NEWS
Wallowa.com
Wednesday, July 3, 2019
B3
Woodlands & Watershed Festival provides fun time for all
By Ellen Morris Bishop
Wallow County Chieftain
The 15th annual 2019
Woodlands and Watershed
Festival brought fl ocks of
Wallowa County families to
the Wallowa County Fair-
grounds on Friday for an
educational and fun time.
The Festival featured live
music by Darrel Brann and
others, as well as a variety
of food concessions. This
year Wallowa Resources
combined with the Maxville
Heritage Interpretive Center
to include more information
about forestry and history in
the county. Maxville’s con-
tributions included historical
information about the Max-
ville community and their
baseball team as well as a
hearty “Loggers meal” that
included pork sliders, beans,
coleslaw and other fi xin’s
for a bargain price of $10.
Nez Perce Tribal Fisher-
ies brought plenty of infor-
mation about salmon, but
the most popular feature was
their fi shing pond, where
youngsters could catch a
rainbow trout—and take
it home for dinner. “It’s
FUN!” said Swade Shelter
as he caught his second fi sh
of the day. Younger children,
including Mia Dawson, 2
½, and Stella Terren, age 2,
landed fi sh with the help of
parents. They seemed torn
between fascination with the
shiny, brightly colored trout
and fear or concern that they
had hauled this wriggling,
live animal out of the water.
Oregon Department of
Fish and Wildlife brought
a variety of animal pelts,
including elk, cougar, and
sea otter for families to touch.
Their activity included a
quiz to identify the animal
that once wore each of them.
Oregon State Parks’ Patri-
cia Bass acquainted young-
sters with a compass (the
old-fashioned kind with a
needle that points to mag-
netic north). Forest Ser-
vice Wildland Firefi ghters
provided information and
Photos by Ellen Morris Bishop
U.S. Forest Service wilderness ranger Joe Whittle shows wild carrot root to a young future botanist at the Woodlands and Watershed festival.
activities that helped chil-
dren understand the risks of
fi re—and how to NOT get
one started. U.S.F.S. Wil-
derness Ranger Joe Whittle
connected visitors of all ages
with the variety of native
plants that grow in Wallowa
County, and their importance
as wild foods.
More than 25 local and
regional organizations par-
ticipated, providing oppor-
tunities for families to con-
nect with agencies and other
non-profi ts important to
communities in Wallowa
County.
LEFT Is that my fi sh? — A
young angler ponders the
trout that she caught with
a little help from Mom.
RIGHT East is that way! —
Oregon State Park Ranger
Patricia Bass helps a young
explorer learn how to use
an old-fashioned magnetic
(non-digital) compass.
A peek at the pollen problem
By Jessica Pollard
Staff Reporter
and not the semi-arid climate
that makes Eastern Oregon
look like a desert.
Pollen.com provides pol-
len information, but in the
form of predictive models
based off of meteorological
algorithms. A pollen count,
alternatively, reveals how
much pollen has been in the
air in recent days.
“When we look at pol-
len.com data with our data
side by side, they often don’t
agree,” said registered nurse
Judy Moran, who does the
pollen count at OAA.
Everyone on our three-person editorial
staff reports, takes photos, breaks
stories to the Web, and interacts with
our followers on social media.
Wallowa County offers exceptional
outdoor recreational opportunities and
boasts a thriving arts community, cattle
ranches, farms, a major tourism industry
and traditional small-town life where
there are no traffic lights.
Journalism degree and two years of
experience reporting in the Northwest
or a rural community preferred. This is a
rare opportunity to grow with a family
newspaper company that believes in
the value of community journalism.
Full time position offering insurances,
401(k) retirement plan and Paid Time
Off (PTO). Send cover letter, resume
and clips to hr@eomediagroup.com.
REPORTER
WANTED
EASTERN OREGON —
The region may have around
30 different plants every sum-
mer with high allergenic
potential, according to pollen-
library.com, but things could
be itchier.
In the Willamette Val-
ley, where — according to
the Oregon Seed Council
— 1,500 grass seed farmers
employ upwards of 10,000
Oregonians, sneezes abound.
So maybe it makes sense that
the only certifi ed pollen count
system is monitored by the
Oregon Allergy Associates in
Eugene.
Some people in that area,
Dr. Kraig Jacobson of OAA
said, see July 4 as a day of
independence from grass
allergies, because that’s when
the pollen count begins to die
down.
Eastern Oregon does have
some grass pollen as well.
“There’s a lot less in [here]
than there is on the west side,”
said Jacobson.
That being said, some
plants like sagebrush, juniper,
ragweed and wheat can cause
allergies in the region. Nearby
the Columbia River, Jacob-
son noted, pollen from birch,
alder and cottonwood trees
can also provoke allergies.
For those who are sensi-
tive to pollen in Eastern Ore-
gon, it might be hard to fi nd
an accurate pollen count. The
OAA’s count is only represen-
tative of Eugene’s warm-sum-
mer Mediterranean climate,
The Wallowa County Chieftain,
an aggressive weekly in the incredible
scenic northeastern corner of Oregon,
has an opening for a reporter equally
at home covering hard news, sports and
writing features and service pieces.