OBSERVER — A1
STATE AGENCIES BEGIN GRAPPLING WITH HIDDEN COSTS OF HIGH FUEL PRICES | BUSINESS & THE
AG LIFE, B1
THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2022
INSIDE
MAR CH
March 17, 2022
16–2 3,
2022
WW W.G
OEA STE
RNO REG
Explore
StoryW
alk
PA GE 3
ON.C OM
Enjoy
Tast
Nord e ic of
THURSDAY EDITION
PA GE 4
Listen
Music
at HQ
$1.50
PA GE 14
INSIDE JENNY DON’T AND THE SPURS PLAY CHURCHILL —
J e n n
a nd t he y D o n’ t
S p
Ag
producers
brace for
OT fallout
Most Wallowa County
farmers, ranchers won’t
be seriously affected
by ag overtime bill
By BILL BRADSHAW
Wallowa County Chieftain
ENTERPRISE — Farmers and
ranchers in Wallowa County won’t
be seriously aff ected by the Leg-
islature’s recent elimination of the
overtime exemption for agricultural
workers, but they see it as another
example of the urban-rural divide in
Oregon.
“I’ve been following it all along.
The thing people don’t understand
is it’s diff erent out here,” said Mike
Coppin, who raises cattle and hay
near Joseph. “People in the city don’t
understand it. We’re going to have
to hire more help. It’s going to hurt
the worker, not us so much. It’s more
government regulations.”
House Bill 4002, passed by the
Democrat-controlled House on
March 1 and the Senate March 3,
reduces incrementally over a fi ve-
year period the number of hours a
farmworker can work without being
paid time-and-a-half for overtime.
In 2023-24, the cap on hours is 55,
dropping to 48 hours per week for
2025-26 and then 40 hours per week
beginning in 2027.
The bill awaits the signature of
Democrat Gov. Kate Brown.
Few ag workers here
The reason the bill doesn’t aff ect
many producers in Wallowa County
is simple: Not many here have a lot
of employees on their farms and
ranches.
Coppin said during the summer,
he has three to four employees. This
time of year, he has one full-time
worker along with his son.
“You wonder what their motive
is. The workers are going to suff er
because they’re going to get cut back
on their hours. It comes down to
hiring more people,” Coppin said.
Kevin Melville, who partners with
his father, Tim, and brother, Kurt,
in Cornerstone Farms Joint Venture,
said the change likely won’t aff ect
Cornerstone this year.
“It probably won’t aff ect us
this year because of the 55-hour
threshold,” he said, adding that they
will be monitoring employee hours.
Go Wild: American Adventures/Contributed Photo
Two Go Wild: American Adventures guests jump into an alpine lake in the Wallowas during the summer of 2021. The business, which is based in Baker City,
creates curated outdoor experiences in Eastern Oregon.
ADVENTURES
gone wild
Local business curates
one-of-a-kind tourism
opportunities in
Eastern Oregon
By DAVIS CARBAUGH
The Observer
AKER CITY — A local business
is shining a light on the natural
gems of Eastern Oregon.
Go Wild: American Adventures, a
tourism business based in Baker City,
focuses on local tourism, environmental
education, community partnerships and
international outreach. Through custom-
curated outdoors adventures, owner
Dan Sizer aims to share his love of the
outdoors with others.
“From the beginning, the rural Oregon
part was something I really wanted to
help people connect to,” Sizer said.
The business is in its fi fth year, but
has faced several hurdles related to the
COVID-19 pandemic. As the warm
season approaches, Sizer and his crew
are gearing up for a slate of adventures in
Eastern Oregon this summer.
Sizer, who graduated from Lewis &
Clark College in Portland, went to high
B
Go Wild: American Adventures/Contributed Photo
A high-end outdoor snack is served to Go Wild: American Adventures participants. The Baker City-
based business showcases natural gems of Eastern Oregon and creates custom outdoor experiences.
school in Baker and began the business
after working for the Forest Service for
six seasons. The inspiration for Go Wild:
American Adventures started in Siz-
er’s college days, when he took a group
of international students back home to
Eastern Oregon. Sizer and his friends
went backpacking, hiking, canoeing and
participated in other outdoor activities
that the group had never done before.
It was at this point that Sizer saw a
potential business opportunity, inviting
individuals from out of the area to expe-
rience what Eastern Oregon has to off er.
The business now provides guides, per-
sonal chefs, gourmet outdoor meals, les-
sons and more at destinations across the
region.
“It was always amazing for me to see
the awe and wonder, realizing how many
folks haven’t been out in this kind of
country,” Sizer said.
Go Wild’s main clientele come from
larger cities such as Portland, Seattle
See, Adventure/Page A7
See, Overtime/Page A7
Union golf course aims to raise the bar
Buffalo Peak set to reopen for 2022 season
after being named facility of the year
By DAVIS CARBAUGH
The Observer
UNION — Coming off
a considerable accolade, the
Buff alo Peak Golf Course
in Union is aiming to keep
raising the bar in the 2022
season.
Built in 2000, the Buf-
falo Peak Golf Course
faced a number of hurdles
along the way in relation
to construction costs and
building a positive reputa-
tion in the golf community.
Dana Londin’s appoint-
ment as general manager
early in 2020 helped spur
the course’s revitalization,
earning the facility of the
year award by the Oregon
Golf Association in 2021.
The course opened its
INDEX
Business ........B1
Classified ......B2
Comics ...........B5
Crossword ....B2
doors for play this week,
marking the start of the
2022 season.
“The phone is liter-
ally ringing off the hook,”
Londin said. “I think we’re
going to have another great
year.”
Heading into the spring
season, Londin and the
team at Buff alo Peak are
looking to keep up the pos-
itive momentum and con-
tinue building the course’s
Alex Wittwer/EO Media Group
See, Golf/Page A7
Dana Londin, general manager of Buff alo Peak Golf Course, poses
for a photo near the greens on Tuesday, March 15, 2022.
WEATHER
Dear Abby ....B6
Horoscope ....B4
Lottery ...........A2
Obituaries .....A5
SATURDAY
Opinion .........A4
Spiritual ........A6
Sports ............A9
Sudoku ..........B5
Full forecast on the back of B section
Tonight
Friday
34 LOW
55/39
Rain and drizzle
Cloudy
LHS BASEBALL TAKES TO THE DIAMOND
CONTACT US
541-963-3161
Issue 33
3 sections, 32 pages
La Grande, Oregon
Email story ideas
to news@lagrande
observer.com.
More contact info
on Page A4.
Online at lagrandeobserver.com