LOCAL
A2 — THE OBSERVER
TODAY
Today is Thursday, Aug. 5, the
217th day of 2021. There are 148
days left in the year.
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT
IN HISTORY
On August 5, 1962, South
African anti-apartheid activist
Nelson Mandela was arrested
on charges of leaving the
country without a passport and
inciting workers to strike; it was
the beginning of 27 years of
imprisonment.
ON THIS DATE
In 1921, a baseball game was
broadcast for the first time as
KDKA radio announcer Harold
Arlin described the action
between the Pittsburgh Pirates
and the Philadelphia Phillies
In 1936, Jesse Owens of the
United States won the 200-
meter dash at the Berlin Olym-
pics, collecting the third of his
four gold medals.
In 1954, 24 boxers became
the first inductees into the
Boxing Hall of Fame, including
Henry Armstrong, Gentleman
Jim Corbett, Jack Dempsey, Jack
Johnson, Joe Louis and John L.
Sullivan.
In 1964, U.S. Navy pilot
Everett Alvarez Jr. became the
first American flier to be shot
down and captured by North
Vietnam; he was held prisoner
until February 1973.
In 1974, the White House
released transcripts of sub-
poenaed tape recordings
showing that President Richard
Nixon and his chief of staff,
H.R. Haldeman, had discussed
a plan in June 1972 to use the
CIA to thwart the FBI’s Water-
gate investigation; revelation
of the tape sparked Nixon’s
resignation.
In 1991, Democratic con-
gressional leaders formally
launched an investigation into
whether the 1980 Reagan-Bush
campaign had secretly con-
spired with Iran to delay release
of American hostages until
after the presidential election,
thereby preventing an “October
surprise” that supposedly
would have benefited President
Jimmy Carter.
In 2002, the coral-encrusted
gun turret of the Civil War iron-
clad USS Monitor was raised
from the floor of the Atlantic,
nearly 140 years after the war-
ship sank during a storm.
In 2010, the Senate con-
firmed Elena Kagan, 63-37, as
the Supreme Court’s 112th jus-
tice and the fourth woman in
its history. Thirty-three workers
were trapped in a copper mine
in northern Chile after a tunnel
caved in (all were rescued after
being entombed for 69 days).
In 2019, Toni Morrison, the
first Black woman to receive
the Nobel literature prize, died
at 88 in New York; her novels
included “Beloved,” and “The
Bluest Eye.”
Ten years ago: A federal jury
convicted three New Orleans
police officers, a former officer
and a retired sergeant of civil
rights violations in the 2005
shooting deaths of a teenager
and a mentally disabled man
following Hurricane Katrina,
but the convictions were over-
turned because of prosecutorial
misconduct.
Five years ago: The opening
ceremony for the Summer
Olympics took place in Rio
de Janeiro as Brazil laced its
high-energy party with a
sobering message of the dan-
gers of global warming.
One year ago: Authorities
said protesters in Portland,
Oregon, barricaded about 20
police officers inside a precinct
and tried to set it on fire; police
used tear gas on the crowd for
the first time since U.S. agents
sent by President Donald Trump
left the city the previous week.
THuRSday, auguST 5, 2021
State authorizes killing wolf in Mount Emily area
The Observer
MEACHAM — The
Oregon Department of
Fish and Wildlife on
Tuesday, Aug. 3, autho-
rized the lethal removal of
one wolf from the OR30
wolves in the Mount Emily
Unit, according to a press
release.
The decision comes
after ODFW confirmed
three depredations in a
two-month period in the
wolves’ known area of
activity, the release said.
The state authorized lethal
action and will provide a
kill permit to a livestock
producer who requested
the option after the depre-
dations were confirmed.
The permit allows the
producer or their agent
to kill one wolf on 4,000
acres of private land they
own or lawfully occupy
in the Mount Emily Unit
within the wolves’ known
area of activity. The permit
expires Aug. 31, when the
one wolf is killed, or when
the producer’s livestock
are removed from the area,
whichever comes first.
The depredations were
confirmed on private land
pastures on June 2, July
21 and July 23, resulting
in the death or injury of
five sheep and two calves.
Lethal take can be autho-
rized by ODFW in chronic
depredation situations
when there is significant
risk to livestock present in
the area.
The method of take
under the permit is
restricted to shooting the
Dr. Stephen Bump
concludes 30-year
career on Aug. 6
By DICK MASON
The Observer
Oregon department of Fish and Wildlife/Contributed Photo, File
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife on Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2021, authorized the lethal removal
of one wolf from the OR30 wolves in the Mount Emily Unit, according to a press release.
wolf from the ground.
Foothold trapping could
also occur but requires
the landowner or agent to
undergo training and final
approval from ODFW on
required trapping protocols
and demonstrated abilities.
According to the state’s
wolf management plan,
ODFW can issue a kill
permit only if the affected
ranchers have used, and
documented, nonlethal
methods to try to avoid
wolf attacks. Also, there
can be no identified cir-
cumstances on the prop-
erty, such as bone piles or
carcasses, that could be
attracting wolves. Fish and
wildlife found no attrac-
tants, the release said,
during each livestock
investigation and visits to
the investigation sites.
Wolves have made
Mount Emily their home
for almost a decade, but,
according to Roblyn
Brown, Fish and Wildlife
state wolf biologist, OR30
and his companions are the
only wolves known to be
in the Meacham area right
now.
OR30 was first
observed with another wolf
in the Mount Emily Unit
within the present known
area of activity in spring
2020. The new pair bred
but only one pup survived
through the end of the year.
The group was not des-
ignated as a pack during
the 2020-21 winter count
because there were only
three wolves. A pack is
four or more wolves.
OR30’s radio collar
failed in early 2020 so
there are no functional
radio collars, and lack
of access to private land
has made monitoring this
group a challenge this
year. It is unknown if the
pair bred this year or the
number of wolves in the
group.
This is the just the
second lethal take permit
ODFW has issued since
June 2018, which was for
a wolf pack in Wallowa
County, but the second
issue ordered in less than
a week. Employees from
ODFW, firing rifles from a
helicopter, shot and killed
two wolf pups from the
Lookout Mountain Pack in
Baker County on Sunday,
Aug. 1, after a removal
order was authorized late
last week, according to an
ODFW spokesperson.
Cougar sightings reported in La Grande
The Observer
LA GRANDE —
Over the past week,
cougar sightings have
been reported in north La
Grande near the Grande
Ronde River.
The Oregon Depart-
ment of Fish and Wildlife
received two calls, one
of which was confirmed
last week just north of the
river outside city limits.
The unconfirmed
sighting was reported on
Monday, Aug. 2, on Rus-
sell Avenue near Interstate
84, but no new confirmed
sightings have been
recorded over the last six
days, according to ODFW
District Wildlife Biologist
Matthew Keenan.
“We are continuing to
monitor and respond to
any other reports at this
point,” he said.
ODFW has cellular
camera footage from
the sighting last week,
Keenan said. The agency
relies on video footage
to gather information
regarding potential dan-
gerous animals in resi-
dential areas. The camera
footage confirmed the
cougar sighting last week,
but no new footage has
been submitted to ODFW
from the Russell Avenue
incident. According to
Keenan, cougars have
appeared near the river in
the past.
“I wouldn’t say it’s
common, but occasionally
we have seen cougars that
utilize that river corridor
for movement,” he said.
“It’s usually a tempo-
rary thing where they’re
passing through, but we’re
careful to continue moni-
toring in case they’re not.”
ODFW is keeping a
close eye on any new
information.
“We still have cam-
eras up and we’re moni-
toring it, but at this point
we don’t have any reason
to believe one way or
the other if (a cougar is)
still in residential areas,”
Keenan added.
According to Keenan,
the best approach for a
citizen who identifies a
cougar is to report it to
ODFW immediately. In
the case of an encounter,
ODFW recommends
standing your ground
and avoiding running
away from the cougar.
The department’s web-
site details precautionary
measures for encountering
large wildlife.
“The big thing is don’t
run away and report it to
us,” he said. “If someone
is concerned for their
immediate safety, you
can always contact law
enforcement.”
The La Grande Fish
and Wildlife Depart-
ment can be contacted at
541-963-2138.
NEWS BRIEFS
CORRECTION
In the Page A1 story
“Skoolie Adventures,” pub-
lished Tuesday, Aug. 3, the
story incorrectly stated the
hometown of Brittany and
Ethan Benge. It is Dunedin,
Florida.
Ellen Morris Bishop/For EO Media group
In this January 2020 shot from the top of the terminal moraine, the East Moraine stretches out like a long arm reaching for the mountains.
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Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2021
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10 p.m.: 5-4-7-3
Longtime
doctor
stepping
down
County seeking comment
on East Moraine plan
ENTERPRISE — The Wal-
lowa County Commissioners are
seeking public comments on the East
Moraine Community Forest Manage-
ment Plan, which will dictate the use
of 1,800 acres of property around the
East Moraine of Wallowa Lake.
Wallowa County purchased the
land in January 2020 after a decade
of efforts by the Wallowa Lake
Moraines Partnership, which is made
up of Wallowa County, Wallowa
Land Trust, Wallowa Resources and
Oregon Parks and Recreation.
According to Kathleen Ackley,
executive director of Wallowa Land
Trust, this space has much potential
for public use, which is why the part-
nership is seeking public comment.
“We invite the public to review
the draft plan and provide comments
to ensure the future management of
the property is in line with the com-
munity’s vision,” Ackley said.
In the year and a half since the
purchase, the partnership has worked
with the Oregon Department of
Fish and Wildlife, Oregon Depart-
ment of Forestry and the Nez Perce
Tribe cultural and forestry divi-
sions to create a plan that will divide
the land for uses including forestry,
grazing, cultural resources, habitat
and recreation.
County Commissioner Susan
Roberts said public comments are
essential for helping the county make
decisions that benefit the maximum
number of residents.
“Purchasing the property was a
big step, but only the first, in pro-
viding economic and recreational
opportunities while taking into con-
sideration the overall health of the
landscape,” she said.
The plan can be found on the Wal-
lowa County website at co.wallowa.
or.us. Residents can submit their
comments via email to eastmoraine-
communityforest@gmail.com or
via mail to 101 S. River St., Enter-
prise 97828. Comments must include
name, contact information and a ref-
erence to the page and section of the
plan.
A public meeting will be held on
Sept. 1 at the Wallowa County Fair-
grounds in Cloverleaf Hall to receive
more public feedback. The comment
period will end on Oct. 2.
Heritage Station
reimagines Pioneer Day
PENDLETON — Pancakes with
fresh butter are just one of the treats
awaiting visitors to Pendleton’s Her-
itage Station Museum’s Pioneer Day
on Saturday, Aug. 7.
It’s been awhile since the museum
had a Pioneer Day, said Shannon
Gruenhagen, marketing and tour
coordinator.
The one-day event also falls on
Free First Saturday, with free admis-
sion for everyone. From noon to
3 p.m., visitors can pan for gold, try
candle dipping with beeswax, learn
how to clean clothes on a washboard,
and shake cream into butter.
— The Observer
LA GRANDE — Dr.
Stephen Bump rarely has
to squint into the sun while
driving each morning to his
office at the Grande Ronde
Hospital Regional Medical
Clinic.
Bump gets
a jump start
on each work
day, arriving
at the GRH
Regional
Medical clinic
by 5:30 a.m.
Bump
to prepare for
appointments with patients he
begins seeing at 7:30 a.m.
“There is always so much
to do. I want to walk into
each appointment as prepared
as I can be,” said Bump, an
internist.
Bump’s days of beating
the sun to work are going the
way of dial-up internet, for
retirement beckons. Bump
will conclude a 30-year
career as a physician on
Friday, Aug. 6.
“I will really miss my
patients. It was not an easy
decision,” said Bump, who
has practiced in La Grande
throughout his medical career
as an internist, a physician
who specializes in treating
adults.
Thirty-five years ago,
Bump did not foresee him-
self becoming a physician.
He had just graduated from
Utah State University with a
degree in biology/ecology and
wanted to become an orni-
thologist, one who studies
birds, just as his grandfather
had.
Bump’s career as an orni-
thologist never took flight,
though.
“I wanted to do something
that would help the lives of
people,” he said.
Bump was also steered
toward health care by his
father, Bob Bump, then a
physician in Portland who
had encouraged him to
pursue a career in medi-
cine, telling him that it would
allow him to support a family
and that he believed he had
the personality and skills
that would make him a good
doctor.
The once aspiring orni-
thologist, who still is fas-
cinated by birds, took his
father’s advice and enrolled
at St. Louis University School
of Medicine, from which he
graduated in 1988. Bump
and his wife, Jan, moved to
La Grande in 1991. They
came to the area because of
the beauty, its reputation for
having excellent doctors and
because there was a greater
need for doctors, Bump said.
“I wanted to work in
an underserved area,” said
Bump, noting that this objec-
tive helped inspire him
to remain in La Grande
throughout his career.
Upon retiring, Bump
wants to spend more time
with his family and return to
studying birds. Stephen and
Jan Bump have a daughter,
Joanne, who lives in Port
Orange, Florida, and two
sons, Tim of Middletown,
New York, and Brian of La
Grande.
Dr. Susan Rice, also an
internist at the GRH Regional
Medical Clinic, said Bump is
an excellent physician with
an uncommon ability for con-
necting with patients.
“He inspires a huge
amount of loyalty in his
patients. He has a lot of com-
passion and they see that very
clearly,” she said.
Lynette Allen, a patient of
Bump’s for about six years,
also speaks highly of the
retiring physician. She said
Bump goes the extra mile to
help patients.
“You cannot put a price
on what he has meant to
the community,” she said.
“He is irreplaceable. I’m so
thankful that he took me on
as a patient.”