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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 5, 2015)
A10 News Blue Mountain Eagle HEAT Continued from Page A1 “Since then, there’s been a handful of fish each week that have died on the Middle Fork, from Camp Creek toward Bates,” said Smith. The latest count since the beginning of July was about 120 fish that have perished under the extreme summertime con- ditions. Cooler temperatures ac- companied by rain helped the situation earlier in July. Water temperatures came down about six degrees, according to Smith, while water levels rose with the rain. However, with a re- turn of warm, dry weath- er, area river levels have receded, and with another heat wave this past week, the prognosis was for more dead fish. While the die-off is a concern, Smith said the expectation is there will be an ample number of fish in the streams this fall when spawning season begins. “It’s not dire straits,” he said, having gone through this before. “It’s the third die-off since I’ve been here. It’s a small water- shed, and there’s not a lot of ground storage or riparian cover,” which would help keep stream temperatures on the cooler side. Similar salmon die- offs occurred in 2007 and 2013 with high tempera- tures being the main cause. In addition to the Mid- dle Fork’s lack of ripari- an vegetation, a wide and shallow channel exposes much of the river to direct sunlight, which can cause quick rises in water tem- perature. The underlying cause, said Smith, is “we’re in the middle of a drought and there isn’t a lot of snow pack.” Smith said he expects to see additional salmon mortalities for the rest of the summer until spawning occurs in early September. If ODFW staff discover a significant number of more dead fish as a result of last week’s heat wave, it will likely warrant another survey of streams to deter- mine the extent of the die- off. As for the John Day ba- sin as a whole, it is seeing a strong salmon return so far this year. Summer rains in mid-July brought some relief, but summer is far from over. 02414 Wednesday, August 5, 2015 FAIR Continued from Page A1 Other entertainment includes Brady Goss, piano and vocals; magician Hart Keene; and the Blue Mountain Fiddlers. • Hands-on Legos: While a Legos creation has been dis- played in past years at the fair, this year kids will have their own space to be creative with the small interlocking building blocks. The activity was made possible with a $500 grant giv- en to the fair. • Future feature: Although it won’t be available at the fair this year, a new public address system may be ready for next year’s fair, according to fair manager Mary Weaver. The Eagle/Angel Carpenter Julia Davis decorates the ceramics booth at the Grant County Fairgrounds pavilion in John Day. During the past four years, $121,000 has been collected through donations and grants for the system and for an electronic reader board. Just $42,000 shy of the goal, Weav- er and the fair board are seeking grants from the U.S. Depart- ment of Agriculture and from the Oregon Community Foun- dation for the remainder. Without the public address system, it is dif¿cult to alert those attending events at the BIKE Continued from Page A1 herding the cows together in the road. And they were right in the middle of the road as we drove by on our bikes.” That’s not something you see everyday in Chicago, where DiVito is from. He’s part of a growing trend in bicycle tourism. The luxury Bicycle Adventure trip costs $3,595 per cyclist. That in- cludes stays at local hotels and meals at pubs, like the 1188 Brewing Company in John Day. The group spent several hundred dollars there on one dinner during the trip. “It’s a huge benefit,” said pub owner Jeremy Adair. He said he sees several cyclists a day come through for beer or food. “That’s one of the reasons why my wife and I and our other two partners opened the pub here. It’s Contributed photo A cyclist makes his way along a scenic bikeway near John Day earlier this summer. something unique and dif- ferent for John Day.” Jennie Shaw runs the His- toric Hotel Prairie in Prairie City. She estimates that cy- clists make up 50 percent of her bookings. “It’s de¿nitely our bread and butter,” Shaw said. “When we very first start- 02158 ed out, it was weird. It was like we were motorcyclists over cyclists, and then the second to third year it was like we hardly saw any mo- torcyclists. It was all just cy- clists,” she added. Part of that business boon is because Prairie City lies along the state-designated Old West Scenic Bikeway, a three-day tour in Eastern Oregon. Unlike the cyclists traveling with Bicycle Ad- ventures, many cyclists plan their own trips. Shaw said she fields calls from cyclists who have questions about the Old West route. Here’s how it works: Local community mem- bers propose a scenic bike- way route to the state. They show where there’s support for cyclists, including wa- ter stops, restaurants, hotels and camping options. Only about half of the routes qual- ify, according to the state. If the route is designated, then local communities benefit from the promotion and state support. “Once you get that des- ignation, it brings in a lot of resources to promote your fairgrounds about emergencies, such as the need to evacuate in case of ¿re, windstorm or light- ning attack. The system also might make it easier to ¿nd lost children during a large event, Weaver said. The reader board would help those who are hard of hearing to follow speakers onstage. The Grant County Fair and Rodeo receives no tax dollars, according to Weaver. Admission for everyone on Wednesday is free. Beginning Thursday, it will be $5 a day or $10 for the full four days. No admission will be charged for children 5 and younger, and se- niors 65 and older. Leaders and members of 4-H also will be admitted free, with permission from the Oregon State Univer- sity Extension of¿ce. community, and in doing so, the small communities make additional money from cy- cling,” said Mike Cosgrove, a retired teacher and volun- teer for the bikeways pro- gram, who worked to get the Old West route designated. “With cycling, we’ve been able to maintain some of the businesses that were on the fringe of being profitable.” But while dollars from bi- cycle tourists are welcome, some rural leaders point out that their economic benefits are relatively minor. “It’s a scenic bikeway, not an economic bikeway,” said Boyd Britton, Grant County commissioner. “They come here because it’s beautiful! But so far as economic activity? Ranch- ing, farming and logging. That’s where we’re going to stay healthy,” Britton said. “We love for people to come and visit, but we want them to come and learn about us, not just cruise through.” Gordon’s group of Bike Adventure cyclists rode many other roads, which are not designated as scenic bikeways during their nine- day tour. But he said his cli- ents enjoy knowing they’re riding a scenic bikeway. “That’s just the icing on the cake,” said Gordon. “When you see a sign like that, it really helps to drive in that it’s a bike-friend- ly area. It’s one more way to make the day’s ride that much more special.” Amanda Peacher is a multimedia reporter/pro- ducer covering central and eastern Oregon. She started at Oregon Public Broadcast- ing in 2011 as the Public Insight journalist. 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