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About Capital press. (Salem, OR) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (May 27, 2016)
OREGON BERRIES COME ON STRONG WITH FAVORABLE WEATHER FRIDAY, MAY 27, 2016 VOLUME 89, NUMBER 22 Page 4 WWW.CAPITALPRESS.COM $2.00 Alarm sounded over white top infestation in Malheur County By SEAN ELLIS Capital Press THE PIONEER Columbia Gorge’s wine success rooted in Lonnie Wright’s old vine legacy T By ERIC MORTENSON Capital Press THE DALLES — The pump is on for the fi rst time this aren’ working. Alejandro Rojas, Lon- season but things aren’t Wright’ foreman and friend for 20 years at The Pines W nie Wright’s isn’ enough pressure to water the 1852 vineyard, says there isn’t grapes up on the slope: the Syrah, the Merlot, the “Young Zin” and, of course, the Old Vine Zinfandel that grows at the Lonnie’ story. heart of Lonnie’s Wright doesn’t like what he’s hearing. Truth is, he’s fum- ing. He says there must be a leak in the system. He wants Rojas and two other employ- ees to chop a path down to Mill Creek to see if there’s a problem in the pipe down there. Rojas demurs; he has oth- er options to check fi rst. And besides, he just had a bout with poison oak and doesn’t savor crashing through brush Eric Mortenson/Capital Press to examine the creek pipe. Gnarly Old Vine Zinfandel vines at The Pines 1852 vineyard near The Dalles, “You got a machete?” Ore., may have been planted as long ago Wright asks. “I’ll do it.” And as the 1880s. The vineyard had been next thing he’s rummaging abandoned for 20 years when Lonnie through a tool shed, mutter- Wright brought it back to life in 1982. ing, looking in vain for a ma- chete and grabbing a couple of big clippers instead. Courtesy of Rodger Nichols An undated photo shows what is believed to be the Old Vine Zinfandel vineyard outside The Dalles, Ore., that was revived decades later by Lonnie Wright. Grapes weren’t trellised but instead were grown “head-trained on the ground,” which provided frost protection but made them susceptible to bunch rot. 503 GIFFORD PINCHOT NATIONAL FOREST 5 Vancouver Portland 5 84 205 Turn to WINE, Page 12 i Colu bia R m Gresham 26 ver 30 sh Wa Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area 142 141 . Wash. . Ore Hood River MT. HOOD NATIONAL FOREST Mt. Hood 35 Ore. 84 The Dalles 197 N Alan Kenaga/Capital Press TOP PHOTO: Lonnie Wright is considered the pioneer of Columbia Gorge wines, having planted or managed dozens of vineyards over the past 35 years. In 2011 he was given a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Oregon Wine Board. Photo by Eric Mortenson/Capital Press ONTARIO, Ore. — White top, an invasive weed, has exploded to alarming levels in Malheur County this year. “This is the worst it’s ever been,” said Oregon State University Cropping Systems Extension Agent Bill Buhrig, who has lived in the county for 40 years. “It’s all over the place.” White top, also known as hoary cress, usually blooms in stages throughout the year, said Malheur County Weed Inspector Gary Page. But this year it appears to have exploded virtually all at once. It has also appeared in remote areas far removed from any previously known white top infestation, he added. “We’re reaching a tip- ping point most likely where it’s just going to ex- plode” to a level where it’s not economically feasible to manage, Page said. The noxious weed com- petes with beneficial plants, crowds out grasses and is noxious for cattle, Buhrig said. Page said it has invaded a lot of alfalfa fields and irrigated pastures and, if the problem worsens, could have a major negative im- pact on livestock grazing, the backbone of the area’s economy. “If we don’t do some- thing pretty quickly, it could end up being a big econom- ic issue in livestock produc- tion,” he said. Page and Buhrig have sounded the alarm over the white top problem and are asking for landowners’ help in controlling it. Because it’s a persistent weed and hard to kill, many people mistakenly assume it can’t be controlled and give up trying, Buhrig said. “It can be controlled with some available herbicides and that’s what we’re real- ly trying to emphasize,” he said. “You can fight it.” There is still time to con- trol the weed in 2016 even though it has flowered, Buhrig said. “Anything you can do this year to keep it from going to seed is a good thing.” One of the reasons the weed has gained a local rep- utation as being uncontrol Turn to WEEDS, Page 12 Oregon lawmakers hear arguments over Owyhee monument Supporters, opponents of national monument testify during hearing By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI Capital Press SALEM — Advocates and opponents of a proposed 2.5 million-acre national monu- ment in Eastern Oregon tried to enlist the support of state lawmakers during a recent legislative hearing. The two sides are mount- ing competing public rela- tions campaigns to infl uence the possible designation of the Owyhee Canyonlands Na- tional Monument, which will ultimately be decided by Pres- ident Barack Obama. Critics say the area is big- ger than the Yellowstone, Yo- semite or Grand Canyon na- tional parks and would cover 40 percent of Malheur County. Ranchers and other natural resource users in the region have objected to the proposal, fearing the establishment of a national monument will en- tail new regulations on public land and invite additional en- vironmental lawsuits. Turn to OWYHEE, Page 12 Mateusz Perkowski/Capital Press Elias Eiguren, a rancher from Oregon’s Malheur County, speaks against the proposed 2.5 million-acre Owhyee Canyonlands Na- tional Monument during a press conference on May 23. 22-2/#5
