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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (April 29, 2019)
▼ ✁✂❆❨✱ ❆✄☎✆✝ ✞✟✱ ✞✠✶✟ the year. The reason is that water held back in the spring would be t❯❢❣ The Blue Mountain Seeds man- ager also said taking out levees and replacing them is not a good idea because new levees are weaker. Ac- cording to Merrigan, it takes several years for the soil of new levees to harden so they are strong enough to hold back water. ♣❖❩❩❈❭ ❅▼ ❣❊❱❋❈ ●❱ ✐❱❱❄❅❋❥ ❬❈❙❖❯▼❈ ●◆❈▼❈ ❩❈❨❈❈▼ ❄❯❊❅❋❥ ●◆❈ ✉❣❊❅❩ ✐❱❱❄P ✇❈❊❊❅❥❖❋ ▼❖❅❄ ●◆❅▼ ❭❈❖❊❏▼ ✐❱❱❄❅❋❥ there are no dams on the river or In some cases, this water cannot get back into the Grande Ronde River because it is blocked by the levees. Merrigan said farmers may be tempted to cut their levees to let the water drain back into the Grande Ronde. Calling this “risky,” he ex- has been caused in part by the late winter snowfall Northeast Oregon had. When April’s heavy spring rain and warmer temperatures hit there - ing streams. Hassinger said sometimes many ❱❋ ❅● ♠❱❯❩❄ ❅❋❙❩❯❄❈ ▼❯❋✐❱♠❈❊▼ ❖❋❄ ④⑤⑥⑥⑦ Continued from Page 1A Phil Hassinger reported about 750 acres of the 1,200 acres of farmland his family has on Cath- ❈❊❅❋❈ ❛❊❈❈❡ ❅▼ ❅❢❣❖❙●❈❄ ❬❭ ✐❱❱❄❅❋❥P His sons, Jed and Seth, who run the family farm, are now operating four ♠❖●❈❊ ❣❯❢❣▼ ❱❋ ●◆❈ ✐❱❱❄❈❄ ❩❖❋❄P Phil Hassinger said on Tuesday a pump much larger than the ones in place will be installed. “It will pump thousands of gal- lons of water into the Grande Ronde River an hour,” he said. Hassinger said there is a chance his family may be able to salvage - duction this year. The crops grown ▼❱❢❈ ❱❳ ●◆❈❅❊ ✐❱❱❄❈❄ ❩❖❋❄ ❳❱❊ ❣❊❱ new host ❚✡☛ ☞✌☛☎❱☛☎ ✍ ✺✎ LOCAL ⑥⑩❶❷ Continued from Page 1A For the third GRWM project, $73,040 was granted to plan a resto- ration project to provide more rearing habitat for Chinook salmon and steelhead plus migration habitat for bull trout in the Lostine River. OWEB will partner with the Nez Perce Tribe, Bonneville Power spring wheat. Regardless of how things turn out, this is a trying time for Hass- inger and his family. ◗❘● ◆❖▼ ❄❈♦❋❅●❈❩❭ ❬❈❈❋ ❖ ❬❯❢❣ ❅❋ ◗r❈ ◆❖❨❈ ❋❱ ✐❱❱❄ ❙❱❋●❊❱❩q❑ ◆❈ said. “We have nothing holding the water back.” He said having dams on Cath- erine Creek and the Grande Ronde ❋❱● ♠❱❯❩❄ ❱❋❩❭ ❊❈❄❯❙❈ Lepper said her love of the outdoors began when she would “primitive camp” during Civil War reenactments. She and her husband at the time would take their two sons and spend week- ends immersed in the culture of the late 19th century. Lepper started acting on the Confederate side because of her residence in the south, but moved over to the Union Army when her husband traced his lin- eage back to the Northern side of the war. Performing as Yankees while living in the South gave the family limited options in the reenactments, but Lepper said they enjoyed following the story- line of being a displaced family ♦❊❈ ❊❅▼❡ ❅❋ ●◆❈ ⑧❅❨❅❄❈ ❖❊❈❖ of the Wallowa Front. The organization will work with landowners, the U.S. Natural Resources Con- ♠❅❩❄❩❅❳❈q while Lepper’s husband acted as a common foot soldier. Once her sons grew up and found more interest in “motorcy- cles and girls” than Civil War reen- actments, Lepper’s love of primi- tive camping went by the wayside — until she decided on her retire- ment plan after a career spent in the manufacturing sector. “I started watching YouTube videos about a year or two ago when I knew I wanted to retire. I was thinking, ‘Do I want to stay in the Southeast where I’m com- fortable, or do I want to try to ex- pand my wings and try something ❄❅❆❈❊❈❋●■❏❑ ▼◆❈ ▼❖❅❄P ✐❱❱❄♠❖●❈❊▼ community … We’re excit- ed to keep doing this work, supported by both OWEB and the public.” The Wallowa Soil & Wa- ter Conservation District was granted $134,987 to go toward improving for- est health and reducing clean water and the local ◗❘ ♦❈❩❄▼q ❬❯● ❯❋❳❱❊ ❱❳●❈❋ farmers will be hit harder the sec- ond time because they will have much less protection. but would also allow for both to ♦▼◆q ●◆❈❅❊ ❣❩❖❅❋❈❄ ❅❳ ✐❱❱❄♠❖●❈❊▼ ❊❈●❯❊❋ ●◆❈▼❈ ✐❱❱❄❅❋❥q ◆❖❨❈ ❢❱❊❈ ❈❨❈❋ ✐❱♠▼ ●◆❊❱❯❥◆❱❯● ❬❈❋❈♦● ❣❊❱●❈❙● ●❯❋❖●❈❩❭q the Grande Ronde. wildlife are intertwined with the needs of the com- munity,” said Jesse Steele, executive director of the Grande Ronde Model Wa- tershed. “We do projects Continued from Page 1A ●❱ ❛❖●◆❈❊❅❋❈ ❛❊❈❈❡q ♠◆❅❙◆ ✐❱♠▼ ❅❋●❱ ●◆❖● ●◆❈ ❋❈❈❄▼ ❱❳ ♦▼◆ ❖❋❄ ❪❫❴❵ levels are low. Many farmers in the Grande Ronde Valley have built dirt levees - the road,” he said. Merrigan said the Grande Ronde Administration and 10 landowners in the project area in addition to OWEB. “Our organization was founded on the premise ●◆❖● ❊❈❩❈❖▼❈❄ ❅❋ ●◆❈ ▼❯❢❢❈❊ ♠◆❈❋ ✐❱♠ ▼●❖❊●❈❄ ♦▼◆ ❈❋❄ ❯❣ ❅❋ ❳❖❊❢❈❊▼❏ ♦❈❩❄▼ ♠◆❈❋ ●◆❈ ❊❅❨❈❊ ✐❱❱❄▼ ❖❋❄ ❙❖❋❋❱● ❋❱● ❥❈● out because of levees. He recalled more than a decade ago his fam- servation Service, U.S. Forest Service, Oregon Department of Forestry and Wallowa Resources in addition to OWEB. ◗r❈❏❨❈ ▼❈❈❋ ♠❅❩❄♦❊❈▼ ravage Eastern Oregon several summers in a row now. The threat is real, and we’re grateful to have part- ners like OWEB and others ▼●❈❣❣❅❋❥ ❯❣ ●❱ ❊❈❄❯❙❈ ♦❊❈ risk in our local commu- nity on public and private shell, made a makeshift bed in the back and traveled more than 2,400 miles with her “little dog” on a cross-country trip from Murfreesboro to La Grande. “We had a grand time,” she said. “We didn’t even try to go freeways, we went like state highways. It was just so enjoyable.” Stu Spence, Parks & Recreation director for the City of La Grande, said he’s excited about having Lep- per up at the lake because of her outgoing spirit. He noted the im- provements the camp host position has made to Morgan Lake, which opened for the season April 22. “Four years ago, we started the camp host program because Morgan Lake was getting used and abused,” Spence said. “It has improved the caretaking over the park dramati- cally over the past few years.” watching videos of all the single women out there and I thought, ‘If they can do it, I can do it.’” So, Lepper packed up her pickup truck with a camper ♠❖▼ ◆❅❥◆❈❊ ▼❋❱♠❢❈❩● ❊❯❋❱❆q ▼♠❈❩❩ ❅❩❭❏▼ ❩❖❋❄ ◆❖❄ ▼❱ ❢❖❋❭ ♦▼◆ ●❊❖❣❣❈❄ by levees that 58 pelicans appeared ❖❋❄ ❳❈❄ ❱❋ ●◆❈ ♦▼◆ ❱❋ ◆❅▼ ❳❖❊❢❩❖❋❄ - ❳❱❊ ❖❬❱❯● ●♠❱ ♠❈❈❡▼P ①◆❈ ♦▼◆ ❅❋ ❙❩❯❄❈❄ ❬❖▼▼q ❙❖●♦▼◆ ❖❋❄ ❙❊❖❣❣❅❈P ①◆❈ ❙❱❋❄❅●❅❱❋▼ ❅❋ ❙❩❱▼❈ ●❱ ✐❱❱❄ ▼●❖❥❈P ①◆❈ ♦❋❖❩ ●♠❱ ❣❊❱t❈❙●▼ ●❱ receive funding both focus on the Wallowa River. The Nez Perce Tribe will re- ceive $235,097 to improve salmon spawning and rearing habitat on a sec- tion of the Wallowa River ❬❭ ❅❋▼●❖❩❩❅❋❥ ❱❆⑨❙◆❖❋❋❈❩ wetlands, alcoves and large woody debris. Wal- lowa Resources was grant- ed $250,726 to improve bull trout and kokanee spawning and rearing by enhancing a section of the Wallowa River. Contact Francisca Benitez at 541-963-3161 or email fbenitez@la- grandeobserver.com. been here,” Spence said. “Es- pecially the gate being closed seemed to cut down on the most problem behaviors.” Lepper said she is most excited about the camp host position be- ❙❖❯▼❈ ❱❳ ●◆❈ ❖❨❖❅❩❖❬❅❩❅●❭ ❅● ❱❆❈❊▼ to bring her grandsons up to the park, and to practice her primitive camping skills before she sets out on her nomadic journey across the Northwest. “I know very little of the North- west, so I’m going to take the boys up there and they’re going to be my guides,” she said. “I’m just looking forward to being with the grand- kids, and it’s the perfect way to spend a summer.” Contact Amanda Weisbrod at 541-963-3161 or email aweis brod@lagrandeobserver.com. ❖✉✘ ✙✚✛✚✜✢✣✘② ✤✥✥✙✦ ✣✘✚ ✥✜✙② ✥✜✚ ❡✥✧★✥✜✚✜✤ ✥❢ ✤✩✚ ✪✣✙✉✚ ✫✚ ★✘✥✪✈✢✚✳ ✬✘✥✧ ✦✣✙✚✦ ✣✜✢ ✦✚✘✪✈❡✚ ✤✥ ★✘✥❢✚✦✦✈✥✜✣✙ ✣✢✪✈❡✚ ✣✜✢ ✦✉★★✥✘✤✭ ②✥✉✘ ✮✯✰✲✴ ❉✚✣✙✚✘ ✢✚✙✈✪✚✘✦ ✪✣✙✉✚ ✫✚✙✙ ✵✚②✥✜✢ ✤✥✥✙✦✳ ❊①✷✸✹✻✸✼✽✸ ✾❤✸ ✿✻❀✸✹✸✼✽✸ ❁❂ ❃✸❄❅ ❇❈❋●❍■ ➆➇➈➉ ➊➯➌➌➍ ➲➳➵➸ ➵➸➺ ➻➼➽➾➚➺➾ ➪➼➶➹➸➘➴➺ ➷➬ ➮➱✃ ➬❐❒ ❮❰ ➮ÏÐÑÑ✃Ï ❒ÒÓ ÏÑ❒ Ô❰Õ ❐✃➮ ➽é➲ ê➼➴➵ ❑ ◗ì ❯❳❩❬❯❭❪ ♣rq✇ ③ë ❲❏❙ ➓▲P Ö×❏Ø➓Ù ❙ÚÛÜÝÞßàáÚ❙ ❏âãÙä❏ÛÛÚÖå❏Ýá ❏ß▲Ù▲Þæ❏ÖçÚÖè ➆➇➈➉ ➊➋➌➍ ❥❦ ❧♠♥ ▲➓ ➎ ➏➐➑➒ ❲❏❙ ❑▲◆P◗❘❯❳❩❬❯❭❪ ♣qr✇③④ ⑤⑥⑦⑧ ⑨⑩❶❷⑧ ❸❹❺ ⑩⑧❻❶❸❼❶❻❶⑥❽ ❸⑩⑧ ❾❿⑥➀⑥❸❹❺❶❹➁⑤ ➂ ➀⑨⑧❹❷⑧⑩➃❾⑩⑦❶⑩⑧➄➅➅ ❫❴❵❜❞ ❣❵✐ ➜❦ ➝➞ í ❇✂✄☎✆ ✝✞✟✠ ❇✂✄☎✆ ✝✞✟✠ ❉✡ ☛ ☞✌✍✍✎✏ ❚✘✗✚✖✘✧★✫✛ ✑✒✓✒ ✔✕✖✗✘✕✙✚✗✛ ✜✕✗✢ ➆➇➈➉ ➊➧➌➍ ▲➭ ➎ ➏➨➐➩➫ í ❴→➣↔→ ↕➙❜➛➛→➙ ❲❏❙ ❑➔PP◗❘❯❳❩❬❯❭❪ ♣➟➠✇③④ ⑤➡⑧⑩❽ ❸➁❶❻⑧ ⑥❾ ⑦❸❹❺❻⑧ ❸❹❺ ❷❾❹⑥⑩❾❻➢ ➂ ➀⑥❶⑦❻❿➀⑧⑩➤➥➦ ▲✂ ✯✆✂✰✱☎ ▲✂ ✯✆✂✰✱☎ ❉ ✡ ☛ ☞✌✍✍✎✏ ❚✘✗✚✖✘✧★✫✛ ✤✤✭✭ ✜✧✛✕★✚ ☞✚★✧✧✚ ✓✭✓✭✓ ✴✗✛✚ ✵✩★✛✚ ☞✚★✧✧✚ ✹✳✼✳ ✤✤✓✤ ✹✛✎✗✙✢ ❂✈✧✙✌✧ ❃✤✿✭ ✒✺✓✣✒✤✑✣✥✺✺✤ ✒✺✓✣✒✤✑✣✑✑✮✓ ✒✺✓✣✿✥✑✣❀✺✥✥ ✒✺✓✣✥✭✒✣✭✓✒✤ ✢❞❞✗✦✧★✖✩✚✏✳✖✕✪ ✚✘✗✚✖✘✧★✛✗✖✧✳✌✛ ✢❞✎✗❁★✗✙✢✧✳✖✕✪ ❚✘✗✚✖✘✧★✛❂✖✧❍✗★✢✬✗★✧✳✖✕✪ ❍✗★✢✬✗★✧ î❾ïðñòóôõö÷øùñúûüù➄ý➄ýþ➦ÿ❸õõ ñö ðòôñð ➀❹ ➀⑩⑨ÿ❸óôöõô õðôø ôñøö ö ôøö ü÷ðôõðñò ùöõðòû õöðòõôòøÿ ⑥ùðô øûôõ õöòøð÷üûö÷ð ôñõð üøù ô óôñ ñú øùððïð øöóð ûøøö üõð üøù ôòð÷ú ùö ù ú ðñùðô÷öøöò ö òøôõõð÷ú ÿ❷ùð úûøøùðòðñðóöð òô ÷úøùðñòú øùð ñú÷û ø ôüðòôø➀⑥❶⑦❻÷ðôõðñòÿ ú ÿ ➤➥þ➦ ➀⑥❶⑦❻➀❹ ❧ ❝ ❜ ♥ s ♥ ❤ ② ❲✲ ② ❤ ♥ ❧ ❝ ❝ ❧ ❜ ❝ ♥ ❧ ♥ ❜ ❝ ❧ ♥ ♥s ❝ ❤ ➞ s ❝ ❧ s ❺ ❧❧ ♥ ❝ ♥ ❲✶✾✲✸✷✶✲✶✁✷✁✻✽✲✁ ❝❦ ●◆❈ ❣❊❱❨❈ ❱❨❈❊ ●◆❈ ❋❈③● ♦❨❈ ❄❖❭▼q ❖❙ lands,” said Lisa Mahon Warnock, project manager for the Wallowa SWCD. “We can’t do this work alone, and we can’t do it without public support.” The Parks & Rec director said before the department took measures to reduce negative be- haviors, Morgan Lake was con- sistently vandalized and used after hours, especially between midnight and 2 a.m. The camp host position was created to quell these actions, as well as to pro- vide someone to greet visitors and ensure the land was being treated properly. Spence said the camp host’s main duties are opening the park’s front gate at 6 a.m. and closing it at 10 p.m., along with taking down the name, phone number, driver’s li- cense and address of each guest who stops by the park. “Just by implementing those two measures, we’ve reduced vandalism and negative behav- iors since the camp host has ✐❱❱❄❅❋❥ Grande Ronde Valley should im- - cording to Rob Brooks, a forecaster for the National Weather Service in Pendleton. “It will be dry all week,” Brooks said. He added temperatures will cool today and Tuesday, which will reduce snowmelt. The fore- caster also noted currently no por- tion of the Grande Ronde River in Union and Wallowa counties is ❍✗★✢✬✗★✧ st✏✑✒✓✔❛✒✔✕s✖❝♦✗