NORTHWEST
East Oregonian
A2
Thursday, October 17, 2019
Lostine is region’s first ‘Firewise’ community
By BILL BRADSHAW
EO Media Group
LOSTINE — A Los-
tine Canyon neighborhood
has become Northeast Ore-
gon’s first nationally rec-
ognized “Firewise” com-
munity, an event that could
lead to more efforts to pre-
vent or combat wildfires in
Wallowa County.
Firewise communities
are a part of the association’s
program that teaches people
how to adapt to living with
wildfire and encourages
neighbors to work together
and take action now to pre-
vent losses.
The approximately 110
properties with 120 struc-
tures make up about 15
square miles or 9,600 acres
south of Lostine. About
45 individuals are partici-
pating in the community,
according to Mike Eng, the
leader of the Lostine Can-
yon Firewise Committee.
The Firewire groups
and Commissioner Susan
Roberts met last Friday at
the Lostine Wildlife Area
to dedicate signs along
the road recognizing the
Firewise community. Rob-
erts expressed hopes that
Lostine’s actions will be an
example to other communi-
ties in the county.
“Hopefully, your accom-
plishment will serve to
EO Media Group Photo/Bill Bradshaw/Wallowa County Chieftain
Gathering to dedicate the Lostine Canyon Firewise Community sign are, standing from left,
Matt Howard, of the Oregon Department of Forestry; community residents George and Cher-
yl Oja; Alyssa Cudmore, of Wallowa Resources; Monica Eng; Wallowa County Commission
Chairwoman Susan Roberts; area resident Mickey McClendon; area resident Bobbi Atkins;
and Wallowa County Commissioner John Hillock. Kneeling in front is Mike Eng, resident lead-
er for the Firewise community.
inspire other communities
to take important and neces-
sary steps to improve their
protection from the poten-
tially catastrophic risks of
wildfire,” Roberts said.
Eng emphasized the
necessity of the program.
“We live in an extreme
fire-risk area and we have
to learn to adapt to that,”
he said. “There’s not much
we can do about changing
the weather, changing the
Forecast for Pendleton Area
TODAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
MONDAY
terrain, changing the land
ownership and some of the
ways it’s managed.”
Lostine Canyon residents
interested in establishing a
Firewise Community con-
ducted their initial meeting
in April 2018. Since then,
neighbors in the Lostine
Canyon have been work-
ing on becoming better
informed about how to pre-
vent wildfire from destroy-
ing their homes and their
community, how to respond
in the inevitable event of a
wildfire in the Lostine Can-
yon and how to recover after
a wildfire passes through
their community.
Residents have been cre-
ating “firesafe” perimeters
around their homes, remov-
ing closely spaced and
insect-damaged trees, trim-
ming low-hanging branches
and chipping. They have
taken advantage of offers by
foresters Tim Cudmore and
Eric Carlson, of the ODF, to
help identify diseased and
insect-infested trees to help
reduce fuel loads around
their homes, while also pre-
serving privacy and wildlife
habitat.
They have also taken
advantage of free exterior
home inspections by one of
their neighbors, Gary Wil-
lis, a former Hood River fire
chief, to learn what they can
do to better fireproof the
exterior of their homes.
“Being informed that
you live in an area with an
‘extreme’ fire risk, it shifts
your thinking from, ‘I’ll
reduce my fuel load one of
these years’ to ‘I need to do
it this year,’” Lostine Can-
yon resident Fred Brock-
man said.
Oregon Department of
Forestry forester Matt How-
ard emphasized the inevita-
bility of another wildfire in
the area.
“I don’t know if it’s
ironic or what, but we’re
standing in a fire spot from
about 50 years ago,” he said.
“It started down in the flat
here and with the north
wind went up the canyon.
So that’s within this genera-
tion. The fact that you folks
were collective enough and
had enough gumption to
stick with it through this
process to become nation-
ally recognized, it’s a very
big deal. It’s something, I
think, you should be very
proud of.”
Howard hopes the Los-
tine community will serve
as an example for others
in the county. He expects
the ODF and Wallowa
Resources can begin work
in the spring organizing
more such communities at
places like Wallowa Lake
and Hurricane Creek.
“You folks are a model
for other communities in the
future and your collective
experiences here are going
to help other communities
decide whether they want to
pursue being Firewise-rec-
ognized or not,” he said.
Youth catches bass with a surprise inside
By RUDY DIAZ
EO Media Group
Mostly cloudy
Mostly cloudy with
a shower
61° 45°
60° 46°
Mostly cloudy with
a shower
Cloudy with a
shower in the area
Sun, then clouds
PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
54° 41°
63° 52°
55° 49°
HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
66° 47°
64° 48°
60° 45°
66° 53°
59° 48°
OREGON FORECAST
ALMANAC
Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.
PENDLETON
through 3 p.m. yest.
HIGH
LOW
TEMP.
Seattle
Olympia
57/47
56/42
61/37
Longview
Kennewick Walla Walla
62/47
Lewiston
58/48
66/48
Astoria
58/47
Pullman
Yakima 63/43
58/45
62/46
Portland
Hermiston
59/49
The Dalles 66/47
Salem
Corvallis
59/44
Yesterday
Normals
Records
La Grande
55/40
PRECIPITATION
John Day
Eugene
Bend
58/46
53/37
54/41
Ontario
62/41
Caldwell
Burns
65°
45°
65°
38°
83° (1963) 21° (1999)
24 hours ending 3 p.m.
Month to date
Normal month to date
Year to date
Last year to date
Normal year to date
Albany
58/46
0.00"
0.04"
0.28"
4.80"
6.29"
6.84"
WINDS (in mph)
59/41
56/32
0.00"
0.05"
0.52"
10.90"
7.91"
9.46"
through 3 p.m. yest.
HIGH
LOW
TEMP.
Pendleton 53/37
58/46
24 hours ending 3 p.m.
Month to date
Normal month to date
Year to date
Last year to date
Normal year to date
HERMISTON
Enterprise
61/45
63/45
63°
43°
64°
40°
83° (1916) 24° (1897)
PRECIPITATION
Moses
Lake
58/44
Aberdeen
55/41
58/42
Tacoma
Yesterday
Normals
Records
Spokane
Wenatchee
58/48
Today
SW 8-16
SW 7-14
Boardman
Pendleton
Medford
59/44
Fri.
WSW 8-16
WSW 8-16
SUN AND MOON
Klamath Falls
50/32
Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2019
Sunrise today
Sunset tonight
Moonrise today
Moonset today
7:14 a.m.
6:07 p.m.
8:31 p.m.
11:00 a.m.
Last
New
First
Full
Oct 21
Oct 27
Nov 4
Nov 12
JOHN DAY — While
fishing at the North Fork of
the John Day River, 10-year-
old Trevor Sasser caught
more than he bargained for.
After reeling in a small-
mouth bass, everything
appeared normal. But when
his mom, Tami Sasser, cut
the fish open, they found an
unknown organism inside
the bass.
“It looked like an alien,”
Trevor said. “It was really
disgusting.”
Tami described the par-
asite with multiple tentacles
as “spongy” and said it was
located under the lung, near
the liver. When she pulled
the parasite off out of the
fish, the suction was com-
parable to that of a lamprey,
she said.
“I didn’t think it was that
much of an oddity,” Tami
said. “I have seen external
parasites before, but this
was the first time seeing
something like this.”
Not knowing what it was,
they tossed the fish away.
Richard W. Stocking, a
fish pathologist for the Ore-
gon Department of Fish and
Contributed photo
Trevor Sasser caught this smallmouth bass with a parasite
inside on the North Fork of the John Day River.
Wildlife, said the parasite
was not harmful.
“While unsightly, there is
no reason to be alarmed as
it’s a very normal life cycle,”
Stocking said. “These para-
sites usually do little or no
harm to the fish hosts. The
fish are also perfectly safe to
eat.”
Stocking said he could
not identify the parasite
from the picture, but white
grubs and bass tapeworms
are most often associated
with intestinal tissues.
NATIONAL EXTREMES
Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states)
High 99° in Thermal, Calif. Low 9° in Angel Fire, N.M.
NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY
BRIEFLY
Judge grants compassionate
release for man serving life
PORTLAND — A judge has ordered
the release of a 76-year-old man who was
sentenced to life for running a large Port-
land cocaine distribution ring, finding he
meets the “extraordinary and compelling”
reasons for compassionate release.
The Oregonian reported despite objec-
tions from prosecutors, U.S. Judge Michael
H. Simon found Adolph Spears Sr. suffers
from potentially terminal health problems
and is no longer a danger to the community.
The judge’s ruling is a direct result of
Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day.
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showers t-storms
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20s
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warm front stationary front
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high
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CLARIFICATION: In the Page A1 story “Amazon Breaks,” published Wednes-
day, Oct. 16, the story stated that the city of Umatilla was unsuccessful in getting more
than $1 million in Strategic Investment Program dollars from Umatilla County for a
past Amazon project. City Manager David Stockdale said the city has not signed a
written agreement with the county about it and considers it an ongoing matter.
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changes to federal law from a criminal jus-
tice bill called the First Step Act, which
passed late last year and allows federal
courts to directly reduce sentences if an
inmate meets the criteria for compassion-
ate release.
Federal prosecutors argued that Spears
filed his motion for release before the fed-
eral Bureau of Prisons was given a 30-day
period to respond to his request, and that
the court shouldn’t take action until that
time has expired. They also questioned
Spears’ medical records and said he’s still
a danger to the community.
— Associated Press
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