Baker City's Salt Lick Auction Raises $239K for Parkinson's

What started as a porch conversation about eroded salt blocks has turned into $239,000 for Parkinson's research, proving that sometimes the best fundraising ideas come from the most unexpected places.

Whit Deschner was sharing morel mushrooms and wine with his friend Tom Heriza at a cabin in Oregon's Wallowa Mountains when they started talking about cattle salt licks. Deschner, who had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2000, lived near ranching country and had noticed something beautiful about the mineral blocks that cattle lick for nutrients.

"This looks like art," he told Heriza that evening. The weathered, eroded blocks had become sculptures, shaped by thousands of cow tongues over months in the pasture.

That observation, combined with Deschner's separate desire to raise money for Parkinson's research, eventually clicked together into one wonderfully weird idea. He pitched it to his neighbor Mib Dailey, a rancher and auctioneer, who loved the concept immediately.

In fall 2007, the first Great Salt Lick Auction took place in Baker City, Oregon. Retired judge Milo Pope paid $150 for that inaugural piece, kicking off nearly two decades of creative fundraising.

The unconventional nature of the event attracted major media attention, including features on National Public Radio and in The Oregonian. People drove 600 miles round trip from Portland just to attend and bid on cattle-licked salt blocks.

Ranchers submit their used salt blocks in exchange for free replacements at Oregon Trail Livestock Supply. The blocks compete for prizes including "best forgery," "best poem," and "people's choice," with prize money totaling $1,050.

The Ripple Effect

The auction does more than raise research dollars. It brings joy to a cause often surrounded by difficulty and uncertainty.

Artist Obie Simonis, an acclaimed sculptor from Massachusetts who attended the auction, told Deschner he was "making fun of art" in the best possible way. The whimsical event pokes at the sometimes overwrought self-importance of the traditional art world while doing genuine good.

Deschner says the most gratifying moments come from people with Parkinson's who thank him for his work. Though the disease's progression makes organizing the auction harder now than 18 years ago, those connections keep him motivated.

The Baker City Lions Club joined as a partner in 2023, helping ensure the event continues even as Deschner faces new challenges. After missing 2020 due to the pandemic and 2025 when Deschner couldn't manage it, community members reached out asking for its return.

This year's 18th annual auction happens September 26 at Churchill School, with doors opening at 5:30 p.m. Salt blocks can be submitted through September 24, with early submissions eligible for the prize categories judged by local ranchers.

"People have always been generous," Deschner reflects, grateful for a community that sees the beauty in weathered minerals and the hope in unconventional solutions.