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ODFW Sets Regulations For Hood River Spring Chinook Fishery

Posted on by mbailey

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has set regulations for a spring Chinook fishery on the Hood River.  The ODFW says the Hood will be open for adult hatchery Chinook from April 15 through June 30 from the tips of jetties at the mouth to mainstem confluence with the East Fork, and the West Fork from the confluence with the mainstem upstream to the angling deadline 200 feet downstream of Punchbowl Falls.  The catch limit is one adult hatchery salmon per day, and five hatchery jack salmon per day.  All wild Chinook salmon must be released unharmed.  Fishery managers are predicting a good return of about 1,240 adult hatchery fish for the Hood River, which is similar to last year’s actual return.  There will be no season for spring Chinook on the Deschutes River for 2023 due to another year of predicted poor returns of wild fish.  ODFW fish biologist Jason Seals says the Hood River fishery is one of the few places a bank angler has a good chance of catching a Columbia River spring Chinook.  Seals said the run usually peaks in late May due to colder water temperatures in the Hood River. 

 

MCEDD Releases Strategy Update

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The Mid-Columbia Economic Development District has finished the regional Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy update for 2023.  The report, which MCEDD updates annually, provides a framework to support economic vitality for the Mid-Columbia region, which includes Klickitat and Skamania Counties in Washington and Hood River, Wasco, and Sherman Counties in Oregon.  The strategy includes analysis of regional economic data, establishes regional goals and strategies, develops an implementation plan, and identifies investment priorities and funding sources.  This year’s plan provides an updated regional project priority list, one for each state.  In Oregon, this list is topped by replacement of the Hood River-White Salmon Interstate Bridge and strengthening of the Bridge of the Gods, housing issues, and the effort to establish a Columbia Gorge Child Care Center spearheaded by the Columbia Gorge Educational Service District.  The top three in Washington are the Goldendale Energy Storage Project, the Port of Skamania’s Cascades Business Park Development, and Stevenson’s Cascade Avenue improvements.

The Next Door Hosts Community Baby Shower Donation Drive

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The Next Door Inc. is hosting a Community Baby Shower donation drive this month to support local families.  The organization will be taking monetary donations at nextdoorinc.org, or contributions of new, unwrapped gender-neutral items to help parents nurture their newborns.  Needed items include diapers, wipes, onesies, swaddlers, bibs, pacifiers, teethers, baby carriers, front packs, wraps, and white noise machines.  New items or cash gifts can be dropped off at the offices of The Next Door located at 965 Tucker in Hood River and 1113 Kelly Avenue in The Dalles.  For more information about Family Services programs at The Next Door, visit nextdoorinc.org/family-services.

Snowpack High; But Water YTD Short Of Normal

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The latest numbers from the Natural Resources Conservation Oregon Snow Pack Survey has the Hood/Sandy/Lower Deschutes basin at 157% of normal snowpack in terms of snow water equivalent, but the water year to date is only at 86% of normal.  Survey supervisor Matt Warbritton says the storms in the fall, which is the start of the water year, brought more snow than rain.  And he says that means soil moisture content did not get a boost going into the winter, particularly east of the Cascades’ crest.  Warbritton adds that’s all the more reason it’s important the snowpack is above normal numbers.

Dam Spills To Begin

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Federal water managers will begin spilling hundreds of thousands of gallons of water over spillways instead of through turbines during annual “spring spill” operations at U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ dams on the lower Snake and Columbia rivers.  The operations, which primarily benefit juvenile fish, start today on the lower Snake River and next Monday on the lower Columbia River. It’s intended to decrease the time it takes juvenile salmon and steelhead to move through the system of dams to the Pacific Ocean as well as provide a non-turbine passage route past the dams.  Spill levels vary at each of the eight dams, but all projects have an upper limit that protects water quality such as total dissolved gas, or TDG.  Bonneville, McNary and Ice Harbor dams will spill up to the 125% TDG levels 24 hours per day.  The Dalles Dam will spill 40% of the river over the spillway, equivalent to 2022 spill level.  The John Day Dam will spill 16 hours per day up to the 125% TDG levels and reduce spill for up to eight hours to performance standard spill levels or 32% of the river.

Johnson Named Interim TD Art Center Director

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The Dalles Art Center Board has hired Sally Johnson as its Interim Executive Director.  In a statement by the board, they say Johnson will help advance the strategic plan initiated by the board and help prepare the organization for a permanent Executive Director.  Johnson comes to The Dalles Arts Center with over 12 years of experience managing programs, teams, and departments at for-profit and non-profit organizations. Most recently, she was the Director of Business Development for the non-profit organization, Oxbow Farm & Conservation in Carnation, Washington.  Board member Philip Mascher says Johnson brings experience scaling non-profits with diversified financial plans that include grants, donations and other revenue generating programs.  She also has a background as a visual artist and musician.  Johnson will be at the opening gala for the Gorge Artists Open Studio Tour show on April 6th at 5 p.m.  The Art Center says it is in reach of meeting its fundraising goal of $3,500 in committed monthly donations.  

March 31-April 1 Prep Sports Roundup

Posted on by mbailey

Baseball

Hood River Valley 13, Glencoe 3

Hood River Valley 15, McNary 4

Nelson 20, Hood River Valley 5

LaCenter 20, Columbia 0

Country Christian 17, Lyle-Wishram 1

Country Christian 11, Lyle-Wishram 11

 

Softball

Columbia 4, Camas 3

 

Boys Lacrosse

Hood River Valley 16, Union 3

 

Track and Field

Goldendale’s Raymond Holycross finished second in the 300 meter hurdles and the triple jump at the Holder Relays in Yakima.

MCCAC Publishes 2022 Report

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Mid-Columbia Community Action Council published its 2022 annual report, revealing that the agency invested more than $5.5 million in services, housing, rent, utility, and bill pay assistance to community members in Wasco, Sherman, and Hood River Counties last year.  The report highlights nearly $1 million more was spent by MCCAC in the community through the local workforce, businesses, contractors, and others for a total of approximately $6.5 million.  The assistance provided by the agency’s programs in 2022 helped more than 4,000 residents of Hood River, Wasco, and Sherman Counties.  Nearly 1,000 people were helped by Community Action’s housing programs, and over 3,400 were assisted through over $1.42 million in payments to local utility companies on their behalf.  The report also highlights several key projects MCCAC was involved in 2022, including the recent groundbreaking of the Gloria Center to streamline access to essential services, beginning to convert the Oregon Motor Motel into The Annex for transitional housing and shelter, and creation of the Mid-Columbia Houseless Collaborative’s five-year strategic plan to improve the region’s coordinated system to prevent and respond to houselessness.

Sewer Main Replacement Suspended

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A sanitary sewer main replacement project on East 9th Street in The Dalles has been suspended after excavation had to be stopped due to a dig into underground utilities.  The Dalles Public Works says the City had contacted the 811 Utility Notification Center to locate existing underground utilities and utilities were clearly marked.  But the markings provided for an existing privately-owned fiber optic line were incorrect and City crews on Wednesday excavated into and damaged it.  Work by a private contractor to complete an emergency repair of the damaged fiber optic line extended well into Wednesday night and have been completed.  The City will be suspending work on the project on East 9th St west of Quinton Street while the City works with the private utility owners to resolve any potential conflicts.  The trench will be filled and roads reopened for use by this coming weekend.  After that, the City says work on the pipeline replacement project will not resume until it is confident that excavation can be done safely, without interrupting utility service.

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