Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Wallowa County chieftain. (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Or.) 1943-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 7, 2022)
INSIDE re Explo Art ow sh PA G SE PT EM BE R 7–1 4, 20 22 WW W. GO EA ST ER NO RE GO N.C E 4 n Liste Bart wig Bud 13 PA G Q&A WITH OREGON’S THREE JOSEPH FOOTBALL CANDIDATES FOR GOVERNOR WITHSTANDS 7 TURNOVERS brate Cele Pin s e t Fe PA G E 19 E ELECTIONS, A5 It’s nd-Up Rou time! OM $1.50 SPORTS, A16 E PA R A FOR LE WHO F K O E E W S IT IE Up C T IV PRE A d- Roun rton leton Fulle Pend silyn west n Jo South on Quee ue along rides , t Aven 2021 Cour . 11, Sept reet y, da in St Satur g the Ma s-Up Dres durin s’ e. oy Parad ian, Cowb East on Oreg File 138th Year, No. 17 Wednesday, September 7, 2022 WALLOWA.COM 53,000 ACRES AND CLIMBING Peggy Reeves Joseph Often a snowbird, she’ll stay this year JOSEPH — Peggy Reeves has found a new home in Joseph after decades elsewhere in Oregon. She’s lived in Joseph for only a year, moving here after a year in Enterprise to be close to her daugh- ter and son-in-law. Prior to Enter- prise, she lived in Bend for many years, having worked there in a CPA offi ce for about 25 years. She has many favorite things about Wallowa County, particularly the people and the scenery. “Except that it’s cold in the win- tertime,” she said with a laugh. She doesn’t have any big plans before summer ends. She usually joins her daughter and son-in-law spending the winter in Florida, but doesn’t think she will this year. “I don’t think I’m going to go this year,” she said. “I’m going to stay here and do very little snow shoveling.” She doesn’t plan on any winter sports. “I’m retired from that, too,” she said. Reeves expressed strong con- cerns for the victims of the hail- storm in Wallowa. “We just missed that by a hair,” she said. “I’m glad our church — the United Methodist Church — has been able to help by sending things down there and helping when they can.” Closer to home, Reeves is pleased with the sidewalk work being done in Joseph. “I think that’s wonderful,” she said. “We need to have places for people to walk. We have a lot of vis- itors. … There’s so much to do here.” The rain the county has experi- enced has allayed her concerns for wildfi re season. “You just do the best you can,” she said. When it comes to others who might consider making Wal- lowa County their home, Reeves acknowledges that the county is bound to grow. “You can’t get away from that,” she said. — Bill Bradshaw, Wallowa County Chieftain Double Creek Fire, state’s largest fi re, was active on Labor Day Wallowa County Chieftain NTERPRISE — The largest wildfi re in Oregon was an active one on the Labor Day holiday. Fire activity increased on the south- ern end of the Double Creek Fire near Freezeout Road, and fi refi ghters and task forces from the State Fire Marshal imple- mented structure protection and activated sprinklers installed around homes in the area. The Double Creek Fire has burned 53,539 acres, according to the Tuesday, Sept. 6, update. The blaze is still zero percent con- tained, and there are 580 personnel assigned to fi ght the fi re. According to a press release from the Type 1 overhead team that’s managing the Double Creek Fire, tactical fi refi ghting aircraft were not able to assist fi refi ghters on the ground Sept. 5 due to gusty northwest winds and an inversion over the area. Firefi ghters will spend Sept. 6 evaluating the fi re along the Freezeout Road, and State Fire Marshal resources will continue to protect structures in the area. “They’re not calling it contained, but they have a lot of control lines in place,” said Brentwood Richardson, a public information offi cer with the Type 1 team in Joseph. He said Sept. 6 that a high-pressure ridge was coming in that afternoon and thunder- storms were expected Sept. 7-8. A red fl ag sit- uation would be from 6 p.m. Sept. 6 through 8 p.m. Sept. 7, meaning the potential for rapid fi re growth. “They’re doing a good job of holding the fi re east of the (Imnaha) river,” he said. One of the concerns is fi nding a place to construct bulldozer lines as fi rebreaks in the Imnaha Canyon country, since the ridges there run north to south. Dozer lines would best be constructed on east-west ridges, of which there are few in the area. State Fire Marshal task forces will also support fi ring operations along the Imnaha River. Fire crews will continue dozer and hand line construction above the powerline along the Imnaha River corridor and continue fi ring operations to keep up with fi re spread to the north. On the north end of the Double Creek Fire, fi refi ghters will scout for opportunities to construct a control line. State Fire Marshal resources will develop a structure protection plan for the town of Imnaha. The Double Creek Fire, which was caused by lightning, is a “full suppression” blaze, E Inciweb/Contributed Photo A very large air tanker provides active fi re suppression on the Double Creek Fire in Wallowa County on Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2022. Bill Bradshaw/Wallowa County Chieftain The Thunder Room at the Chief Joseph Days Rodeo Grounds in Joseph has been turned into a command center for the Double Creek Fire and the Eagle Cap Wilderness fi res nearby. which means offi cials are trying to douse it as soon as possible. Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 evacuations have been issued by the Wallowa County Sheriff ’s Offi ce. A Level 3 “Go Now” is in MORE INSIDE Two local restaurants took it upon them- selves to help battle the wildfi res in Wal- lowa County, but not on the fi re line — by feeding some 300 fi refi ghters. Page A3 See Fire, Page A10 Wallowans urged to submit damage info Moisture, Residents gather for emergency meeting on storm damage By BILL BRADSHAW Wallowa County Chieftain WALLOWA — Wallowa res- idents whose property was dam- aged in an Aug. 11 hailstorm were urged to quickly fi ll out forms giv- ing as much detail as possible on what would become their claims during an emergency meeting of the Wallowa City Council on Thursday, Sept. 1. More than 100 Wallowa res- idents turned out to hear what local, state and federal offi cials are trying to do to help them rebuild in the wake of the hail- storm that left many buildings and vehicles seriously damaged. “We need more information on your needs,” said Kathleen Cathey, a fi eld representative for U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden. Cathey advised residents to complete the forms distributed at the meeting as soon as possi- ble, as there is a two-week dead- line to get them in. However, if the forms aren’t complete, she said, additional information can be added later. Elected offi cials helping Wallowa County Commis- sioner John Hillock was pres- ent at the meeting and noted that state Sen. Bill Hansell, R-Ath- ena, and state Rep. Bobby Levy, R-Echo, are actively seeking help for the community. Mayor Gary Hulse said he had contacted the state Offi ce of Emergency Man- agement two days after the storm, and that afternoon he heard from Gov. Kate Brown’s offi ce. Hulse also has asked for a public infor- mation offi cial to help him and the city’s recorder, Carolyn Harsh- fi eld, fi eld the many telephone calls they’ve been handling since the storm. Cathey said that as Hulse and Harshfi eld are trying to answer questions over the phone “for 850 people, one every 15 minutes, somebody’s going to get missed.” She agreed support was widespread. “You have captured the atten- tion and support of everybody in Oregon,” she said. Contractors ready Construction contractors also were there to off er advice and pre- pare to repair and rebuild homes. Will Lehr, of Enterprise, who previously lived in Wallowa, is a recently retired general con- tractor who was organizing other contractors to come to the aid of Wallowa. Several contractors cautioned residents not to be taken in by those who may promise more than they would deliver. “We’d rather underpromise and overperform,” one of the con- tractors said. “That way we’ll be friends with you.” Lehr assured those in atten- dance that each of the about 10 contractors present was profi cient in at least one area of construc- tion. Another contractor noted that since he is primarily a roofer, if there’s someone who largely focuses on siding it would be best to subcontract to that contractor. “That way we’ll get it all done quicker,” he said. An insurance agent also urged property owners to make sure any contractor they deal with is licensed in Oregon. Some may be licensed in multiple states, but it’s critical they also be licensed to work in Oregon. One member of the audience asked if the nearby Boise Cas- cade mill in Elgin could be pre- vailed upon to sell plywood at cost to residents. Hulse said the mill already had donated a con- siderable load. The contractors also addressed the concerns of property own- ers who are overwhelmed by the detailed paperwork and bureau- cracy of dealing with insurance companies. “That’s our job,” Lehr said. “We know how to do that.” cooler temps boost yields See Damage, Page A10 See Growers, Page A10 Growers relieved at passing of last year’s drought By BILL BRADSHAW Wallowa County Chieftain WALLOWA COUNTY — As summer winds down, so does harvest time for small-grains producers. Growers this year are increasingly fi nding their harvest much more bountiful than last year. The main reason for this, many say, is the increased moisture this past spring. Tim Melville, of Cornerstone Farms Joint Venture near Enter- prise, said Wednesday, Aug. 31, that with all the moisture last spring, the crops are far from the “disaster” of last year. Last year’s drought and higher temperatures meant some of his dryland wheat yielded only 7-12 bushels per acre. “We shouldn’t have cut it, but we did,” he said. “It cost more to cut it than we got out of it.”
