A2 THE BULLETIN • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2021
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7 a.m.-noon Saturday-Sunday
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Deschutes County cases: 5,746 (8 new cases)
Deschutes County deaths: 56 (zero new deaths)
LOCAL
VACCINATIONS
Crook County cases: 749 (2 new cases)
Crook County deaths: 18 (zero new deaths)
23,086
Jefferson County cases: 1,891 (3 new cases)
Jefferson County deaths: 27 (zero new deaths)
Number of vaccinations
given by St. Charles
Health System
120
(Jan. 1)
90
new
cases
110
*No data
available on
Jan. 31
due to state
computer
maintenence
(Nov. 27)
90
80
70
50
7-day
average
28 new cases
(July 16)
40
31 new cases
(Oct. 31)
30
16 new cases
(Sept. 19)
20
(May 20)
1st case
100
(Nov. 14)
9 new cases
ONLINE
108 new cases
60
8 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri.
www.bendbulletin.com
130
(Dec. 4)
What is COVID-19? It’s an infection caused by a new
coronavirus. Symptoms include fever, coughing and
shortness of breath. This virus can be fatal.
7 ways to help limit its spread: 1. Wash hands often
with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. 2. Avoid
touching your face. 3. Avoid close contact with sick
people. 4. Stay home. 5. In public, stay 6 feet from others
and wear a mask. 6. Cough into your elbow. 7. Clean and
disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
47 new cases
COVID-19 patients hospitalized at St. Charles
Bend on Tuesday: 17 (3 in ICU).
541-382-1811
BULLETIN
GRAPHIC
129 new cases
COVID-19 data for Tuesday, Feb. 16:
Oregon cases: 150,875 (411 new cases)
Oregon deaths: 2,138 (1 new death)
GENERAL
INFORMATION
SOURCES: OREGON HEALTH AUTHORITY,
DESCHUTES COUNTY HEALTH SERVICES
New COVID-19 cases per day
10
(March 11)
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LOCAL BRIEFING
Bend reopens applications man Rights and Equity Com-
mission, contact Senior Man-
for 2 new committees
Due to technical issues, the
city of Bend is reopening the
application process for po-
sitions on the newly-created
Human Rights and Equity
Commission and the Trans-
portation Bond Oversight
Committee.
The city is reopening ap-
plications because there is
a chance some applications
weren’t properly received due
to technical problems, accord-
ing to a city press release.
Applications for both com-
mittees will now be accepted
until 5 p.m. Monday, Feb. 22.
Applicants whose forms
were received have already
been notified.
Applications can be found
at www.bendoregon.gov/
committees.
For questions about the Hu-
agement Analyst Shelly Smith,
at shsmith@bendoregon.gov or
541-388-5535.
For questions on serving
on the Transportation Bond
Oversight Committee, contact
Senior Policy Analyst Susanna
Julber at sjulber@bendoregon.
gov or 541-693-2132.
Humane Society of Central
Oregon celebrates 60 years
On its 60th anniversary, the
Humane Society of Central
Oregon credits the support
from the community for help-
ing the animal shelter continue
its mission of caring for ani-
mals.
Because of the support for
programs and services at the
humane society, the number of
shelter animals has decreased
over the past six decades while
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ý
Lottery results can now be found on
the second page of Sports.
program expanded into the tri-
county area with pet food be-
ing distributed to regional food
pantries.
The humane society formed
Feb. 14, 1961, after a small
grassroots group decided
Bend needed a humane soci-
ety. Bend had a population of
11,936 at the time.
To celebrate the 60th anni-
versary, the humane society is
selling items at the shelter and
thrift store such as limited edi-
tion masks and long -sleeved
T-shirts.
Veterans court
presentation planned
An upcoming presentation
in La Pine will offer informa-
tion for veterans who are de-
fendants in the criminal justice
system.
The meeting will begin
at 12:34 p.m. at the La Pine
Christian Center, 52565 Day
Road. Presenter Bill Minnix
said the venue practices safe
social distancing and masks
will be required to enter the
building.
Minnix was involved in the
passage of federal legislation
funding veterans treatment
courts across the country. Vet-
erans courts offer intervention
opportunities for military vet-
erans charged with low-level
crimes. The program is aimed
at reducing recidivism and in-
stances of relapse and smooth-
ing their re-entry into society.
Deschutes County Commis-
sioner Tony DeBone will at-
tend. Pizza will be provided.
The meeting can also be at-
tended online via Zoom with
the meeting code 744-6351-
2642.
For information, call 503-
457-6942.
— Bulletin staff report
Republican leader: Session
shouldn’t resume until all
Oregonians have power,
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the region’s population has
grown, the humane society
said in a press release.
In 1991, when Bend’s popu-
lation was 25,000, the humane
society cared for 4,500 animals.
Today, with Bend’s population
around 100,000, the shelter
cares for about 3,000 animals
annually, the society said.
Part of the decrease in shel-
ter animals is due to more peo-
ple spaying and neutering their
pets, the humane society said.
In 2018, the humane society
added the Bend Spay+Neuter
Project.
Over the years, the humane
society also added programs to
reunite lost pets, vaccinate and
microchip pets, collect food do-
nations and cremation services.
Last year, the humane so-
ciety expanded it s HOPE Pet
Food Bank to help people
keep their pets fed during the
COVID-19 pandemic. The
Contributed/via Blue Mountain Eagle
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife will use this helicopter to
conduct a deer survey in the coming weeks.
New method of deer
survey planned amid
declining populations
BY RUDY DIAZ
The Blue Mountain Eagle
A new deer survey will soon
be underway, but officials ex-
pect more of the same: declin-
ing populations.
Ryan Platt, the assistant dis-
trict wildlife biologist at the
Oregon Department of Fish
and Wildlife’s John Day Field
Office, said ODFW is flying
for the survey earlier this year
because they will conduct a
new survey method to count
the declining deer population.
A helicopter will be fly-
ing out starting Feb. 22 as it
conducts surveys on the deer
population for three weeks
throughout Grant County.
This year, Platt said ODFW
is working with a statisti-
cal sampling-based survey
method called Sight Rat, the
first time they have used this
method in the John Day Dis-
trict. He said this survey com-
bines two population methods
based on sizes and quadrants.
“We’re kind of guessing we’ll
see more decline from the pre-
vious years when we did our
statistical sampling,” Platt said.
Platt said one problem deer
face in the John Day Valley
is winter range degradation
caused by juniper and annual
grass encroachment. He also
said some ranges are not as
productive as they used to be
due to a change in climate,
suppressing fires and the de-
cline of logging.
Disease issues are also grow-
ing with mule deer, according
to Platt. He said, in 2015, mule
deer in the Eastern Oregon re-
gion faced an outbreak of the
epizootic hemorrhagic disease.
This disease makes deer bleed
internally, which either kills
them right away or causes last-
ing effects, Platt said.
“On bucks, we know that
it shrivels their testicles, and
they’re unable to produce
hormones that regulate ant-
ler growth,” Platt said. “That’s
why you’ll see velvet bucks this
time of year when everyone
one else has antlers that hard-
ened or dropped off.”
Platt said they are not sure
how the epizootic hemor-
rhagic disease harms does, but
they have suspicions that it
could impact their fawn pro-
ductivity or survival.
Prior to 2015, he said there
were about 60 fawns per 100
does going into winter with
about 30-40 fawns com-
ing out of the season. Since
2015, there have been about
40 fawns per 100 does in the
winter, coming out with 25-35
fawns after .
“That right there indicates
that we don’t have the fawn
recruitment that we need to
sustain a growing population
locally,” Platt said. “Those are
probably the two biggest im-
pacts of our mule deer pop-
ulation locally. It’s just a bad
time to be a mule deer in the
West. Pretty much all popula-
tions are going down, and no
one has found that silver bullet
cure to change the trajectory.”
BY BETSY HAMMOND
The Oregonian
The Oregon Legislature is
slated to resume its virtual
session on Wednesday. But
with more than 200,000 Ore-
gon households still without
power Tuesday afternoon,
that is likely too early to re-
open the Legislature, House
Republican Leader Christine
Drazan said.
Members of the public
can only read proposed bills,
watch lawmakers deliberate
and offer testimony online,
given coronavirus-related
closure of the Capitol in Sa-
lem, she noted.
“Legislative leaders com-
mitted to an open and trans-
parent session. We must
honor that commitment and
not leave Oregonians behind
in a rush to return to busi-
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ness as usual,” Drazan said
in a statement issued early
Tuesday afternoon.
“Today I am calling on the
speaker to put the welfare
and on-going recovery of
Oregonians first and pause
all legislative activity,” Dra-
zan said.
House Speaker Tina
Kotek, who has been part of
the decision-making team
that canceled Monday’s and
Tuesday’s planned session
activities, did not immedi-
ately respond to a request for
comment.
As of 12:30 p.m., Portland
General Electric was re-
porting that 205,000 house-
holds, mostly in Clackamas,
Marion, Multnomah and
Washington counties, lacked
power. Drazan’s district, cen-
tered on Canby, is in south-
ern Clackamas County.
In addition, Comcast re-
ported Tuesday that 125,000
households were without in-
ternet services, in some cases
even though the homes had
power.
Oregon House Democrats
have not indicated whether
they plan to resume opera-
tions Wednesday. But they
and some caucus mem-
bers have used social me-
dia to share information to
help Oregonians affected by
power outages.
Drazan said Tuesday the
focus should stay there. “We
need to keep our focus on
serving constituents and the
most vulnerable while we
await power to be restored.
Our work in the legislature
should come back online
once the power does.”
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