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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 15, 2020)
In Go! Inside EOU names lacrosse coach, 6A Timber Unity gearing up, 1B Junkerdash debuts Follow us on the web WEDNESDAY • January 15, 2020 • $1.50 Blue Mountain Conference Center Changes loom for BMCC Good day to our valued subscriber Wesley Berry of La Grande Winter Weather Union County Storms drop snow, raise safety concerns ■ Snowstorms blanket Northeast Oregon, more expected later in the week ■ Chamber chooses not to renew contract to manage conference center Disease strikes down 2K deer ■ ODFW: EHD burned through local white-tailed deer population By Phil Wright By Dick Mason The Observer The Observer PENDLETON — An insect-spread virus deci- mated the white-tailed deer population across much of Umatilla County. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife reported Epizootic hemorrhagic dis- ease killed off approximately 2,000 white-tailed deer in the lower elevations of the Blue Mountains, from the Washington border north of Milton-Freewater to the Pilot Rock area south of Pendle- ton. Greg Rimbach, wildlife biologist for the department, said the estimate for the white-tailed deer population for that swath was 3,300. The disease, then, killed 60% of that population. The offi ce in Pendleton takes calls each fall from landowners who report fi nding a dead deer or two, Rimbach said, but this past August was different. “They were fi nding 10, 12, 15 dead deer,” he said. Rimbach and a fellow wild- life biologist hit the fi eld to see what was happening. The fl at land behind Wildhorse Resort & Casino several miles east of Pendleton, for example, Rimbach said, usu- ally is home for about 150 white tail. “Went out there and counted none,” he said. They collected tissue samples of a dead deer for testing and sent the mate- rial to the ODFW Health and Population Lab, Corval- lis. The results came back positive for Epizootic hemor- rhagic disease as the cause of death. A subsequent survey in December took samples from eight white-tailed deer carcasses across the county for testing. Every sample, Rimbach said, was posi- tive for EHD, leading to an LA GRANDE — The Blue Mountain Conference Center is on the hunt for new man- agement. The Union County Cham- ber of Commerce, which has managed the Blue Mountain Conference Center in La Grande for nine years, an- nounced Monday it will not renew its contract for provid- ing management services for the center. The contract expires July 1. The chamber wants to pursue other projects more in line with its mission, said chamber executive director Suzannah Moore-Hemann, such as boosting the cham- ber’s membership and helping local businesses and the economy thrive. Moore- Hemann also said the cham- ber will continue working to help the Blue Mountain Conference Center excel. “It’s a huge community asset,” she said. The expansive building is a community events center and the home of La Grande’s National Guard unit, the 3rd Battalion, 116th Cavalry. The Oregon Military Department owns the building and has a memorandum of agreement with the Blue Mountain Con- ference Center Foundation for the day-to-day operation of the facility. The foundation board contracted the chamber to oversee events and activi- ties at the facility. Now the foundation board is seeking bids for a new contractor to handle the work. Joe Grover, president of the board, said a new con- tractor must in place by April 30 because of the terms of the agreement the founda- tion has with the Oregon Military Department. If the board does not fi nd a Staff photo by Ronald Bond Vehicles navigate the snowy weather Monday afternoon on Cove Avenue in La Grande. The increase in snow began Friday with some people reporting more than a foot of snowfall in parts of Union County, according to the National Weather Service in Pendleton. And the snow will continue during the rest of the week. By Sabrina Thompson, The Observer LA GRANDE — Winter has defi nitely arrived in Northeast Oregon. With several inches of snow blanketing most of the Grande Ronde Valley, there is plenty of packed powder to play in, along with an array of safety issues. The increase in snow began Friday with some people report- ing more than a foot of snowfall in parts of Union County, ac- cording to the National Weather Service in Pendleton. And the snow will continue during the rest of the week. “We are anticipating a break in the snow Tuesday and Thursday this week, but we anticipate it will return,” said Weather Ser- vice meteorologist Rob Brooks. With snow building up, trans- portation around Union County became diffi cult. School districts across the InterMountain Educa- tion Service District delayed or closed schools due to weather. Michele Madril, spokesperson for the education service district, said the decision to delay or close is made by the individual dis- tricts and superintendents based on concern for student safety. “They are looking at the fore- cast throughout the day, consult- ing with their bus company to fi nd out if they can safely drive, and consulting with the road department to determine if the roads are safe or not,” Madril said. Safety, she said, is the No. 1 priority for the school districts. She said there are measures to prevent students from falling behind if school is closed. La Grande, Elgin, Imbler, Pendleton, Hermiston and other regional districts have opened school late or shut it at least one day in the past week. Schools may slow down dur- ing winter weather, but it often means busy days and nights for law enforcement. According to law enforcement dispatch in La Grande, 12 collisions during the weekend required police pres- ence. Union County Sheriff Boyd Rasmussen said when the roads are slick motorists often call law enforcement for help. “Though I am not sure how many calls we received this weekend, during this time of year we regularly assist with people getting unstuck from the snow,” he said. The Oregon State Police com- mand in Pendleton reported troopers responded to four crashes on Interstate 84 between Pendleton and La Grande due to ice and snow over the weekend. See Storms / Page 5A “Snow is a large contributor to crashes. We need people to pay extra attention and to make sure they are chaining up where they are supposed to and putting on traction tires.” — Tom Strandberg, Oregon Department of Transportation spokesperson See Deer / Page 5A See Changes / Page 5A Wallowa Avalanche Center Center aims for safety in snowy backcountry ■ Wallowa Avalanche Center provides training, online information for winter backcountry recreation By Katy Nesbitt For the EO Media Group JOSEPH — Every winter the remote mountains of Northeast Oregon draw backcountry skiers and snowmobilers from around the West. For the last 10 years the Wallowa Avalanche Center has been winter enthusiasts’ best resource for avalanche danger and snow condi- tions. Through the center’s website, advisories are posted once or twice a week. Victor McNeil, the center’s di- rector, also is one of three avalanche forecasters in the region. “We are going out as much as we can to as many areas as we can,” INDEX Business ...... 1B Classified ..... 3B Comics ......... 7B Crossword ... 5B WEATHER Dear Abby .... 8B Horoscope ... 5B Obituaries .... 3A Opinion ........ 4A FRIDAY Sports .......... 6A Sudoku ........ 7B Weather ....... 8B McNeil said. While the center has been around for 10 years, Connelly Brown, owner of Wallowa Alpine Huts and progenitor of the center, said it is not supported by a U.S. Forest Service employee, a requirement for an avalanche center to issue danger ratings. Full forecast on the back of B section Tonight Thursday 31 LOW 39/23 Cloudy Snow, up to 1” RED CROSS SEEKS VOLUNTEERS “The closest offi cial center is the Northwest Avalanche Center in Seattle, which covers the whole coastline and the Cascades down into Oregon, but our snowpack is different over here,” Brown said. Richard Delbert Stephens, 33, of Haines, was snowmobiling See Center / Page 5A CONTACT US HAVE A STORY IDEA? 541-963-3161 Call The Observer newsroom at 541-963-3161 or send an email to news@lagrandeobserver.com. More contact info on Page 4A. Issue 7 3 sections, 22 pages La Grande, Oregon Online at lagrandeobserver.com
