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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 9, 2019)
NEWS MyEagleNews.com Wednesday, October 9, 2019 A3 The future of Grant County Kam Wah Chung bringing visitors from across the world By Rudy Diaz Blue Mountain Eagle Grant County’s future is looking bright on several fronts. Guest speakers at the Grant County Chamber of Commerce installation din- ner Oct. 2 talked about the potential that the Kam Wah Chung State Heritage Site has for tourism, upcoming projects in the county and changes underway. Former John Day mayor and county commissioner Chris Labhart, a tour guide at Kam Wah Chung, began the speeches by talking about how many people visit Kam Wah Chung. “So far, as of today, we have had over 8,600 people come to our museum since May of this year,” Labhart said. “We’ve had (visi- tors from) every state in the union except West Virginia, Vermont and Delaware, and we’ve had 26 visitors from foreign countries.” By the end of October, Labhart is expecting to reach 9,000 visitors. Labhart also gave statistics and feedback that came from 558 guests from the museum regard- ing their visit and stay in the county. “Fifty percent of the vis- itors hear about us through word of mouth,” Labhart said. “The rest are through travel websites. Most are staying at least one to three nights or more. They are using this as a hub to go to different places in Burns, Baker and the Fossil Beds (National Monument).” The feedback “almost unanimously” said the county needs a Chinese restaurant, he said. Discovery Channel USA and China visited last year in October. They will be releas- ing their videos this fall or next spring. Discovery Channel China told Labhart the county will receive buses full of Chinese tourists, and he is concerned the county will not be able to accom- modate the increase in visi- tors without providing new The Eagle/Rudy Diaz Chris Labhart talks about Grant County visitors and the Kam Wah Chung State Heritage Site at the Grant County Chamber of Commerce installation dinner Oct. 2. hotels and more restaurants. The chamber office also had visitors from around the U.S. and many other coun- tries such as British Colum- bia, The United Kingdom, Australia, Scotland, The Netherlands, Germany, France and New Zealand. “We have things here that they don’t have any- where else, and that’s why people come,” said chamber Manager Tammy Bremner. “Kam Wah Chung draws a lot of people, the fossil beds — our museums are so far above average, the people are constantly talking about them.” Bremner said the cham- ber office received new win- dows and landscaping, and a new flag pole will also be placed in front of the building. The chamber also began giving community scholar- ships to help county celebra- tions such as the Fiber Fest, Fourth of July celebrations and the Grant County Fair. Grant County Regional Airport Manager Haley Walker discussed current projects such as the $1.2 million north apron project and the $6.3 million decou- pling project. Walker also talked about involving youth at the air- port as people can get a pilot license at age 14. The airport provides a paid internship every summer and offers discounted college credits set up through Eastern Ore- gon University. “They get to come work at the airport, get discounted college credits, get exposed to aviation and we get help at the airport during our bus- iest time,” Walker said. Ron Lundbom, the mayor of John Day, talked about the momentum that the Innova- tion Gateway and Riverfront Recreation projects are gain- ing locally and by the state. M.G. Devereux, the assistant director of the Ore- gon Parks and Recreation Department, recently visited the city’s greenhouses, the Hill Family Park and Kam Wah Chung. There were no announcements regarding the sale of the land where Gleason Pool is, but the city and OPRD are on the same page, Lundbom said. The city is also waiting to hear back about poten- tial broadband and transpor- tation grants in October or November, he said. Cam Marlowe, the chief financial officer for Blue Mountain Hospital, updated the community on hospital plans. Dr. Keith Thomas, the general surgeon, decided to take a position in adminis- tration at a VA hospital in Colorado. He will be leaving at the end of the year, Mar- lowe said. Dr. Oliver Wisco, a der- matologist, will begin taking appointments this month. The hospital is currently looking for another doctor or mid-level practitioner, he said. The therapy services department is growing fast, according to Marlowe. There are six physical thera- pists, a recently hired speech therapist and the hospital was just approved to hire an occupational therapist. State funding will support five river projects Blue Mountain Eagle Five John Day River res- toration projects will receive $489,100 in funding from the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board. The North Fork and South Fork watershed coun- cils will use the funding to enhance fish and wildlife habitat for chinook salmon, steelhead and bull trout, restore clean water, increase water quality and reduce fire risk. “Native fish in Grant County, including salmon, steelhead, bull trout and red- band trout, need cool, clean water,” North Fork John Day Watershed Council Executive Director Valeen Madden said. • In combination with Forest Service funding, the North Fork council will remove multiple old log weir dams and historic rail- road berms on Clear Creek in the Middle Fork of the John Day River drainage near Austin. The work, which should be completed this year, will improve passage of juve- nile fish during low stream conditions and help reduce water temperatures. • With additional funding and assistance from the For- est Service and Confeder- ated Tribes of Warm Springs, the North Fork council will work to reduce stream tem- peratures in Camp and Lick creeks, which enter the Mid- dle Fork of the John Day River just north of Galena. Willow, cottonwood and dogwood will be planted along the streambanks to provide shade, and large logs or other natural structures will be placed in streams to Contributed photo/Kristen Walz The North Fork John Day Watershed Council will establish an upland water source and install fencing to protect streams from livestock impacts on the Eight Mile Basin ranch near Ritter. Contributed photo/Justin Rowel The North Fork John Day Watershed Council plans to remove multiple old log weirs that block fish passage in Clear Creek in the Middle Fork John Day River valley near Austin Junction. create pools. The two-phase project should be completed by next year. • Working with two pri- vate landowners, the Eight Iron Ranch and Eight Mile Basin LLC, the North Fork council will build fences on the Middle Fork of the John Day River west of Highway 395 near Ritter to keep live- stock out of streams. The project could be completed next year. To provide livestock with an alternative water source, upland water sources will be developed by using nat- ural springs to feed water- ing troughs filled by gravity flow. The project also calls for removing juniper and thinning overstocked forest around the spring. • The North Fork coun- cil will also build buck-and- pole fencing this year to pro- tect rare aspen habitat along Fox Creek, which flows into Budget 8 Motel 711 W. Main St. John Day • 541 575-2155 • 541-575-2156 • Wi-Fi L We ow Rat ekly es! • In-Room Coffee • Guest Laundry • Microwave Cottonwood Creek, a trib- utary of the North Fork of the John Day River, near the town of Fox. Juniper will also be removed in priority areas. • The South Fork John Day Watershed Council will use OWEB funding to improve river habitat in the southwest corner of Grant County. In the Big Flat area, 183 acres of western juni- per will be removed on the Keerins Ranch at the head- waters of Flat and Brisbois creeks to reduce water tem- peratures for native fish. “Big Flat is at the headwaters of many red- band-bearing streams, but closest to Flat Creek and Brisbois Creek,” said Amy Stiner, the executive direc- tor of the South Fork John Day Watershed Coun- cil. “In both watersheds, streamflows are very low or even nonexistent during summer months.” The Keerins Ranch plans to develop a watering system for a new well to support a natural spring that goes dry much of the year to provide upland livestock habitat. The South Fork Council will assist by removing juniper in the Big Flat area, Stiner said. The area is also consid- ered winter range habitat for elk and mule deer, she said. “Both the North Fork and South Fork John Day water- shed councils are working collaboratively with other agencies and private land- owners to make our streams healthy for native fish,” Madden said. “We are grate- ful to OWEB for their sup- port, to our partners for working collaboratively with us, and to Oregonians for supporting this kind of work throughout the state to keep our water clean and our fish abundant.” Contributed photo/Amy Stiner The South Fork John Day Watershed Council will use grant funding from the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board to remove junipers in the Big Flat area of the South Fork John Day River drainage. In the background is Snow Mountain. TOM CHRISTENSEN CHRISTENSEN TOM CONSTRUCTION Debbie Ausmus 245 South Canyon Blvd. John Day, OR 97845 OPEN WED. & THUR. 9 am - 5 pm (541) 410-0557 • (541) 575-0192 CCB# 106077 541-575-1113 24 hrs/7 days wk REMODELS • NEW CONSTRUCTION • POLE BUILDINGS CONCRETE EXCAVATION • SHEET ROCK • SIDING ROOFING • FENCES • DECKS • TELESCOPING FORKLIFT SERVICES • Pets Welcome • Refrigerator Mendy Sharpe FNP 139101 Apppointments available 541-963-6577 541-573-6377 541-576-2160 debbie.ausmus@ countryfinancial.com I would like to thank everyone that participated in making the 1st annual GIST golf scramble a great success. Special thanks to my sister Judy Simmons, Maxine Day, Noah and Cooper Cobb, Kathleen Lee & Tom Bedortha. Monday - Thursday 7am- 6pm Friday 8am - 5pm 541-523-6377 Contributed photo/Kristen Walz The North Fork John Day Watershed Council will work to protect rare aspen habitat along Fox Creek. Thanks from, OHSU Knight Cancer Institute GIST Cancer Research Jerry & Linda McClellan
