The Oregon State Marine Board will be partnering with county sheriff’s offices and the Oregon State Police, looking for expired motorboat boat registrations as part of a targeted annual “Operation Ship Shape” exercise on August 7 and 8.   If you own a motorboat in Oregon, check your “OR” numbers on the front of your boat and make sure you’ve applied your current registration decals.  The OR numbers are a boat’s license plate and registration decals are the tags that tell marine officers if your boat is legally registered and to whom it belongs, similar to motor vehicles.  Registrations are valid for two calendar years.  If you’ve just purchased the boat or are in the process of registering it, be sure to carry the temporary registration and present it to marine officers, just like vehicle registration.  Boaters can renew their motorboat registration online at boat.oregon.gov or by visiting their local registration agent.

Oregon’s entire congressional delegation joined with Western colleagues in the House and Senate to urge the U.S. Department of Agriculture to secure more relief for farmers, ranchers, and other agriculture producers in the West affected by historic wildfires, droughts, and extreme heat.  In a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack signed by Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley and Representatives Cliff Bentz, Peter DeFazio, Earl Blumenauer, Kurt Schrader, and Suzanne Bonamici, the Western lawmakers seek to open USDA relief programs up to more producers that have lost crops and livestock to the ongoing droughts, extreme heat, and wildfires.  The legislators say Cherry growers in the west have so far lost an estimated 20 percent of their overall crop, and the full extent of losses for apple and pear growers may not be known until harvest in the fall, or later if damage manifests in storage.

The City of The Dalles is looking for high resolution photos of the community to include on its new website that is under development, so they’ve started a contest to find some.  E-mail photos to cityinfo@ci.the-dalles.or.us or post tem to the Facebook by tagging City of The Dalles-City Hall and adding the hashtag #CityofTheDallesPhotos2021.  There are prizes for the top three photos:  $100 for first prize, $50 for second and $25 for third.  The contest is open until August 31 at 5 p.m.  All photos will receive proper credit to the photographer.

The City of Hood River has received plenty of interest from people who would like to be part of an advisory task force to provide input on policy alternatives in the formation of an affordable housing production strategy.  Interim City Manager Will Norris says they have had about 30 applicants, and the intent is to have different categories of interest represented on the panel so they get a wide perspective on the issue.  Norris says municipal staff will be checking with City Councilors during their Monday night meeting to make sure they are on the right track before bringing a list of proposed appointees back in two weeks.  The consulting firm EcoNorthwest is being retained to help in the strategy development process.

The City of White Salmon is clarifying the details of a six-month moratorium on short-term rentals adopted by city councilors last week.  A statement from the City says the moratorium allows any short-term rental that is currently permitted by the city through a municipal business license obtained by the property owner that has registered their short-term rental with the City to continue to operate.  The moratorium also provides an amnesty program for any property owner that currently has bookings for their short-term rental as of July 21.   Those property owners will need to document their bookings, and then obtain a city business license and register their short-term rental with the City within 30 days of the date of the moratorium.  Other new short-term rentals will not be allowed during the moratorium.  A public hearing will be held before the White Salmon City Council on September 1.

With Klickitat County in extreme drought conditions, a conversation among local officials and area land managers is planned for later this week to discuss land closures due to high fire danger.  County Commissioner David Sauter says he will take part in the discussion.  Sauter says with extreme fire danger, the County may have to consider closures, but he adds some coordination has to take place with a patchwork of land ownership in the Gorge.  Last week, the Washington Department of Natural Resources closed its lands in the eastern part of the state.

Hood River County Chief Health Officer Dr. Christopher Van Tilburg says their numbers show like in most of the country, the vast majority of COVID-19 cases they are now seeing are in unvaccinated individuals.  In a Facebook video, Van Tilburg says there were 30 COVID cases reported in the last month in Hood River County, and 28 involved people who were unvaccinated.  Van Tilburg emphasized the available COVID-19 vaccine are effective against the Delta variant, and no booster is necessary.

This past spring the Ford Family Foundation awarded Columbia Gorge Community College a grant to conduct a child care center feasibility study.  The study is taking place over the summer and fall.  It will gather information on the regional need for affordable child care and develop a business model to determine how a child care center can be operated on a sustainable basis.  The Ford Foundation provided a grant to conduct the study.  Participants are asked to report the number of children in their families, how their child care needs are currently met, and their ability to contribute toward the cost of child care.  The survey is posted to the college website, cgcc.edu, and social media.  People are encouraged to complete the survey no later than August 20.  Paper versions of the survey are also being distributed to libraries, schools and other locations.

The Dalles Public Works Department will be painting the center and side lines on several streets throughout the community Monday through Thursday beginning at 6:00 a.m. each day, weather permitting.  Motorists are asked to watch for the crews and avoid driving on the wet paint.  The paint truck will be preceded and followed by warning vehicles, with signs calling attention to the wet paint.  The trucks will be spaced according to the necessary drying time of the paint.  Attempting to pass or drive between the trucks will result in a messy striping job and paint damage to the motorist’s vehicle.  Motorists are strongly advised to avoid the wet paint because it cannot be easily removed from vehicles.  The purpose of this project is to provide clear lane and bike path designations for the safety of the traveling public.  

Huckleberry season is approaching, and the Gifford Pinchot National Forest is issuing a reminder that a permit is required to remove any berries from the Forest.  A no-cost free-use permit for personal consumption is available to remove up to one gallon of berries per day and a total of three gallons per year, and is available through the Gifford Pinchot National Forest website.  Commercial charge berry permits will be available for purchase beginning August 9 at Ranger District offices and the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument Headquarters through walk-up service windows.  Permits cost $60 for 14 consecutive days, or $105 for the season.