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About Wallowa County chieftain. (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Or.) 1943-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 24, 2021)
A10 LOCAL Wallowa County Chieftain Wednesday, February 24, 2021 Circle 100 plans County-raised fi lmmaker looks at wildfi res ‘drive-by’ event In-person fundraiser nixed by COVID-19 By BILL BRADSHAW Wallowa County Chieftain ENTERPRISE — The annual meeting of the Cir- cle 100 Club will not be an in-person meeting, this year, but there will be a “drive-by” event instead because of COVID-19 restrictions, according to a press release. The Circle 100 Club raises money for the Wal- lowa Valley Health Care Foundation and this year will hold its 10th annual event, according to foun- dation Director Stacy Green. Donors will be asked to drive by the corner of West Greenwood and SW Sec- ond streets in Enterprise from 4:30-6 p.m. Thurs- day, March 18, where the ladies of the foundation board will be to collect the standard $100 checks. The ladies will hand out a “goodie bag” and fl owers, Green said. At that time, donors will be able to learn what the “secret” target of the donation will be. She said they keep it a secret until then because, “We’ve got to entice them By ELLEN MORRIS BISHOP For the Wallowa County Chieftain to come by.” According to a March 2019 story in the Chieftain, projects that Circle 100 has supported in the past include investing in new equipment and training for the outpatient and che- motherapy department at Wallowa Memorial Hospi- tal so more patients could receive their treatments here, new reclining chairs for each patient room, a state-of-the-art newborn incubator to safely trans- port newborns and infants in an emergency and new physical therapy equip- ment, to name a few. “There’s no cookies to bake, subcommittees to chair or ongoing meet- ings to attend,” the press release stated. “Just like always, if $100 sounds a bit steep, partner with a friend at $50 each, and together you make one member.” Checks should be made out to the Wallowa Valley Health Care Foundation. Anyone unable to drive by but who still wants to participate can mail a check to the foundation at P.O. Box 53, Enterprise, OR 97828. Those planning to drive by are asked to RSVP the foundation at 541-426-1913. WALLOWA COUNTY — After last summer, there’s no doubt that the West has entered an era of cata- strophic forest fi res. “The West is Burning,” a new feature-length documen- tary fi lm shot, produced, and directed by Wallowa County native Cody Sheehy, explores this new era of megafires and offers solutions that can bring greater prosper- Sheehy ity to rural communi- ties. It airs on Oregon Pub- lic Broadcasting at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 25. The fi lm was inspired and launched by the late Doug McDaniel. “A key thing for Doug was how management prac- tices, management objec- tives and market values have changed,” said Nils Chris- toffersen, executive direc- tor of Wallowa Resources. “A lot of private landown- ers in Eastern Oregon are good examples of how we can do forest stewardship, protect wildlife and salmon habitat, reduce fi re risk, and still make some money from (our land). We wanted to … create a movie that put this story in front of people.” Wallowa Resources served as a launching pad and home base for the project. “We pulled this together on a fairly tight budget thanks to the support of the University of Arizona and a lot of colleagues and friends across the West who we’ve worked with for two decades,” Christoffersen said. They engaged Sheehy, a Wallowa-born fi lmmaker Contributed Photo “The West is Burning,” shot, produced and directed by Wallowa County native Cody Sheehy, examines why megafi res have become annual catastrophes across the West and what we can do about them. It airs on Oregon Public Broadcasting Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021. who holds a master’s degree in range ecology and has won two Emmys for his documentaries. “If you want to get a story in front of as many people as possible, you need to frame it around what is attract- ing the most public, polit- ical and media attention,” Sheehy told Christoffersen. And so, they focused on recent megafi res. “As a kid, growing up in a former logging town … we didn’t have fi res like this,” Sheehy said. “… I wanted to know what had changed and what we could do about it.” The fi lm, two years in the making, begins with the catastrophic wildfi res in California and Oregon from 2015-20, including the 110,000-acre Canyon Creek Complex fi re near John Day, then moves into how prac- tices in forest management have changed over time. It also explores community actions that are reducing catastrophic wildfi re risk and opportunities to revital- ize rural economies. Those include new forest prod- ucts, from biochar to new innovations like nanocrys- talline cellulose made from wood pulp that can be used in the clear part of windows as tuneable refl ective fi lters in smart windows. “Some of these are pretty exciting,” Christoffersen said. Mark Webb, executive director of the Blue Moun- tain Forest Partners and a former Grant County judge, is included among those looking to improve forest management practices and economic opportunities. His community was hit hard by the 2015 Canyon Creek Complex fi re. “I think the general mes- sage (of the fi lm) is right,” Webb said. “The status quo is unacceptable. We can’t continue to move forward without changing how we manage our landscapes. That’s going to require a change in attitude as well as new partnerships and rela- tionships and acknowledg- ing that maybe we got some things wrong in the past.” Wallowa Resources is developing educational guides so the fi lm can be used in the classroom. There are also plans to offer Film- stacker, a video platform for collaborative storytelling, to generate community-based learning and action. “We have to see wild- fi re — both prescribed fi re and some small-intensity fi res — as a tool,” Christ- offersen said. “We need to thin, do forest management, follow up with prescribed burns and commit to main- tenance. … Future forests will be more open than we are used to, and people will have to adapt to more smoke and more low-severity fi re.” “What it means to take care of the land and live on the land needs to be rad- ically reevaluated as we go forward,” Webb added. “We need to fi gure out how to accommodate our inter- ests to meet the needs of the landscape. And when we do that, we’re going to have sustainable communi- ties and we’re going to be able to address all kinds of challenges.” Josephy Center exhibit to focus on ‘Motherhood’ Chieftain staff JOSEPH — “Mother- hood” is the theme of a women’s exhibition to be on display at the Josephy Center for Arts and Cul- ture in Joseph beginning Friday, Feb. 26, according to a press release. Wallowa County FREE Chess Club No meeting until further notice but look forward to seeing you soon! BODEE BAUCK Black to move and win. “Play golf for your body. Play chess for your mind.” JOSEPHY CENTER FOR THE ARTS AND CULTURE OF THE e, Bodee ader from Enterp es ris ome skills 6 year old first gr on rating his aw Bauck was dem Ch st ris Bodily 3-Way ski race in e th d member recently in e is an avid skier an tion. He cia so McCall Idaho. Bode As ce s Ski Ra ion in pe of the Anthony La te ke m in the U10 co tit recently compe m d p, Slalom and Giant Slalom Gelande Ju i Hill and Brundage held at Little Sk in m this week’s udly ountain earn g et hi e of the Week. Pro onsore d b y M p S Athl 2/17 Solution c4+ 403 Main Street Joseph, Oregon Because of COVID-19 restrictions, there will be no opening reception, as with most Josephy Cen- ter exhibits. However, the gallery will be open from noon to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday. The exhibit runs through April 6. “This year, we selected the theme of mother- hood…because 2020 has been a tough year for women,” the press release stated. “COVID-19 school closures sent women back home to care for children, act as teacher and mother, all while trying to work to keep families together. The theme also celebrates, honors and delves into some of the complexities of motherhood.” For the past seven years, the center has done an open call for women’s art- work. This year’s curator, Aimee Jungmann, looked through 24 artists’ work The Wallowa County Chieftain of ot P Gold R ainbow Your at the end of the To run an ad in the Wallowa County Chieftain Contact Jennifer Cooney jcooney@wallowa.com 541-805-9630 Quality Parts and Accessories Specialists Serving Northeast Oregon Since 1945 Locally Owned - Nationally Known Community Involved 106 SW Second Street Enterprise, Oregon 97828 541-426-3181 209 NW First St. • Enterprise, OR 97828 • 541-426-4567 • www.wallowa.com After Hours 541-426-3271 and selected 33 pieces that will be on display. “I’m really looking forward to hanging and setting up this exhibit,” Jungmann said. “It will be difficult to choose a favorite for the Curator’s Choice award.” The opening will have two awards: People’s Choice and Curator’s Choice with $50 prizes. Artists include Jenni- fer Klimsza, Jane Gle- sne, Talia Jean Galvin and René Fleming. The center also plans multiple brown bag dis- cussions Tuesdays at noon. Its book club will be read- ing The Yellow House: A Memoir, by Sarah M. Broom, the 2019 National Book Award Winner. Dates are yet to be deter- mined. Check the center’s website at https://jose- phy.org for updates. The exhibit was made possible by the Wallowa County Soroptimist.
