SPRING FLING
EAGLE CAP SHOOTERS HOST FAMILY FUN
EVENT WITH GAMES AND PRIZES JUNE 15
AT THEIR RANGE ON ANT FLAT ROAD | A9
Enterprise, Oregon
Wallowa.com
134th Year, No. 8
Wednesday, June 5, 2019
$1
EPA to remove toxic herbicide barrels from Wallowa Lake
By Ellen Morris Bishop
Wallowa County Chieftain
A Blue Mountain Divers
SCUBA diver examines a
55-gallon drum labeled 2,4-
D found in waters off the
Marina at Wallowa Lake State
Park. The EPA is planning to
remove the barrels, including
a number of 100 gallon drums
with similar labels, from the
lake later this year. To date, no
traces of the herbicide have
been detected in the water of
Wallowa Lake, or in Joseph’s
drinking water, which comes
from the lake.
In August of 2018, Lisa Anderson and
William Lambert were SCUBA diving in the
south end Wallowa Lake just off the Marina
where the water deepens abruptly. They are
members of Blue Mountain Divers, a non-
profi t SCUBA diving organization that
seeks to fi nd, recover, and preserve historic
and archeological objects that are now at
the bottoms of lakes and rivers. Working at
depths of 50-120 feet, where the water deep-
ens abruptly just north of the marina, they
found a metal milk jug, and a couple of other
things. Then they saw the barrels.
They bore labels that said ‘2,4-D or
2,4,5-T WEED KILLER.’
“There were about twenty-fi ve 55 gal-
lon drums, and a dozen bigger 100 gallon
barrels,” said Blue Mountain Divers diver
Lisa Anderson. “It looked as though they
had been there for awhile—ten, 20 years or
more. The smaller drums were corroded, and
whatever was in them had probably already
leaked out. But the big ones were sturdier.
They seemed to be intact.”
Lambert and Anderson ended their dive,
See Toxic, Page A7
GRADUATION 2019
HATS OFF!
Steve Tool
Joseph Charter School seniors fl ing hats in the air to celebrate their graduation.
Joseph Charter School
graduates 15 seniors
By Ellen Morris Bishop
Wallowa County Chieftain
Fifteen seniors tossed their caps in
the air on Friday evening, May 31, to
celebrate their graduation from Joseph
Charter School. “It is an outstanding
class,” said principal Sherri
Kilgore. “Three valedicto-
rians, each with a perfect
4.0 grade point average.
Our Salutatorian had a 3.91
GPA. And the top ten stu-
dents all had GPAs above
3.71” The Class of 2019’s
remarkable records extend
to things beyond academic brilliance.
The 15 students amassed a cumulative
total of only 5 (fi ve) referrals to the
offi ce in their entire four years of high
school. “It was mostly for things like
being tardy in the morning,” Kilgore
said. “Throughout their years here, all
the kids in this class were just great
people.”
Virtually all of the students will
move on to the next level of edu-
cation. The class of 2019 garnered
more than $595,000 in scholarships
and academic awards. Some exam-
ples include: Valedictorian
Natalie Gorham earned a
four-year scholarship of
$24,800 per year to Gon-
zaga University. Co-Vale-
dictorian Kana Oliver was
awarded a four-year schol-
arship for $31,000 per year
to the College of Idaho, and
co-valedictorian and golf sensation
Victoria Suto is headed for the col-
lege of St. Mary on athletic and aca-
demic scholarships totalling $18,000
per year.
See Joseph grads, Page A8
Ellen Morris Bishop
Happy Wallowa High School graduates lead the class of 2019 into the world that
awaits.
Wallowa High School
graduates 19 seniors
By Ellen Morris Bishop
Wallowa County Chieftain
T
wo-by-two, a total of nine-
teen seniors walked to their
graduation stage on Saturday
morning, as a bevy of local musicians
played the traditional Pomp
and Circumstance march.
After the ceremony they
would be bound for diverse
futures, including heavy
equipment operator, secu-
rity and protective services,
rangeland
management,
agriculture, civil engineer-
ing, medical school, and teaching. The
talented Class of 2019 earned a total
of 295 credit hours of college cred-
its while still in high school, and gar-
nered $321,500 in scholarships, fi nan-
cial assistance, and awards to support
their future plans. “Local scholar-
ships and sources provided most of
those funds,” said school counselor
Dr. Dawn Crow. “The seniors and all
of us are very grateful for the Wallowa
County community.”
High School principal David
Howe offered parting words to the
seniors: “Think about what
you deserve. ‘Deserves’
has everything to do with
your future. Life does not
respond to what you need
or want. It responds to what
you deserve through effort,
hard work, thought and
thoughtfulness, and how
you navigate obstacles.”
Co-Valedictorians Riley Ferre’
and Rylee Goller reminisced about
the best, funniest, and most interest-
ing times experienced throughout
See Wallowa grads, Page A8
The other
farmer’s market
Lower Valley Farmer’s Market in
Wallowa off ers local produce,
meats, and many other things
By Ellen Morris Bishop
Wallowa County Chieftain
There is another Farmer’s
Market in Wallowa County.
Tucked away in Wallowa’s
Telephone Building you’ll
fi nd fresh, locally grown
produce and a treasure-trove
of local foods, art, and beau-
tiful, handcrafted items from
local artisans. Run by a core
group of eight dedicated vol-
unteers, the Lower Valley
Farmer’s Market is open on
Friday, noon to 6 p.m. and
Saturday and Sunday from
10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Deb Reth started the
Lower Valley Farmer’s Mar-
ket as a traditional outdoor
market, replete with kiosks
and canopies, about six
years ago. “I remembered
Ellen Morris Bishop
See Other market, Page A8
Volunteer Cathy Mullins arranges fl owers in the Lower Valley Farmer’s Market. The market
off ers a wide variety of locally produced foods and artisan wares.