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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 7, 2017)
REGION Saturday, October 7, 2017 East Oregonian Crow’s Shadow gets governor’s award during its 25th anniversary By ANTONIO SIERRA East Oregonian It’s a joke among the staff and board members of the Crow’s Shadow Institute of the Arts that it’s a cutting- edge art studio in the middle of a wheat field. Regardless of its location, the Umatilla Indian Reser- vation-based printmaking and indigenous studio has received high praise from the state. Crow’s Shadow received the Governor’s Arts Award in Portland Friday, capping a year where the art studio also celebrated its 25th anniver- sary. In a press release, the governor’s office recognized Crow’s Shadow for its ability to “provide a creative conduit for educational, social and economic opportunities for Native Americans through artistic development.” Already knowing that they had been nominated, Crow’s Shadow Executive Director Karl Davis said it wasn’t a complete surprise when staff got the call that the studio had received the prize. But it was still an honor for the institute on its silver anniversary, especially since it was the first time the award has been bestowed on Staff photo by E.J. Harris Nixyaawii student Tyanna Broncheau rolls out ink in preparation to make a print in May 2017 at the Crow Shadow Institute for the Arts outside of Mission. anyone in 10 years. Pat Walters, a founding board member, said the award did mean something specific to Crow’s Shadow: respect. “I think it says a lot about our little organization in the middle of nowhere,” she said. By Walters’ own admission, the board, which includes renowned printmaker James Lavadour, didn’t always know what it was doing when Crow’s Shadow started in 1992. Walters said it took Crow’s Shadow until 2000 to establish printmaking as a core part of its identity while still maintaining the American Indian art tradition it was founded on. Their refocused identity seems to have paid off. Today, Crow’s Shadow employs an executive director, a marketing director, a master printer and provides an artist in residency program, youth outreach, indigenous art workshops and more. Although Crow’s Shadow may have come a long way since its early days, there are still new things set for the art institute. Walters said the board has discussed a new facility for the art studio for the past year, although an exact loca- tion is yet to be determined. FFA, Les Schwab work to ‘Drive Away Hunger’ East Oregonian Oregon FFA and Les Schwab Tire Centers are once again partnering on an initiative to combat hunger statewide, collecting food donations from local communities as part of the “Drive Away Hunger” event during the month of October. This year, more than 6,000 FFA members from 105 chapters have partnered with 107 Les Schwab stores in Oregon, as well as 13 Wilco Farm Stores, to help supply the Oregon Food Bank with much-needed donations. Last year’s event raised more than 500,000 pounds of food, which is enough to feed 4,960 families for nearly a week. Since 2008, the Oregon Food Bank has seen demand for emergency food boxes increase by 40 percent. Kevin White, executive director of the Oregon FFA Foundation, said the initiative is a chance for FFA members to give back to those in need. Collection bags have already been distributed to subscribers of the East Oregonian, Hermiston Herald, Capital Press, Wallowa County Chieftain and Blue Mountain Eagle. Donations can be dropped off at any Les Schwab, Wilco Farm Store or local FFA chapter. Additional bags are also available at collection sites. The FFA is also seeking donations from local farms and ranches. Anyone interested can contact their nearest FFA chapter, or email White at kwhite@oregonffa. com. All donations received will be given first to local food pantries, and any extra will be distributed by the Oregon Food Bank to other pantries throughout the state. The initiative will run the entire month of October. For more information about FFA, visit www.oregonffa.com or www.ffa.org. No skiing at Spout Springs again this season By PHIL WRIGHT East Oregonian Spout Springs Ski Area will remain closed for the second winter in a row. John Murray, 69, of Portland, owns the modest resort on Highway 204 near Tollgate, between Weston and Elgin. He said he needs to step away from the business due to a serious health condition, which the resort’s altitude could affect. He also did not want to risk being too far from emergency help. Murray and his wife Nancy bought Spout Springs 19 years ago, he said, and are trying to sell it for $1.2 million. The resort has an assessed or taxable value of $221,916, according to Union County property records, and a real market value of $392,880. Murray said he has received some inquires about the property. “We’re trying actively to find someone to purchase it,” he said, “and we would entertain a lease as well, if someone would operate it until it does sell.” Murray did not open Spout Springs last year either — blaming its closure on a parking dispute with snowmobilers and the U.S. Forest Service. The heavy snow and inaction caused damage to the resort’s Happy Chair lift. Murray said those repairs will not take place until the spring, another reason he will not be able to open this season. “I don’t feel pretty good about not operating it,” he said. During a typical season running from early December until about April 1, Murray said the resort has attracted as many as 12,000-20,000 visitors. Murray described Spout Springs as a special and even romantic place. “Lots of people met there over the years,” he said. “And made an effort to tell me they met their wife there.” Spout Springs had been in continuous operation since the 1920s. The area was also a Nordic training center for the United States Olympic team and the Norwegian jump team in the 1950s and 1960s. Page 3A Lethal control expires for Meacham wolves East Oregonian The target has been taken off one northeast Oregon wolf pack, but it’s back on another. According to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, the permit for Cunningham Sheep Company to kill a second wolf from the Meacham pack expired Sept. 30. That permit was not renewed because no further depre- dations have occurred and livestock is mostly removed from the area, according to ODFW. While the permit allowed for two wolves to be killed, only one — a female that bred this year — was shot on Sept. 7. The Harl Butte pack in Wallowa County is moving in the opposite direction. ODFW authorized lethal take for another four wolves from the pack, after two more attacks on livestock in the past week. The Harl Butte wolves may be killed either by ODFW staff or by livestock producers affiliated with the effected local grazing association. The permit is valid until Oct. 31, and the wolves may be killed in pastures on public or private land that is currently occupied by their livestock. The Harl Butte pack is currently estimated at nine wolves — six adults and three pups born this past spring. Any wolf in the pack may be taken under the lethal control authorization. ODFW has already removed four adult wolves from the Harl Butte pack since Aug. 3, when it first authorized lethal control. It then called off the hunt Aug. 25 to see if the pack would stop attacking livestock. “We were hoping to see depredations stop after removing four wolves,” said Roblyn Brown, ODFW acting wolf coordinator. “And six weeks had passed with no depredations since mid-August. Unfortunately, it didn’t last.” ODFW is also working toward an updated wolf management plan, which is expected to go before the state Fish and Wildlife Commission in December. The Umatilla County wolf compensation committee will also meet around the same time to consider funding for 2017 claims. The Umatilla County Board of Commissioners has approved four more requests from local ranchers for compensation due to wolf-livestock conflicts in 2016. Eric Harlow will receive a total of $2,862 for lost and missing livestock; Terrill Thomas will receive $8,024 for missing live- stock; Cunningham Sheep Company will receive $700 for lost livestock; and Rocky Robbins will receive $524 for missing livestock. Commissioners voted 2-0 to approve the claims, with George Murdock abstaining. The requests were previously vetted by the Umatilla County Wolf Depredation Advisory Committee on Jan. 25. Payments are awarded to counties from the Oregon Wolf Depredation Compen- sation and Financial Assis- tance County Block Grant Program, established by the Legislature in 2011. Umatilla County received nearly $50,000 in state money earlier this year for claims submitted by ranchers, including payments for non-lethal predator control. Commissioner Larry Givens, who serves as liaison to the depredation advisory committee, said the county recently received an additional $19,000 from the state to finish paying 2016 claims. However, Givens reiter- ated that the current level of funding for wolf-livestock predation is not enough for ranchers to be made whole. “Our producers have taken a real hit,” he said. “It’s not fair to them.” MILTON-FREEWATER Pool use down in wake of new facility Walla Walla Union-Bulletin While the reopening of Walla Walla’s Veterans Memorial Pool drew crowds this summer, the valley’s other go-to pool in Milton-Free- water may have suffered for it. The Joe Humbert Family Aquatic Center drew slimmer crowds than usual this summer, City Manager Linda Hall said. A 32.5 percent decrease in daily pass sales led to about $15,000 in lost revenue this season. Hall said while she can’t definitively tie the decrease in attendance to the opening of Walla Walla’s new pool, “I did notice in previous years that there were a lot of Washington plates in our pool parking lot.” This year, not so much, though extracurricular programs and swim lessons, Hall said, were “up signifi- cantly.” The revenue drop, however, won’t change the city’s commitment to keeping the pool open, she add. “Pools do not completely support themselves. They’re all going to have some general fund support,” Hall said. For sales of passes to completely support the pool, Hall noted, they would likely have to cost upward of $15. That’s not going to happen any time soon, she said. “Our Council’s philosophy is that pools are a recreational amenity that you’re going to want to have available, as much as possible, to your citizenry,” she said. “And not to make it so expensive that kids can’t afford to go there.” CONCEALED CARRY PERMIT CLASSES O CTOBER 11 TH • 1:00 & 6:00 Red Lion PM 304 SE Nye Ave. Pendleton Multi-state: $80 or Oregon only: $45.00 Required class to get an Oregon or multi-State permit. Class includes: Required class to get an Oregon or multi-State • Fingerprinting & photo • Oregon gun laws • Washington gun laws • Interstate travel laws • Interaction with law enforcement • Use of deadly force • Firearm / ammunition / holster selection Presented by 360.921.2071 FirearmTrainingNW.com : FirearmTrainingNW@gmail.com Flower Topicals Edibles Concentrates and more with Teddy k l a T A Open 7 days A week 8-10 Mon-Sat 10-10 Sunday Adults 21+ • Keep Out of Reach of Children • Do not drive while under the infl uence of Marijuana Um a ti l la Cou nty r ica l So ciety o t s i H Heritage Dinner 2017 at Hamley’s Slickfork Saloon Tuesday, October 10, 5:00 pm Treat yourself to a dramatic and engaging evening with the 26th President of the United States! Joe Weigand, the nation’s fore- most interpreter of Teddy Roosevelt, offers a vivid and rousing one-man theater experience, sharing stories about Ted- dy that are full of adventure, laughter and inspiration. Tickets: $50 UCHS Members; $55 General Admission. Available at Heritage Station Museum. A catered dinner is included and no-host bar offered.
