East Cascades Bird Alliance

Antone CBC
2025-01-04
The Antone CBC is now scheduled for January 4th, 2025.

This count straddles the county line between southeast Wheeler County and southwest Grant County. In addition to its eponymous town site of Antone (nowadays population maybe 3), the count circle includes most of the Sheep Rock Unit of John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. The nearest towns with services are Mitchell (along US Hwy 26 in Wheeler County) and Dayville (in Grant County).

Thanks to National Park Service staff, the morning meeting and late afternoon countdown will be in the Thomas Condon Visitor Center in the National Monument, a couple miles north of Hwy 26 on State Hwy 19, just across from Cant Ranch.

Please contact me *well in advance* if you’d like to join. Due to the remoteness of this count, in rugged canyonlands with with no cell phone reception in large areas of the circle, we need to know who’s planning to be there.

Sorry to say, there’s no free lodging for this count, nor are there any designated campgrounds in the circle (Clyde Holliday State Park would be the nearest accessible one but it closes Nov 30th, and Barnhouse Spring Campground is usually snowed in). There are motels in Mitchell (Skyhook Motel) and Mt. Vernon (Blue Mountain Lodge). The Oregon Hotel in Mitchell was closed, last time I went through there in June, but there’s some sort of hostel on the west side of town which might still be an option.

If you are interested in joining, contact Joel Geier ASAP. (541) 745-5821 or clearwaterATpeak.org
