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About Wallowa County chieftain. (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Or.) 1943-current | View Entire Issue (March 13, 2019)
OUTDOORS Wallowa.com Wednesday, March 13, 2019 A9 Oh, what a beautiful morning sunrise Oh what a beautiful morning. No one gets the kind of sunrises we get here in Wallowa County. Taken from the foot of Mt. Joseph on March 12. FISHING REPORT Prolonged winter affects local fishing habits By Steve Tool Wallowa County Chieftain Steve Tool/Chieftain It’s not often you see Ferguson Ridge Ski Area opened in the middle of the week, but these Joseph Charter School kids are enjoying their annual “Ski Day,” which is a part of PE class. The event took place on Wednesday, March 6. Brad Snook, owner of the Sports Corral in Joseph, said the month of February was slow for fish- ing because of the inclem- ent weather. “Now we’ve got all the weather we were supposed to get earlier in the winter,” Snook said. The store owner noted that the cold weather of late has allowed for ice fishing at the head, aka the south end, of the lake, but he wasn’t sure how long it would last because of gradually increasing temperatures. Snook also said that during a recent trip toward Big Canyon he saw a number of fisherman on the Wallowa River hav- ing some success with steelhead. The Oregon Depart- ment of Fish and Wildlife reports that trout and steel- head fishing is slow on the Imnaha River but ice fish- ers at Kinney Lake report good trout fishing. Wallowa Lake kokanee and trout are on the menu if ice fishing is possible. The Wallowa River has a small amount of steel- head with results to match although trout and white- fish are in supply away from typical steelhead holes. Joseph Charter School hit the slopes for its annual ski day By Steve Tool Wallowa County Chieftain Tuesday, March 6, wasn’t a holiday, but Joseph Charter School harbored a suspicious number of empty desks. That’s because it was the school’s annual ski day. About 56 students in grades 7-12 participated in the event, which is spon- sored by the school’s FFA chapter. The holiday takes place at Ferguson Ridge Ski Area. There, students spent the day cavorting on snow- boards and skis or spent time learning to do so. FFA advisor, Toby Koehn, said that as spon- sors, the group takes on the prospect of feeding all the students and volunteers that make the event possible. Physical Education teacher and basketball coach, Olan Fulfer, inte- grates the event into his classes. He likes the fact that students have a chance to learn to ski or snow- board, which they may not do outside of school. Joseph teams net Les Schwab award By Steve Tool Wallowa County Chieftain As if Joseph Char- ter School athletes don’t have enough to be proud of their win- ter sports accomplish- ments, they now have another feather to install in their cap: The Joseph boys bas- ketball team won the Les Schwab 1A Team of the Month award for the month of February. The award includes a trophy and a $100 check for sports programs. The award is chosen monthly and is based on a combination of per- formance, dedication in the classroom and ser- vice to the community. Fulfer said that he appre- ciated the ski area and its volunteers who do an amaz- ing job working with the students and show much patience and caring. He added that he’d like to have an additional ski day sched- uled because of the event’s success and because of its benefits. “It is a life long fitness sport which is something that we are always trying to promote,” Fulfer said. “It helps school morale also and gives the students something to look forward to and something else they can say was a highlight for school.” Joseph senior, Steven Beckman, is a big fan of Ski Day. “It is definitely some- thing that a lot of kids in my school look forward too,” he said. “Kids will work hard all quarter to keep their grades up just so they can go ski at for the day. It also is just a good day for all the kids to just go out and have fun.” Steve Tool/Chieftain Current conditions allow for ice fishing at the south end (head) of Wallowa Lake. Sporting with canines course offered By Ellen Morris Bishop Wallowa County Chieftain Want to have some fun with your dog while learn- ing and teaching new skills? Enterprise resident Lola Johnson is offering a 6-week course in Canine Scent Work, beginning March 16. Johnson started a Scentwork (aka Nosework) club here last year, and is offering a six-week course to build skills in both dogs and handlers, with an eye to starting competitions some- day. The classes will meet from noon to 1:30 p.m. each Saturday, March 16 – April 20. Canine Nose Work is a sport for dogs of any age, size, or breed, mixed breeds included) and their own- ers. Dogs learn how to search for a specific odor or odors and find the source. Dogs start by searching for their favorite food or toy reward hidden in a variety of environments, increas- ing the challenges and add- ing new search skills as the dog progresses. The sport has become international, with Nose Work competi- tions and clubs across the U.S. and international com- petitions in Australia and Europe. “I’m excited to offi- cially start teaching this 6 week course on Intro to Nosework,” Johnson said. “The classes will introduce the concept of the game, build handler observation skills and timing and get the dog focused. The foun- dation steps are critical to the development of a strong handler/dog team. But most of all, I want this to be fun for the dog and fun for you.” Benefits of Canine Nose Work include: no prior training, including obedi- ence training, is needed. Shy or fearful dogs build confidence and have fun, too, and dogs get lots of physical and mental exer- cise, while building stron- ger bonds with their owners. For information, or to register, contact Johnson at (503) 351-9867.
