The Columbia Gorge Prescribed Fire Training Exchange is planning two prescribed fires early this week in the Columbia Gorge. The first burn will take place on Tuesday west of Conboy Lake National Wildlife Refuge between Trout Lake and Glenwood. A spokesperson for the Exchange says this 25-acre burn is being implemented to reduce wildfire risk and provide training opportunities for local prescribed fire practitioners. It is permitted through Washington DNR and will take place on Mt. Adams Resource Stewards land. Smoke from this burn is likely to be visible in Glenwood and parts of Trout Lake, in addition to other local areas starting Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday afternoon, and will likely impact Trout Lake Highway in the immediate vicinity of the burn on Tuesday afternoon. Wednesday’s burn will take place northeast of Goldendale at Ekone Ranch. Smoke from that burn is likely to be visible in Goldendale and surrounding areas. Both burns are being implemented by the Columbia Gorge Prescribed Fire Training Exchange in partnership with Mt. Adams Resource Stewards and The Nature Conservancy.
Author: mbailey
TD Parking Open House Monday
The City of The Dalles will host an open house Monday for community members to review the results of a Downtown Parking Assessment. The assessment, initiated in spring 2024, is part of the City’s efforts to evaluate parking amidst ongoing development in the downtown area. The last comprehensive parking study was conducted nearly two decades ago in 2005. With the help of Oregon-based Rick Williams Consulting, this update aims to provide data-driven insights into how these changes are affecting parking availability and usage. The study includes an inventory of parking spaces, detailed data collection, analysis, and recommendations for improving the downtown parking system. It focuses on key metrics such as parking space occupancy, average duration of stays, turnover rates, and overall compliance with time-limited parking regulations. Off-street parking lots are also evaluated for occupancy patterns. The open house is from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at The Dalles City Hall.
September 28 Prep Sports Scoreboard
Cross Country
Hood River Valley’s Logan King finished 41st in the 5,000 meters Danner Championship division at Nike Portland XC at Blue Lake Regional Park
Goldendale’s girls were second and the boys 3rd in Class 2B/1B races at the Connell Invitational. The Timberwolves’ Emma Meagher was third in the girls’ race.
Volleyball
The Dalles def. Tillamook 25-18, 25-10, 25-19
South Wasco def. Condon 25-9, 25-10, 25-8
South Wasco def. Trout Lake-Glenwood 25-17, 25-6, 25-14
Condon def. Trout Lake-Glenwood-Klickitat 25-19, 25-21, 25-13
Ione-Arlington def. Dufur 18-25, 25-15, 25-14, 25-12
Ione-Arlington def. Lyle-Wishram 3-0
Dufur def. Lyle-Wishram 25-14, 25-15, 25-10
Spray-Mitchell-Wheeler def. Horizon Christian 25-13, 25-13, 25-12
Sherman def. Horizon Christian 25-6, 25-8, 25-12
Goldendale at Quincy Invitational
Girls Soccer
LaSalle (Yakima) 6, Goldendale 2
September 27 Prep Sports Scoreboard
Football
Hood River Valley 46, Centennial 6
Philomath 56, The Dalles 0
Seton Catholic 41, Columbia 6
Castle Rock 48, Stevenson 14
South Wasco 49, Dayville/Monument 26
Goldendale 28, Kittitas 16
Girls Soccer
Trout Lake-Glenwood 3, Echo-Stanfield 0
Cross Country
The Dalles had four of the top seven finishers to nip Crook County and win the boys’ portion of the Bridget Nelson Invitational on Friday at Sorosis Park. Caleb Caldwell was second to lead the way for the Riverhawks. The Dalles’ Alana Casady won the girls’ race, as the Riverhawks finished third as a team, two points back of co-leaders Sandy and Crook County.
September 26 Prep Sports Scoreboard
Volleyball
Putnam def. Hood River Valley 25-18, 25-12, 25-22
King’s Way Christian def. Columbia 3-0
Stevenson def. Seton Catholic 25-20, 25-20, 25-20
Sherman def. Condon 25-23, 25-13, 18-25, 25-23
South Wasco def. Dufur 26-24, 25-18, 19-25, 25-11
Lyle-Wishram def. Horizon Christian 25-12, 25-19, 17-25, 26-24
Goldendale def. Cle Elum-Roslyn 3-0
Boys Soccer
Hood River Valley 5, Putnam 1
Madras 3, The Dalles 2
Southwest Christian 8, Horizon Christian 0
Trout Lake-Glenwood 4, Open Door Christian 4
Girls Soccer
The Dalles 3, Madras 0
Putnam 2, Hood River Valley 2
King’s Way Christian 4, Columbia 2
Seton Catholic 8, Stevenson 0
Toppenish 2, Goldendale 2
Williams Mine Fire Management Transitions To Local Team
Management of the Williams Mine Fire northwest of Trout Lake was transitioned Thursday from a Type III Incident Command Team to a local Type IV Team. The fire that started on August 5 has burned 13,092 acres and is listed as 32% contained. The Gifford Pinchot National Forest says full containment is not anticipated on the fire until a season ending event arrives, like multiple days of soaking rain or snow. An area closure remains in effect on Gifford Pinchot National Forest lands in the vicinity of the fire. There are still patrol and mop-up operations ongoing, as well as a significant amount of road repair work taking place.
Missing Boater Presumed Deceased; Vessel Located
The search for a missing boater in the aftermath of a commercial fishing boat capsizing and sinking on the Columbia River near the mouth of the White Salmon River on Wednesday is now being characterized as a recovery mission. The Hood River County Sheriff’s Office identified the missing man as Michael Shufeldt of Woodland. The fishing boat was located by the Skamania County Dive Team on Thursday afternoon about 40 feet deep in the Columbia, and efforts to recover it are ongoing. The Sheriff’s Office said Shufeldt was not located in the vicinity of the boat and is presumed to be deceased as additional searches of the area using an underwater remotely operated vehicle has not located him. Information gathered by investigators so far indicates the sinking was a result of rapidly deteriorating weather conditions the Sheriff’s Office called “treacherous,” as the boat capsized after taking a large wave over the stern. Six people were rescued, with two transported to a hospital. Numerous agencies and civilian volunteers have been involved in the search.
Search For Missing Boater Continues
The search for a person missing since the boat they were in capsized in the Columbia River near the mouth of the White Salmon River on Wednesday will continue today (Thursday). The Hood River County Sheriff’s Office says reports of the capsized boat were received just after 11:30 Wednesday morning. Multiple law enforcement agency boats responded, and six people from the capsized vessel were pulled from the water and taken to shore, while two were transported to a hospital. A seventh person aboard has not yet been located. The Sheriff’s Office says an initial investigation determined the vessel was a 24-foot North River fishing boat that was last seen in the area of the green navigation buoy near the White Salmon inlet. Names of those on the boat have not yet been released. The initial search included the Hood River and Skamania County Sheriff’s Offices, Columbia River Intertribal Fisheries Officers, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and multiple civilian boats, plus a Hood River County Sheriff’s Office plane and a Coast Guard helicopter from the Astoria station.
Dock Grade Road Closures Planned
White Salmon’s Dock Grade Road will be closed daily starting on Monday for the first phase of a wildfire resilience and forest health project. City officials say the contractor will be closing the road each day for two weeks to complete the necessary work. The closure on Monday will be from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and beginning Tuesday until Friday, October 11 the closure will be from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Dock Grade Road will reopen each evening after work concludes. A crew will remain on-site after work is completed each day for a one-hour fire watch.
Chinook Retention Season Extended
Fishery managers from Oregon and Washington extended Chinook retention on the mainstem Columbia River for two additional weeks during a joint state hearing Wednesday. The decision came after fishery managers assessed harvest in the fall season fisheries and considered the in-season abundance expectations for upriver salmon and steelhead stocks. From West Puget Island to the Highway 395 Bridge at Pasco, Chinook retention will remain open through October 13 with a daily adult bag limit of two salmon, Chinook or coho, but only one may be a Chinook. Hatchery coho only is allowed downstream of the Hood River Bridge; all wild coho caught in this area must be released. From Buoy 10 to west Puget Island, Chinook retention will now remain open in the Buoy 10 fishery through October 13 with a daily adult bag limit of three salmon, Chinook or hatchery coho, but only one may be a Chinook. Between October 14 and October 31, three adult hatchery coho can be retained daily but Chinook must be released.