counties
Phone La
Grande - 541-963-3161 • Baker City - 541-523-3673
On-Line:
www.lagrandeobserver.com
www.bakercityherald.com
Email:
Classifieds@lagrandeobserver.com
Classifieds@bakercityherald.com
103 Announcements
103 Announcements
DEADLINES:
LINE ADS:
Tuesday: 10:30am Monday
Thursday: 10:30 am Wednesday
Saturday: 10:30 am Friday
DISPLAY ADS:
2 Days Prior to
Publication Date
104 Community
Calendar
Construction Auction
SATURDAY, JUNE 25, 2022
Saturday June 25th.
11:00 am Start time,
Preview will be from 12-6pm
on Friday before the sale.
Location: NE Johns Pl
Pendleton, OR 97801.
Items for sale: Liftall forklift, Lin-
coln 225 arc welder, Miller
welder, 2n fordson tractor, trail-
ers, wackers, Tannewitz saw,
concrete saws, John deere
tractor, backhoe buckets, Pvc
pipe, lumber, and way too
many items to list Check.
Check for pictures and a full list
on our Facebook page Fords
Auction. All items are sold as is.
Buyer’s premium 10%. Pickup
and pay the sale day.
Contact us for estate sales and
consignments. Licensed and
bonded in Washington. 541-
561-5798 Ford or 541-314-3153
Colby
VFW POST 460
Every 1st and 3rd Thursday
of the month at 7pm.
Corner of Main at Birch in Union
PULL TABS
ACCEPTED
AT THE FOLLOWING
BAKER CITY LOCATIONS
∙
∙
∙
∙
∙
∙
∙
∙
∙
∙
∙
∙
Baker City Herald
Dollar Tree
Black’s Distributing
Ryder Bros
VFW
Baker Elk’s Lodge
Main Event
Lefty’s Tap House
Baker City Fire Dept.
Haines Sell-Rite
Idle Hour
Salvation Army
A LITTLE AD GOES A
LONG WAY
FIND IT IN THE
CLASSIFIED ADS
Who says ads have to be
big to work? A little one
can get a big job done.
Whatever you're looking
for, classified ads can
help.
LOOK BEFORE
YOU LEAP
LOOKING FOR A
GOOD RETURN?
Checking the classified
ads before you shop can
save time and bucks.
Why not use this directory
to inform people of your
business?
LA GRANDE LIONS CLUB
Meets 2nd & 4th Monday
of each month @ 12 PM
Union County Senior Center
1504 N. Albany St., La Grande
PINOCHLE
Fridays at 6:30 p.m.
Senior Center
2810 Cedar St., Baker City
Public is welcome
Call
541-963-3161
or
541-523-3673
to place your ad.
GET QUICK CASH
WITH THE
CLASSIFIEDS!
Sell your unwanted car, prop-
erty and household items
more quickly and affordably
with the classifieds. Just call
us today to place your ad and
get ready to start counting
your cash. The Observer 541-
963-3161. The Baker City Herald
541-523-3673
by Stella Wilder
SATURDAY, JUNE 25, 2022
YOUR BIRTHDAY by Stella Wilder
Born today, you tend to see things as they
really are, without the distortion of personal
bias, hope or aspiration; you don’t let your
feelings about a given topic -- or about the
world at large -- color your view of daily life.
This does not mean, however, that you do not
dream -- for dreaming is as natural to you as
breathing, and when you dream, you see
things not as they are but as they should be or
could be.
SUNDAY, JUNE 26
CANCER (June 21-July 22) -- You may be
tempted to disguise yourself in order to insert
yourself into a situation in which you don’t
belong. This is not wise.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) -- You expect to be
treated fairly today, and so you must treat oth-
ers fairly as well. Now is no time to assume
your authority is greater.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) -- A threat is
easily avoided today simply by following your
instincts and staying close to those who share
with you an awareness of the situation.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) -- Now is no
time for you to overindulge in anything that
might prove dangerous to you in copious
amounts. Moderation will keep you safe today.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) -- You will
know immediately when you are stepping
outside of your comfort zone and into a new
situation that can prove dangerous. Watch
your step!
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) -- Your
behavior has been somewhat baffling to oth-
ers recently, but today you should be able to
explain yourself to those who will listen.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -- You
may find yourself at a disadvantage today
simply because you haven’t done your home-
work recently. You can and must commit to
catching up.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) -- Just when
you think you have a moment to breathe and
take stock today, you’re likely to be slammed
with several new and time-sensitive tasks.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) -- You may not
be looking forward to a conversation that you
know you need to have, but if you raise the
issue today, all should go well indeed.
ARIES (March 21-April 19) -- Your usual
lines of communication may not be available
to you today, for whatever reason; you must
take an old-fashioned approach.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20) -- When you
have to say something more than once to the
same people today, you’re sure to be frustrat-
ed. Be clear the first time.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20) -- You are likely
to admire the skill displayed by someone
much younger than you today. This shouldn’t
prove frustrating, but inspiring.
COPYRIGHT 2022 UNITED FEATURE SYNDICATE, INC.
DISTRIBUTED BY ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION FOR UFS
1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106; 816-581-7500