Top headline news of 2019

Published 4:00 pm Monday, December 30, 2019

Ten headline stories seemed to hold the most significance for Wallowa County in 2019. They are listed here in order of their dates. Each one holds significance to us all. (2019’s Sports and 2019’s Agriculture are also reviewed in this issue of the Chieftain.)

Perhaps the year’s top story is the successful effort toward preservation of Wallowa Lake’s iconic East Moraine. In late January, 2019 the Wallowa Land Trust and Wallowa Moraines Partnership began a concerted drive to purchase the 1,800-acre Yanke property on the East Moraine. The goal of the new Campaign for the East Moraine: to raise $6.5 million dollars for the purchase of the land and establishment of a trust fund to manage it sustainably. The property will become a county-owned, publically accessible and development-free working landscape. The purchase will preserve the scenic and wild character of the parcel, which includes about half of the East Moraine. As of Monday, Dec. 30, the Campaign for the East Moraine has raised more than the $6 million purchase price for the property, and anticipates closing on or before the Monday, Jan. 20 deadline.

Perhaps tied for most-important story, a $16 million dollar state appropriation for reconstruction of Wallowa Lake Dam was also announced in January 2019. The reconstructed dam will occupy the same footprint as the existing structure. But it will be stouter. Importantly, it will include a fish ladder, allowing the eventual reintroduction of sockeye salmon to Wallowa Lake. The dam is being designed by McMillen Jacobs Associates of Boise, Idaho. The firm expects to begin initial reconstruction in August, with project completion slated for June 2021.

Hopes that a trail along the Wallowa Union Railroad Authority (WURRA) right-of-way for hikers, cyclists and others might happen someday were dashed this year. In late February, the Wallowa County Planning Commission turned down the application of the Joseph Branch Rails with Trails (JBRWT) project. The decision was appealed to the Wallowa County Commissioners, but in July, before they could make a decision, the group withdrew its application for a trail along the WURRA right-of-way between Joseph and Enterprise. The reason: After Commissioner John Hillock recused himself due to a conflict of interest, JBRWT thought that the remaining two commissioners would produce a tie in votes, which would effectively deny the application.

In April, a long-planned restoration of the Wallowa River through Wallowa Lake State Park received a green light and $1.1 million in funding. The project is planned to return the river to its original braided pattern. The changes will help alleviate flooding of some properties and also provide improved spawning habitat for kokanee and eventually, sockeye. Portions of the park will receive new landscaping and new paths. The construction began late in the fall of 2019 and is anticipated to continue in the fall and winter 2020.

In May, Wallowa County’s first recreational marijuana dispensary opened in Joseph. The owner, Getty Pollard, is a 13-year resident of Wallowa County.

In June, the EPA agreed to remove barrels labeled as containing the toxic herbicide 24-D or 2,4,5T from Wallowa Lake. The barrels were discovered and documented by the Blue Mountain Divers SCUBA team of William Lambert and Lisa Anderson. The report of possible toxics contaminating Wallowa Lake, just offshore from the marina, caused widespread alarm. EPA brought in a full hazardous materials recovery team, including a remotely operated vehicle to map the barrels’ locations and HazMat, fully suited divers. The operation took about two weeks. The EPA took over a large swath of the marina parking area. In the end, the barrels initially photographed by the Blue Mountain Divers, were removed from the lake, along with 12 other suspicious barrels. All of them tested out as clean, and there was no trace of contamination.

In July, Andy McKee began serious renovations on the Litch Building in Enterprise, and also withdrew his application for a controversial 825-acre campground on Big Sheep Divide. Stein’s Distillery doubled its production and the OK Theatre celebrated its centennial in fine fashion. Lest we forget, July also brought us Fiddle Camp, the Fly-in, Tamkaliks and the 74th Chief Joseph Days.

The Granite Gulch fire and its successful management as a naturally ignited wildfire occupied the summer’s news, as well. Sparked by lightning July 31, the fire was entirely within the Eagle Cap Wilderness, in the upper reaches of the Minam River watershed. Forest Service fire crews closely monitored the blaze and restricted the fire’s spread somewhat with helicopter water drops and on-the ground control. It produced some visible smoke and notably “blew up” Aug. 20, but with encouragement from Forest Service crews as well as the weather, returned to more sedate behavior by the next evening. The fire covered about 6,000 acres, and was allowed to burn until fall rains quenched it.

Wallowa Memorial Hospital and other providers continued their growth and service to the community. In November, the hospital raised nearly half of the funds needed to purchase a new 4×4 ambulance all in one night at the Healthy Futures dinner and auction. The hospital was also one of only four in Oregon to receive a five-star rating from Medicare/Medicaid, and is ranked in the top 100 of U.S. hospitals.

The Lostine River Corridor has remained in the news. In June 2018, an Oregon District Court found no merit in the lawsuit by Oregon Wild and the Greater Hells Canyon Council to halt the Lostine Corridor Public Safety Project. The project would create open spaces along the narrow road that leads to the Two Pan trailhead. In December, a 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals hearing on the appeal of this decision left both sides feeling optimistic. The appeal decision is expected in early 2020. Meanwhile, the USFS has successfully offered one timber sale in the corridor, which may be logged and thinned this winter. And the concern about a future fire in the canyon sparked Lostine River Road residents to establish a Fire Wise Community in August — the first in eastern Oregon.

As winter closes in around us, and a new year dawns, Wallowa County has much to look forward to in 2020.