BAKER CITY HERALD • SATuRDAY, NovEmBER 19, 2022 A3
LOCAL
Sheriff
Baker County voters opposed Measure 114
Continued from A1
Jayson Jacoby/Baker City Herald
A bighorn sheep was spotted wandering in Baker City on Tuesday, Nov. 15, garnering the attention of
many locals.
Sheep
Continued from A1
Brian Ratliff, district wild-
life biologist at ODFW’s Baker
City office, said he took an
airplane flight over town
Wednesday morning to try
to get a signal from the radio
tracking collar the ram was
wearing. Ratliff said he quickly
picked up the signal, and about
the same time an Oregon State
Police officer called to say the
ram was at 15th and Broadway.
Ratliff, who has worked in
Baker City for about 16 years,
said the ram is the first to wan-
der into a city neighborhood
that he knows of.
“We’ve had multiple bighorn
sheep there on the hill just be-
hind the golf course,” Ratliff
said.
He said the ram was most
likely “looking for love,” when
it wandered into town, possi-
bly lured by a domesticated an-
imal. He said this is the peak of
the bighorn breeding season.
The ram was quarantined at
the ODFW station on Hughes
Lane in Baker City while biol-
ogists waited for results of dis-
ease tests.
Ratliff said the results, which
were all negative, arrived late
Thursday afternoon, Nov. 17,
and on Friday morning he
was hooking up the trailer to
haul the ram back to the Burnt
River Canyon for release.
Ratliff said he was especially
concerned about the ram being
infected with Mycoplasma ovi-
pneumoniae bacteria, which
has infected sheep in both of
Baker County’s bighorn herds
over the past three years and
caused fatal pneumonia in
dozens of the animals.
Ratliff said the ram, which
ODFW first trapped and col-
lared on Dec. 2, 2021, has been
exposed to the bacteria based
on test results. But the nasal
swab that biologists took on
Wednesday was negative, and
the sheep showed no signs of
illness.
Ratliff believes the bacte-
ria first infected sheep in the
Lookout Mountain unit in
eastern Baker County, north
of Interstate 84 and south of
Highway 86.
Sick and dead sheep were
found in that area starting in
February 2020. The Lookout
Mountain sheep are Rocky
Mountain bighorns.
Around October 2020,
sheep in the Burnt River Can-
yon herd — those are Cali-
fornia bighorns, a somewhat
smaller subspecies — also
began dying. Ratliff believes
sheep from the Burnt River
Canyon herd, which is just
south of Interstate 84, crossed
the freeway and mingled with
infected Lookout Mountain
bighorns.
ODFW has not determined
the source of the bacteria that
initially infected Lookout
Mountain sheep.
Ratliff estimated that all of
the lambs born in the Lookout
Mountain unit in the spring
of 2020 — 65 to 70 animals —
died due to the bacteria, along
with about 75 adult bighorns.
The herd, which has been Or-
egon’s biggest herd of Rocky
Mountain bighorns, included
about 400 sheep as recently as
2018.
Few, if any, lambs survived
in 2021, but Ratliff said one
group of sheep seems to have
fared better in 2022.
The Burnt River Canyon
herd is much smaller, with
about 75 to 85 sheep, and bi-
ologists counted 14 lambs in
the area this spring. That com-
pares with a pre-infection aver-
age of 25 to 30 lambs per year.
Ratliff said he replaced the
ram’s radio collar with a GPS
version that makes it easier for
biologists to track its move-
ments remotely. The radio col-
lar signals have a limited range.
Paul W. Schon
October 19, 1953 - November 4, 2022
Paul W. Schon, 69, of Baker City,
died on Friday, Nov. 4, 2022 at his
home.
Paul was born on Oct. 19,
1953 in Baker City to Pat and Paul
Schon. Paul grew up in Halfway
and graduated from Pine Eagle High
School in 1972. He logged for many
years for Phegley Logging out of Baker. He then spent
many years selling cars to his friends and family.
Paul retired in 2019 where he was then able to spend all
of his time doing what he loved, being an outdoorsman. You
could never find him at home as he was either on a drive
or in his side-by-side riding through the mountains with his
friends or family. His adventures took him to Canada where
he loved to hunt whitetail, caribou and moose. A place he
wanted to go and never made it was Alaska.
He was preceded in death by both parents (Pat and Paul
Schon), all three siblings, Patty, Davi, and Tom, and one
nephew Brandon.
Paul is survived by nephews Mike Barber (Sheana)
of La Grande, Robert Schon (Joanna) of Ontario, Robert
Breshears (Amie) of Summerville and Dion Bergman
(Kristina) of Elgin, and nieces Crissy Gipe (Bill) of
Council, Idaho, Candi Bond of Payette, Idaho, great-nieces
Brittany, Shaelee, Alyssa, Shannon, Samm, Hailey, Ireland
and Addy and great-nephews Josh, Brayden, Reese, Austin,
Zachary, Caleb, Cooper, Rory and life-long friend Lisa
Breshears.
He impacted everyone he spoke to and everyone has
a great story to tell. He was loved by many and will be
missed by lots. There will be no services, as per Paul’s
request throughout his life.
Online condolences may be shared at www.
tamispinevalleyufuneralhome.com.
Gary Lee Young
September 19, 1940 - October 25, 2022
Gary Lee Young, 82, of Baker City, died
peacefully in his home with his wife, Pat, by
his side on Oct. 25, 2022.
Gary was born in Macy, Nebraska, (on
the Omaha reservation) on
Sept. 19, 1940, to Ruby
and Roy Young. His family
moved to McGill, Nevada, a
year later in 1941, and then to
Baker, Oregon, in April 1945.
At the age of 13, he
proudly joined the National
Guard, and then graduated
from Baker High School in
1958. He then went on to
serve his country (for 3 years,
2 months, and 24 days as he
often would note) as an E4
specialist in the United States
Army. When he returned home, he attended
Eastern Oregon University (EOC at the
time), and then Portland State University
where he graduated in 1971.
Gary married Patricia Barsotti in 1972
and together they had three children and
eight grandchildren. He worked as a bank
manager, loan officer, and eventually in
bank administration for over 30 years at
Pioneer Federal Savings & Loan (and then
Pioneer Bank). In the last 10 years of his
career, he worked as an appraiser for Baker
County and happily retired in 2007.
Gary enjoyed participating in all activities
that involved him spending time with his
family and friends. He was an avid reader,
he loved camping and playing cards with his
family. Many a cribbage game was played
during the family’s camping trips. Gary’s
children grew up with a love of camping
and the woods due to his love of exploring
his beloved Baker County. A general love
of games was also instilled in his kids and
carried through to his grandchildren as well.
Gary also loved his canine companions
and had many over the years. Each of the
family dogs became a part of his family, but
none more so than his beloved Louie.
He was known by all his friends and
family for his mischievous but fun nature.
He liked to tell jokes, and
was a bit of a prankster;
he was lovingly known as
“grumpy grandpa” but we
all knew that his grouchiness
was just his hard outer shell
and underneath he was
an extremely loving and
supportive husband, father
and grandpa.
Gary was also a proud
member of the VFW Post
#3048, where he was very
involved and helped run the
post as well as the community
Veteran’s Memorial Club. Earlier he had
also been very involved in the Elks and
Lions Club during his career.
Gary was predeceased by his parents Roy
and Ruby Young, his uncle Jack Sinclair,
who died in WWII, and his beloved dog,
Louie.
Gary is survived by his wife, Pat Young,
and his proudest accomplishments - his
children, Anne (Barry) Nemec of Baker
City, Craig (Leslie) Young of Eugene, and
Chris (Amy) Young of Baker City; his
grandchildren, Isaac, Isabella and Lincoln
Nemec, Jackson, Lauren and Benjamin
Young, and Otis and Zea Young; his sister,
Donna Nelson of Hines, Oregon; and his
aunt, Margie Toney of Haines, Oregon.
A celebration of Gary’s life will be held
at the Veteran’s Memorial Club on Nov. 26,
2022, from 3-7 p.m. Memorial donations
may be made in Gary’s name to the VFW
Post #3408 to help support Baker County
youth activities.
To leave an online condolence for the
family, please visit www.grayswestco.com.
Measure 114, which was re-
jected by voters in 29 of Oregon’s
36 counties, including Baker,
but had sizeable majorities in
the state’s most populous county,
Multnomah, has multiple parts.
It requires people, before buy-
ing a gun, to obtain a permit,
complete an approved firearm
safety course at their own ex-
pense and pay a fee, expected to
be $65. The law also prohibits
the sale of magazines with a ca-
pacity of more than 10 rounds
(people who already own such
magazines can continue to use
them).
The law also requires that gun
buyers have a criminal back-
ground check finished before
they can buy a firearm.
“As the measure currently
stands, after January 15, 2023 a
permit will be required by law
to purchase a firearm in Ore-
gon,” Ash wrote. “Unfortunately,
this requires the state to create
infrastructure that does not yet
exist and coordination among
numerous government enti-
ties with different administra-
tive structures. In spite of these
obstacles, the Baker County
Sheriff’s Office is working in
collaboration with fellow law
enforcement agencies to include
the Baker City Police Depart-
ment to ensure people have the
ability to obtain a permit to pur-
voters in most of oregon’s coun-
ties — 29 of 36 — opposed
measure 114, and Baker County
had one of the higher rates of
opposition.
istered voters.
In Baker County, which has al-
most 13,000 registered voters,
81.3% voted no on the measure.
Harney County, with 5,606 vot-
ers, had 84.9% in opposition.
Lake County, which has 5,627
registered voters, rejected mea-
sure 114 at a rate of 87.4%.
That’s the fifth-highest rate
among the 29 counties.
Grant County’s opposition rate
was 84.2%. The county has 5,629
registered voters.
Sherman County, in North
Central oregon, had the high-
est rate, with 88.7% opposed.
Sherman County has 1,454 reg-
Multnomah County, with
568,280 registered voters, sup-
ported measure 114 at a rate of
74.1%.
chase firearms.”
In reaction to the measure’s
restriction on the sales of mag-
azines, Ash wrote: “The Baker
County Sheriff’s Office will not
focus investigations on magazine
capacity issues.”
“There are many unknowns
with the measure and we will
provide updates as they develop,”
Ash concluded his statement.
Other sheriffs
Linn County Sheriff Michelle
Duncan was the first to respond
to the measure’s passage, an-
nouncing that her agency “is
NOT going to be enforcing
magazine capacity limits.”
Duncan called the measure
poorly written and said she
hopes its passage will result in an
immediate lawsuit.
Union County Sheriff Cody
Bowen wrote on the agency’s
Facebook page that Measure 114
“is an infringement on our con-
stitutional rights and will not be
enforced by my office!”
“This measure will only harm
law abiding gun owners and
result in wasted time with addi-
tional redundant background
checks,” Bowen wrote. “With
no funding from the state to
provide additional payroll costs
this will ultimately sacrifice pa-
trol and deputy presence in our
community. Another attempt at
defunding our police at its finest.
To the people who chime in with
me picking and choosing which
laws I want to enforce or not en-
force! Hear this! When it comes
to our constitutional rights I’ll
fight to the death to defend
them. No matter what crazy law
comes out of Salem!”
Kenneth R. “Ken” Bond
March 6, 1935 - November 10, 2022
Kenneth Bond, 87, a
longtime resident of the
Forest Grove community,
died Thursday morning,
November 10, 2022, at his
home.
An open house in honor
of Ken’s life will be held on
Saturday, December 3 from
1-3 p.m. at the Forest Grove
United Methodist Church,
1726 Cedar Street in Forest
Grove.
Kenneth Ray Bond was
born March 6, 1935, in Baker,
Oregon, the son of the late John Herbert
Bond and Vera Leone (Speelman) Bond.
He was raised and received his education
in the Baker community, a graduate of
Baker High School, Class of 1953. He is in
the BHS Hall of Fame for baseball as well
as Student Council leader. Ken attended
the University of Oregon, receiving a B.S.
and M.S. degree in eduation. In 1960 he
received the second School Psychologist
Certificate awarded in the state from the
UO. He was on the UO Pacific Coast
Intercollegiate Athletic Honor Roll from
1953-1957.
He was united in marriage to Nancy
Kelly on September 11, 1955, in the Baker
United Methodist Church. They celebrated
their 67th wedding anniversary this past
September. Following their marriage, they
resided in Eugene and San Antonio, Texas,
after which they moved to the Forest
Grove community in the summer of 1959.
They have resided in Forest Grove since
that time.
Ken served in the U.S. Army in 1958-
59 in the Medical Corps. He continued
serving in the Reserves for eight years,
receiving his honorable discharge with the
rank of Captain.
He played semi-pro baseball in the
Tri-State League from 1951-57; played
baseball for the UO from 1953-57;
coached Little League and Jr. Babe Ruth in
Forest Grove from 1961-79. He managed
and coached the Forest Grove Grimmett
Senior Babe Ruth team from 1979-1993
and was the director of the local Jr. and Sr.
Babe Ruth program during that time. He
was manager/coach of the Grimmett team
that won the Sr. Babe Ruth World Series
in 1989. The 1989 team was awarded the
George Pasero Team Award. The Forest
Grove City baseball field was renamed
Bond Field in 1995. In 1986 and 1991 the
Grimmett teams also participated in the
World Series.
Ken served as the Forest Grove High
School Viking baseball coach from 1979-
94. He also did his own groundskeeping
and renovated the old high school baseball
field. He later designed and built, with the
help of players and parents, the baseball
field at the current Forest Grove High
School. He was Metro Coach of the Year
in 1990.
Ken served in several professional
groups including the State Committee in the
field of Mental Health for State of Oregon
Mental Health Division in the 1960s;
Oregon Guidance Association, Oregon
Coaches Association, National Federation
of Coaches, Rotary Paul
Harris Fellow 1985, Member
of Order of the O and a UO
donor. He served on the City
Recreation Commission and
was part of the renovation of
the City Field.
Ken came to the Forest
Grove schools in 1959
where
he
established
the first counseling and
guidance program for the
district, serving as Director
of
Counseling/School
Psychologist. He also taught
psychology classes at the
high school and counseling
courses at Pacific University
summer
sessions.
He
volunteered twice weekly in
teaching parenting classes
in the Forest Grove district
from 1978-1990. He was
the recipient of the National
School Public Relations
Award in 1987, an award
for significant contributions
to education through public
relations practices. Later
he became the High School
varsity baseball coach where he served
for 15 years until his retirement in 1994.
Of Ken’s teams, a number of players have
played at various college and professional
levels. Some are now coaching their own
ball clubs.
Ken always wanted to “help make a
person’s life better,” give them confidence
in their own abilities and promote positive
attitudes toward forward progress. He
worked at this continually in his counseling
and with his baseball players. Messages
have confirmed he was much revered as a
coach and man are “paying it forward” in
their daily lives, some as coaches.
He
counseled
the
need
for
sportsmanship, discipline, respect for
others and themselves and responsibility
for their actions. Sports were important
but positive life lessons were more so. He
always expected a “winning with honor”
attitude from his teams. Many former
players remain in contact.
Ken was an active member of the
Forest Grove United Methodist Church
where he served as lay leader and on all
church commissions. He also volunteered
for many years as part of the church
groundskeeping crew.
He began golfing when he retired and
spent 22 winters on the golf course in Palm
Desert, CA, where he was awarded several
trophies for his tournament play.
Ken and Nancy traveled to many of the
Western European countries and, while
he was always open to discovering new
cultures and customs, he was happy to
return home with a renewed appreciation
for his own country.
He always said his life has been blessed
with many good things and many kind
friends. He had a deep appreciation for
this. His fondest memories were always of
his family. He was very devoted to each of
us and enjoyed many special occasions and
trips together. The welfare of the family
was his top priority.
Ken was preceded in death by his
parents, Vera and Herb Bond and his
sister, Marilyn Diehl. Survivors include
his wife, Nancy, Forest Grove; his son and
daughter-in-law, David and Laurie Bond
of Independence, Oregon; his daughter
Patti Bond of Forest Grove, and his two
sisters, Kathryn Eidson (Tom) of Houston,
Texas, and Gayle Sorter (Don) of Myrtle
Creek, Oregon. Also surviving are his two
granddaughters, Christa Whaley (Josh),
their sons, Cole, Caleb, and Casey Whaley,
of Brookings, Oregon, and Alyssa Bond
(Anthony) of Salem, Oregon.
The family suggests
that, in his memory,
remembrances may be
contributions to St. Jude’s
Children’s
Hospital,
SPCA and Oregon Special
Olympics.
To sign the online guest
book or send a condolence
to the family go to www.
fuitenrosehoyt.com
Fuiten, Rose & Hoyt
Funeral Home in Forest
Grove is entrusted with the
arrangements.