NEWS
MyEagleNews.com
Wednesday, March 31, 2021
A3
Valley View under
new management
John Day assisted
living facility
acquired by Portland-
based Sapphire
By Steven Mitchell
Blue Mountain Eagle
Contributed photo/ODFW
Offi cials are still investigating how fi ve wolves found Feb. 9 died.
Offi cials investigate ‘mystery’
of fi ve dead wolves found
Feb. 9 in Union County
Carcasses being
examined to
determine cause
of death
By George Plaven
EO Media Group
Offi cials continue to
investigate how fi ve wolves
found Feb. 9 in Union
County died.
On Feb. 9, the Oregon
Department of Fish and
Wildlife reported a GPS col-
lar on a wolf emitted a “mor-
tality signal” in the Mount
Harris area near La Grande.
Offi cers with the Oregon
State Police Fish and Wildlife
Division found fi ve wolves
dead.
The carcasses were taken
to a U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service forensic lab to deter-
mine a cause of death. Results
have yet to be released.
OSP Capt. Tim Fox said
he could not immediately
provide additional details
about the dead wolves, such
as their size, sex and pack.
Roblyn Brown, wolf program
coordinator for ODFW, also
declined to comment, citing
the pending investigation.
Oregon has a minimum
wolf population of 158, as
of the most recent ODFW
survey in 2019, though
the actual number is likely
higher. Most packs are con-
centrated in the state’s north-
east corner, including Union
County where the fi ve dead
wolves were found.
“THE WOLF POPULATION IS NOT A CELEBRATED
THING IN CATTLE COUNTRY. IT’S FRUSTRATION,
THERE’S NO DOUBT ABOUT IT.”
— Rodger Huff man, a rancher in Union,
and wolf committee co-chairman for the Oregon Cattlemen’s Association
Kathleen Gobush, North-
west program director for
the conservation group
Defenders of Wildlife, said
the deaths were suspicious,
though without knowing the
cause of death, they cannot
say whether poaching may
have been to blame.
“It highlights the pressing
need for a thorough investiga-
tion, for sure,” Gobush said.
Gobush, who is in Seattle,
said she has never heard of
so many wolves found dead
at once in either Oregon or
Washington.
“We’re all waiting to hear
what the cause of death is,”
she said. “A lot of this is a
mystery.”
Rodger
Huff man,
a
rancher in Union, and wolf
committee co-chairman for
the Oregon Cattlemen’s
Association, said the rela-
tionship between wolves and
local producers remains con-
tentious, due in part to what
he describes as “shoddy”
management of the species.
Oregon’s Wolf Manage-
ment and Conservation Plan
allows for ranchers and wild-
life offi cials to legally kill
wolves that prey on livestock
if they reach a certain num-
ber of “confi rmed” depreda-
tions within a certain time
period, and non-lethal deter-
S234723-1
Mtn. View Mini-Mart 211 Front St., Prairie City 541-820-4477
Weekly Specials
Sunday - Family Style Joy’s Choice | Thursday - Asian | Saturday - Sushi
rents have failed.
But Huff man said it is
frustratingly diffi cult to
“confi rm” a wolf depreda-
tion, unless it is found and
reported immediately, leav-
ing ranchers in a diffi cult
predicament.
“The wolf population is
not a celebrated thing in cat-
tle country,” he said. “It’s
frustration, there’s no doubt
about it.”
Wolf poaching is not
unheard of in Eastern Ore-
gon. Two incidents were
reported last year in neigh-
boring Baker County — one
in late September, a breed-
ing male from the Cornuco-
pia Pack, and another in late
October, a sub-adult female
from the Pine Creek Pack.
Gobush said apex pred-
ators like wolves play an
important role in the ecosys-
tem, and should be protected.
Defenders of Wildlife also
supports a bill in the Legis-
lature that would help crack
down on poachers, Gobush
said. Senate Bill 841 would
appropriate $1.6 million from
the state general fund to sup-
port the Department of Jus-
tice’s Environmental Crimes
and Cultural Resources
Enforcement Unit.
The bill, sponsored by
Democratic Sens. James
Manning Jr., Chris Gorsek
and Deb Patterson, is sched-
uled for a public hearing on
April 5.
Valley View Assisted Liv-
ing is under new management
and got a slight name change.
Now known as Sapphire
at Valley View after being
acquired by Portland-based
Sapphire Health Services,
Valley View is one of almost
20 assisted living facilities
the company manages across
Oregon and Washington.
Lisa Hilty, vice president
of operations for communi-
ty-based care, said Sapphire
put the staff through training
and implemented new day-
to-day operations in a “shift”
from how Valley View oper-
ated in the past.
She said all assisted living
facilities operate under the
same administrative rules in
Oregon, but how they get to
that goal is slightly diff erent.
Hilty said the Valley View
staff has been “open and
eager” with the new direction.
“The team has just been
a true joy and are incredi-
ble,” she said. “They’ve been
really excited with the level
of involvement and support.”
She said she or a regional
director have been in John
Day “multiple times a month”
since becoming involved
with Valley View.
Hilty said Stephanie
Rodriquez, longtime Valley
View executive director is
“incredible,” and the staff is
“passion-driven.”
Hilty, who began her
career in senior housing and
health care in the early 1990s,
said she noticed right away
the Valley View residents
were happy and “well cared
for” when Sapphire fi rst
toured the facility.
“We knew that (Valley
View) could get to the next
level with the right kind of
support,” she said.
In getting to the next level,
she said a goal is to imple-
ment a memory care program
over the next six months.
Hilty said the Sap-
phire-branded
program,
dubbed “Sapphire Radiant,”
is about ensuring residents
have a purpose in their lives.
She said, whether gardening
or having a role within the
community, such as deliver-
ing the mail, it is about the
resident feeling purposeful
and helpful.
Hilty said there is another
program around sights and
smells that has been success-
ful. Another goal, she said, is
to paint and add new carpet
to the apartments within the
next six months.
“That’ll be an excit-
ing refresh for each of these
units,” she said.
She said it will be about
supporting the staff with the
tools to do an incredible job
to where residents “feel like
there’s no place better for
them to live.” Hilty said this
includes menu planning and
activities.
Hilty said Sapphire, with
just under 20 locations, is
“fairly small” for their indus-
try. Many companies, she
said, get very large, and that
is not their goal. She said
the company is very “inten-
tional” and “purposeful”
about their growth and the
locations of the communities
they acquire.
“Part of our due diligence
process,” she said, “is where’s
it located, and how long will
it take for me to drive.”
As Grant County health
offi cials continue to try and
get in front of a surge of 29
positive COVID-19 cases
this month, with infections
at a nursing home 30 miles
away in Prairie City, Valley
View as of Tuesday has man-
aged to prevent the virus from
spreading to residents.
Hilty praised Rodri-
guez and the rest of the staff
for their diligence in ensur-
ing that Valley View contin-
ues to prevent the virus from
spreading to the care center.
Grant SWCD Weed Control Dept.
Working for You in 2021
Thanks to the Grant County Court and Northeast Oregon Forests Resource
Advisory Committee, Grant Weed Control is able to offer a 50% Cost
Share Program for Noxious Weed Control on Private Grazing Lands,
through a Title II funded Grant Project. This program will provide a
maximum $5,000 of noxious weed control services with a $2,500 maximum
landowner contribution to qualifying participants. To be eligible for
participation, the treatment property must not be actively irrigated and
must be primarily managed for livestock grazing, minimum of 20 acres in
size, located within Grant County, and must contain weed species listed on
the Grant County Noxious Weed List. Applications for this limited weed
control assistance opportunity will be funded on a first come first serve
basis.
Applications due by April 16th.
Contact the Grant Soil and Water Conservation District Office at
(541) 575-1554 or visit 721 S. Canyon Blvd., John Day, OR 97845 for
applications and additional information.
S235643-1
Let your
GRADUATES’
accomplishments
SHINE
With college commencements being cancelled
and uncertainty with high school graduations,
HONOR YOUR SENIORS
in this special way on a Yard Sign.
These 18” x 24” signs can be made
in your graduates’ school colors.
Order by May 8th!
S232614-1
ONLY $30
137 E. Main St., John Day • 541-575-1637
New Spring Apparel & Footwear
Mon-Fri 9am-6pm • Sat 9am-5pm
234 NW Front St., Prairie City • 541-820-3675
S234537-1
Men’s/Women’s/Children’s
Kim Kell • 541-575-0710
kim@bmeagle.com
S237109-1