LOCAL
Wallowa County Chieftain
A8
Wednesday, June 23, 2021
Commissioners OK preliminary moraine plan
Issue again
boils over with
Joseph resident
By BILL BRADSHAW
Wallowa County Chieftain
ENTERPRISE — More
tension over the proposed
forest management plan
for the Wallowa Lake East
Moraine surfaced Wednes-
day, June 16, when a Joseph
resident returned to con-
front the Wallowa County
commissioners.
The discussion came
after the commissioners
approved the preliminary
plan, following an update
by Eric Greenwell, the con-
servation program man-
ager for the Wallowa Land
Trust. Greenwell said the
plan recommends fi ve uses
for the land on the East
Moraine: Wildlife habitat,
cultural resources, range
management, forestry and
recreation.
Preliminary plan
summarized
He said that the 100-page
plan with appendices and rec-
ommendations was compiled
by committees and their sub-
committees that came up
with the recommendations in
the draft of the plan the com-
missioners have. He’s aware
commissioners plan public
hearings and the ODF will
review it and return it to the
county “because the Oregon
Department of Forestry has
to approve it based on the
conditions of the Forest Leg-
acy Program, which was a
$3.9 million grant we used to
acquire the property.”
The county used the grant
in January 2020 to purchase
a 1,791-acre parcel acquired
by Wallowa County in Janu-
ary 2020 from the Ronald C.
Yanke Family Trust. More
recently, another 33 acres
were donated to the county by
the Oregon Parks and Recre-
ation Department, bringing
the total to 1,824 acres. The
northern end is mostly grass-
The Chieftain office
will be closed Monday July 5th
in observance of the
4th of July
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209 NW First St.,
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wallowa.com
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Bill Bradshaw/Wallowa County Chieftain
Joseph resident Mildred O’Callaghan points to a map she’s
just given to Wallowa County Commissioner Susan Roberts,
on Wednesday, June 16, 2021, saying the map needs to be
included in any management plan for the East Moraine at
Wallowa Lake. From left, Commissioners John Hillock and
Todd Nash listen.
land, while the southern end is
forested.
Also, Greenwell said, it’s a
fi ve- to 10-year vision that’ll
be revised at least every 10
years. The committee that
came up with it will continue
to meet and make annual rec-
ommendations as issues come
up.
Commissioner Todd Nash
said he’s aware that a July
15 target date has been set
to begin the public comment
period. Greenwell said that
depends on when the ODF
returns the plan, but that date
is likely.
Commissioner John Hill-
ock said that as he understands
it, a 30- to 60-day period for
public comment is planned.
Greenwell recommended the
60 days would work better,
both as what works best for
the commissioners and to get
all comment in so the plan can
be formally adopted by the
end of the year.
“There already has been
two seasons the county has
owned it, so I think it’s pretty
critical to establish a plan and,
as time goes on and expecta-
tions are being set, so I think
the end of the calendar year
(would be a good target) for
public adoption,” Greenwell
said.
All three commission-
ers expressed their appreci-
ation for the work that went
into compiling the plan before
Commissioner Susan Roberts
moved to approve it.
Boiling over
Then, as Nash began to
adjourn the meeting, Mil-
dred O’Callaghan, of Joseph,
started to speak about a map
she wants to see included in
the preliminary plan and the
Baseline Document. Nash
reminded her of the upcom-
ing public comment period,
but O’Callaghan didn’t want
to wait.
“I have made these com-
ments about the wildlife map
on the moraine and there’s
nothing on the record on it,”
she said. “Even John Hillock
commented on it on my let-
ter (to the editor in the June
9 Chieftain) and nothing was
written in the minutes of the
meeting about his comments
or the Planning Commis-
sion meeting. The only com-
Sewer project
payoff helped
By BILL BRADSHAW
Wallowa County Chieftain
WALLOWA — A budget
of $2,460,141 was approved
for the fi scal year 2021-22
for the city of Wallowa at
a budget hearing Tuesday,
June 15, a decrease of just
more than $100,000 from
the previous year.
City Recorder Carolyn
Harshfi eld said the decrease
is largely because the city
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on the day.
Pro onsore d b y
She wants a map
included
O’Callaghan brought a let-
ter and a copy of a map she
said was not included in the
Baseline Document “because
you left it out. What I’m con-
cerned about is that there is a
wildlife conservation habitat
that was put in the record in
1984 and 1988. The reason I
know about it is because when
I came back to the county, the
fi rst job I got was typing the
land-use plan for 1988. In that,
it was one of my responsibili-
ties to get this map so it could
be placed in the Planning
Commission so they could
get copies of this map. At that
time, they had hand-drawn it
onto a Wallowa County map.”
It was placed in the public
record in 1988, according to
her letter.
Later, in 1996, she had a
job when the Wallowa Lake
Moraine Overlay Committee
got together.
Because “I had known a
lot of the American Indians on
the reservations, I was asked
to approach the reservations
— all three of them — and
invite them to come and par-
ticipate in the committee that
was looking at the moraine,”
she said. “I did that and I was
paid to do that.”
But Greenwell said after
the meeting the map that
O’Callaghan is concerned
about is included.
“The (county) Planning
Department has a digital copy
of all those maps. I created one
map with all those overlays. I
have one map that includes all
that data,” he said.
The map can be found
online at https://tinyurl.com/
morainemaps.
He said he appreciated
it when someone brings an
issue up that might have been
overlooked.
“But I think we’ve already
addressed that,” he said.
Nash agreed.
“I asked you something
here the last time we met:
Ultimately, what is it that you
want?” he asked.
O’Callaghan thought a
minute, and said, “It doesn’t
matter what I want; the state
of Oregon requires you to pro-
tect a critical wildlife area.”
She said it’s not identifi ed
in the Baseline Document.
It is in the county’s land-use
plan.
“I want you to do what
ODFW says and at this point,
you haven’t had any of these
documents reviewed by
ODFW,” she said. “The Base-
line Document report doesn’t
have anything about this
map.”
“We have the map and
we have the documents and
if there’s nothing else, we’ll
adjourn,” Nash said.
Wallowa OKs lower budget for 2021-22
Wallowa County
JAMIE JOHNSTON
ASHLYN YOUNG &
’t
ment I ever got was from the
reporter.”
It was then she came head-
to-head with Nash.
“If I can speak to that for
a moment,” the commissioner
said, before being interrupted
by O’Callaghan.
“I’m not fi nished,” she
said.
“Well, ma’am, I run this
meeting and …” said Nash,
before being interrupted
again. Nash serves as is chair-
man of the commission this
year.
“Well, I’m a member of
the public and I’m not fi n-
ished speaking,” O’Callaghan
said.
“I run the meeting and you
adjust to how the chair man-
ages the meeting, and if you
can’t do that, you’ll be asked
to leave,” he said. “I want to
respond to not having those
in the minutes. Minutes are
required to take action items
down. There were no action
items on the things you’re
articulating there.”
White to mate in 3 moves.
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JOSEPHY CENTER FOR
THE ARTS AND CULTURE
403 Main Street Joseph, Oregon
6/16 Solution
RF8
made its fi nal $86,000 on fall on other property.
In
the
department
a sewer project and it was
unnecessary to include it reports:
• Harshfi eld reported
in the coming year’s bud-
get. Mayor Gary Hulse said Terry Larm was selected as
he was pleased the city was grand marshal for the city’s
able to decrease its budget. Fourth of July Parade and
“We just went through she told the council judges
are needed for the
trying to keep our
parade.
services going and
• Heard from
not budget for any
the Public Works
increase,” the mayor
Department that the
said.
city needs to budget
In other matters
for new parts at the
at the City Council’s
sewer lift station.
meeting June 15:
Hulse
The council said
• An annual reso-
there is a contin-
lution including vol-
unteer workers such as fi re- gency fund for the depart-
fi ghters in the city’s workers ment that can supply need
compensation
insurance funds.
• Speaking as fi re chief,
was adopted.
• A resolution to accept Hulse said there were
about $7,000 in state reve- seven fi re calls since the
nue into the General Fund May meeting, bringing the
was approved. The revenue year’s total to 55. One of
comes in part from state the recent calls was a mutu-
taxes on liquor and tobacco. al-aid call to assist the Los-
• Approved an easement tine Fire Department with
for a shed Matt Howard a house fi re May 27. Hulse
want to build on his prop- also received the council’s
erty at 202 Douglas St. The consent for the fi re depart-
approval came with a stip- ment to accept an invita-
ulation that the structure’s tion from the Joseph Fire
eaves not extend beyond his Department to train with it
property so snow doesn’t occasionally in Joseph.