Central Oregon News and Weather «Bend Bugle

Hunting Season Opens Saturday; ODFW Reminder: “Be Safe”

Friday, October 2nd, 2009
Bend Bugle News Reports

SALEM, OREGON — Last year, one person lost their life and three were injured in four separate hunting incidents in Oregon.

In two of the incidents, the shooter failed to properly identify his target before shooting. The one fatal incident occurred in Coos County, where Kelly E. Johnson shot at what he thought was a deer and killed 20-year-old Cody T. Armstrong. Johnson later pled guilty to criminally negligent homicide and is serving five years in prison.

In Jackson County, a hunter shot into brush because he believed it was a turkey, and his victim suffered 130 pellet wounds on his body. A duck hunter was shot in the leg in Tillamook Bay when his dog touched his loaded firearm. In Malheur County, a man was injured when his rifle discharged through his hand as he was pulling it up while adjusting a rifle tripod.

In a non-hunting incident, a woman was injured at EE Wilson Wildlife Area as she was walking in front of a person loading their shotgun on the shooting range. The shotgun accidentally discharged.

“All of these tragic incidents may have been avoided if some basic hunter safety rules had been followed,” said Chris Willard, ODFW hunter education coordinator.

Be sure of your target, and what is in front of it and beyond it.
Control the muzzle of your firearm at all times.
Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot.
Treat every gun as if it were loaded.
Wear blaze orange. Deer and elk won’t see the color but other people will.

Since mandatory hunter education for anyone under 18 began in the 1960s, overall hunting incidents in the state have dropped dramatically—from 90+ incidents per year to less than 10. Thanks to over 700 volunteer hunter education instructors located throughout the state, an estimated 6,500 students take hunter education each year and receive their hunter education certificate.

ODFW also offers an online hunter education course that anyone can review free of charge to learn about safe and ethical hunting practices, survival skills, and other topics. (To become hunter education certified, one must also pay a $15 fee, pass an online test and pass a field day exam.)

Hikers, bikers, campers: Be safe in the woods during hunting seasons

While incidents involving non-hunters are rare, there are steps hikers, bird-watchers and other non-hunters in the outdoors can take to be safer.

Wear blaze orange or other brightly colored clothing. This way, hunters will be able to see you. Avoid wearing earth-tones.
Make noise and make your presence known. Talk, sing, whistle or shout to other hunters that you are in the area.
Be aware of hunting seasons and when hunters could be in the woods.

The peak of hunting season is October through January but hunting is open all year for some animals in some areas. Hunters could be in state and national forests, Bureau of Land Management land, wilderness areas, state-managed wildlife areas, some federal refuges and on private lands. The ODFW Recreation Report is updated online every Wednesday and lists which general hunting seasons are open in specific areas.

Below are dates of some of the major fall hunting seasons in Oregon. Last year, more than 97,000 hunters participated in western Oregon general deer rifle hunt and 60,000 in eastern Oregon limited-entry deer hunting, the seasons that opens this Saturday.

Oct. 3-16, Oct. 24-Nov. 6: Western Oregon general deer rifle season in Cascades.
Oct. 3- Nov. 6: Western Oregon general rifle deer season on Coast.
Oct. 3-14: The majority of controlled (limited-entry) rifle deer hunting in eastern Oregon occurs.
Oct. 10 and 17: Opening of waterfowl (duck and goose) hunting and remaining upland bird seasons (pheasant, chukar, quail).
Oct. 17-23: Cascade elk season.
Nov. 14-17 and 21-27: Coast elk seasons.
Oct. 28-Nov. 1/Dec.4, Nov. 7-15: General Rocky Mountain bull elk in Mt. Hood/Columbia Basin area and parts of northeast Oregon during second period.

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Suggested photo caption:

These two hunters are showing safe hunting practices by wearing blaze orange, controlling the muzzle of their firearms, and pointing the muzzles in a safe direction. Photo courtesy of ODFW.

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Working Wonders Passes Honored at the High Desert Museum

Friday, October 2nd, 2009
Bend Bugle News Reports

BEND, OREGON – The High Desert Museum will honor Working Wonders Children’s Museum Golden Tickets for free admission to the Museum starting on Tuesday October 6 until the passes expire at the end of the year.

The High Desert Museum will have the current Golden Ticket information cards at the admissions desk and will admit those named on the cards.

Working Wonders Punch Cards will also be honored for free visits to the Museum through April 2010.

Other High Desert Museum member benefits such as discounts at the café, store and for discounted guest admission do not apply. The High Desert Museum is not responsible for missing or incorrect card information. For more information, contact Working Wonders at at 541-389-4500.

Upcoming Museum events for children include:
Strange Matter Exhibit
This is something really fun and interactive. You can discover the amazing secrets of materials science by playing with magnetic liquids, play with seeing a giant column of foam climb and more hands-on ways to delve into the fascinating and sometimes bizarre world of modern materials. Presented by the Materials Research Society.

This exhibition and its tour are made possible by the generous support of the National Science Foundation, Alcan, Dow, Ford Motor Company, Intel Innovation in Education and the 3M Foundation.

“Totally Touchable Tales” Tuesdays 10:30 am Storytelling that opens preschoolers’ eyes, ears, and hearts to the natural and cultural wonders of the High Desert, with activities such as puppet play and quick craft projects for ages two to five.

“KOHD Wild Wednesdays” has new elements this year and complements area schools’ early release days. Visitors ages 7 to 12 and their parents will discover obscure parts of the Museum on weekly scavenger hunts. They will receive an adventure map that they’ll use to find all the hidden treasure chests and get a Museum prize. Themes of the hunt change each month.

New this fall is “Backpack Explorers” This program allows preschoolers – children age 3 and 4, to engage all of their senses through activities created just for them, with a new theme each month highlighting the animals, exhibits, and stories of the High Desert. (Additional fee – see www.highdesertmuseum.org for details.) Sponsored by US Bank

Science Party November 23-24 and 27

See cool experiments related to High Desert obsidian glass formation, lava flows, and volcanic eruptions. Don lab coats and goggles and do fun materials science activities. Make fun, amazing stuff like ooblek and slime. Crack a geode and take it home! 11 am and 1 pm

With Support from Bend Research, Inc. (Additional fee see www.highdesertmuseum.org for details.)

About the Museum
The High Desert Museum is nationally acclaimed for inspiring stewardship of the natural and cultural resources of the High Desert. It offers close-up wildlife encounters, living history performances, Native American and Western art, music, nature trails, tours and classes for all ages. It is on 135 acres in a pristine forest, five minutes from Bend on South Highway 97.
The Museum is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Admission rates through Nov. 1: adults, $15; ages 65 plus, $12; ages 5-12, $9; age 4 and younger, free. November 1 – April 30: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Adults $10, seniors (65 plus) $9, ages 5-12, $6, age 4 and under, free.

High Desert Museum (541) 382-4754, www.highdesertmuseum.org

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H1N1 Vaccine On the Way to Oregon; More Coming Soon

Wednesday, September 30th, 2009
Bend Bugle News Reports

As the first H1N1 vaccine doses are being shipped around the country, Oregon public health officials expect there will be enough vaccine in Oregon so that widespread vaccination can begin around the middle of October at local flu clinics, with a particular focus on key priority groups.

“Over the course of the flu season we are expecting to have a large enough supply to vaccinate everyone with the H1N1 vaccine,” says Mel Kohn, M.D., public health director for Oregon. “With these first shipments, children, pregnant women, health care workers and others on the priority list should be first in line.” The priority list is:

• Children and young adults 6 months to 24 years old;
• Pregnant women;
• People caring for or living with infants under 6 months of age;
• People aged 25 to 64 with medical conditions that put them at a higher risk for influenza-related complications;
• Health care workers;
• Frontline law enforcement and public safety workers.

It is expected that the first shipment to Oregon will be distributed directly to Oregon counties on a per capita basis. The first vaccine doses will arrive mostly in nasal spray form, although over the course of the season both the nasal spray and injectable vaccine should be available, Kohn said.

Most people should be able to get vaccinated by their health care provider, although other options will be available across the state as well. State and local public health officials will spread the word about the availability of H1N1 flu shot clinics once vaccine begins arriving in substantial quantities. Information on vaccine availability will be posted on the state public health Web site at www.flu.oregon.gov and will also be available from the state hotline at 1-800-978-3040.

“All local public health departments be working to ensure vaccines are quickly and broadly distributed across the state and people will have a wide variety of options, whether through their health care provider or a community flu clinic,” says Dr. Gary Oxman, health officer for Multnomah, Clackamas and Washington counties.

The nasal spray vaccine is as effective as a shot for healthy people between ages 2 and 49. However, health officials recommend that some groups wait for the injectable vaccine, including: pregnant women, children younger than 2, and people with asthma and other chronic respiratory diseases. Injectable vaccine is expected to begin arriving in substantial quantities later in October.

Regular seasonal flu shots, which do not protect against H1N1, are also recommended, and are currently available. Information on where to get one is available on the Public Health Flu Web site at www.flu.oregon.gov or from the state hotline at 1-800-978-3040.

“We ask that everyone keep informed about H1N1 in Oregon and how they can best protect themselves and their families,” says Kohn. “Together we can slow the spread of this flu as much as possible and reduce the impact on our state.”

Since September 1, 2009, there have been 16 hospitalizations in Oregon from the flu: six were confirmed H1N1 and the rest influenza A. One death was reported in September.

Public health experts continue to advise the public to take basic precautions to help slow the spread of all influenza:

• Wash your hands;
• Cover your cough;
• Stay home if you are sick.

For more information on where to get the vaccine when it becomes available, please visit the Oregon Department of Human Services Web site www.flu.oregon.gov or call the Oregon Public Health Flu hotline: 1-800-978-3040.

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Friday is deadline to purchase deer, bear, cougar tags

Tuesday, September 29th, 2009
Bend Bugle News Reports

SALEM, OREGON — The deadline to purchase a Western Oregon general deer, bear, or cougar tag is this Friday Oct. 2 at 11:59 p.m. PT. Most rifle deer hunting seasons open Saturday, Oct. 3. ODFW offices and license agents typically experience long lines on Friday so hunters are urged to get their tags as soon as possible.

As of yesterday, ODFW had sold 41,503 Western Oregon deer rifle tags. In 2008, the department sold 102,008 of these tags. Tags can be purchased online, at a license sales agent, or at an ODFW office that sells licenses.

Remember that many stores close earlier in the evening and even stores open 24 hours may not have staff available to do license sales at odd hours. Stores have also been known to stop accepting customers because of long lines.

Licensing staff also recommend you double-check your tag before leaving the shop to confirm you purchased the right one, especially if you are getting a controlled (limited-entry) hunt tag. Remember the deadline to purchase a controlled hunt tag is the day before the hunt period begins. New for this year, ODFW has a process for hunters that miss the tag sale deadline.

Hunters that pay a $6.50 fee in addition to the tag fee and sign an affidavit stating they have not yet hunted during the season will be allowed to purchase the tag. The process can take several days so hunters are urged to use it only as a last resort.

Other tag sale deadlines follow. Note that ODFW offices will be closed due to a statewide furlough day on Oct. 16, 2009, the day of the Cascade bull elk tag sale deadline. Hunters may still purchase tags online or at license sales agents that day. However, any hunter that wants to make an exchange involving their Cascade bull elk tag (exchange it for another tag or exchange a different tag for Cascade bull elk) must come to an ODFW office no later than close-of-business Oct. 15 to complete the exchange. Tag exchanges cannot be made at license sale agents.

Upcoming general season tag sale deadlines
Cascade Elk – Oct. 16 (ODFW offices closed for furlough)
Rocky Mt Elk Centerfire, 1st season – Oct. 27
Rocky Mt Elk Centerfire, 2nd season – Nov. 6
Coast Elk Centerfire, 1st season – Nov. 13
Coast Elk Centerfire, 2nd season – Nov. 20
Controlled hunts – the day before hunt begins

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Healthy Beginnings Provides 12 Point Kid Inspection in La Pine

Tuesday, September 29th, 2009
Spencer Dahl

LA PINE, OREGON – Are you wondering if your child’s development is on track? Will their smile last a life time and can they hear and see okay? Health and development from birth through age five is critical to your child’s success. This is why Healthy Beginnings offers screenings to any child who lives in Deschutes County at no cost to the family. There are no eligibility requirements for this free service.

Appointments are now being accepted for the October 16th screening in La Pine.

Celebrating 15 years of service to young children and families, Healthy Beginnings screens children in hearing, speech and language, motor skills, cognitive development, vision, health and safety, dental, behavior and nutrition. Access to professionals and trained volunteers in all these core areas are available at the time of the screening. Parents and children birth through five meet one on one with as many as 12 health and developmental professionals and families are welcome to attend whether or not they have health insurance.

Healthy Beginnings, a unique program available only in Deschutes County, works to assure parents that their children are developing appropriately or, if needed, to make referrals for in-depth evaluation and treatment. Parenting information and community resources are provided free as well. Every family attending a Healthy Beginnings screening receives extensive information on the heath and development of their child.

Healthy Beginnings, a Community Partner Agency of the United Way of Deschutes County and is one of many programs offered through the support of the High Desert Education Service District. Additional support for this La Pine screening is provided by MidState Electric.

Please visit our website at www.healthybeginnings.info for a full listing of screening dates and cities as well as detailed information about our program, volunteer, and donation opportunities.

Don’t miss this opportunity. Call before Wednesday, October 14th at 541-383-6357 or visit our website to make your child’s appointment or to volunteer to help. Appointments are limited and these free screenings fill up quickly.

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Controlled Burns Scheduled on the Ochoco National Forest

Tuesday, September 29th, 2009
Bend Bugle News Reports

PRINEVILLE, OREGON -As the fall season brings cooler temperatures and milder weather conditions, fire managers from the Ochoco National Forest are planning to accomplish a total of 8,000 acres of controlled burns over the next six weeks, weather permitting.

The controlled burn projects are located on the Lookout Mountain and Paulina Ranger Districts in the Maury Mountains, Rocky Butte, Deep Creek and the Petersen Point areas.

“We keep a list of projects to choose from and burn in the project area that best fits the burn prescription on any given day,” said Fire Management Officer Kevin Donham.

One of the planned controlled burns will occur in the Mill Creek area. The burn is approximately 1,500 acres in size and will be completed in 100-200 acre blocks each day, taking several weeks to complete. Nearby residents can expect smoke to impact forest roads, especially in the late evening and early morning hours when the cool air causes the smoke to settle. If the smoke gets too heavy and doesn’t clear out during the day, burning will stop until conditions improve.

Hunters and other forest visitors are reminded to either avoid or to be very careful when traveling through recently burned forest areas, as there is danger of being hit by fire-weakened timber or of being burned by accidentally stepping into a stump hole. Hunters can obtain more specific information on the location of planned controlled burn areas on the Ochoco National Forest by visiting the hunter’s booth at Ray’s on the east side of Prineville from Wednesday, September 30 through Friday, October 2, 2009 from 5:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Controlled burning is a tool that fire managers use for a variety of objectives. Burn objectives for the Ochoco National Forest include maintaining forest health by reducing the accumulation of hazardous fuels, reducing the encroachment of western juniper and white fir into ponderosa pine ecosystems and improving wildlife habitat by increasing native grasses, forbs and shrubs.

To view maps of all fuels treatments projects on public lands in Central Oregon (Deschutes & Ochoco National Forests and Prineville Bureau of Land Management) for the fall 2009 season, visit our website at www.fs.fed.us/r6/centraloregon The maps provide a general idea of where projects will be completed. Due to changes in weather and conditions, projects are subject to change on short notice.

Completing controlled burn projects near private property, as in the Mill Creek burn, reduces the risk of high-intensity wildfires. Being proactive in reducing fuels now helps to reduce the intensity of future wildifres, increasing the firefighters’ ability to safely protect homes. Homeowners can do their part by clearing forest fuels and moving wood piles away from homes and structures. Visit the www.firefire.org website for additional information and tips for creating defensible space. For additional information, contact Jeff Bell at (541) 416-6417.

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COCC to offer “Launch Your Business” course at a reduced rate

Tuesday, September 29th, 2009
Bend Bugle News Reports

BEND, OREGON – COCC’s Business Development Center is offering a short course in Bend next month for local companies who are just starting up. “Launch Your Business” is designed to help business owners get off to a good beginning and develop a working plan.

Participants will work one-on-one with a business advisor as well as with peers in the classroom. The course combines four 1-hour coaching sessions (starting the week of October 12) with three 3-hour Wednesday evening classes on October 21, November 4 and November 18 from 6:00pm – 9:00pm.

Class location is the COCC Bend Campus and the cost is $49 (regularly $79). Preregistration is required: call 541-383-7290 or go to http://noncredit.cocc.edu to register.

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Bend to Lava Butte: Enforcement Detail on Friday

Tuesday, September 29th, 2009
Bend Bugle News Reports

BEND, OREGON – The Multi Agency Traffic Team will be holding an enforcement detail from the City of Bend to Lava Butte on Friday, October 2, 2009 from 8:00 am until 12:00 pm. The enforcement detail will focus on aggressive drivers who make unsafe lane changes, follow too close, speed and drivers that fail to maintain a safe distance from emergency vehicles.

Date & Time of Incident: Friday, October 2, 2009
Type of Incident: Multi Agency Traffic Team enforcement detail
Location of Incident: City of Bend to Lava Butte

The Multi Agency Traffic Team consists of officers from the Bend, Redmond and Sunriver Police Departments, Oregon State Police, and Deputies from the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office. They will be enforcing violations related aggressive and unsafe driving. These efforts are meant to increase safety and prevent motor vehicle crashes. The goal of the team is to increase traffic safety awareness and compliance, through high visibility enforcement details.

Date/Time Prepared: 9/29/2009
Prepared By: Sergeant Chris Carney

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