Public Meeting on Draft East Moraine Trail Plan

The public is invited to come learn about the proposed Wallowa Lake East Moraine Trail Project. The open-house-style meeting, hosted by the Wallowa Lake Moraines Partnership, will be held February 28th, from 6:00–7:30 p.m., at the Joseph Community Center, 401 East First Street, Joseph. A short presentation will be given at 6:00 p.m. detailing the process and summarizing the proposed East Moraine Trail Project. Following the presentation attendees may view displays showing the location of the proposed trail system and provide input on a range of issues including natural resources, locations for new amenities and trail uses. Representatives will be available to answer questions. Wallowa Land Trust, Wallowa County Board of Commissioners, Wallowa Resources, Oregon Parks and Recreation Department and The Trust for Public Land came together to form the Wallowa Lake Moraines Partnership with the goal of protecting the East Moraine. The East Moraine is all private property with 60% owned by a single landowner, the Ronald C. Yanke Family Trust. The Trust has expressed their desire to develop or sell their land. The Partnership is working with the Trust to purchase their land, conveying the majority of it into Wallowa County ownership. The property will continue to be managed for grazing, timber and recreation. Eventually a trail corridor traversing both private and County land will be open to the public. The first step in making the trail a reality was to develop a draft Trail Plan, which will be presented by the Partnership at the meeting. A few of the topics the trail plan addresses are: concerns and issues, rules and regulations, resource management, and trail maintenance. Public comments are encouraged. The information gathered at these meetings will be incorporated into the Trail Plan. The draft plan and a public survey are available online at www.wallowalandtrust.org. For more information or if special accommodations are needed, contact Julia Lakes at 541.426.2042, julia@wallowalandtrust.org or Tara Porter at 541.962.5083, trpcreativeresources@gmail.com.