Blue Mountain
READY TO ROLL!
EAGLE
The
BMWs are
rolling in for
the Chief
Joseph Rally
– PAGE A7
Eagle file photo
Grant County’s newspaper since 1868
W EDNESDAY , J UNE 17, 2015
• N O . 24
• 22 P AGES
• $1.00
www.MyEagleNews.com
DEQ takes on vapor agency crews
Findings lead investigators to JD oil business
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
Richard Franklin, EPA on
scene coordinator, shows
where
concentration
levels of the noxious
fumes in John Day were
highest earlier in the
investigation.
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that has sent noxious fumes into southwest John
Day buildings.
In a community meeting last Thursday eve-
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the surrounding area.
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ing holes in areas both north and south of the Soil
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from the SWCD building and north to around
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There have been no vapor problems found south
of the SWCD building.
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• Two test pits on the east side of South Can-
yon Boulevard near Triangle Oil were excavat-
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water was found on both; this is where the high-
est concentration of gasoline has been found.
See DEQ, Page A12
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wolf country
COUNTY’S
PAST
COMES TO
LIFE
Wallowa rancher
says kills getting
harder to confirm
By Scotta Callister
Blue Mountain Eagle
Cemetery sets a scenic backdrop for living history
C
Blue Mountain Eagle
ANYON CITY – Voices from the past car-
ried on the gentle breeze at the cemetery on
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The voices were conjured up by a collection of vol-
unteer actors in a special
program staged by the
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Historical Museum.
Some 50 people
showed up to walk
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joying the shady site and
the well-researched pre-
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to listen to Blanche
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GHVFULEHGKHUHDUO\OLIH Julie Reynolds channels
marriage to lawyer Erret Blanche Hicks, an early
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marked by her fondness
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See PAST, Page A12
Eagle photos/Angel Carpenter
Local resident Lamar Hill, front left, shares his
knowledge of the history of the area affected
by the underground contamination in John Day
at the community meeting. About 20 residents
attended, and about seven more were officials
with the EPA and DEQ.
JOHN DAY – Wallowa
County cattleman Todd Nash
says ranchers face an increas-
ingly uphill battle to get an
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depredation when a calf or
cow is killed.
Nash was one of several
speakers at the Oregon Cat-
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a vocal advocate for taking
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gered species list and for laws
to aid ranchers who now live
with wolves in their midst.
Nash said the process for
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is marked by shifting stan-
dards and tests.
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moved farther and farther
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incident on an Imnaha River
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laid open by predators.
He said downloads from
a radio collar showed that a
collared wolf was in the area
at the time of the attack. There
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and signs that both wolves
and coyotes had been at the
scene.
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See WOLF, Page A12
Eagle photos/Scotta Callister
Edie Komning recalls the life of Emma Dustin for
the visitors who flocked to the cemetery high on the
hill above Canyon City. Top photo: Dr. F.C. Horsley
and John Long, played by Sam Bentz and Andrew
Copenhaver, await their turn to tell their stories.
The Eagle/Scotta Callister
Characters sit amid the tombstones at the cemetery,
waiting their turns to talk to visitors during the
“Voices from the Past” event.
Rancher Todd Nash talks about difficulties of
confirming wolf depredation in cattle herds in
Wallowa County, and political challenges ahead.
Nash was one of several speakers addressing
some 160 people attending the Oregon Cattlemen’s
Association mid-year meeting June 10-12 at the
Grant County Fairgrounds in John Day.
Box T Ranch honored for healthy trees
and homesteaded by Scottish im-
migrants John and Margaret Mas-
MT. VERNON – The Ediger VRQ:LWKDGGLWLRQVRYHUWKH\HDUV
family ranch has been honored WKH UDQFK KDV JURZQ WR
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recognizing their efforts to leave ed as forest lands.
a healthy forest for future gener-
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ations.
Roger Ediger grew up working on
Roger and Meredith Ediger are the ranch with his grandfather and
the third generation of their family XQFOH-DFN0DVVRQZKRRSHUDWHG
to operate the Box T Ranch west the ranch and enrolled the timber
of Mt. Vernon. It has been in the JURXQGLQWKH7UHH)DUPSURJUDP
family for 98 years.
Roger can recall planting trees
The Box T had its beginnings every spring beginning in the late
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Blue Mountain Eagle
Contributed photo
Roger and Meredith Ediger (center) are
joined by, from left, daughters Vernita Ediger
and Orissa Burghard, son and daughter-
in-law Jon and Erica Ediger, and in front
grandchildren Sydney and Jackson.
W E LCOME
B MW R I DERS !
logged during that era by Clyde
Holliday.
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the Edigers have been proactive
in managing their forest lands
See RANCH, Page A12
Take a look at what
Grant County has to
offer for your two-
wheeled journey!
See page A7