Chris Bohnenkamp and Jon Fregulia jet boat through the Whirlpool Rapids on the Niagara River recently. They became the first people to successfully make it to the base of the Niagara Falls. (Courtesy photo)

Local jet boaters take on Niagara River Gorge

Class 6 rapids, border patrol agents and an all-time first for jet boaters was how Chris Bohnenkamp and Jon Fregulia were introduced to Niagara Falls.

Emilie Montgomery-Jones (left) and Scilla Coe, both of La Grande, ride along with a cattle drive on the Grande Tour Scenic Bikeway Saturday east of Baker City. (Brad Mosher/The Observer)

Cyclists discover great outdoors on 134-mile ride through backcountry

It wasn’t the long uphill climb to the summit on Highway 203 Saturday that impressed most of the three dozen riders in the annual Grande Ronde Spring Ride.

Carson Everton (above, left) had the winning catch at the Morgan Lake Fish Derby last Saturday. Everton landed a 1-pound, 12.3-ounce catfish. (Casey Kellas/The Observer)

by Casey Kellas/The Observer

MORGAN LAKE — Those Morgan Lake catfish sure don’t miss many meals.

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife stocked Morgan Lake with 1,000 trout this week along with an additonal 250 trophy trout. The Morgan Lake fishing derby has three age groups: 6 and younger, 7-10 and 11-16.

Morgan Lake kicks off spring with fishing derby 

by CASEY KELLAS / The Observer 

MORGAN LAKE — Local youths who are looking to jumpstart spring will have an opportunity Saturday as the annual La Grande Optimist Club/Bi-Mart Morgan Lake Fishing Derby returns for another year.

The event runs from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The age groups are once again 6 and younger, 7 to 10 and 11-16. 

Ben Hayes is building a modified Grand Canyon dory boat — it’s two feet shorter than the standard size, perfect for the Salmon, Grande Ronde and Deschutes rivers. (KATY NESBITT/The Observer)

Wallowa County man has deep love for acquiring boats

by KATY NESBITT / The Observer 

JOSEPH — A Wallowa County man suffers from an ailment known to a few beleaguered  souls. Ben Hayes has “boat acquisition disorder” and there may be no cure.

There are a variety of acquisition disorders, but acquiring boats takes up a lot of room.

Paul Arentsen works on Winding Waters Rafting’s new boathouse in Joseph on the Imnaha Highway. The retail shop opens May 1, and the grand opening is May 18. Katy Nesbitt/The Observer

Winding Waters Rafting opens new storefront in Joseph 

by Katy Nesbitt/The Observer

A new storefront opens May 1 in Joseph giving a long-established business a new home base.

This winter, Winding Waters Rafting bought a Quonset hut on the Imnaha Highway. The crew has spent the last several months hunting up everything from French doors to barn wood to renovate the inside.

Rain or shine, tom turkeys are courting mates in the Northeast Oregon woods. Many have left wintering haunts and are moving to spring nesting areas. Many of these birds will move up to 15 miles on this spring migration. Oregon’s general spring turkey season begins on April 15 and runs to May 31. Jim Ward photo

Hunters can expect plenty of opportunities to bag a turkey this spring season 

by Casey Kellas/The Observer

April is right around the corner, and with that comes the spring turkey hunting season.

This year’s spring hunt figures to be a good one, helped by the mild winter and the warm weather the area has seen recently.

by Trish Yerges/For The Observer

Adventure cyclists are registering now to participate in a leisurely ride on a 134-mile figure-8 route newly designated as the “Grande Tour Scenic Bikeway.”

The bicycling event begins in La Grande at Riverside Park on May 4 and takes its riders on back country roads through Union County to Baker City where they will stay the night before making the second leg of the trip back to La Grande on May 5. The route will take them along the historic Oregon Trail and through some of the most beautiful pastoral country and panoramic mountain views that Eastern Oregon has to offer.

by Casey Kellas/The Observer

Do you own or manage land in Union County or Wallowa County?

If so, mark April 6th on your calendar.

That’s the day that Steve West of Steve’s Outdoor Adventures based in La Grande, is holding an important open-forum meeting to discuss how to improve habitat that attracts and holds more elk and deer in desired areas on your property, how to reduce elk and deer damage to agriculture and how to improve the health of elk and deer in the area.

“We have a wildlife issue in the valley,” West said.

Even when such a tragedy is witnessed by a human, osprey nests tend to be high and inaccessible so rescue is rare. When possible, power companies, local electricians and others with long-reaching bucket trucks provide rescue but there are many they can’t get to and likely many more that are never found.

by M. CATHY NOWAK / For The Observer 

Spring is nearly upon us, or it is already upon us, depending on your perspective. With spring comes the arrival of migratory birds and the onset of nesting season. Birds that stuck it out with us through the winter may begin nest building early, but those that spent the winter away will generally get to work as soon as they arrive back in Northeast Oregon.