A14
NEWS
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, July 27, 2022
River
Smith
Continued from Page A1
Continued from Page A1
“Conditions have improved but we
are still looking at irrigation water
running out in early September.”
Ochoco Irrigation District pro-
vides water to 898 patrons on 20,062
acres, mostly north and east of the
Crooked River.
Bridget Moran, the Bend fi eld
supervisor for the U.S. Fish and Wild-
life, said her agency is working with
Deschutes Basin Habitat Conserva-
tion Plan permittees and federal part-
ners to “adaptively manage” the lim-
ited water supply in the Deschutes
Basin. The permittees include eight
irrigation districts in Central Oregon
and the city of Prineville.
Adaptive management allows the
agency and irrigation districts to tem-
porarily reduce reservoir outfl ows as
needed in times of drought.
“We are collaborating with the
Bureau of Reclamation and our HCP
permittees to come up with a solu-
tion that has the maximum benefi t
of all parties involved,” said Moran.
“To provide the best conservation
use of the limited water supply in the
Crooked River this year, 10 cfs mini-
mum fl ow is anticipated in September
and October.”
The winter — November to April
— level of 50 cfs is a requirement of
the Habitat Conservation Plan, which
was fi nalized in 2020 after 12 years
of development. During the rest of
the year, the outfl ows from Bowman
Dam are typically much higher due to
irrigation needs. Due to drought this
year there simply isn’t enough water
to maintain higher levels.
Prior to the conservation plan,
there was a minimum release of 10
cfs from Bowman Dam.
The fl ow of 10 cfs “is a require-
ment under the original federal leg-
islation,” said Kyle Gorman, region
manager for Oregon Water Resources
Department. “It dates back to the
1950s when Congress was approv-
ing the authorization and legislation
for building the Crooked River Proj-
ect that is now known as Prineville
Reservoir and Bowman Dam.”
Moran says the winter fl ow of 50
cfs and spring pulse fl ows, created by
snowmelt, will aid in the out-migra-
tion of anadromous smolts.
“With a very limited water sup-
ply, (USFWS) are attempting to
maximize benefi ts for those covered
species with the water that is avail-
able,” said Garnett, the Bureau of
Reclamation fi eld offi cer.
The intensity of drought in Ore-
gon has waned in recent months
thanks to a wet and cool spring, but
many areas of the state remain bone
dry. All of Crook County remains
in extreme or exceptional drought
conditions, according to the U.S.
Drought Monitor.
The Crooked River runs for 155
miles and the basin drains nearly
4,300 square miles. The river and its
tributaries were once major spawn-
ing grounds for migratory fi sh,
investigations were being conducted
to develop evidence in the assault
case, he was “convinced” that some
of the eff orts in the investigation
were intended to prove that Smith
left his children unaccompanied.
Bunch wrote that he was “par-
ticularly disturbed” that the sher-
iff ’s offi ce became aware that
Smith’s accuser was tracking him
and continued to receive informa-
tion from her.
“While the court does not
believe law enforcement encour-
aged (Smith’s accuser) to track
the defendant,” Bunch wrote, “law
enforcement became complicit
once the knowledge was obtained.”
Finally, the document contain-
ing Smith’s “Garrity” warning,
which Palmer used to conduct an
administrative interview regard-
ing the charges of child neglect,
stated specifi cally that the inter-
view would not be used as part of
a criminal investigation. Palmer,
during the evidentiary hearing on
the motion to dismiss the charges
against Smith, testifi ed that he
shared portions of that inter-
view with Gretchen Ladd-Dobler,
Wheeler County’s district attorney
and one of the special prosecutors
in Smith’s case.
“Sheriff Palmer’s informing the
prosecutor of the defendant’s story
regarding his absences is clearly
violative of this provision and is
disturbing,” Bunch wrote. “Con-
sequently, the court orders that the
child neglect charge be dismissed
in the interest of justice.”
Dean Guernsey/The Bulletin
The Crooked River fl ows slowly along Meadow Lakes Golf Course in
Prineville.
including spring chinook salmon,
steelhead trout and Pacifi c lamprey.
Redband trout and bull trout were
also widespread.
Dams and irrigation in the
Crooked River basin built during the
20th century cut off access to spawn-
ing and rearing grounds, causing most
of these species to dwindle in number
from the river.
Today, redband trout and moun-
tain whitefi sh are found in the river,
along with migrating and spawning
adult spring chinook salmon. Bull
trout have been seen using the fi sh
ladder at Opal Springs and are using
the lower Crooked River.
Jerry George, a fi sh biologist with
Oregon Department of Fish and Wild-
life, said his agency is closely track-
ing reservoir levels, low stream
fl ows, and warm water temperatures.
Prineville and Ochoco reservoirs and
the Chimney Rock Wild and Scenic
section of the Crooked River down-
stream of Bowman Dam are of partic-
ular concern.
“The situation is unprecedented;
we have not experienced low fl ows
in the tailwater reach below Bowman
Dam during the irrigation season
before,” said George. “This reach
typically has an adequate volume of
fl ow through the end of the irrigation
season and cool water that is drawn
from the bottom of Prineville reser-
voir. At this point, the scope of the
impacts are unknown and diffi cult to
predict.”
A series of three canal piping proj-
ects costing $32 million could help
Ochoco Irrigation District conserve
water, leaving more water in the river
for fi sh. These projects are planned
for completion by March 2024 and
will save the district 16.2 cubic feet of
water per second, or about 7,271 gal-
lons of water per minute.
But some experts worry that the
low fl ows combined with high sum-
mer temperatures could kill large
numbers of fi sh before the conserva-
tion projects are completed. Salmo-
nids like native redband trout are cold
water species that need water tem-
peratures generally below 68F.
Amy Stuart, a retired fi sh biolo-
gist previously with ODFW, said red-
band evolved with occasional expo-
sure to high water temperatures, but
sustained high temperatures can cause
chronic and acute distress leading to
death.
“Low fl ows can concentrate fi sh in
pools and deplete oxygen,” said Stu-
art. “Fish in low warm fl ows are also
much more vulnerable to predation
and disease.”
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
acknowledged the reality of the situa-
tion as it relates to steelhead and bull
trout, two species of fi sh that use the
Crooked River and are also covered
by the Endangered Species Act.
“During a period of severe
drought, as we are experiencing now,
water is limited,” said Moran. “This
will provide the maximum benefi t
possible to the covered species with
this limited water supply.”
How we got here
NAPA
Continued from Page A1
“I admire him for sticking with
his wife and wanting to make the
marriage work and follow her to
support her career,” Lundbom said.
“It’s all good.”
Stefan Lundbom currently
resides in Prineville.
The store in John Day is the fi rst
of several NAPA locations Snair is
looking to purchase, according to
Lundbom. The store has already
coordinated with Burns, Redmond,
Bend and Prineville to use their
inventory.
The changes Snair is making are
going to be good for the community
and good for NAPA, according to
Lundbom: “He’s got the capital to
enhance what we’ve got going.”
Lundbom declined to reveal
what the sale price of the business
was, saying only that the deal was
fair.
“I’m not going to disclose (the pur-
chase price),” he said. “I got what it’s
worth, that’s basically it. … I got a fair
price. He’s happy with everything.”
As a condition of the sale, the
Smith maintains that the crim-
inal charges against him were part
of a plan by former Grant County
Sheriff Glenn Palmer, Undersheriff
Zach Mobley, Mobley’s wife, Abi-
gail, and Grant County Sheriff ’s Sgt.
Danny Komning, Abigail Mobley’s
older brother, to have him removed
from the sheriff ’s offi ce and get him
arrested.
That plan, Smith asserts, was
in retaliation for allegations Smith
made to the Oregon Department of
Justice on July 31, 2019, that Abi-
gail Mobley had used illegal drugs
and had a sexual relationship with an
inmate incarcerated for drug crimes
while she was a jail deputy with the
Grant County Sheriff ’s Offi ce.
Smith also argues that his accuser
was a close friend of the Mobleys
and Komning.
After a 21-month investigation
found that Abigail Mobley commit-
ted eight violations of the depart-
ment’s code of conduct, ranging
from abuse of her position to conduct
unbecoming an offi cer and neglect of
duty, she resigned from the sheriff ’s
offi ce on Dec. 26, 2021, following a
30-day suspension.
Abigail Mobley, who was on paid
leave throughout the investigation,
was not found to have used illegal
drugs.
What’s next
Smith’s trial on the assault,
attempted rape and attempted sex
abuse charges is scheduled to begin
on Oct. 24 in Grant County Circuit
Court.
The 12-person jury trial is
expected to last 14 days, according
to court documents.
name of the store will change from
John Day Auto Parts to John Day
NAPA.
Snair is eager to get started and
already has a house in the city,
according to Lundbom.
“We’ve hired two new guys and
we have a full staff , and we’re train-
ing them to fi ll in the slack when I
leave,” he said.
Lundbom said he was ready to
transition into retirement following
46 years of working at the John Day
NAPA store.
“I’ve been getting up and going
to work at a quarter after 6 every
day for as long as I can remember,”
he said. “The longest we’d ever
take off, we might leave on a Fri-
day early and be gone until Sun-
day and come back to work. Never
drew unemployment and never
had any longer than that off.”
Lundbom will be working
at the store until the end of the
month in an effort to help pro-
vide a smooth transition of own-
ership. The 68-year-old Lundbom,
who also serves as mayor of John
Day, said he is looking forward to
doing more golfing, camping and
hiking following his last day with
the company.
Coffee Break!
61. A team’s best
pitcher
62. Consumed
63. Time zone
64. Part of a com-
pany name
65. Type of bulb
CLUES DOWN
1. Marine proto-
zoan
2. You use it for
your eyes
3. Set aside for a
later time
4. Metrical foot
5. Famed journal-
ist Tarbell
6. Consumes
quickly
CLUES ACROSS 21. Boasted
46. One who
7. Rewards in a
mimics
23. Eel-like verte-
1. America’s
civil suit
brate
WW2 President
47. Tropical plant
8. Kamodo are
24. Small freshwa- 50. Used of walls
4. Move earth
some
ter lakes
9. Ballroom dance
7. Insecticide
54. A citizen of
25. Morally base
13. Chum
10. Naturally
Iran
occurring solid 26. Not odd
14. Comedienne
55.
Christian
material
27. Where you live
Gasteyer
hermit
11. State of fuss
30. Fixed in place
17. A room to relax
56. She marries
12. Bhutanese
34. A very large
18. Commercials
the groom
wine
body of water
20. Six (Spanish)
13. Greek island
35. Moved quickly 57. American patri- 22. Wild party
otic society
15. Taxi
36. Winged horse
27. Small Europe-
16. Tanzanian
41. Small waterfall 59. Wine grape
an viper
ethnic group
60. School of
28. Baseballer
45. Hoopster
Gordon
19. Metrical foot
Buddhism
Gasol
29. Eccentric
person
31. A way to save
for your future
32. Young boy
33. Midway be-
tween northeast
and east
37. Changed
38. Prominent
39. Genus of
seabirds
40. Event regarded
as wrong
41. Skipped in a
lively way
42. Multi-function
radar (abbr.)
43. A country in W.
Africa
44. Burn a corpse
47. Women’s __
movement
48. NHL great
Bobby
49. Coarse, green
material
51. Treated with
calcium oxide
52. When you
hope to get
there
53. “Partridge”
actress Susan
58. What thespi-
ans do
Be our exclusive Coffee
WORDS
BASIN
BERN
BORDER
CHEMIGATION
CONFINEMENT
CROPS
DISTRIBUTION
DRIPPER
EFFICIENCY
EMITTER
FIELD
FLOOD
FLOW
HOSES
MANAGEMENT
PIVOT
PRESSURE
PUMP
SELF-PRO-
PELLED
SPRINKLERS
SURFACE
SYSTEM
WATER
Break
Reach over 2000 print and
digital subscribers each week in
The Blue Mountain Eagle
sponsor!
Call
Kim Kell
today at
541-575-0710
for more
information
on this
new weekly
feature!