Wrestling and Basketball
At the CCC on Feb. 1
Seasons Continue
Grouse of the Okanogan, See Page A3.
See Pages A4, A7
SERVING WASHINGTON’S
OKANOGAN VALLEY
SINCE 1905
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Kinross updates on impact, future plans
PICKETERS PROTEST ASSISTED LIVING CLOSING
Average Kinross employee wage tops $82,000 rent Buckhorn Mine, it will probably take several years of additional permitting after the closure before new mining OROVILLE – A representative of could take placed. “We are also doing exploration at K5 Kinross Gold Corporation’s Kettle RiverBuckhorn Project appeared before the near where the K2 Mine used to be (in Oroville City Council to discuss the Ferry County). Surface drilling will wrap mine and mill’s impacts on Oroville and up this month. We should be able to determine by early February if we will Okanogan and Ferry Counties. continue with that project,” Zaker said. Deana Zaker apolOne goal of this ogized that the projrenewed exploration ect’s general maneffort to keep ager couldn’t appear “We made $4 million in istheanKettle River ore as scheduled for the payments to local and mill near Republic in council’s Tuesday, Jan. The mill 15 meeting. She said county government operation. just exceeded two milshe wanted to update agencies...” lion ounces of gold, the council on the according to Zaker. Buckhorn Mine, locatDeana Zaker The Buckhorn Mine ed near Chesaw, which Kinross Gold Corporation has been it’s main is slated to shut down source of ore and over in 2015. the mine’s life Kinross “Last year our target was 125,000 ounces of gold and we real- anticipates it will have generated 1.2 milized 150,000 ounces because we were lion ounces. Kinross contracted an independent mining a higher grade of ore than we expected,” said Zaker. “In 2013 we are socio-economic impact study about six months ago, said Zaker. According to looking at 130,000 ounces.” Although the mine is slated for clo- the study, in 2011, the Kettle Riversure in 2015, Kinross’ subsidiary, Echo Buckhorn operation employed 230 direct Bay Exploration, has submitted permit jobs, with 610 total jobs, direct, indirect applications to the state and federal gov- and induced, in Ferry and Okanogan ernment in 2010 to expand exploration counties. The operation paid $19 million into the adjacent state and federal public in direct payroll in 2011, with a total $27 million in Ferry and Okanogan counties. lands, according to Zaker. “We are exploring in a 9000 acre area The average employee wage, excluding and doing an EIS with the hope to get benefits, is $82,559, said Zaker. “Most of our employees, 95 percent, permits by 2014,” she said. Zaker explained that even though it live locally, with 75 percent of those comsounds like the exploration permitting will line up near the end of the cur- See KINROSS | PG A2 By Gary A. DeVon
Managing Editor
Friends, relatives and concerned citizens picketed in front of the North Valley Assisted Living facility on Friday, Jan. 18, to protest its scheduled closing at the end of March. The North Valley Hospital District’s Board of Commissioners voted to close the facility at its Jan. 10 meeting, but many in the community feel that not all options have been explored in attempting to save the financially ailing facility, which has lost more than $800,000 in the last seven years. The next NVH Board of Commissioners meeting will be held Thursday, Jan. 31, at 7 p.m in the hospital board room. Brent Baker/staff photos
Gary DeVon/staff photo
Roland Clark shows a mock-up he made of how a new memorial at Veterans Memorial Park might appear.
Revamped memorial approved for park By Gary A. DeVon Managing Editor
OROVILLE – The Oroville City Council gave tentative approval to a new, larger memorial at the city’s Veterans Memorial Park. Roland Clark, with the Oroville American Legion Post, appeared before council at their Tuesday, Jan. 15 meeting to request that the current memorial be moved from its present location to a new spot in the park. He also asked that the memorial be enlarged and presented a mock-up of what he envisioned. The memorial at Osoyoos Lake Veterans Memorial Park features a tree in an enclosed display case. The tree has copper leaves with a veterans name on each leaf. It was conceived of by a former Oroville student as his senior project a couple years back. Since that time a new senior adopts the project each year to carry on the work. “The problem with the current memo-
rial is it blocks the view of the lake and the plexiglass makes the names kind of hard to read. We’d like to build a concrete wall along a hillside where we can enlarge the tree because we have a lot more leaves with names that need to be added,” said Clark. Mayor Chuck Spieth asked how large the wall would be. Clark said it would be a foot thick and eight feet high by fifteen feet long. Rod Noel, head of the parks department, suggested the wall be placed near the bottom of the sidewalk at the entrance to the park. “Maybe the design could incorporate zero-scape and we could eliminate the watering problems the other one had. We could keep the sprinklers off it that way and if we had bushes that needed some water then we could put in a drip irrigation,” suggested Noel, adding that the city has had trouble getting good water
See MEMORIAL | PG A2
Okanogan Valley Gazette-Tribune Volume 109 No. 04
Rep. Joel Kretz introduces wolf relocation legislation of wolf reintroduction to the state and two of the San Juan Islands would be perfect for reintroduction. The legislator says he’s having fun, but OLYMPIA - After Western Washington legislators extolled the value of wolf packs is also serious about the measure. “You know I went around with a blue in Eastern Washington, Rep. Joel Kretz (7th District) decided he would assist in sheet thinking they’d rush to get on the efforts to make relocating wolf packs board, but I didn’t get one signature from the west side. This was a to Western Washington easier fun one, because that’s where through legislation this year. all the support for the wolves House Bill 1258 would comes from. They like wolves, remove barriers, both natural but only when they’re in our and regulatory, to the relocadistrict,” said Kretz. tion of wolves from around the House Bill 1258 would ensure state to Western Washington all Washingtonians share in the locations, such as the Olympic benefits of an expanding wolf Peninsula and San Juan Islands. population, according to the “We have a situation where Rep. Joel Kretz bill’s title. folks on the west side of the “This is a one-Washington state really want to share in the ecological benefits wolves bring to our bill, this is a classic of what you hear state, but barriers such as Interstate Five when they want to build a stadium and and waterways, like those surrounding such. This is their chance to step up and the San Juan Islands, inhibit the natural create a truly united Washington. “I’m serious and I’m going to push it. If migration of wolves to those areas,” Kretz explained. “My bill would create a system I could get our delisting bill through that by which community members, includ- would allow regional delisting areas as ing legislators, could request wolves be the federal government (east of Highway transported by the state Department of 97) has done it wouldn’t have such an Fish and Wildlife across the natural bar- impact.” Kretz said the way it stands now the riers to thrive in new habitat where they wolves have to be recovered statewide, will be welcomed.” Kretz said Sen. Kevin Ranker (D-Orcas but he says that could take decades. “Washington state has a long tradition Island) is one of the biggest proponents By Gary A. DeVon
Managing Editor
See Wolves West | PG A2
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of land stewardship that makes excellent agriculture regions and habitat for large predators, such as wolves,” Kretz said. “Private landowners are the best and most effective environmentalists. As such, there are areas on the west side of the state that would fit the bill for large predator habitat. We should not geographically limit the migration of wolves to areas where they will be welcomed and there is the habitat that allows them to flourish,” he said. Kretz added that he and other residents in the Seventh District feel greedy for hoarding all the ecological benefits of wolf packs. “It’s clear our part of the state is home to the lion’s share of these large predators. My bill would help the Department of Fish and Wildlife accelerate the pace of translocating wolves so all Washingtonians can enjoy them,” Kretz said. “This move could generate the ecotourism west side legislators always cite as part of growing our economy.” The Wauconda Republican was concerned with the Department of Fish and Wildlife’s decision to host public meetings on wolf management in areas of the state where there aren’t any wolves. “The department hosted public forums in Spokane Valley, Olympia and Seattle.
Valley Life A3 Sports A4, A7 Letters/Opinion A5
Valley Life A6 Classifieds/Legals A8 Real Estate A9
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A9 A10