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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 9, 2017)
Blue Mountain The EAGLE Grant County’s newspaper since 1868 ODFW approves killing two Harl Butte pack wolves By Eric Mortenson EO Media Group O regon Department of Fish and Wildlife approved a kill order for two adult wolves from Wallowa County’s Harl Butte pack, which has been respon- sible for seven confi rmed attacks on cattle in the past 13 months. Ranchers in the area had asked ODFW to wipe out the pack, which numbered 10 at the end of 2016 and at least seven when counted in March. The department decided instead to kill two adults and then evaluate the situation. “In this chronic situation, lethal control measures are warranted,” acting ODFW wolf coordinator Roblyn Brown said in a prepared statement. “We will use in- cremental removal to give the remaining wolves the opportunity to change their behavior or move out of the area.” The wolves will be trapped or shot from the ground or air in the next two weeks, according to an ODFW news release. See WOLVES, Page A18 Thinkstock.com W EDNESDAY , A UGUST 9, 2017 • N O . 32 • 18 P AGES • $1.00 www.MyEagleNews.com Support for hydroponic greenhouse grows construction phase. This means the first crop could be planted as early as August of 2018. The total cost of the proj- ect is between $300,000 and $400,000. This price range is because the city is still in the By Rylan Boggs research phase of the project Blue Mountain Eagle and is considering a number of manufacturers, including The city of John Day Rough Brothers Inc., Crop- could be getting a hydroponic king and Bright Agrotech, greenhouse as early as August according to senior project manager Aaron Lieuallen. of 2018. In controlled greenhous- The facility, capable of yielding as much as 1,200 es, crops can mature up to 25 pounds of produce weekly percent faster and yield up and 31 tons annually, is pro- to 30 percent more produce, posed to be built at the Inno- according to Lieuallen, who vation Gateway site on the cited the ability to control the growing climate and west side of town. The John Day City Coun- pests, such as earwigs. The city is working with cil Aug. 1 approved a budget adjustment and authorized local grocers to determine what produce the expen- will sell best diture of in local mar- roughly kets before $105,000 deciding on a from the manufactur- city’s sew- er, Lieuallen er fund. said. The mon- Chester ’s ey, roughly Thriftway 14 percent The Eagle/Rylan Boggs manager Bill of the city’s Wyllie said he net working A red bell pepper at had discussed capital in the Chester’s Thriftway. selling local sewer fund, will pay for a full-time em- produce with the city. Wyllie ployee to run the greenhouse said the store went through and materials and services, large quantities of vegetables, according to John Day City such as lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers and recommended Manager Nick Green. “You’ve got to throw the city consider cultivating your toes in the water to see them. He said eliminating the if it will work,” Councilman need to transport produce Steve Schuette said. Hydroponic greenhouses would give customers a fresh- grow crops without soil, in- er product with a longer shelf stead using water to deliv- life and reduce the amount of er nutrients to plants. The food waste. “The customers could win project will take advantage of two resources plentiful to because they could potential- the city: water and sunlight. ly get the product cheaper, The city’s current plan we win because we put more involves an eight-month See HYDROPONIC, planning window followed Page A18 by a four-month greenhouse John Day could see first harvest as early as next fall Jean Kline honors late husband as grand marshal Grant County Fair runs through Saturday By Angel Carpenter Blue Mountain Eagle It’s Jean Kline’s 50th consecutive year attending the Grant County Fair, and this year brings a special hon- or. Kline will represent the 108th fair as grand marshal this year, honoring her late husband Dave Kline (1927- 2013). In her early days attend- ing the fair, Kline cheered on her three children who were involved in 4-H, horse shows and parade activities. This year, she’ll be clap- ping for her great-grandchil- dren Dylan and Sarah Clark of John Day as they show pigs. Kline said she agreed to be grand marshal for the opportunity to highlight the service Dave gave over the years. “Dave was the leader of the Prairie City 4-H Live- stock Club in 1967 and en- joyed helping many young The Eagle/Angel Carpenter Grant County Fair Grand Marshal Jean Kline rides in her late husband’s pickup, “Old Red,” in the Prairie City Fourth of July parade. 4-H’ers with their projects for several years,” she said. “In those days, we spent many hours helping young people in the poultry, pig and sheep and beef barns during the fair. Dave also spent many years instructing with the horse show and junior rodeo.” Besides entering pies, cookies, vegetables and more, over the years, Jean also lent a hand to youth, leading the Prairie City 4-H Sewing Club for a few years. “4-H is just a great pro- gram for the children,” she said. “It’s a good learning experience and teaches dis- cipline.” Jean and Dave Kline were married for 62 years. In their early years of marriage, Dave managed the Bridge Creek Ranch in the north end of Sil- vies Valley, now Silvies Val- ley Ranch, and then managed both the Bridge Creek and Flying Hat Ranch in Mt. Ver- non. He later became a realtor as well. Their children include Nancy Moffi tt of Mt. Ver- non, married to Geoff; Dan Kline of Klamath Falls; and Susan Byrne of Scottsdale, married to Shawn. They have four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren After a few years out of the county, the family settled in Prairie City in 1967. “Dave was really well known in the community,” Jean said. “I supported him through all his projects, and he was very active with ev- erything in the county.” The fair is scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 9, through Saturday, Aug. 12. The fair parade is set for 10 a.m. Sat- urday, Aug. 12, and Kline will ride in Dave’s ’66 Chevy pickup “Old Red,” which was fully restored by her grandson Farrell Clark of John Day. Jean said her husband “dearly loved” Old Red. “If he drove a pickup, that’s the one he drove,” she said. She said she’s looking forward to the fair and seeing her great-grandchildren show their animals. “It’s really just a great yearly event that brings ev- erybody out and gets them to- gether,” she said. “We see old friends that we only see once a year. ... It’s very important to the ranchers and their chil- dren.” TOP PHOTO: Jean Kline will represent the 108th fair as grand marshal this year, honoring her late husband Dave Kline (1927-2013). Contributed photo Fire season fl ares up over weekend Several large blazes erupt in Eastern Oregon By George Plaven EO Media Group Wildland fi refi ghters in northeast Oregon faced their fi rst big test of the 2017 fi re season over the weekend af- ter three large blazes erupted in relatively short order, at least two of which were hu- man-caused. The largest of the bunch, the Bear Butte Fire, was fi rst reported Friday afternoon within a mile of Anthony Lakes Mountain Resort in the Wallowa-Whitman Na- Contributed photo The Bear Butte Fire burns Friday near Anthony Lakes Mountain Resort in the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest. tional Forest. Authorities quickly evacuated the resort, along with Anthony Lakes Campground and cabins in the immediate area. As of Monday, the fi re was holding steady at about 500 acres. Road closures are in effect while crews work to strengthen fi re lines, includ- ing Forest Service Road 73 from the North Fork John Day Campground to the na- tional forest boundary. The Elkhorn Crest Trail is also closed from the trailhead to the Summit Trail junction. On Sunday, a Type 2 inci- dent management team com- posed of 300 mostly local fi refi ghters and three helicop- ters arrived to take command of the Bear Butte Fire, which is now 10 percent contained. The cause of the fi re has not yet been determined. Elsewhere, people have been determined the cause of the 222-acre Indian Lake Fire started Friday in Uma- tilla County, and the 301- acre Clarks Creek Fire which was reported seven miles See FIRE, Page A18 ODF identifies injured firefighter EO Media Group The Oregon Department of Forestry has identifi ed the sea- sonal fi refi ghter injured Satur- day in a vehicle wreck on In- terstate 84 west of Meacham. Jesse Boyd, 21, of Hep- pner, was heading back from the Indian Lake fi re operating a 1,600-gallon water tender when the truck left the road- way, crossed the median and came to rest in the eastbound lanes of the interstate. Why he crashed remains under inves- tigation. Boyd was fl own via air ambulance to a local hospital where he is being treated for serious injuries. His condition is listed as stable, according to ODF.
