Bluebirds & Buttercups Proclaim Spring's Arrival in Baker County

[Hope to edit, and perhaps add a photo or two tomorrow, but it is plenty long already. Click on photos for enlargements. Chris]

Somewhere, I have a small framed pastel drawing of a springtime scene engulfing a quote by Henry David Thoreau: "I have an appointment with spring!" The quote is found in his journal from March 3, 1853. Here is an expanded and edited version:

"As soon as those spring mornings arrive in which the birds sing, I am sure to be an early riser, . . . . I have an appointment with spring. She comes to the window to wake me, and I go forth an hour or two earlier than usual. . . . When we wake indeed, with a double awakening--not only from our ordinary nocturnal slumbers, but from our diurnal--we burst through the thallus of our ordinary life, we wake with emphasis."

After those long, cold, too often cloudy and snowy days of winter in Baker County, it is an appointment that many of us, in the northern latitudes the world over, are all to eager to keep--and none more so than myself. Despite whatever the calendar may say, the arrival of spring never seems so certain as that, but then to me, spring has never truly arrived until the buds of the buttercup burst open in the sagebrush, when the neighborhood yards begin to sparkle with the color of crocus, and when a few long, warm sunny days urge me to emerge from my shameless winter lethargy so as to begin curious adventures in our beautiful but besieged natural world. This year, after a few false starts, spring arrived, for me at least, with a celebratory bang on the last day of March and the first day of April.

I took advantage of those startlingly warm and sunny days to explore for early spring things and revel a bit in the beauty of Baker County. Here are a few of the things I found those two days.

Riding east on Highway 86 just after passing the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center and shooting range, a pair of sometimes elusive Sage Thrashers (Oreoscoptes montanus) dropped down off the barbed wire fence on the north side and scurried into the deeper sagebrush. Before reaching the top of the hill, I found another singing on a fence post and stopped to photograph it. He didn't let me get close enough for a terrific photo, but here is a Sage Trasher singing along that highway from April of last year.
Sage Thrasher
Because these excellent singers spend a lot of the time scratching out a living on the ground searching for insects, they are described as elusive, and more often heard than seen. They are actually not very difficult to find though in some of the healthier big sagebrush stands along the highway from before the Interpretive Center and on east past Ruckles Creek Road in the spring (more of a challenge thereafter). After spending the winter from se. California to Texas and portions of Mexico, they return to Baker County in late March and early April.

Another little treasure harbored by the sagebrush is one of our earliest spring wildflowers--the modestly sized but dazzlingly cheerful and hard to miss Sagebrush Buttercup (Ranunculus glaberrimus).
Sagebrush Buttercup

As it does well in somewhat disturbed or early seral communities it can be found amongst the grazed sagebrush and weeds on the BLM managed Goose Creek grazing allotment (the dogs and I hiked the dirt road west from the Sparta Road), and on up through the healthier but well grazed sagebrush areas east of Sparta. A walk along Seismograph road and some of the spur trails (or east Sparta Rd. on the ridge) will provide viewing for a few interesting plant communities, especially eroded rocky scabland areas. Most buttercups are slightly to very toxic to many mammals, but less toxic young Sagebrush Buttercup plants are used to varying degrees by wildlife and sometimes by stock animals.
Sagebrush Buttercup

Another very early wildflower that some might miss, is the unassuming little Gorman's Biscuitroot (Lomatium gormanii). It is also called "salt & pepper."
Gorman's Biscuitroot
I find them on rocky ridge tops, scablands and nearby well drained hillsides in Grant and Baker Counties. Although always found east of the Cascade's, they range north into Washington, further south in Oregon and east into Idaho. It is blooming now in areas near Seismograph Road east of Sparta.

The starchy roots of some Lomatiums were utilized as a food source by Native Americans.They were cooked and eaten or ground into a type of flour and used to make biscuits and cakes. Lomatium gormanii has a deeply buried, large round radish-like root that one report lists as being used by the Nez Perce Tribe.

I also found one lonely clump of Lanceleaf Springbeauty (Claytonia lanceolata) near Seismograph Road east of Sparta.
Springbeauty
A widely distributed species in the West, they too are among the very earliest spring flowers, emerging soon after snowmelt. I normally see them much higher in the mountains. The root, a globose corm, is said to be quite tasty, although it is much better to leave them to brighten the next year's spring (unless you happen to be actually starving).

Springbeauty, Santa Rosa Range, Humboldt County, NV, June 7, 1996

Mountain Bluebirds and Violet GreenSwallows in Sparta

Sparta Butte, April 1, 2011 (Migratory birds make a living here in early spring despite the snow)

There are many beautiful birds in the world, and a few of them live and breed right here in Baker County. One of my favorites for irresistible eye-pleasing beauty, and the best that blue has to offer, is the mountain bluebird (Sialia currucoides).

Mountain Bluebird, "Downtown" Sparta, 4/1/11
This insect eater nests throughout much of Oregon from slightly west of the Cascades to most of eastern Oregon, where it is more common. "Birds of Oregon" (Marshall, Hunter, & Contreras, OSU Press, 2003-2006), states that "important factors determining habitat selection are availability of suitable nesting cavities and open terrain (Farner, 1952)." With some shame (Hey, forgive me, I grew up in the chaparral of S. California!), I learned part of this first hand when I cut down a slightly burned dead Aspen in a "free" (is anything really free?) firewood area on the Fishlake National Forest about 25 years ago, only to find that it contained an active nesting cavity with four young mountain bluebirds at fledgling stage. A more favorable experience was watching these gorgeous birds fly from a perch high in a conifer to just a yard or so in front of me at 10,000 feet in the Pahvant Range of Utah, in order to pick up young grasshoppers in a clearing. Aside from ignorant humans (as in cutting down their nesting trees), a major threat to the species in lower elevation areas near human habitation are the alien and highly competitive European starlings and house sparrows, which also use up available tree cavities or bird boxes. Heavy grazing and fire suppression also takes a toll on the Aspen patches that are often used for nesting. Fortunately, it breeds over a wide area of the American West in cavities from sagebrush-(older) Juniper communities to near timberline and readily accepts bird boxes put up for its use outside of towns and cities.

The two birds below were refurbishing this nest box on Sparta Lane on April 1st.

Mountain Bluebird, female on nest box, Sparta, Oregon

Mountain Bluebird, male on nest box, Sparta, Oregon

Another migratory bird, the Violet-green Swallow (Tachycineta thalassina) has also returned to Sparta, despite the largely snow-covered ground. Flying insects are be at a premium, but they must know what they are doing. I have identification photos from Sparta on April 1, 2011, but here is a better, closer one.
Violet-green Swallow at nest box, ne. of Elgin, June 15, 2007

The "Birds of Oregon" reference mentioned previously states that "Unlike the Tree Swallow it commonly nests in niches and cavities on urban buildings and readily uses nesting boxes in residential areas. Its soft twittery call notes are a familiar pre-dawn sound as they fly about overhead. A very early spring migrant concentrating about streams and wetlands where emerging insects can be found until warmer weather allows them to move into more upland areas."

Waterfowl in the area.

Migratory waterfowl, moving through to more northern latitudes, are also still abundant in the Baker City area.

A true harbinger of spring as far as timing is concerned, is the Canvasback (Aythya valisineria).
Canvasback, Kearney-USFWS photo

A dozen or so seem to regularly appear about the time of the (spring) vernal equinox on the middle pond along the Best Frontage Road at the edge of Baker City, where they were last week. These have been the premier table duck of culinary connoisseurs in the past (and present), but the taste is said to depend on just what these ducks have been feeding on. Their table status among hunters, i.e., the "gold standard" (Birds of Oregon), aka "Lordly Canvasback" ("The Book of Birds," National Geographic 1939), reputation and habitat shrinkage have taken a large toll on populations though, and the Canvasback populations still appear to be declining or perhaps stable in Oregon. They are easily confused with the Redhead (Aythya americana), another not-so-common Baker County migrant. The head slopes into the bill and is not so red as in the Redhead, whose head is more abruptly round, and their "canvas" back is much whiter. Below is a Redhead for comparison.
Redhead, Tule Lake, Ladd Marsh, May 1, 2008

Other spring favorites.

The diving Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula) is now common in local ponds and especially in the lower Powder River canyon, with courtship displays easily observed. They also congregate along the Snake River prior to spring. Their clear nictitating membrane allows them to see very well underwater in their dives for food--a clear advantage in that environment, especially in the often muddy water of the Powder River in springtime. Their diet consists mainly of small aquatic animal life, but they do partake of plants. They nest in trees near high elevation lakes.
Common Goldeneye on a cloudy spring day in the Powder River.

The Bufflehead (Glaucionetta albeola), aka "butterball" or "buffalo-head," is also fairly common now on local ponds, although they are probably leaving soon for breeding areas in Canada and Alaska.
Buffle heads, Female left, Male on right, on Best Frontage Road-UPS Pond #2, March 22, 2011.

Birds of Oregon (reference) states that "The Bufflehead is N. America's smallest diving duck, giving it the advantage of being able to nest in abandoned holes of Northern Flickers, a plentiful resource off-limits to larger cavity-nesting ducks." They feed on aquatic insects and their larvae, but also other small aquatic animals, as well as seeds and other aquatic plant material. It also nests in trees or nest boxes near water at high elevation lakes.

Lastly for now, another spring-time migrant that has been here for several weeks, and is also leaving, is the Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris). These fast flyers have been common on the Best Frontage Road ponds, and the often overlooked pond along S. Airport Road at the Britt Sand and Gravel plant in the last month (along with others, including Common Mergansers).

People most often think that "Ring-bill" would be more appropriate due to the fact that the ring around the neck is rarely seen, while the ring around the bill always is. I found the duck in the following photo, which shows the ringed neck, on the dredge ponds above Phillips Reservoir back on June 12, 2008. As noted in "Birds of Oregon" reference, the Ring-necked duck may be confused with the scaups. But as they say "The black back, white crescent on the side just in front of the wing, and white-ringed bill separate the drake male ring-neck from the scaups."
Ring-necked Duck on dredge pond above Phillips Reservoir.

Ring-necks are uncommon breeders in Oregon, favoring boreal forests of upper Canada and se Alaska. They are more vegetarian feeders than others in the genus. They nest on floating or emergent vegetation or on islands close to water (previously cited "Birds of Oregon" reference).
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Decorah, Iowa, Eagle Cam
Provided by Cathy Nowak, Fish & Wildlife Biologist and more, at the ODFW Ladd Marsh Wildlife Area in Union County. Click on Decorah Eagles link:

Decorah Eagles

Total views: 11,167,542
First hatch 4/2/11.
24-hour collage of first egg pip and hatch
Second hatch 4/3/2011.
First glimpse of second hatchling
Third hatch expected in a couple of days.

The Raptor Resource Project brings you the Decorah Eagles from atop their tree at the fish hatchery in Decorah, Iowa.

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Bird Meeting in Baker City

From Joanne Britton:

There will be a meeting at the library at 9:30 AM April 9th to recruit birders, talk about where to find birds and IDing them, getting people involved in various counts, and doing a little walk along the river to look for birds. We will also plan other little trips around Baker to bird and practice skills. This will be very informal. Bring your binoculars and pass the word.
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Enough for now.
Blog will return to backlog on Obama's War on Libya, and other harsh realities, soon enough, but I hope this one has been a pleasant break.

Wallowa Wildflowers, Pt.2; Baker City Gas Prices; Wolf Decision

In This Edition:

- Wallowa Wildflowers Part 2
- What’s with Baker City Gas Prices?
- Federal judge rules gray wolves in Oregon were illegally removed from the protections of ESA
[Edited 8/22/10; segment deleted for personal reasons]
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Wallowa Wildflowers Part 2

Helianthella uniflora

This is the second installment of an article displaying some of the common wildflowers that can be found near the 66 Forest Service Road between Halfway and Twin Lakes (and beyond) in the Wallowa Mountains, Baker County, Oregon.

This 2nd portion of the article begins where the 1st part (July 28th) left off, to the east of Trinity Creek, at about 6300 feet in elevation. There is a short spur road there leading to a rocky outcrop and a sometimes used campsite, where a few of the previously listed wildflowers occur, as well as the first following.

One-flower Helianthella (Helianthella uniflora), is a rather tall perennial with several to many long rangy stems from the base, each one with normally only one large yellow flower at the end. Our usual variety is Douglas' helianthella (Helianthella uniflora var. douglasii). Frankly, I can scarcely tell the difference between the two varieties most of the time, but this one appears to be douglassii. It can be found along the upper 66 Road and on the Hells Canyon Rim, among other areas, often on rocky slopes.

Helianthella was used by the “First Nations.” AKA Native Americans, for an analgesic, usually as a poultice of ground roots, to treat sprains, swelling, and rheumatism.

Helianthella uniflora

In this same area can be found Blue Stickseed (Hackelia micrantha), also known as Jessica sticktight and wild forget-me-not, a widespread and common species in the Blue Mountains of Oregon. It appears in the lower elevations but is prominent in meadows and openings of the middle and higher elevations.

Blue Stickseed (Hackelia micrantha)

According to Wallowa-Whitman National Forest herbarium records, blue stickseed increases in overgrazed areas. “Increasers” in a grazed situation are those plants that increase due to their degree of distaste by livestock, either because they have poisonous properties or due to other factors, such as coarseness and aggravating seeds, or the effects of grazing on the ecosystem itself through disturbance, etc.. Three obvious increasers to look for in the Wallowas and elsewhere, out of the many to choose from, are Hackelia, lupine, and false hellebore (to be described later, aka, skunk cabbage). When pondering a portion of the forest that has been grazed for many decades, you can bet that the plant community you are looking at is quite a bit different from what it was before cattle and sheep were allowed to have at it. Some species of plants and the insects and other species that depend upon them, may be greatly diminished (eg. bunch grasses), or may have disappeared all-together.

Blue Stickseed

Stickseed grows in abundance in more open disturbed areas, whether caused by grazing, fire, campers, timber extraction, or firewood seekers. The seeds, nutlets, have prickly stiff hairs that have small barbs around the tip, as in the photograph above. This characteristic allows the seeds to cling to passing wild animals, livestock, hikers, and their dogs, thus helping to disperse the seeds over a much wider area. You may remember pulling them off your clothing or combing them out of your pet’s fur—great fun! Despite their aggressive seed dispersal “strategy,” most generally appreciate them due to the delicate and attractive flowers.

Although some species of Hackelia were used by some First Nations, for uses such as serious wound injuries and cancer (????) treatment, accounts of use by North West tribes are hard to come by.

Blue Stickseed

Another interesting and attractive, mostly sub-alpine, plant in the area is found close to creeks, from at least as low as Trinity Creek, on up in elevation to Lake Fork Creek, Big Elk Creek, and beyond, and is called Cusick's fumewort (Corydalis caseana Gray ssp. Cusickii), AKA “Fitweed.“ It is consumed by cattle and sheep but is non-the-less somewhat toxic. It apparently gives them fits and may cause losses.

Cusick's fumewort (Corydalis caseana Gray ssp. Cusickii)

It is from a fairly unusual family of plants called the Fumeworts or Fumitory family; the Fumaracea. There are only four genera listed for this family in Hitchcock and Cronquist’s “Flora of the Pacific Northwest,” which includes the familiar Bleeding Heart (Dicentra formosa). Cusick's fumewort is named for perhaps the most famous early botanist/plant collector/explorer/rancher in our area, William Cusick. (The map included in the link shows many plant collection points in Union, Baker, and Wallowa Counties, as well as the rest of Oregon.) Several plants and a local mountain are named in his honor. I first encountered plants named after him in northeastern most California some years ago.

Cusick's fumewort

Acetylcholinesterase (AchE) inhibitors, such as those found in the genus Corydalis, and other members of the family, are thought by some to be useful in treating “Alzheimer's disease (AD), senile dementia, ataxia, myasthenia gravis and Parkinson's disease.” [In Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors from plants]

Heartleaf Arnica (Arnica cordifolia)

Another common and widespread wildflower from lower elevations and on into the sub-alpine elevations of the Wallowas, including the Hells Canyon Rim, is Heartleaf Arnica (Arnica cordifolia). This is a very common montane perennial in North America, including much of Canada, a few northern mid-western states, and appears in the west from the Dakotas south to New Mexico and westward to the Pacific coastal states. It is seen roadside in partially shaded areas along the 66 road and was fading when I was there in July, so I have used photos from other locations during previous trips in the Blue Mountains.

Heartleaf Arnica

It is fairly easy to identify due to its large, heart-shaped (chordate), and usually toothed, lower leaves, and the single large yellow “sunflower” atop the flowering stem.

This plant has been reported to have been used for many ailments by the Native Americans, including bruises, cuts and swellings, sore eyes, and as a “love medicine” (hmmm!).

Heartleaf Arnica

When you get to the streamside and bog communities of the sub-alpine zone, a whole new world of plants presents itself. There are a number of interesting and attractive plants in these communities, some threatened by grazing (more to follow in future blogs). Here is one member of this community from Lake Fork Creek below the 66 Road.

Bull elephant's-head, elephanthead lousewort, or simply Elephant Heads (Pedicularis groenlandica)

Elephanthead lousewort is a lousewort of the figwort family of plants (Scrophulariaceae), which also includes such notables as the Penstemons and Paint-brushes. This non-toxic, spring and summer perennial is quite common in wet or boggy meadow environments from all of the western states, including Alaska, and almost all of Canada.

Bull elephant's-head or Elephanthead lousewort

Elephant heads was ingested by some Native American tribes to treat coughs. Some modern folklore lists the genus as having value for use as “tranquilizers, muscle relaxants, powerful aphrodesiacs, and sedatives.” I am just glad it is out there.

Bull elephant's-head or Elephanthead lousewort

That’s all the time I have for Wallowa Wildflowers-- Part 3 later.

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What’s with Baker City Gas Prices?

Pricing at Jackson Shell

I can hear readers thinking, please tell me something I didn’t already know, but I thought it was worth documenting our relatively expensive gasoline prices. I think paying more for fuel may not necessarily be a bad thing, but the excess profits should probably go for alternative transportation, renewables, and etc., rather than to, well, you know. Those who have traveled beyond Baker City to places as close as La Grande, Halfway, or Ontario, may have noticed that our prices for unleaded regular are almost always higher here than in these nearby communities (I’m not including restricted “card-lock” stations as it seems to me that due to lower labor costs, they should and often do have lower prices.).

The Baker City gas price issue came to my attention again this year when I made trips to or through the nearby communities mentioned over the last three months, and noticed their low price was sometimes as much as 20 cents or more per gallon lower, excluding Halfway. It would be nice if I had solid answers to the question as to why this is so, but I don’t. The hauling distance to these communities, except perhaps Halfway, are not so much higher that the distance alone could account for the differences. In fact, if hauling distance were a large factor, one must wonder why the price in Halfway was a penny lower than Baker City’s lowest price during July and into August. I’m guessing some of you have reached a conclusion of your own, with the initials PG. (Hint—the G stands for gouging.) Another related explanation may be a sort of non-conspiratorial sort of price fixing, where the owners gauge their pricing by comparison to other prices at stations in their captive driver sphere of influence (such as can be seen in many small towns). I hope there is a more agreeable explanation, and if you have one, please send it to me at refugee2000@gmail.com, or simply use the comment facility at the bottom of the blog.

Before I get to far along, here is a graph of the recent historical price in Oregon via GasBuddy.Com, which can be found at oregongasprices.com.

Oregon Gas Price Chart Showing Average Retail Price in Oregon from May 5th to August 5, 2010.

Price for unleaded regular at Oregon Trails RV Park (Oregon Trails West)

During that period, the low price for unleaded regular in Baker City, up at the Oregon Trail RV Park, ranged from around $3.18.9 on May 12th, when the average Oregon price was about $2.95.9, to $303.9 over much of June, July, and into August, when the average Oregon price ranged from $2.83.9 to roughly $3.00. By contrast, the price at the Pilot station at the main freeway interchange in Ontario, hung persistently at $2.95.9, and the price at Safeway in La Grande varied from $2.96.9 to (just recently), $2.99.9 (three cents lower if you have a Safeway card). Baker City gas stations are consistently 3 to around 6 cents per gallon higher than Oregon Trail RV Park. If you were to chart our prices over the same period using the graph above, our prices would be off the chart in a nearly straight line. So far, while the state-wide average has climbed rapidly over the last two weeks, our prices have held steady, but tomorrow is a new day.

Pricing at Gas & Snack on 10th Street

Current Regular Unleaded Gas Prices for Oregon (Average), Baker City, and nearby communities (all from August 4th, except for Gas & Snack, Halfway, Safeway La Grande, and Ontario Pilot, which are from today.). Some prices from August 4th may have increased today.

Current Oregon average unleaded gas price $3.00.9
Shell Station at Highway 7 and David Eccles Road (no gas yesterday). $3.09.9
Jackson Shell just west of the freeway on Broadway $3.09.9
Chevron, just east of the freeway on Broadway $3.09.9
Chevron at Auburn & Main $3.08.9
Truck Corral, just east of the freeway on Broadway $3.07.9
Sinclair Station at Broadway & Cedar $3.07.9
Albertsons Express on Broadway $3.06.9
Gas & Snack on 10th and Church $3.06.9
Oegon Trail RV Park on Cedar/Hwy 86 near the north interchange $3.03.9

Richland Feed & Seed in Halfway $3.02.9
Safeway in La Grande (3 cents less with Safeway card) $2.99.9
Pilot at the freeway in Ontario $2.95.9
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Federal judge rules gray wolves in Oregon were illegally removed from the protections of ESA (From HCPC)

On the heels of the Payette's decision to protect Bighorn Sheep on the Idaho side of Hells Canyon, we are celebrating another big success for wildlife here at HCPC! Today, a federal judge ruled that gray wolves in Oregon were illegally removed from the protections of the Endangered Species Act. The Gray Wolves are now back on the Endangered Species List and will be guaranteed the guardianship they need to thrive in Oregon.

HCPC and other groups have worked diligently to assure the Gray Wolf remains protected under the Endangered Species Act, and with your support it has paid off!

Here are some of the decisions :

The Endangered Species Act does not allow the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to list only part of a "species" as endangered, or to protect a listed distinct population segment only in part as the Final Rule here does; and

The legislative history of the Endangered Species Act does not support the Service's new interpretation of the phrase "significant portion of its range." To the contrary it supports the historical view that the Service has always held, the Endangered Species Act does not allow a distinct population segment to be subdivided.

Click here to see the entire decision.

We’re excited about the decision. It allows us to step away from the current controversy and gives us a fresh opportunity to bring all parties together to work on a true science-based recovery plan for wolves. This also gives us time to work on updating the Oregon Wolf Plan without the added pressure of having to simultaneously implement it.

Hells Canyon Early Spring Wildflowers (also, Brian Cole Case)

In This Issue:

- Hells Canyon (and Local) Early Spring Wildflowers

- Brian Cole Motion Hearing Date Set (Edited 3/10/10)
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Early Spring Wildflowers

A brief post two days ago celebrated the fact that early spring wildflowers can be found blooming in Hells Canyon now. Photos of Dutchman's Breeches (Dicentra cucullaria) were included in that post, along with the hope that more photos would be posted soon. Here are photos of the Lomatium, Yellow Bells, Sagebrush Bluebells, and Sagebrush Buttercup.

Lomatium, also know as Biscuit Root or Desert Parsley (Lomatium species).

This early spring wildflower was growing on the rock face just a hundred yards or so downstream from Hells Canyon Dam. While they are not considered stunningly attractive by many, they have an interesting history of human use right up to the present. Some Native American tribes would cook, peel, cut-up and dry the roots of this perennial, which were later pounded to produce a flour that was used to make biscuits (thus the name biscuit root). They have been used medicinally by both Native and modern day Americans, and the Washoe Indians of Nevada were said to use the roots to treat influenza. They are common and easy to spot in most of the interior West in spring through summer.

Yellow Fritillary or Yellow Bells (Fritillaria pudica)

Yellow Bells are members of the Lily Family and are considered perennial herbs, because, while they dry up and appear dead by late summer or early fall, their small bulbs persist underground to produce above ground growth in future years. They can be found in the interior West from the sagebrush foothills to the openings of the conifer forests--from near the bottom of Hells Canyon to the Hells Canyon Rim--with the first blooms at the low elevations and the last along the rim. While they were cooked and eaten by Northwestern Native American groups, unless you know how to process them properly, Fritillaries should not be considered edible because they contain poisonous alkaloids.

Sagebrush Bluebells (Mertensia longiflora)

I find all the early spring wildflowers very attractive, but the Sagebrush Bluebells are especially so. The flowers at Hells Canyon were not quite open at the tips, so I'm using a photo of a plant taken near a satellite Sage Grouse lek in the south western portion of Baker County a year or two ago. I'm unaware of any Native American uses for this plant, but this little beauty brightens the sagebrush communities in most of the interior west.

Sagebrush Buttercup (Ranunculus glaberrimus)

The bright and cheery Sagebrush Buttercup is the harbinger of Spring for the locals in Baker County. I look forward to seeing them every March along Elk Creek Road, just as I did today. Ours had been blooming for only a few days and most had not opened, while those in Hells Canyon must have begun to open around a little over a week ago. They seem to be about a week early on Elk Creek, which isn't surprising, given the mild winter. Most things have their dark side, and the buttercups are no exception--they are toxic. Ingestion can cause vomiting or diarrhea and they can irritate the skin. Northwest tribes used them for both poison and as poultices.
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Brian Cole Motion Hearing Date Set

[Edited 3/10/10]

According to the good folks at the County Court house, the first open court hearing in the Brian Cole case has been set for March 17th, 2010, at 2:00 PM, in Circuit Court. This could change up to near the last minute if a higher priority case comes along between now and then.

My original understanding was that the trial would begin on March 17th, but what will occur is a "Motion Hearing,", where it is thought that Mr. Cole's attorney, Mr. J. Robert Moon, will make a motion to compel discovery of evidence that has been gathered for the case by the prosecution. This would include any evidence uncovered that might tend to clear Mr. Cole of Blame in the matter (exculpatory evidence). Additionally, if it hasn't already occurred, he will make a motion to return property of Mr. Cole's that had been seized by the State during their investigation. Other open court motions will likely be made in the days, weeks or months leading to trial.

Mr. Cole has been charged by the State with two counts of Furnishing Liquor to a Minor and four counts of Sexual Abuse in the Third Degree.

If you have been down to the courthouse on any of the dates when a matter involving this case was to be addressed, you will have noted the many people of little means having to publicly appear in court, some in chains, for legal problems ranging from name changes and marijuana use, to kidnapping. People are free to sit in court and listen to the give and take. Interestingly, given the charges involved, Brian Cole, to the best of my knowledge, has not had to appear in person even once. Also, to the best of my knowledge, most or all of the proceedings, like Monday's hearing and pretrial conference, were not held in open court. The Grand Jury was conducted in secret as a "secret body." March 17th will theoretically be an opportunity for the public to view a proceeding in the case, but nothing would surprise me and many things are possible.
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