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About Wallowa County chieftain. (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Or.) 1943-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 30, 2017)
A8 News wallowa.com August 30, 2017 Wallowa County Chieftain DRAGONS Continued from Page A1 women setting a team record of 2:34.91 in the 500-meter race. In the end, they swaggered away weighed down with three silver medals: Women’s 500-meter, Women’s Slalom, and Women’s cumulative time (adding best run from the 250- meter, best run from the slalom and the total of all three 500- meter runs). Great steering by Sla- lom Tiller Max Linn and an amazing “competition kick” in the very last race of the event shaved six seconds off the Wallowa County wom- ens team’s earlier best slalom time — not only giving them the silver in the slalom, but pushing them into the com- bined time medals. Top com- bined times for the Women’s Division were 9:53 for Wasabi Women, 10:33 for the Dragons in the Wallowas and 10:58 for the Sirens. The gold medals in the women’s division went to Wasabi Women of Portland for combined times, 500-meter time and Slalom. Third place bronze in the women’s division went to the Portland Sirens. The Dragons in the Wal- lowas mixed team fi nished just out of the medals in fourth with a top time in the 500- meter race of 2:31:33. The fastest mixed team, arguably one of the best teams in Port- land, the Wasabi Fury fi nished PROJECT Continued from Page A1 opportunity for employment and revenue for the county and its citizens. The project generally stretches from near the Pole Bridge Campground and up to the Two Pan Campground at the end of the Lostine River Paul Wahl/Chieftain Julia Zeise high fives a com- petitor as the Dragons in the Wallowas mixed team exits the water during the second annual Seven Wonders Cup Dragon Boat Races on Wal- lowa Lake on Aug. 19. more than 70 years old. Special awards went to Satina Smith of Wasabi Fury Ellen Bishop/Special to the Chieftain as Best Tiller, Corky Lai of Members of the Dragons in the Wallowas Paddling Club celebrate after two days of competition on Wallowa Lake this past Wasabi Grand Masters for week. Not pictured: Kathleen Ellyn. Best Coaching, and Most Improved Team went to the Portland Misfits — who, like the Dragons in their first year on Wallowa Lake, improved their times nearly every out. The Dragons on the Wal- lowas enjoyed the cheers of an enthusiastic fan section and Ellen Bishop/Special to the Chieftain received a gift of a big plushy The Dragons in the Wallowas mixed team gets off to a fast dragon mascot from one avid start against archrival The Wasabi Grand Masters at the sec- fan. Paul Wahl/Chieftain Caller Amy Gulzow had an extremely busy weekend as the ond annual Seven Wonders Cup Dragon Boat Races on Wal- “I want to thank everybody team leader for the Wallowa Dragons dragonboat racing lowa Lake on Aug. 19. who made this thing grow to team. Here she takes out the womens team during the sec- what it is now,” said organizer ond annual Seven Wonders Cup Dragon Boat Races on Wal- Two Masters teams from 55 years and older — some- Mike Lockhart. “There were lowa Lake on Aug. 19. Portland were welcomed to the thing some team members at least four people from every county for the event: Wasabi from The Dragons in the Wal- team who came to me with the 500 with a time of 2:12:66. the Castaways, and the Fire Grand Masters and the Golden lowas look at with interest, compliments on how our race The top three mixed team Breathing Blowfi sh (all of Dragon Masters. All team given that many on the team was run. The word ‘fun’ came awards went to Wasabi Fury, Portland). members on these teams are are more than 55 and two are up many times.” Road. The project is divided into 23 sections of varying for- est treatments on nearly 2,100 acres along the 11 miles of cor- ridor road. The treatment area is a thin ribbon of projects as the river road is virtually sur- rounded by wilderness, and the river itself received Wild and Scenic designation in the 90s, which infl uenced some of the project treatments. Because of the lawsuit, the USFS, the Oregon Department of Forestry and the Nez Perce tribe can’t or won’t comment. “I’ve seen and heard a lot of misconceptions about the project,” said Paul Survis, who is retired from the Forest Ser- vice and is the project’s initi- ator. “Someone told me they thought there would be 20 clear cut corridors that would go from the river up to the ridge. It’s not true.” Survis noted that of the 450 acres selected for treat- ment near campgrounds and trailheads, only 18 acres are subject to heavy treatments such as patch cuts and group selects, The remainder of the work is understory thinning. He also noted that historical photos of the area and eco- logical research indicate the LOSTINE CORRIDOR PUBLIC SAFETY PROJECT SCOPE OF WORK • Removal of hazard/danger trees that pose a risk to people traveling within the corridor, historical sites, and infrastructure. • Creation (through removal of vegetation) of defensible space around identified historical areas (ex. Lostine Guard Station). • Remove fuels to increase canopy spacing and decrease both ground and ladder fuels and to decrease the risk of potential high intensity wildfires. • Thin dense forest stands to improve forest health and resilience to insects, disease and wildfire. SOURCE: U.S. FOREST SERVICE area once had more meadows and was not nearly as dense as today’s stands, which he attributed to fi re suppression and a lack of timber harvest. Ultimately, the most con- troversial area of the project will leave anywhere from 120- 160 square-feet of basal resid- ual area in place after treat- ment. Basal area is land that is occupied by the cross-sec- tion of tree trunks and stems at the base. “This is a small, selective harvest operation –– very dif- ferent than a large scale indus- trial approach,” he said. Nils Christoffersen, exec- utive director of Wallowa Resources, notes that until recently, data was uncertain as to the effi cacy of fi re miti- gation treatment such as resil- iency and fuel reduction thin- ning. However, he maintains, the latest scientifi c analy- sis shows that in many cases, the treatments can reduce the severity as well as the speed with which wildfi res cover ground. He added that fi re is a great danger both to humans, animals and the landscape itself. He added that the corridor has been designated at extreme fi re risk by Westside Risk Assessment Data as well as the community wildfi re plan. “There’s an ecological need to address that risk; more importantly, there is a pub- lic safety risk should wildfi re break out in primary fi re sea- son,” he said. “This project is an important step forward in that regard.” Noting concerns about salmon habitat in the river, Christoffersen noted that the project is being handled by the guidelines of the river’s Wild and Scenic River Plan and also went under thorough examina- tion by Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife as well as U.S. Fish and Wildlife and also National Oceanic and Atmo- spheric Administration Fish- eries. He also mentioned that the Nez Perce tribe, which has both fi shery and cultural inter- ests in the corridor, have not fi led a suit against the proj- ect and remain in communi- cation with the agency over the project. In the end, Christoffersen said he believes the Forest Service was doing what it could to try to placate the peo- ple and entities involved. “The forest service is try- ing to balance the sensitivities or social trade-offs between achieving the public safety goal but recognizing that a lot of the public today fi nds that the landscape has aesthetic, recreational or spiritual val- ues. It’s a diffi cult balance to strike.” EARLY DEADLINE BARGAINS OF THE MONTH ® BARGAINS MONTH While supplies last. 10.99 Gal. Antifreeze/Coolant H 363 507 F6 M-F 8AM-6PM • SAT 8AM-5PM • SUN 9AM-3PM Sale Ends 9/30/17 e Chieftain office will be CLOSED Monday Sept. 4 for Labor Day. To reserve space in our Sept. 6 edition, the deadline is 5pm Thursday, Aug. 31st Contact Jennifer for more information 541-426-4567 ~ www.jpowell@wallowa.com
