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About Wallowa County chieftain. (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Or.) 1943-current | View Entire Issue (April 3, 2019)
NEWS Wallowa.com Wednesday, April 3, 2019 A9 Planning Commission: Vote leaves trail decision open to appeal Continued from Page A1 Gary and Vicky Marks /Capital Press A cow gave birth to triplet calves on a northeastern Oregon ranch recently. The odds of having triplets are 1 in 105,000. Triplets: A rare occurrence among cattle Continued from Page A1 Marks said the calves weighed about 50 pounds at birth, but appear to be healthy and doing well. A typ- ical calf weighs 85 pounds at birth. Two of the calves had to be fed with stomach tubes right after they were born, Marks said, though they are now all nursing. “They’re so little, I think they’re getting enough milk out of her now,” Marks said of the mother cow. Marks said they plan to sell two of the calves after a week or so, since the mother likely cannot support more than one on her own. “When they’re little like that right off the get-go, it’s hard to get them up to weight,” he said. Wallowa County Chieftain editor, Christian Ambroson contributed to the substance of this article Friendship: A tribute to its life-changing power Continued from Page A1 me of Cesar Chavez’s belief that “we draw our strength from the very despair in which we have been forced to live. We shall endure.” Lance’s story is one of optimism and loy- alty; he was always one to prop others up. The one to give the right advice at the right time. Even if we disagreed on some- thing important, if he saw me stray he would pull me right back to where he knew I wanted to be. Please don’t misun- derstand. This isn’t a sad story. Filled with joy, I am so pleased to announce that Mikey Gamboa and his wonderful partner Amanda Smith just gave birth to a son... To Lance James Gamboa! Little does he know, Lance James will never want for anything that I or the others are able to give. Little does he know, how truly loved he is. My high school friend will always live on inside me. Inside each of us. And Lance James will forever give us hope. Mikey and Amanda will unquestion- ably raise Lance James to understand what made his “uncle” Lance so unique. And the rest of us “uncles” will always cher- ish the opportunity to share stories of young Lance James’s name- sake. We will tell him of Lance’s humor and love of life. We will regale him with stories of his strength and intelligence. I personally will pass on Lance’s remarkable compassion: the very same that he showed me, a new kid in town strug- gling to fi t in. And because I fi nd truth and inspiration through the wisdom of others, I’m reminded of the words of Eleanor Roo- sevelt, who, apt to this column once said: “Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart.” I am so blessed. The chairperson also compared the prospect of the trail to problems with wolves as far as adversely affecting ranching prac- tices and said that the cul- ture of agriculture is what brings visitors to Wallowa County. “We need to pro- tect what makes us unique, and that’s the culture of agriculture, and that’s farming and ranching,” she said. Phillips added that she wasn’t sure if the com- mission should have voted without legal counsel. With no direction from former planning department head, Harold Black, an attorney, or Goebel, Phillips said that confusion ensued about whether the record from that meeting was left open for further testimony, even though the commission did in fact opt to voted to deny the JBTC’s application at the end of the hearing. Phillips said she was concerned the very night of the meeting and the next day on whether the com- mittee should have taken a vote because she believed the vote negated the appli- cants’ right to submit new information. Changing tunes on the notion that everyone should be heard, “I should have disallowed most of the testimony in favor (of the trail),” Phillips said. She noted what she called the redundancy of much of the pro-trail letters and tes- timony as it cited health benefi ts. Those in atten- dance at the February meet- ing can attest that anyone who wanted to testify on either side was given the opportunity. Phillips wrapped up sug- gesting that she wasn’t sure if the commission should vote to disprove the previ- ous month’s fi ndings and offered other commission members a chance to com- ment; only after again add- ing that she wasn’t sure if the commission should have voted without legal counsel in February. Once open for comment, confusion ensued as com- mission members talked over one another more than a few times as each seemed to try to fully understand and clarify what procedur- ally was in front of them. One commission mem- ber stated that perhaps the record should be open because these decisions should be determined by facts. It’s unclear whether the suggestion was that the Feb. 26 decision was not factually based or whether the commission voted pre- maturely while knowing there were more facts to be heard. The commission voted in February regard- less of the interpretation. A commission member reminded Phillips that the group was also examin- ing the trail conditional use permit, not just EFU zon- ing itself. Phillips replied she was talking about peo- ple testifying about health benefi ts, not land use. Commission member Georgene Henson pointed out the concern that if the record were left open for additional comments, the trail groups would have no time to exercise its legal right appeal the February 26 decision. Gay Fregulia, commis- sion member, echoed Phil- lips and said that she too was confused about the fur- ther testimony and whether the record was left open after the vote. Commission member Kim Tippet made a motion to accept the commission fi ndings of the previous month without reopening the record, which member Jim Nave seconded. Phillips again said that without legal counsel pres- ent, she wasn’t sure if it was fair to leave out the three people who requested the record remain open. However, Rob DeSpain reminded everyone a motion was on the fl oor, and the commission voted. It passed 5-2 with Phil- lips and Fregulia in the minority voting against the motion. The resulting vote accepted the reasoning behind the Feb. 26 denial, thus allowing the JBTC to appeal to the Wallowa County Commissioners. Nez Perce: Purchase for conservation easement expected to be completed this year Continued from Page A1 The ten acres of the pro- jected easement, mostly on Lodge property, surrounds the Lodge. The easement will include the braided stream system where the Wallowa River enters Wal- lowa Lake, riparian wetland areas east and west of the Lodge building, and small river channels between the Lodge and the present main Wallowa River chan- nel. While the Lodge was built on relatively high, gravelly ground, the area in the conservation easement has remained in its natural state. Only one trail, infor- mal and unmarked, leads through the area. Native willows, gooseberry, elder- berries, currents, water ‘IT’S THE RIGHT THING FOR US TO MANAGE IT AND THE RIGHT THING OF OREGON CITIZENS TO ALLOW THAT.’ Ann McCormack, project manager for the Nez Perce Tribe Ellen Morris Bishop Kokanee look for the perfect place to spawn in one of the Wallowa River’s quiet side-channels adjacent to Wallowa Lake Lodge. birch and other plants pro- vide cover and forage for songbirds, small mammals and deer. Kokanee spawn in “We took our daughter to Dr. Allen on several occasions, and we were extremely happy with the care we received…” the calm channels here, as returning sockeye once did in vast numbers. The Nez Perce consider this beau- the easement about a year ago, after they had devel- oped a preliminary plan outlining its benefi ts and options for management, and had preliminary meet- ings with potential funders. “Our goal has always been to complete fundraising and the purchase of the by June, 2019,” said McCormack. Once purchased, the Nez Perce Tribe will hold and monitor the easement … “in perpetuity to preserve, pro- tect and enhance the pre- BAYDON MENTON Joseph Charter School 541-426-7900 Gus Ramsde es n to the week honor go This week’s athlete of t, Gus Ramsden. The studen Wallowa High School ar on the varsity squad. th ur fo ye WHS senior is in his n status, coach JR Collier said ra As befitting his vete ly a presence on the mound on t role as that Ramsden is no x, but in a leadership ers. bo s er tt ba e th in d an unger play well, especially for yo oudly Proudly sponsored by Mountain View Medical Group 603 Medical Parkway We treat you like family 601 Medical Parkway, Enterprise, OR 97828 • 541-426-3111 • www.wchcd.org Wallowa Memorial Hospital is a equal opportunity mployer and provider The Student of the Week is chosen for academic achievement and community involvement. Students are selected by the administrators of their respective schools. Local Money Working For Local People Pr onsore d b y p S 201 E. Hwy 82, Enterprise • 541-426-0320 www.edstaub.com WEEK Call Dr. Allen to schedule your appointment today! Bayden Menton is the inquisitive, forward thinking, insightful son of Coby Menton and Deve Wolfe. He is a freshman at Joseph Charter School where he maintains a 4.0 gpa, is a member of FCCLA and FFA, and serves as class Vice-President. Bayden is an up and coming Cross Country and Track distance runner. The staff and administration would like to congratulate Bayden for his well-rounded contributions to our school and we can’t wait to see what his future holds. OF THE Dr. Allen is a family practice physician and doctor of osteopathic medicine. ATHLETE STUDENT of the WEEK -Enterprise Mom (next to Wallowa Memorial Hospital) Enterprise, Oregon 97828 tiful and bounteous land- scape a sacred place. Ann McCormack, proj- ect manager for the Nez Perce Tribe, noted that with- out the permanent protection of a conservation easement, this wildland lakeshore area would be at high risk for development, should the lodge be sold into another owner. Excessive human use would also imperil its eco- logical and cultural value. The Tribe began actively seeking funding to purchase cious natural resources of the Nimiipuu.” “It will give us a sense of both ownership and respon- sibility that we have always maintained,” she said. “It’s the right thing for us to man- age it and the right thing of Oregon citizens to allow that. Now when I take my grandchildren to (Old Joseph’s) cemetery we can go to the (south) side of the lake and we can see our her- itage there, too.” McCormack is optimistic about the new, soon-to-be conservation easement, and credited the Lodge owner- ship, Eastern Oregon Leg- acy Lands, and Oregon State Parks as supportive partners that helped make it happen. “This is a beginning, not an end,” she said.
