H OW OUR LOCAL WRESTLERS FARED AT DISTRICT TOURNEY IN E NTERPRISE - page A9 www.wallowa.com Enterprise, Oregon February 25, 2015 $1 ODF picks Howard as unit forester By Rocky Wilson Wallowa County Chieftain On Feb. 1, a change in the hier- archy at the Oregon Department of )RUHVWU\ RI¿FH LQ :DOORZD VHQW WKH WRSRI¿FLDOLQWKDWRI¿FHYLDSURPR WLRQ WR D QHZ SRVLWLRQ LQ 3ULQHYLOOH and replaced him with the best qual- L¿HGDPRQJDSSOLFDQWVIRUWKHSR sition, a man who’s been working in WKH:DOORZDRI¿FHVLQFH Mike Shaw, who had performed the duty as unit forester in Wallowa since 2007, was promoted to a position as assistant to the area director of Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF), based LQ3ULQHYLOOHDQGZDVUHSODFHGE\0DWW Howard, 45, who until Feb. 1 had op- Becoming a unit forester has been a career goal of mine ever since I came to Wallowa. Matt Howard, former fire control officer for the Oregon Department of Forestry, in Wallowa, has been promoted to the local office’s top position of unit forester. He replaces Mike Shaw who was transferred to Prineville. “ Matt Howard HUDWHGDV2')¶V¿UHFRQWURORI¿FHULQ Wallowa. John Buckman, ODF’s district for- HVWHU EDVHG LQ /D *UDQGH FRQ¿UPHG WKDWSHRSOHDSSOLHGWRUHSODFH6KDZ $ERXWKDOIRIWKHPZHUHLQWHUYLHZHGE\ DUHSUHVHQWDWLYHSDQHORIFRXQW\2') agency, program, and area landowners, and Howard was their choice. ,QDGGLWLRQWRKLVH[WHQVLYHH[SHUL ence of working in Wallowa County, %XFNPDQ VDLG ³0DWW KDV EHHQ YHU\ successful working with partners.” +RZDUG VD\V KLV RYHUDOO HPSKDVLV will shift somewhat from hands-on ¿UHFRQWUROWR³PRUHRIDVWUDWHJLFEH hind-the-scenes approach.” Because ¿UHFRQWUROLVVXFKDVLJQL¿FDQWSRUWLRQ of ODF’s role within Wallowa Coun- ty, says Buckman, up to 70 percent of Howard’s new job will continue to deal ZLWKWKHPDQ\DVSHFWVRI¿UH See HOWARD, Page A7 Rocky Wilson/Chieftain Bill seeks to make YDFFLQHV required Non-medical exceptions for immunizations high in Wallowa County By Rocky Wilson Wallowa County Chieftain S.F. Tool/Chieftain Wallowa Mountain Medical Clinic is being acquired by Wallowa Memorial Hospital. TAKING CARE HOSPITAL ACQUIRING CLINIC IN JOSEPH WXUQRYHUGDWHRI-XO\RIWKLV\HDU Directors of the Wallowa County +HDOWK &DUH 'LVWULFW DSSURYHG WKH QDPRYHWRVKRUHXS:DOORZD SXUFKDVHDWWKHLUPHHWLQJRQ)HE Memorial Hospital against The hospital intends to maintain FKDQJHVLQUHLPEXUVHPHQWOHY the clinic in Joseph and add another els and other health care pa- clinic on the hospital campus. rameters, the hospital intends Wallowa Memorial Hospital to acquire Wallowa Mountain Med- :0+&KLHI([HFXWLYH2I¿FHU ical Clinic. /DUU\'DY\VDLGWKHDFTXLVLWLRQ The clinic, located in Joseph KROGVSRVLWLYHDVSHFWVIRUERWK at 100 N East St., has a scheduled entities. “Health care is changing, By Steve Tool I Wallowa County Chieftain and the focus is on hospitals and clinics, how they work together and getting more into seamless care,” 'DY\VDLG Seamless care includes inte- grating patient information, patient tracking and other patient needs between a hospital and clinic. “Any hospital you know today is going to EH XQUHFRJQL]DEOH LQ ¿YH \HDUV EH cause health care is changing — for H[DPSOH ZKHUH LW¶V GRQH´ 'DY\ said. 'DY\JDYHWKHH[DPSOHRIWUHDW ing a diabetic patient. “It’s far easi- er to coordinate if you’re one entity instead of two or three separately trying to help the person with the disease process. If you’re in one system, you’re in the same comput- HU V\VWHP \RX KDYH WKH VDPH VWDII KHOSLQJZLWKWUHDWPHQW´'DY\VDLG See CLINIC, Page A7 A bill currently perco- lating in the Oregon Senate would impact a higher per- centage of Wallowa County residents than it would those OLYLQJLQPRVWRWKHUDUHDVRI the state. The bill, SB 442, would make immunizations man- datory for students attending public schools in Oregon, ending all the non-medical exemptions that are currently allowed. Oregon State Senator Bill Hansell (R-Athena), who hasn’t taken a position on the measure, says it’s expected to pass. Oregon is one of the least immunized of the nation’s 50 states and Wallowa County one of the least immunized counties in Oregon. Wallowa County Health 1XUVH /DLQD )LVKHU FRQ¿UPV that non-medical exemptions from immunizations in Wal- ORZD&RXQW\DUHVLJQL¿FDQWO\ higher than the state norm. See BILL, Page A7 Cycle Oregon’s riders set sights on county and lake C HIEFTAIN WA L L O WA C O U N T Y Wallowa County’s Newspaper Since 1884 Volume 132 Issue No. 45 © 2015 EO Media Group By Rocky Wilson Wallowa County Chieftain Courtesy image/WVAC Cycle Oregon, an annual bi- cycle tour through Oregon that’s now drawing more than 2,000 ULGHUV IRU WKH ZHHNORQJ HYHQW will spin through Wallowa County in mid-September of 2015. Called “Hell on Wheels” this year because the tour will JOSEPH — The Wallowa of that total still needs to be allow cyclists the opportunity to Valley Arts Council (WVAC) is secured. JHW H[FHOOHQW YLHZV RI FDQ\RQV in the process of soliciting funds Joseph artist Shelley Curtiss, GZDU¿QJ WKH 6QDNH 5LYHU WKLV to construct and erect an 8-foot x chair of the WVAC, has de- year’s loop beginning and end- 10-foot stone-based sign to greet signed a prototype of the large ing in Baker City can take in- YLVLWRUVWRWKH&LW\RI-RVHSK sign with the assistance of Jerry GLYLGXDOULGHUVXSWRPLOHV The sign, designed to be Hayes, owner of Hayes Printing depending on day routes chosen. lighted at its base, comes af- and Graphics, of Enterprise. The only stop for more than WHUDYRWHE\WKH-RVHSK Because the sign will be- RQHQLJKWZLOOFRPH6HSWDQG City Council that designated come the property of WVAC, 17 when cyclists will be expect- -RVHSK DV WKH ¿UVW FLYLF DUWV D QRQSUR¿W RUJDQL]DWLRQ GR ed to pitch their tents at Wallowa and cultural district in the nations for its construction and Lake. According to the agenda State of Oregon. Backing that installation are tax-deductible. for this year’s Cycle Oregon designation with action, Jo- Donations can be mailed to tour, participants are encouraged VHSK¶V FRXQFLO YRWHG HDUOLHU Wallowa Valley Arts Coun- — at their leisure — to bike into this month to set aside $1,000 FLO32%R[-RVHSK25 Enterprise, bike into Joseph, or for the sign’s construction. stay at the lake to sightsee and The total estimated cost of the rest on Thursday, the 17th, after See SIGN, Page A8 DUULYLQJ WKH SUHYLRXV GD\ IURP SURMHFWLVDQG Shelley Curtiss and Jerry Hayes designed a roadside sign that would inform visitors that Joseph is an Arts & Cultural District. Funds sought for cultural district sign ipant packets with no cycling. Day rides for participants, who typically come from most states DQG VHYHUDO IRUHLJQ FRXQWULHV FDQUDQJHEHWZHHQDQG miles. ,Q GDLO\ LQWHUYDOV WKH tour will take participants 51 miles from Baker City to Fare- ZHOO%HQGRQWKH6QDNH5LYHU PLOHV IURP )DUHZHOO %HQG DFURVVWKHULYHULQWR,GDKRIRUD QLJKWLQ&DPEULGJHDQGWKHQHL WKHURUPLOHVIURP&DP bridge to Halfway, depending Courtesy photo/Cycle Oregon on the route. Cycle Oregon’s 84-mile leg In reference to Cycle Or- on Sept. 16 goes on the HJRQ¶V :HGQHVGD\ 6HSW scenic byway from Halfway 84-mile ride from Halfway to to Wallowa Lake. Wallowa Lake, the Cycle Or- egon website states, “The ride Halfway, an 84-mile ride. from Pine Valley to the high This is the 27th year for Wallowas is the most memora- Cycle Oregon, which began in EOHZH¶YHHYHUODLGRQZKHHOV´ 1988. On Friday, Sept. 18, the cy- The popular one-week FOLVWVZLOOWUDYHORQ+LJKZD\ HYHQW ZLOO VWUHWFK IURP 6HSW for 85 miles to La Grande, then 12 through Sept. 19, with Sat- conclude the tour Saturday urday, Sept. 12, a day set aside with a 59-mile ride back to to register and distribute partic- Baker City.