LOCAL
A2 — THE OBSERVER
TODAY
Today is Tuesday, Aug. 10,
the 222nd day of 2021. There
are 143 days left in the year.
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT
IN HISTORY
On August 10, 1993, Ruth
Bader Ginsburg was sworn in
as the second female justice on
the U.S. Supreme Court.
ON THIS DATE
In 1821, Missouri became the
24th state.
In 1861, Confederate forces
routed Union troops in the
Battle of Wilson’s Creek in Mis-
souri, the first major engage-
ment of the Civil War west of
the Mississippi River.
In 1944, during World War
II, American forces overcame
remaining Japanese resistance
on Guam.
In 1945, a day after the
atomic bombing of Nagasaki,
Imperial Japan conveyed its
willingness to surrender pro-
vided the status of Emperor
Hirohito remained unchanged.
In 1969, Leno and Rose-
mary LaBianca were murdered
in their Los Angeles home by
members of Charles Manson’s
cult, one day after actor Sharon
Tate and four other people were
slain.
In 1977, postal employee
David Berkowitz was arrested
in Yonkers, New York, accused
of being “Son of Sam,” the
gunman who killed six people
and wounded seven others in
the New York City area. (Ber-
kowitz is serving six consecutive
25-years-to-life sentences.)
In 1988, President Ronald
Reagan signed a measure pro-
viding $20,000 payments to
still-living Japanese-Americans
who were interned by their gov-
ernment during World War II.
In 1991, nine Buddhists were
found slain at their temple out-
side Phoenix, Arizona. (Two
teenagers were later arrested;
one was sentenced to life in
prison, while the other received
281 years.)
In 1995, Timothy McVeigh
and Terry Nichols were charged
with 11 counts in the Oklahoma
City bombing. McVeigh was
convicted of murder and exe-
cuted; Nichols was sentenced to
life in prison.
In 2006, British authorities
announced they had thwarted a
terrorist plot to simultaneously
blow up 10 aircraft heading to
the U.S. using explosives smug-
gled in hand luggage.
In 2019, Jeffrey Epstein,
accused of orchestrating a
sex-trafficking ring and sexually
abusing dozens of underage
girls, was found unresponsive
in his cell at a New York City jail;
he was later pronounced dead
at a hospital. (The city’s medical
examiner ruled the death a sui-
cide by hanging.)
Ten years ago: Marine Corps
Gen. John Allen, the top Amer-
ican commander in Afghani-
stan, said international forces
had slain the Taliban insur-
gents responsible for shooting
down a U.S. helicopter, killing
30 Americans and seven Afghan
commandos.
Five years ago: During a rau-
cous campaign rally outside
Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Repub-
lican Donald Trump accused
President Barack Obama of
being the “founder” of the
Islamic State group. (Trump
later said he was “being sar-
castic” before adding, “but not
that sarcastic, to be honest with
you.”)
One year ago: According to a
tally kept by Johns Hopkins Uni-
versity, the confirmed number
of coronavirus cases worldwide
had reached 20 million; the
number had doubled in a little
more than six weeks.
LOTTERY
Friday, Aug. 6, 2021
Megamillions
9-18-40-46-69
Megaball: 9
Megaplier: 2
Jackpot: $208 million
Lucky Lines
1-7-12-14-19-23-28-32
Jackpot: $50,000
Pick 4
1 p.m.: 2-0-3-5
4 p.m.: 9-3-7-4
7 p.m.: 8-2-0-2
10 p.m.: 3-1-0-0
Saturday, Aug. 7, 2021
Powerball
7-24-36-54-60
Powerball: 23
Power Play: 2
Jackpot: $241 million
Megabucks
20-28-30-34-35-41
Jackpot: $1.5 million
Lucky Lines
4-8-11-16-19-24-25-29
Jackpot: $51,000
Pick 4
1 p.m.: 2-0-6-4
4 p.m.: 3-1-8-3
7 p.m.: 8-4-1-8
10 p.m.: 7-9-0-9
Win for Life
4-6-37-69
Sunday, Aug. 8, 2021
Lucky Lines
4-7-12-14-17-23-26-30
Estimated jackpot: $52,000
Pick 4
1 p.m.: 5-1-8-7
4 p.m.: 1-2-8-1
7 p.m.: 9-4-3-9
10 p.m.: 2-4-8-0
TuESday, auguST 10, 2021
Commission approves purchase of new WALLOWA COUNTY
Shooting
property for Minam River Wildlife Area range
expands its
buildings
The Observer
SALEM — The Oregon
Fish and Wildlife Com-
mission approved the pur-
chase of nearly 5,000 acres
of land along the Minam
River on Friday, Aug.
6, according to a press
release.
The purchase, the
release said, is part of
Phase I of a project that
will eventually create an
expanded 15,000-acre
Minam River Wildlife
Area.
ODFW, Rocky Moun-
tain Elk Foundation and
Hancock Natural Resource
Group are partnering on the
a project to purchase prop-
erty in Wallowa and Union
counties along the Minam
River. The move will per-
manently protect crucial
big game winter range and
provide habitat for salmon,
bull trout and Oregon Con-
servation Strategy Species
including white-headed
woodpecker, Rocky Moun-
tain tailed frog and several
priority bat species.
Located about 30 miles
northeast of La Grande,
the property is currently
managed by Hancock Nat-
ural Resource Group with
a recent appraised value
of $18.7 million. The final
purchase price will be
determined by updated
appraisals, the release said.
The Rocky Mountain Elk
Foundation has committed
Eagle Cap Shooters
breaks ground on
new facility
By BILL BRADSHAW
Wallowa County Chieftain
Keith Kohl/Contributed Photo
The expanded Minam River Wildlife Area will protect habitat and provide outdoor recreational oppor-
tunities along the Minam River in Northeastern Oregon.
a minimum of $5.15 mil-
lion apportioned to both
phases. Phase I funding
came from RMEF and the
Wildlife Restoration Pro-
gram, a federal excise tax
on guns and ammunition.
Completing Phase II
is contingent on securing
additional funding through
a USDA Forest Legacy
program grant, which will
be matched with RMEF
funds to purchase the
remaining 10,964 acres.
Oregon Hunters Associa-
tion, the Oregon chapter of
Four North American Wild
Sheep and other organiza-
tions are also contributing
funds toward the purchase.
The properties will be
added to ODFW’s current
440-acre Minam River
Wildlife Area, turning it
into one of the state’s major
wildlife areas providing
wildlife habitat and out-
door recreation opportuni-
ties. Future management
will be determined through
the adoption of a Wildlife
Area Management Plan.
Managers envision the
property as a “working
landscape” where live-
stock grazing and active
forest management assist
with habitat management
goals. ODFW will continue
to pay fire protection and
in-lieu of property taxes
for parcels in each respec-
tive county.
Recreation opportuni-
ties on the new property
could include hunting,
fishing, hiking, bird-
watching, horseback
riding, kayaking and other
activities. A footbridge
over the Minam River is
being considered to facil-
itate improved public
access to the historic
Minam River Trail, which
travels for 6 miles through
the property. The trail con-
nects recreationists to the
Wallowa Mountains and
Eagle Cap Wilderness in
the neighboring National
Forest.
Hotter weather predicted for region
Air quality also
expected to decline
in coming days
By DICK MASON
The Observer
LA GRANDE — A
high pressure system
is set to move over the
Northwest, one that will
bring higher temperatures
with it.
This has prompted the
National Weather Service
to issue an excessive heat
watch for Northeastern
Oregon that will be in
effect from Wednesday,
Aug. 11, through Sat-
urday, Aug. 14. Pre-
dicted high temperatures
of the heat event will be
95 degrees on Aug. 11
and 97 degrees Aug. 12
in La Grande, and 91
degrees on Aug. 11 and
94 degrees on Aug. 12 in
Enterprise, according to
the National Weather Ser-
vice’s forecast.
The heat wave may hit
its peak on Aug. 13 when
the high temperature is
projected to be close to 100
degrees in La Grande and
96 degrees in Enterprise.
Temperatures will trail off
only slightly on Aug. 14
when La Grande’s high
will be near 99 degrees
and the top mark in Enter-
prise will be 96, according
to the National Western
Service.
The high pressure
system that will be
responsible for the ele-
vated temperatures is
now moving into the
Northwest from the
Pacific Ocean. It will
replace a low pressure
system expected to soon
move into the Midwest,
according to Ann Adams,
a meteorologist for the
National Weather Service
in Pendleton.
“The high pressure
system will be like a
dome that will keep all of
the heat and particulate
matter in,” Adams said.
The “dome’s” antici-
pated containment of par-
ticulate matter is why the
National Weather Service
is also forecasting wide-
spread haze in the Grande
Ronde and Wallowa val-
leys in the upcoming four
days.
“It will be very hot and
smoky,” Adams said.
Much of the smoke that
will be trapped here by
the high pressure system
will be from wildfires in
Central Oregon, Northern
Californian, Southeastern
Washington and Idaho.
“We are surrounded,”
said Matt Callihan, a
meteorologist with the
National Weather Service
in Pendleton.
The smoke will have
a negative impact on air
quality. +IQAIR, an air
quality monitoring web-
site, is forecasting the air
quality in La Grande will
be in the moderate cate-
gory with a rating of 57
on Aug. 10 but on Aug. 11
it will rise to 103, putting
it at a level that is unsafe
for sensitive groups,
including those who have
respiratory problems.
The +IQAIR forecast
for Enterprise is similar
to La Grande’s. It is pre-
dicted to be moderate on
Aug. 10 at 69 and rise to
106 on Aug. 11.
Callihan said that air
quality in Northeastern
Oregon had improved
recently because west-
erly winds were blowing
smoke out of the region
to the east. The incoming
high pressure system,
he said, will block such
winds and cause smoky
air to sink into the region.
NEWS BRIEFS
Local Oregon Trail
segment honored
LA GRANDE — The National
Park Service recently inducted the
La Grande to Hilgard segment of the
Oregon Trail into the National Reg-
ister of Historic Places.
The trail segment was one of
two local nominations submitted in
late June by the Oregon State Advi-
sory Committee on Historic Pres-
ervation. The other nomination was
a document detailing the history of
the Oregon Trail and instructions for
future national historic nominations
along the Oregon Trail.
The committee had been working
on the nomination for the trail seg-
ment since 2018, according to Robert
Olguin, National Register program
coordinator for the Oregon Parks and
Recreation Department.
However, the segment nomina-
tion could not be submitted until the
document was also completed, which
had been in the works since 2012.
“There’s a few reasons it took
so long,” Olguin said. “There has
been staffing issues, with turnover,
and there’s no specific timeline for
submitting these. And also, sev-
eral times, the National Park Service
would get a draft and send it back for
revisions.”
The La Grande to Hilgard trail
segment, which extends for 3.6
miles, is one section of the Oregon
Trail that still has physical evidence
of the original trail. The trail fol-
lows a stream before reaching a steep
incline, one of the steepest sections
of the trail in Oregon, according to a
statement from the Oregon Parks and
Rec department. The trail was origi-
nally used by passenger stagecoaches
and freighters carrying mining
equipment, food and agricultural
materials and other commodities, the
statement said.
Highway construction
to continue this week
LA GRANDE — Construction
on Interstate 84 outside of La Grande
continued on Monday, Aug. 9. Crews
will be grinding and excavating the
right lane westbound between mile-
posts 237.5 and 241.5 to repave the
section.
This work is part of the Oregon
Department of Transportation’s
larger project to completely recon-
struct the 4-mile section. The east-
bound portion was completed three
weeks ago and the westbound will
be finished by the end of October,
according to Mike Remily, ODOT’s
resident engineer in La Grande.
Crews will also be working to
install a drain system and bridge
work at Exit 238.
The speed limit through the work
zone remains at 50 mph. There are no
anticipated delays, Remily said.
On several sections of I-84,
other workers will be repairing and
installing linings in culverts under-
neath the interstate.
These lining repairs should be fin-
ished by Aug. 12, and will take place
near mileposts 207.76 westbound and
228.29 westbound, according to an
ODOT statement.
During construction near these
mileposts, there will be intermittent
shoulder closures.
Construction work on Highway
244 will continue through the
week of Aug. 9, mainly on the new
retaining wall 12 miles west of I-84
between mileposts 35.5 and 36.2.
The 300-foot-long wall should
be finished by Aug. 13, according to
Remily. After completing the wall,
crews will install guardrails, repave
and stripe the road, which has an
expected completion date of Sept. 6.
Flaggers and temporary traffic sig-
nals will be controlling traffic, which
can expect delays up to 15 minutes.
OTEC invites residents to
celebrate 811 day
BAKER CITY — The Oregon
Trail Electric Cooperative, which
supplies electricity to 60,000 res-
idents across Eastern Oregon,
is inviting residents to celebrate
811 Day on Wednesday, Aug. 11,
according to a press release.
811 Day is a yearly event to
remind residents to call 811 before
starting any digging, construction or
excavation projects.
“Many OTEC member-owners
have taken advantage of their free
time the last year by focusing on
home improvement projects like
installing a new mailbox, planting
a tree, or building the patio deck of
their dreams. However, the simplest
of at-home projects can take a turn
for the worst if homeowners forget
one very important step — to call
811 before they dig,” the release said.
— The Observer
ENTERPRISE — The
Eagle Cap Shooters are
making progress on a new
multipurpose education
center at their shooting
range north of Enter-
prise, thanks to a $50,000
grant last month from the
National Rifle Association
Foundation.
The group broke ground
shortly after receiving the
grant, according to Bill
Oliver, president of the
Eagle Cap Shooters Associ-
ation, which owns the prop-
erty and buildings at the
range. He said they hoped
to have the building com-
pleted by Sept. 11, when a
precision rifle event called
Border Wars will be held
at the range to commemo-
rate 9/11.
Oliver emphasized that
virtually all the construc-
tion work was done with
donated labor, although the
shooters covered the cost of
materials.
“We’ve had tremendous
community support,” he
said.
Educational mission
Two similarly named
groups are involved with
the range — the associ-
ation, and the Eagle Cap
Shooters Educational Alli-
ance. The latter was created
as a nonprofit organization
to receive donations for the
range.
“The alliance has an
educational mission,” said
Stephen Wolfe, president
of the alliance. “We are a
501©(3) so we can get the
grants and fund these proj-
ects for the association.”
A new education center
is planned that will be
40 feet by 60 feet with
20-by-40-foot porches on
each end, Oliver said. He
said the county — in the
building permit applica-
tion — valued the building
at about $350,000, but
with the donations of both
money and the work of
local contractors, the cost
won’t be near that amount.
Uses of the building
The new, fully-enclosed
building is expected to be
a place for firearms-re-
lated classes, as well as
the possibility of air-rifle
shooting, archery and pos-
sibly trap shooting off one
of the porches, Wolfe said.
They also hope to have
catering so those partici-
pating in activities at the
new building can eat, said
John Straughan, secretary
of the association’s board of
directors.
Mike Teece, the group’s
Hunter Education instructor
with the Oregon Depart-
ment of Fish and Wild-
life, is looking forward to
having a single place to
hold classes.
“I’ve been teaching out
of the American Legion in
Joseph, out of the Baptist
Church in Joseph and out of
the VFW (in Enterprise),”
he said. “I’ve been teaching
out of all these different
places. It’s nice to finally
have a place here and have
all the materials right here.”
He also looks forward to
having the range right out-
side the classroom. Once
the students get through the
coursework, they can hit the
range.
“They’ll see how profi-
cient they are and how well
they handle the firearm,”
said Teece, who also is a
certified instructor with
rifle, pistol and shotgun,
and a range safety officer.
He noted that state law
requires everyone younger
than 18 to complete Hunter
Safety before getting a
hunting license.