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Wallowa

Wallowa County spans an area of 3,153 square miles, which includes 5.5 square miles of water. The county is renowned for its thriving agriculture and farming industries, as well as its scenic national recreation areas including Hills Canyon, Wallowa Lake, and Eagle Cap. The Wallowa Mountains are locally referred to as a "high alpine wonderland".

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Hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekt, Chief Joseph, the leader of the Nez Perce Tribe, lived from March 3, 1840 to September 21, 1904 in Wallowa Valley Chief Joseph was the leader of the Nez Perce tribe that resides in the Columbia plateau of the Wallowa County. Nez Perce translates to "Where you can see the mountains"

These large lakes in Wallowa County are used for fishing and provide water to neighboring cities. The Wallowa rivers join with the Grande Rode River running an estimated of ten miles going north toward Washington state. Wallowa Lake: Approximately 1,592 acres. According to Wallowa County Oregon History (Joe Ferguson, 2022) the name Wallowa comes from the band that the Nez Perceive tribe used for fishing in the rivers and lakes of part of the treaty in 1855, the Wallowa Lake was granted to the Nez Perce tribe. However, in 1860, the treaty was forcibly renegotiated upon the discovery of gold in rivers. Most of the Wallowa County Is used for agriculture farming and breeding animals. This means having to water large acres of crops multiple times of day and feeding the animals. Something else to point out is the water that runs off of the land that ends up in our streams which could be contaminated by developing multiple forms of bacteria making it dangerous for residents in the county because the streams and rivers may be one of the reliable sources of water for some people. Although many changes are being made to conserve water in our agricultural systems by using drip systems and developing a hour method to reduce the amount of water that is being used every day. (Water Quality Program, 2020). Another problem that we have seen recently in the Wallow County are flash floods. It is described that flash floods happen when there is heavy rainfall and the soil can not adsorb it. This can cause erosion and are more commonly seen where land is close to bodies of water or in low urban areas. (CNN, 2023).

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