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About Wallowa County chieftain. (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Or.) 1943-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 18, 2017)
A8 News wallowa.com By Kathleen Ellyn Wallowa County Chieftain Kathleen Ellyn/Chieftain The beautifully kept Triple Creek Ranch octagonal barn on Tucker Down Road in Joseph. force preservation carpen- ter. “Tight grain old growth Doug fi r beams are not going to fail in our lifetime if they are kept dry.” A preservation contractor can help barn owners cre- ate a prioritized list, which is also essential to keep bid- ders on task and on plan. The preservation tool- kit is available online at restoreoregon.org. Many barn owners also want to see the original architectural plans of their barn. Although the bulk of barns were designed by itinerant barn builders and architects, barn plans may also be standard Sears, Montgomery Wards, lum- beryard plan services and Extension Offi ces plans, some of which can still be found. Although all attendees were interested in funding sources, few were counting on grants, which is a good thing; other states support barn restoration with mil- lions of dollars, Oregon has few and small grants avail- able. Nevertheless, going after restoration money was explored and for those inter- ested, seeking partnerships with city or county pro- grams was emphasized. Lack of state and federal support will not deter most Eastern Oregon barn-own- ers, who were restoring their barns for their own reasons: historical value, pride of place, family pride, establish- ing a legacy or to put a valu- able asset back in production as part of the farm. “The benefi ts to the barn owner and the community are multiple,” said Peggy Moretti, Executive Direc- tor of Restore Oregon. “Not only do revitalized histori- cal building attract heritage tourists, they are part of what makes a community livable and foster a sense of commu- nity and pride.” In Wallowa County, barn owners are able to work with the same agricultural “tools” their grandparents used, maintaining their tie to their family history through their barns. The workshop was pre- sented by Restore Oregon in partnership with the East- ern Oregon Visitors Asso- ciation, Oregon State Uni- versity Extension, Wallowa County Chamber of Com- merce, Wallowa County Grain Growers, and Baker County Tourism. Information has been collected for the Wallowa County Barn Tour Book III to be published in 2018, and the Northeast Oregon Agri- tourism Committee of East- ern Oregon Visitors Associa- tion has submitted a grant to Travel Oregon to pay for the printing. WALLOWA COUNTY Health Line 519 W. North Street, Enterprise 541.426.3413 Mon-Thurs 9 to Noon/1-5pm; Fri. 9-1 Keycode Entry Weight Room • Cardio Women’s Circuit • Tanning 202 W. Main, Enterprise 541-426-0313 LEARN HOW TO KEEP THE FARM IN YOUR FAMILY. Transitioning your family farm or ranch to the next generation can be overwhelming without a solid plan in place. Learn the key components that you need to know now to make sure your farm stays in the family! Call us toll-free now to reserve a place at your preferred location and time. Family members and guests are welcome but space is limited. CALL TO SCHEDULE YOUR RESERVATION! 541-728-0873 LA GRANDE, OR ENTERPRISE, OR WEDNESDAY, OCT. 25TH 6:30 PM TEN DEPOT STREET 10 DEPOT STREET THURSDAY, OCT, 26TH 6:30 PM WILDERNESS INN 301 W. NORTH STREET During the workshop, you will learn . . . ■ How to minimize the impact of inheritance and death taxes on a family farm or ranch. ■ About solutions to challenges that are unique to farmers and ranchers. Wallowa County Chieftain Outdoor School will be receiving state funding BARNS Continued from Page A1 tectural style so you can talk about it with craftsmen, how to plan a long-term resto- ration and even where fund- ing might be found to help with restoration. Dick and Jan Boucher were surprised at what they learned about the style of their barn and are now enthused about learning more — including more about their granary, which may be of even more historic interest. “I think it may be the most interesting of the build- ings,” said Jan. “I’m told it may have had a milling wheel called a Pelican wheel and that may still be buried down there in the mud. I don’t even know what a Pelican wheel is.” “We’re interested in the barns in the county and see- ing them preserved,” said Dick. “We’ve tried to keep our barn up, but we’re not in a position to think of (repur- posing it as) a bed and break- fast or anything like that.” Many barn owners have created wedding venues. A barn is often a repurpose rather than a returning-to-mu- seum-quality project. “We’re not trying to freeze something in amber,” said Peggy Moretti, Executive Director of Restore Oregon. “It’s about activity and more about moving forward than looking back.” For that reason, barn own- ers are encouraged to look “outside the box” for ideas to preserve and repurpose their barns in ways that contrib- ute to their bottom line. Some have had success turning their barns into venues for events, such as the Nancy Kno- ble’s Blue Barn Farm outside Joseph. Others have put their barns back into agricultural use with a few interior modifi ca- tions. The Bouchers removed the center rafters in their 1914 barn to allow a hay truck to back in some years ago. They then installed cables and turnbuckles to help the new higher rafters do their job of holding the barn together. Now that they don’t use the barn for hay storage, they could return it to the original loft if they chose. Though restoration work can be expensive, it is gener- ally less costly than building a new barn. And many families choose to restore their barn in phases to limit initial outlay. “Barns are pretty adapt- able buildings,” said Aaron Smith, Heritage Farm Task- October 18, 2017 ■ What mistakes your neighbors are making that you can avoid. ■ How to preserve and protect your assets for the next generation. ■ How to equitably transfer assets to both your farming and non-farming beneficiaries, and much more! www.farmerstockmaninsurance.com FINANCIAL SERVICES FOR FARMERS AND RANCHERS ESTATE PLANNING | WEATH PRESERVATION AND TRANSFER ANNUITIES | LIFE & LONG TERM CARE INSURANCE | MEDICARE SUPPLIMENT, CANCER AND ACCIDENT INSURANCE Students in fourth through sixth grade across Wallowa County are enjoying four days of Out- door School this year. What’s different about it is that for the fi rst time, the program is being substantially supported by state money through Measure 99. Thanks to a historic partnership with Wal- lowa Resources, Wallowa County schools have enjoyed Outdoor School uninterrupted since 2005. Students benefi ted from the Outdoor Wal- lowa Learning program and Wallowa Resources also expanded the age group of students served to include fourth grade. Wallowa Resources is con- tinuing to use its own grant funds from various family foundations to pay for 4th grade students. How much the three districts, who applied jointly for the state funding, will receive won’t be known until December, according to state offi - cials. Applications are due by Nov. 14. “We anticipate the review process will take two to three weeks and will be followed by noti- fi cations to each applicant regarding their specifi c award amounts, which will be based on their esti- mated number of participants,” said Kristopher M. Elliott, Outdoor School Program Leader for Oregon Department of Education. “The fi nal dol- lar amount will be funded at the completion of each school’s program and a fi nal report, which will include the actual numbers, dictating the actual funding.” Measure 99 mandates spending up to $22 mil- lion from the state lottery Economic Develop- ment Fund for roughly 50,000 students Voters approved the measure in 2016. Prior to passage, participation in Outdoor School varied by district. Programs were popular in the ‘50s, but by 2016, around half of districts had dropped it due to budget constraints. SMOOTHIES Continued from Page A1 so the district can have equip- ment or whatever they need,” Bloom said. A new drinking fountain and water bottle refi ll stations were also purchased with grant money as well as funds from Soroptimist International. This grant was part of a FuelUp2Play60 request to the Oregon Dairy and Nutrition Council in Portland. “The kids like the smooth- ies because they taste good,” Bloom said. “Parents and teach- ers like them, I think, because the kids get in an extra serving of fruits and vegetables with- out even really knowing they are eating something healthy for them.” The smoothie machine is pressed into action several days each week primarily for break- fast and occasionally for lunch. DeVore, who has been with the district four years but has nearly two decades of experi- ence as school cook, mixes the fruit or veggie of the day with Kathleen Ellyn/Chieftain Maddex Kendall, 10, and Chance Pen- da-ruis,12, prepare to take notes for their na- ture journals at the OWL Outdoor School for Wallowa School District. In the Wallowa County version, groups of students learn about plant communities, mac- roinvertebrates, river structure, riparian vegeta- tion, grassland and juniper landscapes and sense of place. Students create nature journals record- ing scientifi c, mathematical measurements and observations as well as considering the interac- tion of humans in the landscape. Organizers say by learning more about the careers and journals of famous naturalists, con- servationists and activists such as John Muir and Terry Tempest Williams, they are able to put the value of nature journals into perspective and see how they are important to larger work in various fi elds. Wallowa County residents approved the measure overwhelmingly, 2,307-1,888. High approval rates in western counties drove the per- centage of approval statewide to 66.6 percent. Wallowa and Enterprise students have already had their Outdoor School this session fall; Joseph Charter will hold spring sessions. Elliott said all three districts would be eligible for funding this year. a product known as YoCream, produced by Dannon. It’s mostly nonfat milk but also has live and active cultures like yogurt. “Just about anything will work,” said DeVore, who has regularly used berries, oranges, pears, pineapple and even gra- ham crackers. Kale produced an appropriately green concoc- tion that students eyed warily before imbibing. Bloom said the Popeye Power Smoothie –– made with spinach, of course –– adds pine- apple, orange juice or a banana to the mix as a disguise. A gallon and a half of mix- ture makes 40 four-ounce servings, which is what ele- mentary students receive. High schoolers get sev- en-ounce servings. Any leftovers are frozen for later consumption. Imbler schools have also discovered smoothies are a hit. “Our goal was to entice more secondary students to eat breakfast,” said Imbler Supt. of Schools Angie Lakey-Camp- bell. “We believe smoothies provide them with a quick easy breakfast that they can eat on the go if they need to.” It’s also economical. “It allows us to use prod- ucts in our school lunch pro- gram that we would otherwise fi nd diffi cult to use,” she said. “For example, we serve frozen strawberries in our salad bar. When the berries thaw, there is a great deal of juice that comes with them. The juice works great as part of the smoothie mix.” Besides the obvious nutri- tional value, Uptmor said he likes the smoothies because they’re fun. “That’s kind of been a theme for us this year,” he said. “It’s a bit of a departure in the way things are normally done and the staff, teachers and stu- dents have accepted it well.” Wallowa spends around $113,000 annually for food service. There are nearly 200 students enrolled in k-12. Upt- mor said not all students take part in the hot lunch program. Meals often include freshly baked bread. Much of the funding is from federal and state coffers.