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About Wallowa County chieftain. (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Or.) 1943-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 21, 2016)
A10 News wallowa.com December 21, 2016 Snowshoeing up Hurricane Creek By Tim Trainor Wallowa County Chieftain Snowshoeing and cross country skiing up Hurricane Creek can provide some beautiful vistas, especially after the dumps of snow that have fallen in Wallowa County. Staff photo by Tim Trainor The sun can’t quite break through snow clouds above Hurricane Creek Dec. 17. The road is plowed past the year-round residences, and allows for excellent skiing on the roadbed or snowshoeing along the creek. Nez Perce family brings tradition, respect to Josephy Center By Steve Tool Wallowa County Chieftain The Josephy Center host- ed Nez Perce tribe members Allen Pinkham Jr. and his children, Josiah and Lynne, for a Brown Bag gathering Dec. 13. The Pinkham family be- long to the Nez Perce Tribe, are descendants of Chief Joseph, and live in Lenore, Idaho, on the Lapwai Reser- vation. About two dozen people attended the presentation, which centered on the Nez Perce culture of respect for tradition and for the earth. Pinkham spoke of his an- cestry and informed the audi- ence of the traditional name of his tribe, which is Ni-mii- puu. It translates to Children of the Coyote, or People Who Walk out of the Mountains. Nez Perce is what French trappers named the tribe in the early 19th century. “We were created by Coy- ote, and we knew the Creator, the maker of all things, cre- ated Coyote,” Pinkham said. While giving a description of a Nez Perce creation story, he asked the audience to be conscious of their lives and environmental impact. As other animals were assigned to take care of and offer sus- tenance to humans, humans Steve Tool/Chieftain Nez Perce Lynne Pinkham explains her tribe’s traditions behind basket weaving during a Dec. 13 Brown Bag presentation at the Josephy Center in Joseph. About two dozen people attended the event. should take care to return the favor. Pinkham said that the five Ni-mii-puu elements are air, water, earth, spirit and light. And without any of one of them, life would cease to exist, which is why we must respect and take care of each. “These five elements are relative to our lives today. Only now, we call them envi- ronmental impacts,” he said with a laugh. “If we don’t correct these environmental impacts, what will happen to us? Be mindful of those things that give us life and sustain life. I hope this mes- sage I am telling you will carry on and be conscious of those things that give life,” he said. The Pinkhams brought in tables full of handmade items, the making of which they learned from their el- ders. Each family member presented their particular handiwork, from rifle scab- bards to ceremonial gloves, shirts or dresses. Each item had a story to go with it. Each tale hearkened back to a distant past and ultimately to Coyote, the giver of tradi- tions. The audience watched with rapt attention and at the end of the presentation and peppered the Pinkhams with questions. Gathering up her items, Lynne Pinkham made several observations about her own tradition experiences. “The respect I was taught, I try to teach others. I live the culture every day — not one day, but every day, teaching my kids respect for others and the environment,” she said. She added that she appreciat- ed the care Wallowa County citizens put into keeping the valley beautiful, which she finds gratifying on her return visits to reconnect with her people’s past. “I make every effort to come here as often as I can. This is my homeland,” she said. DECEMBER 21 ODFW RECREATION REPORT Fishing Grande Ronde River: Steelhead season is in full swing on the Grande Ronde and anglers are finally find- ing fish consistently with the most recent creel report indi- cating catch rates of about 10 hours/fish caught. Similar to other Columbia basin runs, the Grande Ronde stock is tracking below expectations this year. On the upside, a large ma- jority of the returning fish are two-salt meaning larger aver- age size. Harvest is limited to three hatchery steelhead per day and must be recorded on the Combined Angling Tag. A Columbia River Basin En- dorsement is also required. Wallowa County ponds: New this year, Kinney Lake in now open to fishing year- round and non-motorized watercraft are now allowed. The lake was stocked at the end of September and should fish well throughout the win- ter. Salt Creek Summit still has fish available and they were actively rising during a recent visit by the local biol- ogist. Imnaha River: Anglers are finding steelhead in the lower sections and some PIT- tagged fish have been detect- ed in the river. Similar to other Columbia basin runs, the Grande Ronde stock is tracking below expectations this year. On the upside, a large majority of the return- Wallowa Lake: As the fall and winter progresses the remaining stocked fish will begin switching to more natural food. Try natural baits and natural imitations to attract these fish. Bait should be either hung under a float or set just off bottom. Kokanee size appears to be ing fish are two-salt, mean- ing they are larger average size. Harvest is limited to three hatchery steelhead per day and must be recorded on the Combined Angling Tag. A Columbia River Basin En- dorsement is also required. improving with reports of fish in the 8 to 9-inch range and some fish as large as 12-inches. Wallowa River: Trout fishing should continue to be good. Mountain whitefish are also very abundant in the Wallowa and are readily caught on small bead-head nymphs. Steelhead season opened Sept. 1. A few steelhead are available in the fall however the best fishing is in late win- ter and early spring. Harvest is limited to three hatchery steelhead per day and must be recorded on the Combined Angling Tag. A Columbia River Basin Endorsement is also required. Hunting Elk: A few antlerless elk season are running now. Most elk have moved to win- ter ranges,. Antlerless Deer: A few late antlerless white-tailed deer seasons are open or will open soon. White-tailed deer numbers are high in the ag- ricultural areas where these hunts take place and success should be high, as well. Forest Grouse: Some ruffed grouse can still be found in brushy areas. Blue grouse are now up high into conifer trees to find buds to eat for the winter and so will be hard to find. Cougar: Populations are moderate throughout Wal- lowa County. Most lions are taken incidental to other hunting; however, calling with fawn bleat, or locating a cougar kill and waiting for a cat to return are often suc- cessful techniques Coyote: Good numbers of coyotes can be found throughout Wallowa County. Calling coyotes with rabbit distress type calls has been effective for hunters. It is im- portant to choose areas with abundant coyote sign and lit- tle human activity. Wallowa County Chieftain