A16 NEWS Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, December 23, 2020 Wolves Continued from Page A1 The Eagle/Steven Mitchell George Cross, a cook at the Squeeze-In, works the grill Friday as restaurants in the county moved into the first day of the ‘lower-risk’ level, which allow restaurants to operate at 50% capacity for indoor dining. Dining Continued from Page A1 “If we are careful, wash our hands, and practice safe social distancing,” she said, “then we should be allowed to stay open.” Duncan said she believes the virus is real, and she said she has had a close family member get very sick with the virus. However, at the same time, she said, people should not stay home and be depressed. At The Outpost Pizza, Pub and Grill, owner Tia Barrietua said this lat- est freeze and pause were worse than the initial one in the spring. In March, she said, most people received stimulus checks and an added boost to unemployment checks and, thus, had more money to spend. Additionally, she said, the loss of the lottery machines, which sustain the restaurant during the winter months, has espe- cially hurt their bottom line. However, Barrietua said, the restaurant has pivoted and evolved. She said the front room is now a retail boutique, and the backroom is an extension of the bar. With the limits on group size during the pandemic and the fact that big groups can, at times, be more costly in the long run, she said it was time to make the switch. Meanwhile, 1188 Brew- ing Company owner Shan- non Adair said the pan- demic prompted her to make changes she other- wise would have waited on making, such as serving canned beer. “We’ve sold way more that way,” she said. She said, being in a place like John Day, most restaurants barely hang on during the winter in good times. meet those criteria of being recruited into the population,” he said. Torland said ODFW’s official pop- ulation count as of March was seven. With the agency’s recent designation at Murderers Creek, the unofficial count is now at eight. He said he does not believe more wolves are in Northside, but he does think there might be more in Desolation. According to ODFW’s website, an “Area of Known Wolf Activity” is an area designated by ODFW showing where resident wolves and packs have become established. The agency defines an AKWA area off of actual wolf data or information verified by ODFW, not reports or other Contributed photo/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service A gray wolf moves through deep snow in this file photo. hearsay. The agency designates an area an AKWA after they have been able to document wolf activity consistently. When ODFW notices repeated wolf activity, the agency will outline AKWA boundaries using actual location data points. In situations where wolves are res- ident, but location data is limited, ODFW will use a fixed circle of a size based on home-range data from other packs. ODFW will, from time to time, update AKWA’s as new information becomes available. Wolves east of highways 395, 78 and 95 are federally and state delisted. ODFW is the lead management agency in this area and manages wolves under Phase III of the Wolf Plan. The AKWA underscores what many in the community have noticed. County Judge Scott Myers said he had a hunter friend who saw more wolves than elk this year. Retreat Continued from Page A1 center to grow the winter program. Cindy Qual, the director at Rocking Heart Spa, said the team provides a wide array of services that focuses on the mind, body and spirit of an individual. Services available at the spa include signature Swed- ish massage, hot stone ther- apy, post joint replacement therapy, deep tissue massage, myofascial release, golf and sports-related massages, ped- icures, manicures and facials. The Eagle/Rudy Diaz Qual said she and the staff The Rocking Heart Spa is one of many winter offerings available also spend time golfing to bet- at The Retreat at Silvies Valley Ranch. ter understand how golfing impacts the body and where to Qual hopes that people in quality of spa on this side of direct a massage for a golfer. Grant and Harney counties Oregon.” “What’s unique and differ- understand that the Rock- The Rocking Heart Spa is ent about our spa is that, for ing Heart Spa is more than also equipped with multiple the limited amount of thera- just a destination spa — it facilities such as a sauna, hot pists that we have right now, can also be used as a day tubs, a half-size Olympic lap we cover a huge spectrum of spa for people in the county pool, a climbing wall, a gym the kind of people we can take to enjoy. and more. “This is their incredible care of,” Qual said. Guests can also enjoy 17,000-foot destination spa Clydesdale sleigh rides and that can be used as a day spa an opportunity to feed some for them,” Qual said. “That’s of the livestock on the ranch. unheard of. There’s not this Campbell said while Sil- Wishing you an Old-fashioned Country Christmas. We appreciate your business & support. Lori Hickerson, Principal Broker, GRI Office: 541-575-2617 ljh@ortelco.net Sally Knowles, Broker, GRI Office: 541-932-4493 sknowles@ortelco.net Babette Larson, Broker, GRI Office: 541-987-2363 ddwr@ortelco.net www.dukewarnerrealtyofeasternoregon.com John Day DMV office is open by appointment and ready to serve you. Your professional Real Estate choice in Grant County Members of RMLS & COARMLS • www.rmls.com or www.coarmls.com vies provides guests with a chance to retreat from COVID-19, they also try their best in supporting the local counties. They encourage guests to explore other nearby sites. “We want them to do that, and we encourage them to do that,” Campbell said. Guests can find art from local artists to purchase, and most of the workers are from Grant and Harney counties. “We like to have local peo- ple come and enjoy the resort and the golf and everything,” Campbell said. In June, Grant and Harney county residents participated in a tournament fundraiser, which benefited the high school golf- ing programs. “It was a way for Silvies to give back to the community and support our youth while introducing local areas to Sil- vies,” Campbell said. Campbell said Silvies can also provide special rates for special events such as birth- days, anniversaries, retire- ments and more. For more information or reservations, call 541-573- 5150 or 1-800-745-8437. S215405-1 Visit www.oregondmv.com to make your appointment today or call 541-575-1503. ng ty Stro n u o C Grant THANK YOU TIMBER TRUCK PARTICIPANTS Whiskey Gulch Gang – Colby Farrell Santa and Mrs Claus – Dave Traylor First Choice – Cory Slayton Chamber of Commerce – Tammy Bremner Grant County Fair and Rodeo – Deanna Maley Frontier Equipment – Bryan Montague Frontier Equipment – Rhonda Sorensen Frontier Equipment – Pat Kopke-Hales Frontier Equipment – Cody Turner Grant County Search & Rescue – Cindy Lemcke Miss Nyssa Nite Rodeo – Queen 2021 Jaeden Forrey Loop Ranch – Brad Armstrong Grant County Road Dept – Ryan Palmer John Day Fire Dept – Tom Smith John Day Fire Dept – Ron Phillips Dakow Logging – Dan Komning Saul Pressure Washing – Wayne Saul Rude Logging – Steve Kowing Morris Forestry – Brett Morris City of John Day – Aaron Lieuallen Timbers Bisto – Tony Reeves Triangle Post & Pole – Ronnie Tayaton Iron Triangle – Dennis Waggoner Malhuer National Forest – Colleen Maleney Prairie city School District – Pam Woodworth Keerins Ranch – David Hickerson Desjardin Clan – Mike Desjardin USPS – Krista Gehley Eastern Oregon Realty – Joe and Lindsey Madden A great big thank you to Brenda Coley for feeding all of our truckers and families. S221814-1 S220859-1