SKI SEASON PREVIEW - A12 Enterprise, Oregon www.wallowa.com Issue No. 31 November 18, 2015 $1 REACTIONS | WOLF VOTE FALLOUT TURNING THE PAGE Commission seeks to keep wolves listed in western part of state, increase in penalties for illegal kills Wallowa County Chieftain Emcee Matt Kurtz entertains as “The Great Kurtzsnac” (a take on Johnny Carson’s The Great Carnac), along with Len McBurney on Saturday. Healthy Futures raises $70K Donations will help county acquire new bone-density system By Steve Tool By Scot Heisel Wallowa County Chieftain Wallowa County Chieftain n a blow to conservationists, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Commission voted 4-2 to delist the gray wolf from Oregon’s Endangered Species Act on Nov. 9 in Salem. The emotional 11-hour meeting included testimony from 106 people who were allowed three minutes each to speak. Although the vote removed all of Oregon’s wolves from the state’s ESA list, wolves on the west side of the state are still protected by the federal ESA. The commission is the policy-creating entity for ¿ sh and wildlife issues for the state through the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. It is composed of seven appointed members: One from each of the state’s ¿ ve congressional districts, plus one each from the east and west sides of the Cascade Mountain Range. On Oct. 29, the ODFW recommended that the commission delist wolves based on ¿ ve criteria detailed in the state’s ESA: • Wolves are represented over a large geographic area of Oregon, are connected to other populations, and nothing is preventing them from occupying additional portions of Oregon. • The population is projected to continue to increase. The overall probability of ex- tinction is very low and genetic variation is high. • Wolf habitat in Oregon is stable and wolf range is expanding. • Over-utilization of wolves is unlikely as the wolf plan continues to provide protec- tions for wolves, and any removal of wolves in the future is regulated by the commission. • The wolf plan ensures protection of wolves in the future, regardless of ESA status. Wallowa County health care received a generous shot in the arm Saturday from a packed Cloverleaf Hall in Enterprise during the 20th annual Healthy Futures Dinner Auction to bene¿ t the Wallowa 9alley Health Care Foundation. Foundation Director Stacy Green re- ported Monday that the event raised about $70,800 before expenses, with additional donations expected to bolster the ¿ nal tally in the coming days. Each year’s event is tied to a speci¿ c need or purpose, and the 2015 dinner was intended to help bring a new bone-density system — a cost of about $50,000 — to Wallowa Memorial Hospital. “We appreciate everyone’s support,” Green said. “The county is always unbe- lievably generous. … We sold every seat.” The event included a silent auction, din- ner, entertainment and a live auction. Local resident Matt Kurtz served as emcee, and Jake Musser of Meridian, Idaho, and his crew handled the live auction. I See AUCTION, Page A9 DAVY TO SERVE ON NATIONAL TASK FORCE By Scot Heisel Wallowa County Chieftain THINKSTOCK ILLUSTRATION See WOLVES, Page A9 OPINION Oregon wolf decision based on facts, not fears. Page 4A Proposed pipe shop rejected By Kathleen Ellyn Wallowa County Chieftain It was standing room only at the Enterprise City Planning Commis- sion meeting last week as several residents registered their opposition to neighbor Jerry Booze’s applica- tion to open a small shop on his front porch. Booze’s property at 305 NW 1st St. in Enterprise is zoned C-1 (com- mercial) and faces Highway 3. His proposal was to open a small shop on his front porch to sell what he de- scribed as “hippy stuff, fun kind of stuff.” The list of items proposed for sale included: pipes and water pipes, incense and holders, door beads, ” I DON’T APPROVE THE TYPE OF PEOPLE HE HAS VISITING THERE. crystals, scented oils, body jewelry, rain sticks, dream catchers. It was the ¿ rst item on the list that caused the most concern for neighbors, who turned in ¿ ve signed copies (11 signatures) of a letter of opposition created and circulated by neighbor Andi Mitchell. Two other personal letters and a formal letter from Enterprise Police Department expressed similar concerns. The in- troduction of the group letter makes clear that: “In particular we are op- posed to the selling of drug para- phernalia in our neighborhood.” Neighbor Cassandra Burns “I don’t approve the type of peo- ple he has visiting there,” said neigh- bor Cassandra Burns in public testi- mony. “It doesn’t sound to me like this is a legitimate business interest.” Other issues outlined in the letter included lack of parking, potential for reduced property values, poten- tial for recreational drug use in the alley behind the shop, and the fact that, although the property is zoned commercial, “in practice it is a resi- dential neighborhood.” Wallowa Memorial Health District CEO Larry Davy has been selected to serve on a national health care task force that will shape the future of America’s hospitals. Davy is among 16 health of¿ cials representing rural communities for the American Hospital Association’s Ensur- ing Access in 9ulnera- ble Communities Task Force. Due to recent crucial changes to our nation’s health care system, “the hospital Davy of today is going to look a lot different in ¿ ve or 10 years, so we need to come up with a measured ap- proach that makes sense and will work,” Davy said. U.S. Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., an- nounced Davy’s involvement in the task force during the 20th annual Healthy Futures Dinner Auction on Saturday night in Enterprise. The task force is split into two sub- committees: rural and urban. Regionally, one representative from Washington and another from Montana will serve with Davy on the Rural Subcommittee. The Urban Subcommittee has 13 members, none from the Paci¿ c Northwest. “We’re trying to look at a number of models and factors that could go into a See DAVY, Page A9 See STORE, Page A8