COMING SOON TO FISHTRAP! Planning under way for another BIG READ | Page A5 Enterprise, Oregon Wallowa.com Issue No. 9 June 14, 2017 $1 OREGON MOUNTAIN CRUISE TAKES OVER DOWNTOWN JOSEPH WET BUT SMILING Courtesy Baker Aircraft; ODFW 1 After radio-collaring a subadult female of the Chesnimnus pack Feb. 23 in Wal- lowa County, an ODFW biologist dou- ble-checks the fit of the GPS radio-collar. As it works to update its managment plan, the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission is wrestling with a host of wolf issues. Commission wrestles wolf management questions Oregon wolf discussion includes livestock kills, poaching, local management and more By Eric Mortenson Wallowa County Chieftian 2 N either rain, sleet or chilly temperatures could dampen the spirits of roughly 200 car owners and thousands of spectators who took part in the Oregon Mountain Cruise car show Saturday in downtown Joseph. Umbrellas and shining rags were the order of the day. In addition to vintage cars of all colors, sizes and descriptions, those gathered enjoyed music by The Senders and a variety of foods. Saturday afternoon the cars hit the road for Enterprise for a parade through down- town. The evening drew to a close with a dance in Joseph as well as an awards banquet. 3 1. Hemi, anyone? 2. This 1961 Cadillac Coupe from Nampa, Idaho, was one of the highlights of Saturday’s Oregon Mountain Cruise in Joseph. 3. Dallas Head of Ontario puts the fi nishing touch- es on the hubcaps of his ‘57 Chevy pickup Saturday morning at the Oregon Mountain Cruise car show in downtown Joseph. 4. Mark Snodgrass leads “The Senders” in a cov- er of a Beach Boys hit at the 2017 Oregon Mountain Cruise car show in Joseph. The band attempts to play the tunes of the ‘50s and ‘60s as close to the originals as possible. Photos by Paul Wahl/Chieftain 4 See more images from the Oregon Mountain Cruise car show. Inside Page A9 | Online Wallowa.com A couple of items emerged June 8 when the citizen commission that sets Oregon’s wildlife policy sat down once again to gnaw on the state’s plan for managing wolves. Among them: There’s a question about who should investigate when Oregon wolves devour livestock. A “depredation,” as it’s called in wildlife management-speak. The Oregon Department of Fish Wildlife says it could use some help. Cattle ranchers would like to see prop- erly certifi ed local groups involved, to speed up the process. Depredation investigations are important because wolves involved in enough of them can end up dead. “Lethal control,” is the polite term. Oregon State Police say no thanks. The OSP Wildlife Division head, Capt. Jeff Samuels, said his game offi cers would need eight hours of training each, about 1,000 hours total. That’s expensive. “I don’t think it fi ts into our mission,” Samuels told the commission members. “Depredations are not a law enforcement issue.” He said OSP is happy to help ODFW biologists, but making the call on whether wolves were responsible for killing live- stock is not its responsibility. While Samuels was handy, ODFW Commissioner Bruce Buckmaster said the commission has heard allegations that wolf poaching has increased. “There certainly is poaching of wolves,” Samuels responded. He didn’t provide more details and the commission didn’t ask for any. Groups such as Oregon Wild, Cascadia Wildlands and Center for Biological Diver- sity maintain wolf poaching is on the rise. Another issue: Does the burden of Oregon’s wolf management approach weigh See WOLVES Page A16 House fi re dislodges Joseph family of fi ve By Steve Tool Wallowa County Chieftain A June 11 fi re in Joseph claimed the upper fl oor of a home and forced its fi ve occu- pants, including two adults and three children, to obtain shelter with the Red Cross. Joseph Fire Department received notice of a home fi re at 109 N. Mill St. 12:49 p.m. Sunday. Four engines from Joseph initially responded to the blaze. Joseph City Fire Depart- ment chief Jeff Wecks said that emergency personnel determined that all fi ve of the home’s occupants were out of the building. He judged that his department needed assis- tance fi ghting the fi re, and Enterprise Fire Department responded. Oregon State Police and Wallowa County Sheriff’s Offi ce responded as well. “It’s lucky that the fi re house is only a few blocks away,” Wecks said. “We were able to respond within minutes and keep the fi re contained to a second-fl oor bedroom and hallway.” Wecks added that much of the home suffered water damage. Fire crews stayed on the scene for four hours. The names of the home occupants had not been released prior to press dead- line. The cause of the blaze is under investigation. Joseph city council considers running waste transfer sites June 1 meeting has less fireworks By Steve Tool Wallowa County Chieftain With the impending July 1 closure of two county waste transfer facilities, Joseph City Council wrestled with the eventual impact on the community during a meeting June 1. The sites are located at the city’s public parking lot and just outside of the Joseph airport. Brian and Amanda Rahn of Rahn Sanitary Service offered to take over the airport site for the city contingent upon state approval for the transfer of the disposal permit, which requires letters of support from the city council and county commissioners. The Rahns also supplied a list of tentative pricing for the services and said it will run the transfer site one day a week for a year before reassessing with an eye toward whether it was economically feasible. The council unanimously approved the Rahn offer and has already submitted an approval letter for the state. Amanda Rhan said that depending on response time, it is possible that the city may not have a break in services at the airport site. Brewery brewing Randy Slinker has made a formal request for an Oregon Liquor Control Commission license for East Fork Brewery, which will occupy the old Mutiny Brewing building at 600 N. Main in Joseph. The new brewery is under the umbrella of Terminal Gravity Brewing in Enter- prise. Slinker made his request at the June 1 Joseph City Council meeting. During questioning from the council Slinker said that See JOSEPH Page A16