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About Wallowa County chieftain. (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Or.) 1943-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 25, 2017)
We thank you for your loyalty and patience. Page A4 . Enterprise, Oregon Wallowa.com Issue No. 41 January 25, 2017 $1 Hundreds in Joseph join Women’s March By Steve Tool Wallowa County Chieftain The morning of Jan. 21 saw more than 300 women, men, children and families of all ages fi lling the Joseph city parking lot to overfl ow- ing, joining what became millions marching world- wide. The city’s parking lot re- sembled a protest from an- other era, with dozens upon dozens of brightly painted signs espousing women’s and racial rights, pleas for understanding and harmony. Wallowa County ranch aims to save water ” I (MARCHED) BECAUSE ... I DO NOT WANT TO BE COMPLICIT IN ACTIONS I THINK ARE HARMFUL FOR PEOPLE AND OUR PLANET.” Heidi Miller The idea for a Jan. 21 Women’s March started with an event planned in Wash- ington, D.C., as a response to a perceived lack of civility along with increasing rac- ism, misogyny and hatred permeating America’s social and political landscape. The idea didn’t stop there. Major U.S. cities such as Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Seattle and Port- land followed suit with the idea swelling nationwide, even into rural areas – in- cluding Wallowa County. One of the Joseph event’s organizers, Sarah Lynch, ad- dressed the crowd before the march. “I originally thought we might have 20 or 30 march- ers, but quickly realized we might have 50,” Lynch told The Chieftain after the event. “Then a few days before the event we thought we could expect 100. As it turned out, we had 310 marchers with several individuals that could not complete the march so we estimate total participa- tion to have been 325.” See MARCH, Page A3 Steve Tool/Chieftain Sarah Lynch, (raised hand, right) exhorts more than 300 participants gathered for Women’s March in the Joseph city parking lot to take part in the nationwide Women’s March on Jan. 21. See details about the Salem march on Page A18. Mushers fi ght poor weather — on and off ECX course EAGLE CAP EXTREME 2017 Projects will benefit both farm and fish By GEORGE PLAVEN EO Media Group A Wallowa County ranch fi gures to save 1 billion gallons of water annually through a series of conservation projects, such as adding sprinklers and forgoing irrigation during peak summer months. The Freshwater Trust, an environmental nonprofi t with offi ces in Portland, announced it is working with Wolfe Ranch to upgrade irrigation infrastruc- ture, transfer points of diver- sion and lease water rights on the farm to benefi t endangered salmon in the Lostine River. Funding comes from a $1.4 million grant awarded by the Oregon Water Resources De- partment. Irrigation upgrades are also expected to boost crop yields by 5 to 20 percent on the ranch. “We’ve formed lasting re- lationships with dozens of farmers and ranchers who un- derstand conservation isn’t just about protecting fi sh,” said Aaron Maxwell, fl ow resto- ration project manager for The Freshwater Trust, who works out of Enterprise. “It’s about the longevity of their farms, econo- mies and entire communities.” Nearly 1,100 acres of for- age and grain crops will be converted to pivot sprinklers as opposed to fl ood irrigation at the ranch — which Maxwell compared to the difference be- tween letting your hose run into the yard, or watering just the section that needs it most. See RANCH, Page A18 Photo by Ellen Morris Bishop Brett Bruggeman, 46, of Great Falls, Montana, and his team race from the starting line in a heavy snow for the Eagle Cap Extreme 200- mile event. Bruggeman, a two-time winner of the event, took second place in the 2017 event, fi nishing one minute behind Bryce Mumford of Preston, Idaho, who fi nished the course in 35 hours and 35 minutes. ‘It was not a fun trip’ Ice coated most of the route; some struggled just getting to the event By Ellen Morris Bishop For The Chieftain T he 13th annual Eagle Cap Extreme brought 24 mush- ers to Wallowa County — 10 to run the 200 mile, Iditarod-qualifi er course, six for the 100-mile race, six for the two-day 62-mile POT race, and two entrants in the Junior’s race for mushers under the age of 18. Just getting to the race was an adven- ture. Snow, freezing rain, and closed roads made the mushers prove their mettle just to reach the starting line. Although race conditions were pre- dicted to be ideal, the weather’s turn for the worse on Tuesday coated much of the course with ice. Biting winds with hurri- cane-force gusts built deep drifts, obscur- ing the trail and forcing dogs to fl ounder in deep snow. Mushers rated the course extremely challenging. “I learned,” said musher Gabe Dunham, “why they call it the Eagle Cap Extreme.” The premier 200-mile event winner was 36-year-old musher Bryce Mumford of Preston, Idaho, with a time of 35 hours and 35 minutes on the icy, drifted course. Mumford won the red-lantern last year — the musher’s traditional award for last place. See RACE, Page A18 Photo by Ellen Morris Bishop Bryce Mumford, 36, of Preston, Idaho, and his team cross the finish line in a time of 35 hours and 35 minutes in the 200-mile Iditarod-qualifier event of the Eagle Cap Extreme. RACE RESULTS 200 Mile Race - 12 Dogs 1. Bryce Mumford 35:35 2. Brett Bruggeman 35:36 3. Mark Stamm 35:46 4. Laurie Warren 35:48 5. Jennifer Campeau 48:37 6. Neil 51:04 7. Brenden Jackson 52:05 8. Jason Campeau 52:43 100 Mile Race - 8 Dogs 1. Clayton Perry 22:52 2. Bino Fowler 22:54 3. Gabe Dunham 24:52 4. Steve Madsen 24:59 Double Arrow Clinic Veterinarian and ECX Director Randy Greenshields gets checked out himself at the Enterprise vet check. 2 Day Pot Race 31 Miles Each Day - 6 Dogs 1. Morgan Anderson 7:53 2. David Hassilev 8:20 3. Jane Devlin 8:23 4. Connie Starr 10:06