LOCAL
Wallowa.com
Wednesday, June 22, 2022
A3
No city land available for pump track
Bike club
considering
other options
Bill Bradshaw/Wallowa County Chieftain
Wallowa County Commissioners John Hillock and Susan Roberts sign documents at the
conclusion of their Wednesday, June 15, 2022, meeting.
Commissioners endorse
ranchers’ protection of cattle
Resolution stands
by livestock
owners against
wolves
By BILL BRADSHAW
Wallowa County Chieftain
ENTERPRISE — The
Wallowa County Board of
Commissioners
adopted
a resolution Wednesday,
June 15, expressing support
of local ranchers and their
agents in protection of their
livestock against attacks by
wolves.
The resolution comes
on the heels of numerous
attacks on livestock by the
predators, particularly the
Chesnimnus pack, of which
two were shot in recent
weeks. An agent of Crow
Creek rancher Tom Birk-
maier shot one and a biol-
ogist working for the Ore-
gon Department of Fish and
Wildlife shot the other.
The resolution, as read
into the record, acknowl-
edged the importance of live-
stock ranching to the culture
and economics of the county
and wolves threaten the via-
bility of local ranches.
The resolution also stated
that “state and federal agen-
cies charged with managing
wolves have failed to imple-
ment eff ective management
practices to protect domestic
livestock.”
The measure also called
the toll on ranches “unsus-
tainable” and stated that the
Oregon Conservation and
Management Plan was bro-
kered with diverse stake-
holders
and
addresses
eff ective and responsible
management and that the
plan is legally binding.
As a result, the commis-
sioners expressed their sup-
port of ranchers “in their
ability to implement eff ec-
tive and responsible means
in the protection of their
livestock.”
There was no discus-
sion on the matter among
the commissioners, nor was
there any public comment.
Commissioner Todd Nash, a
rancher who drafted the res-
olution, was absent due to ill
health, according to Com-
mission Chairwoman Susan
Roberts.
The commissioners also
approved a lease agreement
for ranchers to graze their
cattle on the East Moraine
above Wallowa Lake.
Roberts said the Wal-
lowa County Stockgrowers
considered fi ve applicants
and recommended that 80
head of cattle be allowed to
graze. Charles Warnock will
take the lead with 40 cattle
and Katie Lathrop will graze
another 40.
In other business, there
were several approvals of
unanticipated revenue and
grant applications. The com-
missioners approved:
• An order for $112,747
received from the fair fat
stock sale.
• An order for the receipt
of a grant of $75,000 from
the Community Response
Smoke Plan.
• A grant of $277,000 in
bond sales from the state’s
digital lottery for use at the
fairgrounds.
• A grant of $15,000
for election modernization
equipment.
• An agreement for occu-
pancy of the Community
Complex Service Center for
the coming fi scal year.
The commissioners also
approved:
• A funding request of
$2,000 for the Woodlands &
Watersheds Festival.
• Employee action notices
including Anthony Boyd
will go from just working
Wallowa County Commu-
nity Corrections to being
the part-time fair manager,
Winifred (Annett) Conner
transfers from being grants
manager to information tech-
nology manager and Veron-
ica Warnock is a new hire as
deputy district attorney.
VISIT US ON THE WEB AT:
www.Wallowa.com
Elane Blanchet Dickenson
1948-2021
Elane Blanchet Dickenson passed
away on Nov. 8, 2021, surrounded by her
children.
She was born July 31, 1948, to John
Blanchet, Jr. and Jenny
“Lou” Blanchet, and was
the oldest of six children,
including a brother and four
sisters.
Elane grew up on the
family wheat farm in
Coombs Canyon, Oregon,
which was homesteaded
by her grandfather and was
a gathering place for her
extended family to gather,
work, harvest, and enjoy
country living.
She
graduated
from
Pendleton High School in 1966 and
attended Oregon State University, where
she met many lifelong friends.
She later attended Linn-Benton
Community College where she became
editor of the campus newspaper and
discovered her love for journalism.
After college, Elane traveled the
country, spending time in California, New
Mexico and Florida, with Oregon as her
home base. In 1976 she moved to Kansas
and gave birth to her daughter, Jenny. She
and Jenny returned to Northeast Oregon in
1978 and Elane landed a job as a reporter at
the Wallowa County Chieftain, a position
she continued for 36 years until she retired
in 2014.
In the early 1980s, Elane married Eddie
Dickenson. Before they divorced, they
had a son, Matthew, in 1984. Both of her
kids were the light of Elane’s life and were
with her during her battle with cancer and
at the time of her death.
Elane was an avid reader and prolific
writer, known for her detailed reporting
and insightful people features. She enjoyed
and supported the arts in Wallowa County,
and she took up watercolor painting later
in her life. Many of her watercolors depict
scenes from the family wheat ranch near
Pendleton and of Wallowa County, the two
places that she considered home.
A single, working mom for most of her
adult life, Elane worked hard to support
herself and her two kids. Even though
money was tight, she always found a way
for vacations, road trips, and camping as
a family, usually inviting a
cousin or three along for the
adventure.
She loved to travel,
particularly to the Oregon
Coast, to Portland to visit
her friends and family, and
to Las Vegas to see the bright
lights of the city and gamble
at penny slots. In retirement
she traveled to Montreal and
Quebec to see some family
history, took a road trip with
friends to the Grand Canyon,
and spent a month in Paris, a
lifelong dream, exploring daily life in the
city, big tourist attractions, and taking the
train to surrounding countries.
Elane loved everything about being a
grandmother to her four grandchildren.
She said they enriched her life
immeasurably, and she had a very special
relationship with each one of them. They
delighted in her warm generous spirit and
fun, anything-goes outlook on life.
She is survived by her children, daughter
Jenny and her husband, Lawrence Herman;
grandchildren, Lily, Addie, and Bryson
Herman; son, Matt Dickenson and his
wife, Heather Bell; granddaughter, Kira
Dickenson-Bell; brother ,Larry Blanchet;
sisters, Marianne Wilke (husband Greg),
Laurie Ford (husband Tony), Sylvia
Quest (husband Lawrence), and Caroline
O’Gara (husband Pat), and many nieces
and nephews, cousins, and friends.
She was preceded in death by her
parents, John and Lou Blanchet, her sister-
in-law Linda Blanchet and niece, Amy
Blanchet.
A celebration of life will be held at
Joseph Community Center at 2 p.m. on
June 25 at the Joseph Community Center.
Donations can be made to Community
Bank in Joseph. A scholarship will be
formed in her name to promote writing
and the arts in Wallowa County.
is virtually useless to the
city.
Light requested
In
another
matter,
By BILL BRADSHAW
Molly Wells and Heather
Wallowa County Chieftain
Poor gave a presentation
to the council on what
ENTERPRISE — Once they believe is the need
more, hopes for a bicycle for a fl ashing crosswalk
pump track on city prop- on Highway 82 in front of
erty have fallen through, Safeway.
as property in the Prairie
It would be the only
Creek Floodway has been traffi c signal in the county,
determined
unsuitable, if approved.
the City Council was told
Wells told of her expe-
during its meeting Mon- rience with an accident
day, June 13.
there that took the life of
City
Administrator an Enterprise resident. She
Lacey McQuead and the asked the council to form
council apologized
a group to further
to Angela Mart,
discuss options to
president of the
prevent future such
Wallowa
Moun-
accidents.
tains Bicycle Club,
Poor provided
who has been pro-
statistics
regard-
moting the idea
ing pedestrian acci-
of a pump track.
dents in Oregon.
L. McQuead
The administrator
McQuead said
said the city has no
that prior conver-
other property that could sations on the matter have
be used for such a track.
taken place, including
Mart said June 16 that funding discussions with
the club is not giving up on the Oregon Department of
the project.
Transportation. The Public
“We think that it’s a Works Committee agreed
plan and a project that’ll to reach out again to the
benefi t kids and families ODOT to see what fi nance
in the upper valley,” she options are available and
said. “The mayor, the city discuss potential costs for
administrator and the pub- placement of such a traffi c
lic works director have all signal in Enterprise.
been amazing in trying to
An update will be given
help us fi nding an option.” at the July council meeting.
McQuead told the coun-
Other business
cil that the property is no
In other matters, the
longer an option. She said
she had met with the state council:
• Heard McQuead’s
Department of Land Con-
Depart-
servation and Develop- Administrative
ment and after a review of ment report that stated a
the Enterprise Municipal reduction in Department of
Code it was determined the Land Conservation Tech-
entire parcel is in the fl ood- nical Assistance grant
way. As a result, the cur- from $50,000 to $25,000
rent fi ll on the west side of because of a lack of fund-
the property and a water- ing. The $25,000 was the
way that runs through its original amount granted.
• Heard city librarian
middle draining into Prai-
Rautenstrauch’s
rie Creek, any pump track Denine
explanation of a plan for
will not be allowed.
McQuead said any other the current library assis-
plans for the property pre- tant to take over as direc-
viously discussed also will tor upon Rautenstrauch’s
not be allowed and the land planned retirement in Jan-
uary. The council approved
the plan.
• Heard Public Works
Director Shawn Young’s
report that spring and sum-
mer work has been delayed
because of the weather,
particularly that of paint-
ing crosswalks and parking
lines. Councilor Jeff Yanke
asked about possibly paint-
ing a crosswalk between
the Wallowa Valley Senior
Living Center and Wal-
lowa Memorial Hospital.
Young said he would visit
the site to check on the
possibility.
• Approved a water ser-
vice request to property
outside the city limits after
McQuead read from the
city code to ensure it was
permissible.
• Approved hiring an
administrative support spe-
cialist for the Enterprise
Police Department who
would be responsible for
state and federal reporting,
evidence management and
support staff for the EPD.
• Scheduled the next
regular council meeting for
July 11.
Births
A daughter,
Whitney Dawn Wilsey,
was born June 3, 2022 in
Enterprise to Timothy and
Lindsay Wilsey of Enterprise.
Grandparents are Luanna
(Sissy) and Gary Cooper, and
Natalie and Wesley Wilsey.
A son,
Clayson James Tillery,
was born June 13, 2022
in Enterprise to Jacob and
Jennifer Tillery of Wallowa.
Grandparents are Alice
Alleson and Loraine Tillery.
301 W. Main, Enterprise • 541.426.3177