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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 9, 2017)
A10 Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, August 9, 2017 WEDNESDAY August 9, 2017 Swim Team fi nishes second at district meet Athlete Quentin Hallgarth wins Bogart Award By Angel Carpenter Blue Mountain Eagle The John Day Swim Team had a second-place fi nish at the July 28-30 District Swim Meet. Prineville’s team won the meet with 778.5 points, John Day was second with 673 points and Lakeview had 577.5 points for third. Of the boys teams, John Day won fi rst place, and the John Day girls placed third. “I am so overjoyed at the way all the kids swam,” said John Day head coach Sabrina Howard. “They showed heart and determination in all their events.” Howard became head coach of the John Day team Contributed photo/Erin Hodge John Day Swim Team member Quentin Hallgarth, back left, competes against teammate Justin Hodge, right, and other swimmers on July 22 during the home meet at Gleason Pool. John Day Swim Team head coach Sabrina Howard stands with her athletes who won high-point awards for the season, including, from left, Orion Houck, Quinn Larson and Quinten Hallgarth, during the team awards banquet on Monday at the John Day City Park. notforsale last season, after serving as assistant coach. Stephanie LeQueiu returned this sea- son as Howard’s assistant coach. “It’s been another honor to serve as the head coach for this team,” Howard said. “I truly love the sport and go- John Day City Park. Among those recognized were district high-point swim- mers Orion Houck, Quinn Larson and Quinten Hall- garth. Hallgarth, who swam in the 13-14 boys division, also won the Richard G. Bogart The Eagle/Angel Carpenter ing through this journey ev- ery summer with these kids. I hope I leave a positive impact on their swim team memo- ries.” On Monday, July 31, the local athletes, coaches, board members, family and friends met for an awards banquet at Memorial Award for the high- est point swimmer for ages 5 to 18. He also won the award in 2015 when he was 12. The award started in the ’80s in memory of a Lakeview swim- mer who was killed in a car accident. Hallgarth said nobody ex- pected John Day to place so well at the district meet. “The reason we did so good was because of the coaches,” he said, adding they pushed the team to do their best. One memorable moment from the district meet for Hallgarth was racing in the 200-meter freestyle relay. “We were on the last leg, and I was only a little bit be- hind of the other kid, who was a 17-year-old,” he said. “I didn’t pass him, but he told me after the race that I pushed him a lot.” Another good memory was seeing teammate Landyn Beil win four of his events in the boys 8 and under divi- sion. “I don’t think he was ex- pecting to do that well,” Hall- garth said. “The season was amazing for everyone.” See full meet results online at myeaglenews.com. Trout outlook: Where to fi nd a good catch Eagle file photo U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon speaks at a town hall meeting at Grant Union Jr./Sr. High School in April. The senator has reintroduced a bill intended to make recreation on public lands easier. Wyden revives outdoor recreation bill Legislation to prioritize recreation opportunities By George Plaven EO Media Group Eagle file photo Kayden Moles of John Day catches a trout June 3 at McHaley Pond in Prairie City during the Kids Fishing Derby. His biggest catch of the day was 15 inches long. Olive Lake stocked with 700 trophies in July By Angel Carpenter Blue Mountain Eagle For those on the lookout for trophy trout, there are plenty of spots to drop a line in Grant County. Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife had their most recent fi sh stocking at Olive Lake. John Day District Fish Biologist Brent Smith said repair work de- layed their stocking schedule there, and on July 5 there were 1,000 le- gal rainbow trout and 700 trophies planted there. Legal-sized fi sh are 8 inches and trophies are 15 inches or more. Some of the other lakes, ponds and reservoirs stocked in the county include: • Magone Lake: 5,000 fi ngerlings, 1,000 legal, 1,300 trophy • Holliday Park Pond: 2,000 legal, 100 trophy • Seventh Street Pond: 1,000 legal, 100 trophy • Long Creek Ponds: 1,000 legal, 100 trophy • McHaley Pond: 2,000 legal, 50 trophies planted by the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs • Trout Farm Pond: 3,000 legal, 300 trophy • Cavendar Pond: 100 trophy • Aldrich Ponds: 750 legal, 20 trophy Smith said some places, such as McHaley Pond, may be weeded over with aquatic vegetation. He noted that Aldrich Ponds, while off the beaten path, has improved fi shing op- portunities. “We’ve been working on restoration to deepen it and added habitat to help fi sh carry over in the summer,” he said. “We’ve had some good angler success.” He added they’re trying to acquire grant funding for restoration projects at other ponds. Stocking in areas will happen again in the fall. Smith said fi shing for smallmouth bass on the John Day River is good, and there is public access between Kimberly and Ser- vice Creek, and other areas as well, with spots to fl oat the river. Phillips Reservoir, near Grant County, had a whopping 4,000 trophies planted, 2,000 in May and 2,000 in June, as part of an ODFW Fish Restoration and Enhance- ment Program to boost rural economies. Mixed in with the 4,000 big ones are 400 with brightly colored tags. ODFW is asking anglers who catch a tagged fi sh to report it, and as an incentive, a $50 gift card is being offered for 40 of the tagged fi sh. The tag program, ODFW says, will add excitement about fi shing opportu- nities and help biologists estimate catch rates and performance of the fi shery. “The larger the fi sh are grown in the hatchery, the greater the cost per fi sh,” said Tim Bailey, ODFW district fi sh biologist in La Grande, “We want to make sure that the majority of the trophy trout that are re- leased into the reservoir actually end up in the creel of our anglers.” Anglers who catch a tagged fi sh at Phillips can report their tagged catch, har- vested or released, by cutting the tag off at the base and reporting non-reward tags in person, by mail, by phone or to the ODFW website at http://www.dfw.state.or.us/ news/2016/04_april/042516.asp. Reward tags need to be returned in person or by mail to ODFW’s East Region Offi ce, located at 107 20th St., La Grande, OR 97850. For more information about fi shing op- portunities in Grant County, call ODFW at 541-575-1167. ODFW offers free youth pheasant hunts Blue Mountain Eagle The Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife is hosting free pheasant hunts for youth hunters, ages 17 and under, around the state during the month of September. One of the hunts will be held in Grant County on Sept. 16-17. The event runs from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. both days, and participants meet at Prairie Wood Products, 457 W. Front St., Prairie City. ODFW stocks pheasants for these special hunts to give youth a head start on regular pheasant seasons, which don’t begin until October. Quail and dove can also be hunted. The hunts are free, though participants do need a valid hunting license and upland game bird validation. They must also have previously passed hunter education. “If your child made it through hunter education but is still new to the sport, this is a great way to get them start- ed,” said James Reed, ODFW hunter education coordinator. An adult 21 years or older must accompany the youth to supervise, but is not allowed to hunt. Both hunter and su- pervisor must wear a hunter orange hat, eye protection and a hunter orange vest. Safety equipment will be provided by ODFW for anyone who needs it. To register, visit odfwcal- endar.com. Registration can also be done at a license sales agent or ODFW offi ce that sells licenses. For more information con- tact the John Day ODFW of- fi ce at 541-575-1167. File photo Tucker Wright, 9 of Canyon City, had success at last year’s youth pheasant hunt, sponsored by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. The event this year is planned for Sept. 16-17 in Prairie City. While the issue of debating health care is causing a sharp political divide in Congress, U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Or- egon) took time recently to highlight what he described as the right way of advancing legislation. During a conference call with reporters, Wyden an- nounced he is reaching across the aisle to revive the Recre- ation Not Red-Tape Act — a bill that supporters say would make it easier for people to enjoy the great outdoors. Wyden co-sponsored a version of the bill last year with fellow Oregon Demo- crat Rep. Earl Blumenauer after they made the rounds visiting each of Oregon’s “Seven Wonders.” This year, Wyden has reintroduced the bill alongside Rep. Rob Bish- op (R-Utah), chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee. The focus of the bill is to get more people outside en- joying national lands, Wyden said, by expediting the per- mit process for outfi tters and directing federal agencies to prioritize recreation when making land and water man- agement decisions. “A number of key laws really stem from yesteryear,” Wyden said. “To a great ex- tent, I think this is really trying to come up with some policies that modernize the challenges of outdoor industries.” To illustrate his point, Wyden mentioned river guides who need to obtain multiple permits from mul- tiple different agencies for trips that cross jurisdictions. The Recreation Not Red-Tape Act would require the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management to review their permitting processes, shorten processing times and work with states so visitors can buy a state and federal pass all in one transaction. The bill also directs agen- cies like the Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Rec- lamation and Department of Transportation to make out- door recreation a priority for the fi rst time, and holds land managers accountable for achieving recreation goals. According to the Outdoor Industry Association, outdoor recreation generates $887 bil- lion in annual spending and 7.6 million jobs across the country. Yet Wyden said he has heard concerns from with- in rural communities that out- dated laws are holding back these opportunities. “Some of the concerns I’ve heard just sounded like bureaucratic water torture,” he said. Other provisions in the bill would extend to the U.S. mil- itary, requiring all branches to include information about outdoor recreation as part of the basic services they pro- vide to veterans. As for maintaining public lands, the bill establishes a pilot program for interagency trail management while also creating a system of Nation- al Recreation Areas, which would be managed to uniform guidelines. Wyden said parts of the bill have been modifi ed in this latest version, but still main- tains the same intent while garnering greater bipartisan support with the help of Rep. Bishop. “Cumbersome permitting processes and other bureau- cratic roadblocks have sig- nifi cantly undermined access to recreational opportuni- ties for lands that should be available for all Americans to enjoy,” Bishop said in a statement. “This bipartisan bill cuts through that red-tape and ensures federal land man- agers are focused on their role in providing the public with high-quality outdoor experi- ences.” A number of outdoor rec- reation groups have come out in favor of the bill, including the Association of Northwest Steelheaders, International Mountain Biking Association, Trout Unlimited, the Ameri- can Alpine Club and Ameri- can Canoe Association.
