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SWLC Firewise community’s Firewise Certification was granted in August, 2021.  Certification required the development of a community assessment report and an action plan.  Once we were certified, we could begin the “on the ground work” of scheduling home assessments by the Oregon Department of Forestry.  As owners received their packet of Firewise suggestions, the Firewise council began the process of implementing our action plan.  COVID restrictions meant that there were few opportunities for face-to-face discussion and education. 

Original members of our SWLC Firewise committee include:

  • Jeff Costello

  • Tom Groat

  • Janet Groat

  • Marilyn Heckendorn

  • Robert Heckendorn

  • Diane Lienkaemper

  • Joanne Sorte

  • Carol Williard

  • Lynn Wolff

The SWLC is an unincorporated residential/recreational/business community located six miles south of Joseph, Oregon at the head of Wallowa Lake in the Wallowa Mountains.  One two-lane state highway runs down the east side of the lake to the community. About 270 private homes are located in SWLC with lots range in size from less than 50 x 100-foot lots to 150 acres.  The SWLC encompasses approximately 820 acres of land total. 

 The SWLC lies within a basin which is bounded on the west, south and east by the Wallowa Mountains and on the north by Wallowa Lake.  The land surrounding the community consists primarily of Wallowa Whitman National Forest, with the Wallow County Community Forest located on the northeast side.  The SWLC lies between Mount Howard and Mount Joseph and is within the Sou

Development in SWLC started about 1922 with the founding of the Methodist Church Camp (originally 110 acres). In 1923, the first Wallowa Lake Lodge was constructed, bringing more tourists to the area. A few cabins in the SWLC may date to these early beginnings. Since that time, multiple subdivisions of the SWLC have occurred. These result in homes dating from each decade starting in the 1920’s and especially from the 1950’s (following the Great Depression and World War II) up to today. In the late 1980’s, unified water and sewer systems were developed to serve the community.  In 2002, residents of the area voted to establish the Wallowa Lake Rural Fire Protection District to raise tax funds to build the fire station on Mt. Howard Lane.

Today, the SWLC is a diverse mix of private residences, private home rentals, tourist-related business, and county and state managed properties.  Commercial properties include vacation lodging ranging from rental homes to motel cabins and units.  Tourist business properties include: restaurants, mini-golf, go-cart, arcade, bumper-boats, tramway, horse corral, gift and snack shops, and marina.  Pacific Power has an electricity generation plant and campground south of the SWLC.  The State of Oregon manages a day use area and state park campground.  There are two privately owned RV parks and two non-profit organized camp facilities: the United Methodist Church Camp and Camp Wallowa owned by Boy Scouts of America.