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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 23, 2020)
Published by The Blue Mou ntain Eagle Santa, You’ve Got Ma il! 2020 1st Place Kellen Fretwel 5th grade, Dayv l ille School 2nd Place bolt Elementa Honorable Men Merry Christmas PULSE OF OREGON | INSIDE 3rd Place Kylie Kinsey 5th grade, Hum LETTERS TO SANTA SPECIAL SECTION | INSIDE ry Emma Field 6th grade, Prair ie City Elementa ry tions Wednesday, December 23, 2020 MyEagleNews.com 152nd Year • No. 52 • 30 Pages • $1.50 Wolves in Murderers Creek ODFW believes there are eight wolves around Grant County By Steven Mitchell Blue Mountain Eagle The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife identified a new area of known wolf activity in the Murderers Creek Wildlife Unit. Ryan Torland, an ODFW district wildlife biologist, said the area in Contributed photo/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service southern Grant County east of Seneca A gray wolf designated OR-7 trots past a trail camera carrying has seen at least two different wolves what a wildlife biologist said is an elk leg in the Southern Oregon over the past three years. Cascades. One was black, he said, and it appears to have moved on about a year or two ago. He told the Eagle a gray wolf started to show up roughly a year ago. Torland said this was throughout the winter and then disappeared in the spring. He said the gray wolf started to show up more consistently from late July to early August this year. In late Novem- ber, he said ODFW issued an “area of known wolf activity” for the gray wolf. Torland said ODFW identified a pack of wolves in the Desolation Unit this year in March. He said there are a pair of wolves in the Northside Unit. He said ODFW is not aware of the pair successfully rais- ing a pup. Torland said, if a pup survives through December, they consider it as part of the population of wolves in the area. He said ODFW assumes if the pup survived that long it will make it. The agency counts the population from January through March, he said. “So any wolves we count would See Wolves, Page A16 A WINTER RETREAT Eagle photos/Steven Mitchell Sarah Ake, a server at 1188 Brewing, gives two thumbs up Friday as the restaurant opened up for indoor dining. Open for dining Restaurants relieved to welcome back customers By Steven Mitchell Blue Mountain Eagle Contributed photo The Retreat at Silvies Valley Ranch now has winter offerings, including horseback riding, sleigh rides, spa packages and more. Silvies Valley Ranch resort offers sleigh rides, spa packages and more during the snowy season By Rudy Diaz Blue Mountain Eagle P eople looking to relieve the stressful weight of 2020 and take a breather might find what they’re looking for at The Retreat at Silvies Valley Ranch this winter. The resort near Seneca is providing new winter offerings for locals and visi- tors to enjoy such as their 2020-2021 win- ter packages, Silvies’ Rocking Heart Spa, Clydesdale sleigh rides, pistol shooting and more. Scott Campbell, owner of Silvies Val- ley Ranch, said The Retreat and Links was open all summer and provided an award winning golf course along with other rec- reational activities for people to enjoy. This year they wanted to expand on activities for the winter season so guests can visit Silvies year round. “The problem with golf and wildlife is that together it’s about a six- to sev- en-month season,” Campbell said. “It’s really hard to keep people year-round if you only have a six- to seven-month season.” Initial shutdowns and restrictions from COVID-19 prevented the resort from being open all year in 2020, but Silvies is open for the winter to provide the retreat visitors need. About a year ago, Silvies opened up the Rocking Heart Spa and a conference See Retreat, Page A16 Contributed photo Clydesdales at Silvies Valley Ranch provide sleigh rides for guests who want to enjoy the winter snow. The Eagle/Rudy Diaz Contributed photo Guests can enjoy Clydesdale sleigh rides available at The Re- treat at Silvies Valley Ranch. This hallway houses multi- ple rooms for massages at The Rocking Heart Spa. Indoor dining resumed in Grant County Friday as the county began its first day in the “lower risk” level. In the low-risk COVID-19 category, restaurants can open up their dining rooms to 50% capacity. Compared to other counties, Grant County saw the most significant dip in the state’s risk level, dropping from the highest ranked to the lowest during the Oregon Health Authority’s two- week evaluation period. Meanwhile, small business own- ers and their employ- A sign hangs on the swinging doors ees breathed a col- to the Lottery lective sigh of relief machine room at as they welcomed the Squeeze-In back their regular Restaurant and customers. Deck Friday as the George Cross, county’s restau- a John Day resi- dent and cook at the rants opened back up for indoor Squeeze-In Restau- dining. rant and Deck, said he was grateful for the reopening timing. “It could not have come at a better time,” he said, “right before Christmas.” He said that he could pick up hours during the shutdown, but they were limited. “We’ll see how it goes and play it by ear,” he said. A sentiment Squeeze-In owner Shawn Duncan shares as well. She said she is concerned about how long she will be open this time around. Duncan said restaurants faced the brunt of the restrictions, compared to other businesses, which lacked consistency. See Dining, Page A16