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Wallowa.com
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March 1, 2017
Sam Collett makes
3
Area in
detail
82
Enterprise
1 mile
and an ART
of
Cre
ek
r i cane Creek Road
N
a River
llow
Wa
A LIFE of
r
Hu a
rri c
82
Joseph
350
ne
Issue No. 46
Hu
Enterprise, Oregon
351
Lake
Wallowa
Hurricane
Creek land
acquisition
EAGLE CAP
WILDERNESS
EO Media Group graphic
Access
retained
at Eagle
Cap area
inholding
Land purchased
by Rocky
Mountain Elk
Foundation,
conveyed to
forest
By George Plaven
East Oregonian
Steve Tool/Chieftain
This work of Collett’s, entitled “Good bye my friend” won first prize at the 2016 Wallowa Valley Festival of Arts event.
By Steve Tool
Wallowa County Chieftain
am Collett is a Wallowa
County institution. That is
remarkable for a Salt Lake
City native, who has lived here
since 2000. Collett’s paintings
and drawings with a local focus hang
in local galleries and homes. He is
generally among the prizewinners at
the Wallowa Valley Festival of art.
Collett’s road to his local celebrity
was sometimes rocky. He faced hur-
dles that were seemingly insurmount-
able. But his love for art persevered.
What follows is part one of the story
of this gifted artist.
The boy is 11, and it’s Christmas
Day. He’s been obsessed with drawing
and art for most of his life. He has just
received his fi rst paint set.
“I always drew. My mom had no
background in that or the cultural
aspects of things. She was a farmer’s
daughter, but she bought me those
oil paints for Christmas when I was
11-years old, and that day, I just sat
down and did a painting of my grand-
father.
The largest private inhold-
ing in the Eagle Cap Wil-
derness will be kept open to
public access after the land
was recently purchased by the
Rocky Mountain Elk Founda-
tion and conveyed back to the
Wallowa-Whitman National
Forest.
The 470-acre property,
which runs parallel to Hurri-
cane Creek south of Joseph,
provides access points to
some of the most heavily used
trails leading into the wilder-
ness area, including Hurricane
Creek and Falls Creek trails.
Bill Richardson, senior
lands program manager for
the Rocky Mountain Elk
Foundation, said the group
spent several years working
with the Forest Service to buy
the land from the Hostetter
Family Trust to protect access
for hunting, fi shing and recre-
ation. The acquisition fi nally
closed in January.
“Public access is huge for
us,” Richardson said. “It’s a
real important part of our mis-
sion.”
The Hurricane Creek proj-
ect was identifi ed as a national
priority for the elk foundation,
based in Missoula, Montana.
See ARTIST, Page A9
See HOLDING, Page A9
Initiative makes bid for FFA funding
Two bills and broad support for premiere
leadership program from teachers, legislators
By Kathleen Ellyn
Wallowa County Chieftain
Does Oregon value its ag-
riculture sector? That’s one
question raised by an initia-
tive before the 2017 Oregon
Legislature. The bill would
fund Future Farmers of Amer-
ica programs.
Wallowa County has a ro-
bust FFA program, but ag/vo-
tech teachers have “the tough-
est job” in school because of
the variety of jobs they must
juggle. And that job mix in-
cludes fundraising. That is
why three area agriculture
teachers – Stephanie Schof-
ield, J.D. Cant and Chelcee
Mansfi eld – and a small
troupe of FFA students met
with the Legislature’s Joint
Ways and Means Committee
in Hermiston on Feb. 17.
The timing was important
because Sen. Bill Hansell of
Pendleton and Rep. Greg Bar-
reto of Cove are prime spon-
sors of bills to establish fund-
ing for the FFA program. Of
the two bills, the House bill
has moved, gaining a public
hearing and referral to the Ed-
ucation Committee.
FFA has been operating on
private money since 2011.
Up until 2011 grant fund-
ing for the Student Leadership
Center, an Oregon Depart-
ment of Education group, sup-
ported the FFA Association
and other service and leader-
ship programs. From 1970 to
2011, that money had been cut
in half.
Courtesy photo
See FFA, Page A9
Industry mentor Zane Anderson and FFA student Karli
Bedard in the welding booth at Enterprise High School..