New rules allow for harvest of roadkill to eat

It will be legal to salvage roadkilled deer and elk to eat starting Jan. 1, with new rules adopted by the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission on Friday.

The new rules are in response to the passage of Senate Bill 372 by the Oregon Legislature in 2017.

Among other changes, the new rules allow deer and elk that are accidentally struck by a vehicle to be salvaged for consumption only, though intentionally hitting a deer or elk to salvage it remains illegal, according to a release from the commission.

Anyone who salvages a roadkilled deer or elk must complete a free online permit within 24 hours, providing their name, contact info and information about the incident and the animal that was struck. Additionally, the head and antlers of all salvaged animals need to be surrendered to an Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife office within five business days after salvaging the animal so the state can monitor for chronic wasting disease, a fatal and easily spread disease that affects deer and elk .

The new rules also mandate that the entire carcass of the animal must be removed from the road and the right of way during the salvage — salvagers can’t leave the guts behind. In cases where a deer or elk is injured and killed to alleviate its suffering, only the driver of the vehicle that struck the animal may salvage the carcass, and law enforcement must be immediately notified.

ODFW and Oregon State Police will not perform inspections of the meat, and any person who consumes meat from a salvaged deer or elk does so at their own risk.

Sale of any part of the salvaged animal is prohibited, but transfer to another person will be allowed with a written record similar to transferring game meat, according to the release.

Bend school librarian wins state honor

Amy Wilde, a librarian at Cascade Middle School, was named the Secondary Library Teacher of the Year by the Oregon Association of School Libraries, according to a Bend-La Pine Schools press release.

“My biggest goal this year is really connecting with the non-readers and getting a book in their hands that they finish,” Wilde said in the release. “I look at the kids at Cascade as my kids. I feel like we are doing what’s best for kids and it feels good.”

The release states that Wilde was chosen due to her “innovative library program,” which includes hosting events and activities that typically feature pop-culture references such as the hit TV show “Stranger Things” or “Weird Al” Yankovic. Cascade’s library also hosts a movie each month, showing films based on books, and the annual Cat Week celebrates cats at the middle school.

In the release, Wilde said her silly activities help draw students into the library. Cascade checked out more books than any other middle school in Bend-La Pine school district, according to the district.

“Amy is the heartbeat of Cascade. She makes the library the center of the school and gives students a place to be themselves, explore and learn,” Cascade Principal Stephen DuVal said in the press release.

This is the second year in a row that a Bend middle school librarian has won this award. Pilot Butte Middle School librarian Shelby Paulson was honored in 2017.

— Bulletin staff reports