A10
News
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, October 5, 2016
Wildlife returns to conservation area
$11 million, 5-year
project repairs
mining damage
By Rylan Boggs
Blue Mountain Eagle
The Eagle/Rylan Boggs
A man made log feature made to mimic
natural fish habitat sits in the Oxbow
Conservation Area on Thursday,
Sept. 22.
What was once a ditch sur-
rounded by mine tailings is well
on its way to being a fully restored
habitat for salmon, steelhead and
other wildlife.
The Oxbow Conservation Area
was heavily mined in the late 1930s
and ’40s and was left in a state of
destruction.
Mounds of leftover mine tail-
ings were bulldozed lat in the
’70s, and a straight, deep ditch was
carved for the water to run through.
The river was completely uncon-
nected to the loodplain and provid-
ed no habitat for ish, according to
Brian Cochran, a restoration ecol-
ogist with the Confederated Tribes
of the Warm Springs Reservation
of Oregon.
The more than $11 million dollar
project consisted of ive phases and
began in 2011. Since then, a joint
effort has removed mine tailings,
restored vegetation and reshaped
the river into a natural, productive
ecosystem capable of supporting
a variety of wildlife. The project
The Eagle/Rylan Boggs
Scott Turo, leader of the Fisheries Department for the
Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Habitat Program,
shows Lesa Stark some of the work done on the Obxbow
Conservation Area on Thursday, Sept. 22.
has been a collaborative effort be-
tween the Bureau of Reclamation,
Bonneville Power Administration
Oregon, Watershed Enhancement
Board, NOAA Fisheries, US Fish
and Wildlife Service, Malheur Na-
tional Forest, Oregon Departement
of Fish and Wildlife and the Ore-
gon Youth Conservation Core.
Using heavy equipment, the
stream has been changed from a
straight, deep, fast-lowing ditch
into a slow, meandering body of
water, where ish have a variety
of habitats to grow and spawn.
Besides rerouting the stream into
a meandering path, old trees and
slash have been placed at key points
in the river to simulate log jams that
provide critical habitat for aquatic
species, according to Cochran.
Other wildlife has also moved
back into the area. Beaver activity
was apparent on the shorelines, and
otters had been recently spotted en-
joying the restored river.
An interpretive center and trail
are planned for the area to better ex-
hibit the new ecosystem, according
to Cochran. As part of the project,
vegetation like willows, cotton-
woods and chokecherries are also
being planted. One particularly ef-
fective plant being reintroduced
to this part of the river are torrent
sedges, hardy tufts of grass give
aquatic animals a sheltered habitat.
“Our goal is to have a fully
shaded river corridor,” Cochran
said.
The area is almost entirely sur-
round by 8-foot high fences to keep
animals like deer and elk from
stripping the recovering vegetation
bare. There is a sizable gap in the
fences that allows smaller animals
to pass through so as not to hinder
their movements.
A number of alcoves, sheltered
areas in the stream without cur-
rents, are scattered throughout the
project area and were designed
speciically to foster growth of ju-
venile ish. Scott Turo, the habitat
program leader for the Fisheries
Department at the Confederated
Tribes of Warm Springs, said the
Bureau of Reclamation was key to
getting the project done.
“The Bureau of Reclamation
folks deinitely deserve an extra
thank you. There’s millions of dol-
lars of behind the scenes stuff, and
the river is connected.” Turo said.
“... Thats a good feeling for all of
us, and the salmon are out there and
using it and we’re pleased about
that.”
SOPHIA
Continued from Page A1
We would like to thank our children, family and
friends for making the celebration of our 60th
Anniversary so special. We would like to
especially thank grandchildren Sylvia and Toby
for wearing our wedding clothing for a very
special surprise. Thank you to everyone.
Ron and Joyce Dowdy.
According to the YES
Abroad website, the program
started in an effort to increase
cultural understanding be-
tween Americans and people
from other countries, espe-
cially those with large Muslim
populations. Thirteen coun-
tries take part in the program,
including Indonesia, Ghana,
Thailand, Bosnia and others.
Pettit said earning good
grades and being involved in
school programs gave her ap-
plication a boost.
“You’re going as an ambas-
sador of the U.S.,” she said,
noting it helps to be involved
in activities which show lead-
ership and independence.
Pettit started a blog called
Contributed photo
Sophia Pettit of Monument, third from right, sits
with other students who are studying abroad this
year in Sofia, Bulgaria.
“Sophia Goes to Soia” with
entries about her experiences
in Bulgaria.
Her host family was wait-
ing for her when she arrived in
Soia.
She wrote, “My host sister,
Eli, was holding a rose, and
Bobo, my host brother, was
holding some sort of round
loaf of bread with a jar of spic-
es.”
She said it is traditional for
visitors to Bulgaria to eat the
bread, dipping it in the spices.
So far, her favorite food is
Shopska salad, which includes
tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers,
onions, oil, cheese and parsley.
She said she’s learned to
read and write in Bulgarian
as well as greet and ask direc-
tions.
The hardest part about the
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language, she said, is that some
letters look like English letters,
but are pronounced differently.
“It gets pretty complicated,
but my Bulgarian is coming
along,” she said.
Her irst day of high school
at the American College of So-
ia went well.
“To my surprise, I really
enjoyed it!” she said. “The sys-
tem here is nice and the cam-
pus of my school is absolutely
beautiful.”
Her classes, which are
taught in English, include:
math, sports, English, physics,
ethics and law, Spanish, his-
tory, U.S. history, geography,
biology and informatics.
“Your schedule is different
each day,” she said. “For ex-
ample, Monday I’ll have math
for two class periods in a row,
sports international for one
class period, and English for
two in a row. The next day, I’d
have totally different classes.”
Pettit discovered her U.S.
history teacher is from Herm-
iston.
“Small world,” she said.
She hopes to join volleyball
and basketball teams when
they’re available, as well as
some clubs.
“Luckily, I survived my
irst couple days ... without
too many crazy mishaps,” she
said.
She took the wrong bus
stop traveling to school and
was placed in Spanish II in-
stead of Spanish I.
“I eventually found my
way to school — without be-
ing late I may add — and my
schedule got ixed,” she said.
“Here goes my sophomore
year of high school at a new
school!”
To view Pettit’s blog, vis-
it sophiagoestosoia.weebly.
com.
TAKE CARE OF Y U
October is Breast Cancer
Awareness Month
and a time to think about your health
For breast cancer
prevention and detection,
Dr. Keith Thomas suggests:
Have a yearly
mammogram at
40 years of age and
every year after.
(Medicare and
many insurances
will pay for this.)
J OHN D AY P OLARIS
821 W H WY . 26
JDPOLARIS . COM
Continue to do your
self breast
examinations at
least every month.
See your family
doctor for a yearly
check or even
sooner if you
haven’t
been feeling well.
Keith J. Thomas, MD, FACS
Board-Certified General Surgeon
Blue Mountain Hospital • 170 Ford Road, John Day • 541-575-1311