Imnaha Country

Today Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley announced that Imnaha’s post office was one of twenty that are being removed from a list of forty-one post offices that the U. S. Postal service was considering for shut-down in rural Oregon communities.

The Postal Service wrote in a letter that it had reached the decision after a study determined that “inclement topography, lack of local connecting roads, and absence of opportunity for alternate access do not allow for reasonable customer access at this time” if the 20 post offices were closed.

Merkley applauded the decision, saying, “These post offices are the heart of their communities, and it would be absolutely wrong to close them. … But the fight is not over. Twenty-one more of Oregon’s rural post offices remain on the closure list, and I will keep fighting against their closure.”

Merkley authored the “Protecting Rural Post Offices Act,” a bill co-sponsored by Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Lisa Murkowski, (R-Ark.), Mark Begich (D-Ark.). The legislation would prohibit the closing of post offices that are more than 10 miles from another facility.

Fred and LaNita Flowers, formerly of Imnaha, celebrate 52 years of marriage on Oct. 2. The Flowers, who raised a blended family are currently  living in Apple Valley, Calif., with their youngest daughter and oldest son. Fred and LaNita were owner-operators of what was the Riverside Garage and Cafe, and Rimrock Motel.

May 17, 2011

An uncollared young male wolf from the Imnaha pack was trapped and euthanized this morning by ODFW staff. The action occurred on private property with livestock operations, where wolves had killed livestock in late April 2011.

ODFW killed the wolf in an effort to reduce livestock depredation in the area. Despite non-lethal methods in place to prevent wolf-livestock conflict, wolves from the Imnaha pack have killed at least four domestic animals this year. The pack was also involved in livestock losses in the same area at about the same time last year.

“This action is not something that we take lightly, but it is consistent with the Wolf Conservation and Management Plan,” said Russ Morgan, ODFW wolf coordinator. “This will reduce the food requirements of the pack and discourage further use of this area [livestock operations on private lands].”

Efforts to remove a second uncollared wolf from the pack will continue.

ODFW has also issued a total of 12 “caught in the act” permits to livestock producers in the area of the Imnaha pack. With the permits, the livestock producers may shoot a wolf they “see in the act of biting, wounding or killing livestock.” All of the permit holders are using non-lethal methods to prevent wolf-livestock conflict.

The purpose of these permits is to provide livestock producers with additional tools to protect their property. Morgan noted that the opportunity to use these permits is rare. “Wolves tend to avoid humans, so seeing one in the act is unlikely. None of the livestock producers that have lost animals to wolves so far have seen a wolf actually attacking their livestock,” he said. “However, we want to give ranchers the ability to protect their private property should they see a wolf biting, wounding or killing their livestock.”

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Access and Habitat Program has opened or maintained continued public hunting access on 76,840 acres of private lands in eastern Oregon that provide hunting opportunities for a variety of game species including deer, elk, upland game birds, and predators.

The Imnaha property provides hunting access to 6,673 acres from August 1, 2010 to July 31, 2012. Located within the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area, mule deer, white-tailed deer, Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, turkey, upland game birds, waterfowl, and predators are found on the property.

For more information: ODFW Grande Ronde Watershed District Office, 541-963-2138.

Imnaha School Students & Teacher 2010

Here is a current photo taken a few weeks ago during a trip to Boise. There were 6 kids in the school this year (all pictured with their teacher). Photo sent in by Aleasha.

Here's an excerpt from ODFW Recreation Reports Northeast Zone GRANDE RONDE, WALLOWA, IMNAHA RIVERS AND TRIBUTARIES: steelhead

A Nice Steelhead -Oregon Fish and Wildlife-

Steelhead fishing continues to be good and anglers are finding steelhead throughout most of the usual spring fishing areas in the Grande Ronde and Imnaha basins. Catch rates (hours per steelhead landed) in last week’s creel surveys were 8.9 for the lower Grande Ronde River, 3.8 for the Wallowa River Canyon, 3.4 for the Rondowa area, and 1.9 for the Imnaha River. Steelhead angling conditions will depend on weather and flow conditions and anglers should check river flows using the link below. Steelhead anglers have a new area to fish in the Imnaha River basin beginning Jan. 1, 2010. Big Sheep Creek from the Imnaha River upstream to the mouth of Little Sheep Creek is now open to steelhead angling. The reach is approximately three miles and includes approximately two miles of public access on land recently acquired by The Nature Conservancy.  Anglers should use location code 144 (Imnaha River) when recording catch from Big Sheep Creek on their harvest cards.  The bag limit on the lower Grande Ronde, Wallowa, and Imnaha Rivers and Big Sheep Creek is five adipose fin-clipped steelhead per day.

Can you name all of the kids at the old one room school? I am on the left in the bottom row.

Photo taken from the Imnaha bridge January 29, 1929 of Jesse and Ferm Warnock floating the river on chunks of ice.