Letters to the Editor for May 4, 2009

Tiger muskies the answer to perch

To the editor:

I have read the recent articles on the perch netting on Phillips Lake and cannot believe the wasted time and tax money. I read Ed Shorts’ letter and agree with him on just about everything.

I have only been in Baker for about 15 years but before I moved here I heard about the trout fishery in Phillips. Even Alaskan fishermen had heard of Phillips trout. When I first fished Phillips about 15 years ago my neighbor, Sandy Sanders, took me out in his boat. We hooked one nice trout which I played to the boat and saw it was a nice 2- to 3-pound trout. When it got away Sandy exclaimed that the fish was just like they used to catch before the perch were there. I soon learned about perch and what had happened to the trout in Phillips and why this lake was no longer a popular destination sport fishery.

Last year when public input was supposed to be considered by the state I wrote to Tim Bailey with a plan to rotate tiger muskies into the lake. I urge anyone who is interested in Phillips fishery to look up tiger muskies and find a reason why this plan wouldn’t work. Tiger muskies are a sterile crossbreed between a muskellunge and a northern pike. They grow fast to trophy size and feed heavily on perch. They are a good-eating and trophy fish that would put Phillips back on the maps of traveling fishermen. Since they are sterile they would die out of the lake in a maximum of seven years. Perch numbers would be controlled by the amount of tigers planted, when the perch numbers and down and the tigers die in seven years then trout are planted until the perch numbers climb again. Then plant the tigers again. Depending on the cycle of trout or tigers there would always be a quality fishery in Phillips.

The netting they are doing now is a waste of taxpayer money. Poisoning is costly and possibly environmentally unsafe. Even if poisoning did get all the perch, what would keep another clown from reintroducing them?     

Mark Steele

Baker City

Thanks to staff at

St. Elizabeth

To the editor:

I would like to thank St. Elizabeth and their medical staff for the wonderful care I received while I was waiting for my biopsy, and after. They were very attentive to all my needs and were very professional.     

Gerald Andross

Baker City

A great showing of local talent

To the editor:

Last Friday's First Friday demonstrated the many strong supporters of the visual arts in Baker County.  Student art from our high schools was overwhelming to me.  The exhibits at Clark and Co., Mad Matilda, Crossroads — these are high school students?! How do these art teachers, Abbey Godwin and Brenda Johnson, do it?

The timely mother-daughter show at Crossroads featured artists from Halfway, Union, Baker City, some of the daughters living elsewhere.

Exhibits at Earth and Vine featured more local artists.

Downtown merchants, schools, Crossroads Arts Center, plus many talented artists combine their talents and resources to make First Friday a memorable event.      

Maryalys Urey

Baker City