NEWS
Blue Mountain Eagle
A8
Wednesday, November 30, 2022
Lemon Gulch plan scaled back
By MICHAEL KOHN
The Bulletin
PRINEVILLE — A plan to con-
struct biking trails in a remote area
of the Ochoco National Forest east
of Prineville has been scaled back by
the U.S. Forest Service following a
lengthy dialogue with bikers, equestri-
ans and other stakeholders who have
been watching the evolution of the
project.
Details of the new plans were laid
out in a draft environmental assess-
ment for the Lemon Gulch Trails Proj-
ect, which is now available for public
review, according to a news release on
Thursday from the Forest Service.
Plans to develop the new biking
trails have ignited spirited debate in
Prineville and the mountain biking
community of Central Oregon. Some
believe the project will help ease ten-
sions on existing trails shared by bikers
and equestrians. Others say building
the trails will damage sensitive habitat
for deer, elk, eagles, cougar and other
wildlife.
Still more worry that the project
will attract hordes of mountain bik-
ing enthusiasts to Prineville, alter-
ing the city’s rural character in the
same way that outdoor sports trans-
formed Bend’s logging town image.
The project is a frequent talking point
on the Facebook group “Don’t Bend
Prineville.”
The network of bike trails is
planned for the west side of the Look-
out Mountain Ranger District, about
20 miles northeast of Prineville.
The draft environmental assess-
ment compares five options, includ-
ing a “no action” alternative.
One alternative has just 19 miles of
trail built in the area. Another would
see 51.6 miles of new bike trails.
Moving
Continued from Page A1
make that work for her,” Griffin
added. “I don’t know if it was
a miscommunication or mis-
understanding or what, but she
decided that she needed to be in
there a lot sooner than we were
quite ready to be out.”
This dynamic prompted
Painted Sky to ask the Madden
family, which owns the building
they plan to purchase, if they
could rent the facility until the
purchase takes place. “Luck-
ily, the Maddens were very gra-
cious and very accommodating,
and have really, really helped
make things work for us to
move sooner,” Griffin said.
The Maddens have moved
their real estate office to a
new location at 237 S. Canyon
Blvd. in John Day in order to
make room for the rushed relo-
cation by Painted Sky.
Griffin added that the arts
center is not fully operational
at this time but is trying to be
a good community partner,
even if it feels like it has been
pushed out of its old location.
There is excitement about
the new location, however.
Griffin said the new site will
allow the center to expand cur-
rent programs and support new
ones in addition to having the
ability to serve a population it
wasn’t able to accommodate at
the Canyon City site.
“That is definitely such an
added bonus — the location
is fantastic,” she said. “It’s
super-convenient; it’s right
where everything is. I feel like
we’ll be able to meet the needs
of other demographics that
we couldn’t quite reach out in
Canyon City just due to trans-
portation issues and that kind
of thing.”
Some of the space in the
Bridge Street building is cur-
Mark Morical/Bulletin, File
A pristine singletrack trail climbs up Lookout Mountain, as seen in 2015.
The Forest Service prefers the
27.5-mile alternative, which includes
9.8 miles of beginner trails, 11.2 miles
of intermediate trails, and 13.9 miles
of advanced trails.
“It provides a much smaller foot-
print than the original proposal based
on key issues raised in earlier phases
of the project, as well as individual
and group meetings with permittees,
community members, and elected
officials,” according to the release.
The Forest Service notes that the
27.5-mile alternative also “reduces
trail density in some areas specifically
to address wildlife and grazing con-
cerns, while still maintaining a com-
plete mix of trail opportunity.”
Slater Turner, Lookout Mountain
district ranger, said the draft environ-
mental assessment was developed
over a one-year period and included
input from Crook County community
leaders, grazing permittees, and tribal
members of the Confederated Tribes
of the Warm Springs, as well as other
stakeholders and interested parties.
rently occupied by renters,
including the Grant County
office of the Oregon State Uni-
versity Extension Service.
Griffin said the arts center
would honor any rental agree-
ments with parties occupying
the building once the purchase
is finalized.
“At that point, we would
be landlords as well,” she said.
“So, you know, that does cre-
ate income, which is great. And
we would honor all of those
leases.”
As some of those leases
expire over time, Griffin added,
Painted Sky would expand to
fill the space.
In the short term, Painted
Sky will continue to offer some
programs at the 118 Wash-
ington St. location in Canyon
City. Youth who attend Painted
Sky’s after-school programs
will begin those activities at
the new location after Christ-
mas break. Students who cur-
rently ride the bus from Hum-
bolt Elementary to Painted Sky
will need to take the orange bus
after Christmas break in order
to be dropped off at the arts
center’s new location.
Griffin wanted to make sure
that the public is aware that
ceramics, leatherworking and
painting classes are all operat-
ing at the new facility. Youth
programs will follow after the
first of the year.
Painted Sky Center for the
Arts will assume ownership of
the entire building at 116 NW
Bridge St. after the sale goes
through. Painted Sky is look-
ing at a June timeline for grant
funds to be awarded so it can
finalize the purchase.
Duncan, meanwhile, said
she is eyeing a reopening of the
Squeeze-In at the Canyon City
location just before Christmas
if things fall into place and the
contractors can complete their
work in time.
“We have taken great care in incor-
porating a wide variety of comments
and look forward to hearing feedback
on these alternatives,” said Turner.
A scoping document released in
March 2021 laid out original plans for
the project, as part of a larger proposal
by trail users interested in expanding
trail access in the Ochoco National
Forest.
The draft environmental assess-
ment is a refined version of the scop-
ing document after widespread public
feedback showed cracks in the com-
munity over the plan. The criticisms
are widespread, ranging from con-
cerns over wildlife habitat to the per-
ceived influx of outside mountain bike
groups. Even the name of the proj-
ect has sparked controversy — critics
insist the area be called Lemon Creek,
not Lemon Gulch.
In September, opponents organized
a protest in front of the Crook County
Courthouse in Prineville, urging the
Forest Service to rethink the plans and
choose another location.
S. John Collins / Baker City Herald, File
Elk gather during a previous winter at the feeding site near Old Auburn Road, southwest of Baker City.
Feeding sites are ready for elk
By JAYSON JACOBY
Baker City Herald
BAKER CITY — The feast for elk
was laid on in time for Thanksgiving, but
the elk pay no heed to holidays.
They know when December begins,
however.
At least the elk that Dan Marvin deals
with recognize the arrival of the last
month of the year.
Marvin manages the Elkhorn Wildlife
Area. It’s a series of 10 winter elk-feeding
stations, ranging from Old Auburn Lane
southwest of Baker City to Shaw Moun-
tain in Union County, operated by the
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
ODFW started the wildlife area in
1971. Its purpose isn’t what it might seem
to be, though.
The state agency started setting out
alfalfa hay for elk not to stave off starva-
tion during the long Northeastern Oregon
winters.
Elk, as a general rule, can withstand all
but the worst winters.
ODFW’s goal was to prevent the ani-
mals from gobbling the hay that ranchers
put up to feed their cattle.
The challenge is that unlike some parts
of the state, there is little of what amounts
to a buffer zone of winter range, a place
between the mountains and the valleys
where elk can congregate and get enough
to eat without plundering ranches.
ODFW in effect created that zone with
the feeding sites.
The idea, which has been largely
effective over the past half century, is to
entice the elk with alfalfa while they’re
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migrating from their summer range in the
mountains.
Once the elk become accustomed to
getting an easy meal, they tend to return
to the same spots every year.
Some elk still bypass the feeding sites
at times, but they take a much smaller toll
than they otherwise would.
Marvin’s hay ledger proves the point.
Each year he lays in a supply of about
1,100 tons — the capacity of the barns at
the feeding sites.
“We like to start winter with full
barns,” said Marvin, who is starting his
fifth winter as the Elkhorn Wildlife Area
manager.
ODFW buys that hay from local
ranchers.
“We have some established vendors
in the valley we work with,” Marvin said.
“We pay market price.”
The feed sites are closed to the public
from Dec. 1 through April 10.
Because there are elk hunting sea-
sons going on through November (and
even later, in some places), elk tend to be
moving around a lot until Dec. 1, Mar-
vin said.
But once that day arrives, and the
hunting pressure eases, the elk are all but
certain to start strolling into the feed sites,
where the hay will be ready.
“They know the time frame,” he said.
In years when snow comes early —
2020 was an example, with a couple feet
of snow accumulating in the mountains
the first half of November — elk will
wander into some of the feed sites before
Dec. 1.
This year, though, with heavy snow in
late October and early November but
almost none since, Marvin said the elk
have stayed away.
The elk that congregate at the Anthony
Creek feed site, near the wildlife area
headquarters west of North Powder, tend
to be the most consistent when it comes to
the Dec. 1 arrival, Marvin said.
Elk that migrate to the other feeding
sites, by contrast, often don’t show up in
large numbers until snow begins to pile
up.
During mid-winter, the Wildlife Area
crew feeds more than 1,000 elk, including
about 500 at the Old Auburn Lane site and
250 or so at Anthony Creek.
A few of the feed sites also attract deer.
The Auburn and Anthony Creek sites
are the two publicly accessible proper-
ties with maintained roads where people
can park and watch the big herds of elk,
which usually include multiple mature,
branch-antlered bulls.
To get to the Auburn site, drive south
of Baker City on Highway 7 for about
seven miles, and turn right on Old Auburn
Lane. Follow this gravel road (maintained
in winter) for about 3.5 miles where a sign
marks the Wildlife Area. The elk are fed
on a knoll south of the road.
In 2021 the wildlife area crew pruned
many of the ponderosa pine trees near the
road, improving the view to the feeding
site, Marvin said.
To reach the Anthony Creek site, from
North Powder drive west on River Lane
for about 8.5 miles. The elk are fed in a
meadow south of the road. You can also
reach River Lane via Haines and the
Anthony Lakes Highway.
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mountain biking (recently) because
they had nowhere else to ride,” said
McCarrel. “The steep slopes and short
sight lines create ideal conditions for
a downhill mountain bike to inadver-
tently spook a horse and endanger its
rider.”
Travis Holman, a mountain biker
and vice president of the Central Ore-
gon Trail Alliance, said the 51.6-mile
alternative “would do the most to give
mountain bikers the best riding expe-
rience and therefore presents the best
chance to reduce crowding and conflict
on other trails.”
But he also acknowledged that the
preferred alternative “represents the
best compromise of those presented in
the EA.”
“We are very heartened to see
that impacts to natural and cultural
resources can be minimized while still
providing a valuable outdoor recre-
ation experience,” Holman said.
“As mountain bikers, we want
everyone to have the opportunity to
enjoy healthy recreation on our shared
public lands while minimizing impacts
on natural and cultural resources, and
we’re happy to see that this can be
accomplished at Lemon Gulch,” Hol-
man adds.
A phased construction is planned if
the project moves forward, with an ini-
tial set of trails installed followed by
one or two years of monitoring before
the building of additional trails.
Trail maintenance would be con-
ducted with help from local trail user
groups, including Ochoco trails and
Central Oregon Trail Alliance.
Public comments will be accepted
on the project through Dec. 19.
Those wishing to comment may do
so electronically on the U.S. For-
est Service website (fs.usda.gov/
project/?project=58831).
Dave Nielsen, an opponent of the
project, said reducing the size of the
complex from51.6 miles of trail to 27.5
will not make much difference and
the area will still experience negative
impacts caused by development.
“Just as many riders and followers
will visit the complex to ride, even if
the complex is half of that in the origi-
nal proposal,” said Nielsen, who advo-
cates for the “no action” alternative.
If the plan is adopted, the use of
mountain bikes would be banned from
Dec. 1 to May 1 for deer and elk win-
ter range protection. The project also
includes plans for three parking lots
located at different elevations to facil-
itate shuttling. Kiosks and vault toilets
are also planned.
The Forest Service describes the
level of development as “low level” to
maintain a “rustic character.”
While the single-track trails
would be designed for mountain bike
use, they would also be available
for hikers and trail runners. Some
trails would be designed for adaptive
mountain biking equipment. Eques-
trian use would be discouraged and
dogs would not be allowed on the
trails before July 1.
Kim McCarrel, an avid horseback
rider who frequently rides trails in
Crook County, said she applauds the
Forest Service’s efforts to create pur-
pose-built bike trails that “provide the
kinds of experiences many mountain
bike riders want.”
McCarrel said equestrians will
appreciate the effort to redistribute
mountain bike use away from Lookout
Mountain and Round Mountain trails,
two areas popular with horseback rid-
ers. Conflicts between bikes and horse-
back riders arise frequently on both
trails, she said.
“These trails became popular for
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