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June 12, 2021
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WEEKEND EDITION
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Union County declares drought due to low snowpack
Emergency
declaration fi rst for
county since 2015
By DICK MASON
The Observer
UNION COUNTY —
An alarming snowpack
report and low precipi-
tation levels spurred the
Union County Board of
Commissioners to declare
a drought emergency on
Wednesday, June 9, and
begin its regulated fi re
season two weeks early on
June 15.
The emergency drought
declaration was made after
Union County Emergency
Manager Nick Vora told
the commissioners that the
Grande Ronde and Powder
Valley basin snowpacks are
zero percent of normal at
some measuring sites.
This is believed to be
the fi rst time since 2015,
Vora said, that Union
County has declared a
drought emergency.
On the bright side,
Vora noted that the
Grande Ronde and Powder
River basins will still be
receiving some snowmelt.
“There is still snow in
the mountains, it is just
in places where we do not
measure,” he said, adding
that measuring sites are
Early runoff
Alex Wittwer/The Observer
A sharp divide between two fi elds near Imbler show the eff ects of
the drought on Friday, June 11, 2021. Drought conditions for Union
County were offi cially declared on June 9, joining with nearby coun-
ties including Walla Walla, Umatilla, and Wallowa in declaring a
drought emergency.
located in areas that are
accessible, while some
areas with snow are much
harder to reach.
Drought conditions
developed when much
of the snowpack ran off
earlier than normal and
there was no signifi cant
additional snow or rain,
according to Mike Burton,
Natural Resources Con-
servation Service district
conservationist.
“We were not
recharged,” he said.
Burton said that in Feb-
ruary the snowpacks in
Grande Ronde and Powder
River basins were solid.
“We had a better than
average year, but it came off
faster than normal,” he said.
Warmer nights, Burton
said, are one of the reasons
the snowpack ran off faster.
Vora also said that the
snowpack situation looked
good in February.
“It had caught up to near-
or above-normal levels at
mid and low elevations,” the
emergency services man-
ager said.
Vora said there is reason
to hope that the drought
conditions could ease.
“There is still a lot of
spring left. We still could
receive some rain,” he said.
Taking a toll
The Union County
Board of Commissioners,
in making its drought
See, Drought/Page 5A
OR30
wolves
kill sheep
on Mount
Emily
By KATY NESBITT
For The Observer
Alex Wittwer/The Observer
Daniel Corsini works on the white queen for his chess set that he is making at La Grande High School during art class on Thursday, May 27, 2021.
The tentacled queen
Local high school student makes gargantuan chess set out of clay
By ALEX WITTWER
The Observer
L
A GRANDE — A local high
school student has spent a year
building a chess set during art
class. He’s almost fi nished.
Daniel Corsini, a sophomore at La
Grande High School, has been working
on building a chess set during the hour-
long class under the tutelage of Rich
McIlmoil, the art teacher at the school.
But these aren’t ordinary chess pieces.
The extra-large pieces are all hand-
made, unique, alien designs with intricate
details and faces. Pawns resemble gar-
goyles, and the queen’s massive presence
is announced by its tentacles.
“I think about something that would
look like an alien, and have alien fea-
tures, and make it into that,” Corsini said.
“I thought it would be a neat concept
to make these things,” he said. “I like
a lot of creative freedom on what you
make, but it might make it harder to tell
(the pieces) apart from mine.”
Because of their size, the pieces can
take several days to fi nish — but it only
takes a few hours at most for the young
artist to sculpt the clay.
“The big ones, it takes about a whole
MEACHAM — Wolf
numbers in the northern
Blue Mountains continue
to increase as does the risk
to livestock and the dogs
that protect and herd them.
According to a June
2 Oregon Department of
Fish and Wildlife livestock
depredation investigation
report, a sheep herder on
Horseshoe Ridge outside of
Meacham reported seeing
four wolves near his sheep
on a 1,200-acre, timbered
private pasture. He soon
found one dead and fi ve
injured lambs. A herding
dog also was wounded and
had a 1-inch tear in the
hide and fresh blood in the
armpit of the right front
leg.
The investigation said
the dog was injured at
the same time and in the
same area as the lambs,
but lacked diagnostic evi-
dence to determine the
cause. The dog has since
recovered.
A second lamb died
before the investigation.
The carcasses had mul-
tiple teeth punctures
See, Queen/Page 5A
See, Wolves/Page 5A
Serving up free lunches
Community Connection of Northeast
Oregon feeding children and teens
By DICK MASON
The Observer
LA GRANDE — Chil-
dren and teenagers in Union
and Wallowa counties
can again enjoy weekday
lunches at no cost this
summer.
The free meals will be
available in several towns,
including La Grande, Elgin,
Wallowa, Enterprise and
Joseph.
The La Grande lunches
will be served at the Riveria
Activity Center each
weekday from 11:30 a.m.
to 12:30 p.m. by Commu-
nity Connection of North-
INDEX
east Oregon through Aug.
27. The lunches, which
started Monday, June 7, are
free to anyone age one to
18 regardless of where they
live or their family’s income
level. The cost for people
older than 18 is $4.
The meals will be avail-
able on a grab-and-go basis.
Nobody will be allowed to
eat meals inside the Riveria
See, Lunch/Page 5A
WEATHER
Classified ...............2B
Lottery ....................2A
Outdoors & Rec ...1B
Comics ....................5B
Record ....................3A
Sports .....................7A
Crossword .............2B
Obituaries ..............3A
Sudoku ...................5B
Horoscope .............2B
Opinion ..................4A
Weather .................6B
TUESDAY
Alex Wittwer/The Observer
Families and kids line up inside the gymnasium at Riveria Activity
Center to receive free lunches on Thursday, June 10, 2021. The lunch
program is available to anyone under 18 who shows up, with no
questions asked. Those older than 18 will have to pay $4 for the meal.
Full forecast on the back of B section
Tonight
Sunday
56 LOW
87/56
Partly cloudy
Warmer
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Issue 68
2 sections, 14 pages
La Grande, Oregon
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