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About Wallowa County chieftain. (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Or.) 1943-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 14, 2019)
NORTHWEST Wallowa.com Wednesday, August 14, 2019 Wallowa Lake Dam receives $14M appropriation from legislature Ensures fi sh ladder and sockeye salmon reintroduction By Ellen Morris Bishop Wallowa County Chieftain The Oregon Legislature has passed and Governor Kate Brown has signed HB 5030, which provides state lottery-generated funds of $2.5 million to the new inte- grated health center. Impor- tantly, the bill also includes a $14 million appropriation for the reconstruction of Wal- lowa Lake Dam. “We are very excited about this opportunity, and we do hope to make the most of it,” said Wallowa Lake Irrigation District (WLID) board member Joe Dawson. The reconstructed struc- ture will include a fi sh lad- der, allowing the reintroduc- tion of sockeye salmon to the lake. Because these will be reintroduced fi sh, when they are placed in the Wallowa River system, they will not be listed as Endangered or Threatened under the Endan- gered Species Act. “We are very happy that the State has recognized the need in northeast Oregon for the reconstruction of this dam,” said Jim Harbeck of Nez Perce Fisheries in Joseph. “It’s been a long term goal for the tribes to bring sockeye home to Wallowa Lake. They belong in Wallowa Lake. The funding to rehab the existing dam will make that possible.” The Wallowa Lake Irri- gation District, which owns the dam, contracted with McMillen Jacobs Associates of Boise to design the project once the bill, initially includ- ing a $16 million appropri- ation, seemed destined for passage. Until Wallowa Lake Dam is repaired, its impoundment can only be fi lled to 72 percent of storage capacity. The dam will be a recon- struction rather than a remove-and-replace project, said Mort McMillen, prin- cipal engineer on the proj- ect. “We will be adding con- crete to the upstream face of the dam, and actually encas- ing the entire dam in new concrete to make it heavier and more stable,” he said. “We will rebuild the spill- way and provide a fi sh lad- der. The idea is to encase and reuse the dam, with modifi cations.” The basic design has been done in consultation with the Nez Perce Tribe, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, and Oregon offi ce of Dam Safety. The reconstructed dam will raise Wallowa Lake only to the level previously set by the existing dam. “Water lev- els were lowered for safety considerations until the dam could be modifi ed,” McMil- len said. “So the recon- structed structure will seem to raise water levels in the lake. It will — but only back to the level where they were when the dam was function- ing properly.” The project’s timeline includes design and permit- ting processes through 2020, begin dam reconstruction in late August and early Sep- tember 2021, with comple- tion sometime in 2022. The $14 million appro- priation will have to be sup- plemented by grants or other funds to meet the $16 mil- lion cost of the reconstructed dam. But McMillan is con- fi dent that the funds will be available. The appropriation for the dam was secured by the work of Sen. Bill Hansell (R-Athena) and Rep. Greg Barreto (R-Cove). The fund- ing will help refurbish the Wallowa Lake dam to meet current safety standards and will allow fi sh passage for the fi rst time in more than 100 years. Other eastern Oregon projects funded or partly funded by the bill include $1.4 million for an early learning center expansion in the Port of Morrow and $1.6 million for expansion of mental health services for the Umatilla County Jail. In a joint statement, Hansell and Barreto said, “These projects are essential in building up the Eastern Oregon economy and ensur- ing that our constituents have access to high quality health care in their commu- nities and don’t have to drive hundreds of miles away. The investments in vital infra- structure for irrigation, edu- cational facilities and health care will set a strong founda- tion for a prosperous Eastern Oregon. Securing this fund- ing would not have been pos- sible without the hard work of local leaders and engaged constituents from throughout the region, who came to the Capitol to make their case. This is a great day for East- ern Oregon.” Both Hansell and Barreto had been meeting with con- stituent groups since 2017 in helping them secure funding for these projects. Oregon Heritage Grants available, deadline Oct. 1 By Kuri Gill Oregon Heritage Commission The Oregon Heritage Commission is offering grants for qualifi ed proj- ects for the conservation, development and interpre- tation of Oregon’s cultural heritage. Awards typically range between $5,000 and $20,000. Projects can include anything related to Oregon heritage, and pri- ority will be given to proj- ects that preserve, develop or interpret threatened her- itage resources or heritage resources of statewide sig- nifi cance. The grant appli- cation deadline is October 1, 2019. Projects may include theatrical performances, collections preservation and access, exhibits, oral history projects, public education events, organi- zational archives projects, fi lms and more. Previously funded projects included a variety of projects around the state. Past projects included: Chetco Historical Memorial Committee installed an interpretive area in partnership with local Tribes. The High Desert Museum revamped their spring education program to include more diverse stories. Linn County Museum partnered with Oregon Black Pioneers to incor- porate African American history in the permanent exhibit. Cascade AIDS Project collected oral histories and made them accessible. Oregon Nikkei Endow- ment digitized, trans- lated and made available online historical newspa- Washington wildlife managers intend to kill the remaining two wolves in the Togo pack in the Ket- tle River Range of Ferry County, adding a second lethal-removal operation in the region. The state Department of Fish and Wildlife announced Friday that agency Direc- tor Kelly Susewind autho- rized lethal removal because the Togo pack continues to attack cattle. The department is already thinning the OPT pack in the same county. The Togo pack has attacked three cattle in the past 30 days and four in the past 10 months, meeting the threshold for the department to consider lethal removal. The pack has attacked at least 11 cattle dating back to Nov. 3, 2017, according to the department. A rancher shot a wolf during one of the recent Capital Press The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is culling a second wolfpack in the northeastern corner of the state. attacks. The department determined the shooting was lawful. Wolves are a state-protected species in the eastern one-third of Washington, but ranchers are allowed to shoot a wolf caught in the act of attack- ing livestock. Two livestock produc- ers who have lost cattle to the Togo pack this summer have tried non-lethal means of protecting their cattle, 20 according to the department. The department targeted the Togo pack last year, too. The department shot one wolf Sept. 2. The pack con- tinued to attack cattle, and the department planned to kill the pack’s three surviv- ing wolves. The department sus- pended the operation in November without killing any more in the pack. For the 2019 grazing 20 20 2 0 e t a r 20 year 2 s 0 b e l e C 2 0 e m of o C Healthy season, ranchers tried to guard against more depre- dations by the pack, accord- ing to the department. The measures include working with a range-rider that con- tracts with Fish and Wildlife and avoiding areas where wolves are known to gather. Even with those and other deterrents, the depart- ment said it expects the attacks to continue. Fish and Wildlife said removing the Togo pack’s two wolves will not harm overall recovery of the spe- cies. So far this year, the department has documented 10 deaths. In previous years, the department has recorded 12 to 14 deaths, yet wolves continue to grow in num- bers and expand their range. Fish and Wildlife removed one wolf in the OPT pack July 13. The pack — which has four adults and at least four pups — has continued to attack cat- tle. The department said it intends to remove move wolves. The Lager Queen of Minnesota “We took our daughter to Dr. Allen on several occasions, and we were extremely happy with the care we received…” -Enterprise Mom Dr. Allen is a family practice physician and doctor of osteopathic medicine. Call Dr. Allen to schedule your appointment today! 541-426-7900 Mountain View Medical Group 603 Medical Parkway (next to Wallowa Memorial Hospital) Enterprise, Oregon 97828 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 -2.00 MAIL-IN REBATE 7.99 SALE PRICE Raid® 2 pk., 14 oz. Wasp and Hornet Killer Thurday, August 15, 11am - 2pm 207 NE Park St., Enterprise 541-426-9411 • oregonbhf.org 107 E. Main St. 541.426.3351 Always open at www.bookloftoregon.com • bookloft@eoni.com While supplies last. Wallowa County and beyond! Building Healthy Families by J. Ryan Stradal BARGAINS OF THE MONTH ® F g amili n i d l i es Bu Serving families and children in BQ, B E FRE e and Cak Games n Law pers and Japanese Ameri- can internment related FBI documents. The Vanport Mosaic Festival collected and pre- sented the history of the Albina neighborhood in Portland. “We hope to see proj- ects from a variety of orga- nizations that engage Ore- gonians in heritage,” states Kuri Gill, heritage grants program coordinator. “We encourage the documen- tation, preservation and exploration of all aspects of Oregon’s heritage.” Applications are sub- mitted online. There is plenty of support for pre- paring them. “Our goal is to support organizations of all sizes all over the state in their valuable work. We provide assistance in the applica- tion process,” notes Gill. Oregon Heritage grants programs staff is happy to discuss projects and review applications in advance. The Heritage Commis- sion is comprised of nine people representing Ore- gon’s heritage and geo- graphical diversity who have been appointed by the Governor. There are nine advisory representatives from state agencies and statewide organizations. The commission’s mission is to secure, sustain, and enhance Oregon’s heri- tage by ensuring coordina- tion of heritage initiatives by public and private orga- nizations; advocacy on its behalf; education of the public about its extent and value; and promotion and celebration of its diversity. To learn more about the grants, visit www.ore- gonheritage.org or contact Kuri Gill at Kuri.Gill@ore- gon.gov or 503-986-0685. Great Summer Read Washington state moves against second wolfpack By Don Jenkins Capital Press L 141 858 B6 Limit 1 per offer. Consumer responsible for taxes. M-F 8AM-6PM • SAT 8AM-5PM • SUN 9AM-3PM A5 Sale Ends 8/31/19