JOSEPH — The breathtaking beauty of Wallowa Lake’s East Moraine forest and open space was permanently protected when almost 1,800 acres were transferred last week into Wallowa County ownership.

For over ten years the Wallowa Lake Moraines Partnership — a consortium comprised of the county, Wallowa Land Trust, Wallowa Resources, and Oregon Parks and Recreation Department — worked to acquire the property in order to eliminate any risk of home development, especially on the moraine’s vulnerable crest.

At the property sale closing at Wallowa Title, there was an air of solemnity rather than celebration as commissioners, Wallowa Resources, and the Wallowa Land Trust all signed the sale documents. In one very Wallowa County moment, they discovered that the $1,350,382.79 check brought to seal the deal was precisely $5 short. So someone opened their wallet and added a five dollar bill to the million-dollar check on the table.

Now that it is under Wallowa County ownership, all development and subdivision rights have been extinguished and the property will be managed as a working community forest, protecting native plants, wildlife habitat and cultural resources while providing nonmotorized recreational access and returns to the local economy through sustainable forestry and grazing.

“We couldn’t have hoped for a better outcome that serves the public’s need for permanent protection and access to this spectacular natural landscape,” said John Hillock, Wallowa County commissioner and chair of the East Moraine Campaign.

After nearly a decade of negotiations, the Partnership and the former landowner, the Ronald C. Yanke Family Trust, came to a purchase agreement of $6 million in January 2019. Fundraising then went into full gear, with over half coming in the form of a $3.5 million grant the Oregon Department of Forestry received from the U.S. Forest Service’s Forest Legacy Program that helped the Partnership reach the purchase price in a voluntary sale by the Yanke family trust.

Individual donors contributed more than $1.1 million to the purchase. Oregon Parks and Recreation contributed $1 million and its staff is lending a hand in formulating the land’s recreation plan. The Nez Perce Tribe gave $300,000 to the campaign and is helping the Partnership with the plan for management as well.