Pika enthusiasts have reason to celebrate this season, as new survey data from Cascades Pika Watch shows numbers of the potato-sized mammals — and the volunteers trained to spot them — are on the rise in the Columbia River Gorge. Since the 2017 Eagle Creek Fire, surveys indicate the pika population in the area has been steadily increasing. Last year volunteers spotted pikas at nearly two-thirds of the sites surveyed, and this year that number was even higher. Pikas, tiny rabbit relatives known for their distinctive, squeak-toy-like calls, typically live on mountain slopes at elevations above 6,000 feet, but a unique low-elevation population is living in the Columbia Gorge. Every summer, volunteers from Cascades Pika Watch — a program of the Oregon Zoo — head into the field with binoculars to stake out pika hot spots, record their locations and listen for the pika’s telltale squeak. Then they upload their data to a website, helping biologists to better understand where pikas live and whether their range is shifting. There is growing concern among scientists about the future of pikas, as climate change has caused population declines and local extinctions in parts of the pika’s range, but the season’s results are very encouraging.
Author: mbailey
Ballots Continue To Come In, Rate Not As Quick As 2020
Both Wasco and Hood River counties are reporting receiving over 3,000 ballots apiece with a week-and-a-half left in the election process. Wasco County has had 3,035 ballots returned, a rate of 16.02%, which continues to trail the 30.52% of 2020. Hood River County ended Thursday with 3,222 ballots returned, or 19.22% Four years ago the return rate at this point was 37.17%. The Washington State Elections Division reports as of the end of Thursday 16.67% of ballots had been returned in Skamania County, and 4.94% in Klickitat County.
October 24 Prep Sports Scoreboard
Volleyball
Columbia def. Kalama 3-1
King’s Way Christian def. Stevenson 3-1
Goldendale def. LaSalle (Yakima) 3-2
Boys Soccer
The Dalles 2, Molalla 1
Hood River Valley 8, Hillsboro 0
Girls Soccer
Hillsboro 4, Hood River Valley 1
The Dalles 1, Molalla 1
King’s Way Christian 3, Stevenson 1
Goldendale 2, Warden 1
Cross Country
Columbia won the girls’ title at the Trico League Championships at Vancouver Lake Regional Park. The Bruins’ Lilah Zimmerman won the individual title, with Helen Hoskins in fourth and Kathryn O’Connor in fifth. Stevenson finished third in the team’s standings, paced by Daisy Jones in sixth. CHS finished second to LaCenter in the boys race, led by Noah Slayton’s third place finish. Colton Hollis was the top Stevenson finisher in 21st.
Goldendale had three of the top four finishers on the way to winning the girls’ title at the EWAC Championships at Apple Ridge in Yakima. Emma Meagher won the race for the Timberwolves, with teammates Jennasea Smith in third and Mia Meagher in fourth. The Goldendale boys were second to Cle Elum-Roslyn, with Malachi Lawson topping the Timberwolves by finishing sixth.
The Dalles boys were second and the girls fourth at the Valiant Invitational at Valley Catholic. Alana Casady was the top Riverhawk finisher for the girls with a sixth place finish, and Tyson Long topped The Dalles’ boys in seventh.
Three Arrested After Search Of Cascade Locks Building
Three people were arrested after a search of a Cascade Locks building on Wednesday yielded stolen property. The Hood River County Sheriff’s Office says a search at 706 Wa Na Pa Street resulted in locating property from multiple local theft reports. Arrested in conjunction with the search were 39-year-old Lester Lee Feist, on charges of first degree aggravated theft, second degree burglary, second degree theft, and outstanding warrants…36-year-old Heather Marie Morse, on five counts of being a felon in possession of a weapon and outstanding warrants…and 42-year-old Shane Vincient Holden, on five counts of felon in possession of a weapon, second degree burglary, and outstanding warrants. All three were lodged at the Northern Oregon Regional Corrections Facility. The investigation is ongoing.
Fire Destroys Storage Building Near Habitat ReStore
Fire destroyed a storage building near the Habitat for Humanity ReStore off of West 6th in The Dalles Thursday morning. David Jensen of Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue said they received a call of a brush fire just after 6 a.m. Thursday, but crews arrived to find the steel storage shed fully involved. Jensen said the storage building, which contained some tools and other materials, was a total loss. There were no injuries as a result of the fire. MCFR crews were assisted by firefighters from Hood River, Dallesport, and Dufur. The cause remains under investigation.
ODF Ending Fire Season In Central Oregon District
The Oregon Department of Forestry is officially reducing the fire danger in its Central Oregon District to low and bringing the 2024 fire season to an end effective Friday morning. With the end of the fire season, the public and industrial fire restrictions that have been in place throughout the district will no longer be in effect. However, fire officials advise residents not to rush into burning. Cover the top two-third of piles with tarp or plastic to keep them dry to allow for a cleaner burn later in the fall and winter months when the risk of fire spread is minimal. Contact your local fire department or the Oregon Department of Forestry office in The Dalles at 541-296-4626 before conducting any type of burning as fire restrictions may vary between local fire districts.
October 23 Prep Sports Scoreboard
Volleyball
Milwaukie def. Hood River Valley 25-20, 25-16, 25-23
Big Sky League Volleyball Playoffs
Ione-Arlington def. Lyle-Wishram 25-10, 25-10, 25-20
Sherman def. Dufur 23-25, 25-16, 25-22, 22-25, 15-8
HRVHS Presents “Something Rotten” Starting Friday
Hood River Valley High School’s Music and Theatre Departments present the Broadway musical “Something Rotten” over the next three weekends starting Friday evening at the school’s Bowe Theatre. The show combines humor, history, and music, and invokes Shakespeare. Performances are scheduled for the next three weekends on Friday and Saturday nights at 7 p.m., plus Sunday matinees this weekend and next at 2 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for students, and are available at ticketleap.com.
PFPL Observes Domestic Violence Awareness Month
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Klickitat County’s Programs for Peaceful Living is helping to bring awareness to the subject by decorating the memorial “Triangle Garden” in White Salmon and creating a display at the Goldendale library. Director Kirsten Poole says they are also encouraging people to wear purple to support domestic violence survivors. If you know someone experiencing domestic violence, Programs for Peaceful Living’s crisis line is 844-493-1709. The national Domestic Violence hotline is 800-799-7233.
Mid-Columbia Economic Symposium Scheduled November 1
The Mid-Columbia Economic Development District will hold its annual Mid-Columbia Economic Symposium next week. MCEDD’s Jason Hartmann says the gathering will cover a wide range of topics impacting the Gorge economy. This year’s keynote speaker is U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Washington State Director Helen Price Johnson talkng about federal support for rural communities. There will also be two panel discussions: one to check in on our main street businesses and one to hear how local agriculture is impacted by and responding to climate change. The Symposium will be November 1 from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at The Dalles Civic Auditorium. Tickets are $20, available through mcedd.org.