Hood River County Forestry says progress in Whisky Creek Fire suppression efforts is allowing them to begin phase 2 reopening of trails, roads, staging areas, and Kingsley Campground, but a number of roads and trails remain closed or will be decommissioned. Roads and trails remaining closed include Dead Point Road, Green Point Road, and both Kingsley Road and Upper Trail 180 west of Kingsley Reservoir. Trails having been impacted by contingency fire line construction and will remain closed until repaired include Mitchell Ridge, Baby Heads, and Trail 112. The Borderline and Blade Runner trails have been absorbed by the fireline construction and are now decommissioned, and the County says they will be replaced with comparable alternatives and relocated. Hood River County Forestry also indicated efforts to repair impacted trails will commence once moisture returns and dirt can be compacted.
Category: Uncategorized
Whisky Creek Fire Continues To Smolder
The Whisky Creek Fire southeast of Cascade Locks within the Mark O. Hatfield Wilderness continues to smolder in dead and downed logs. Fire growth has been minimal, with only eight acres of growth on Sunday putting total acreage at 3,099, while containment remains at 25%. Firefighters have made progress with light repair work on contingency and primary control lines. Monday, crews will work on removing hazard trees that have the potential to impact Forest Road 2820. Primary control lines remain fully intact with hoselays, water tanks, and pumps ready to use if needed, while firefighters continue to patrol the fire perimeter.
Williams Mine Fire Size Stays The Same
The Williams Mine Fire northwest of Trout Lake in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest came out of the weekend at 13,092 acres in size with containment remaining at 31%. Forest Service officials say they are discontinuing daily updates on the fire, noting they will be issued in the future to advise on changes in fire activity. Fire personnel will continue to monitor the fire, extinguish hot areas threatening the control lines, and repairing damage from the suppression work. Forest Service Road 23 south of Forest Service Road 90 is still closed to the public, as is Takhlakh Lake. 119 personnel continue to be assigned to the fire.
September 13 Prep Football Scoreboard
Hood River Valley 24, Grant 13
Astoria 29, The Dalles 0
Columbia River 30, Columbia 14
Elma 26, Stevenson 7
Dufur 58, Imbler 20
Union 48, Sherman 6
Lyle-Klickitat-Wishram 52, Elgin 28
Harper Charter 45, South Wasco 6
The Dalles Holding Virtual Open House On Housing Strategy
The City of The Dalles is conducting a Virtual Open House and survey as it develops a Housing Production Strategy. The initiative is driven by a new state requirement, and seeks to develop a comprehensive plan to guide and support housing development in The Dalles. Key components of the strategy and details on its objectives are available from the Virtual Open House, accessible at thedalles.org. Additionally, a brief survey is available at the site. City officials say the survey will help shape the actions and policies of the survey so it aligns with community needs of the community. The strategy will outline specific actions the City will take in the coming years to address housing development.
Prescribed Burns Planned East Of Bingen
The Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area will conduct prescribed understory and pile burning in the eastern Gorge this fall and possibly into the winter months. Scenic Area officials say the focus this year will be on select areas within Klickitat County east of Bingen between Courtney Road and Tracey Hill. Scenic Area Fuels Manager Roland Rose says they anticipate a weather window in the next month where temperatures, humidity, and ground moisture are right for successful prescribed burn. Prescribed burning is an effective tool for removing large amounts of vegetation and accumulated woody debris from the forest understory, and helps to recycle soil nutrients, improve wildlife habitat and biodiversity, and increase resiliency of the landscape to the effects of wildfire. Prescribed burning only occurs on days when the Washington State Smoke Management Office determines weather conditions are conducive for ample smoke dispersal. Once specific dates for burning are confirmed, details will be posted on the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area Facebook and Twitter pages. Those with respiratory illnesses or concerns about potential impacts to agricultural interests can request to be on a special call list for advance notifications by contacting the National Scenic Area office at 541-308-1700.
Prep Sports Scoreboard For Thursday, September 12
Volleyball
Canby def. Hood River Valley 12-25, 25-11, 25-9, 25-16
LaSalle def. Hood River Valley 25-20, 25-13, 25-14
The Dalles def. Ridgeview 25-17, 25-13, 25-10
Columbia def. Evergreen 3-0
Mannahouse Academy def. Sherman 25-18, 24-26, 25-17, 26-24
Open Door Christian def. Horizon Christian 25-10, 25-6, 25-11
Trout Lake-Glenwood def. Bickleton 22-25, 25-23, 23-25, 25-19, 15-7
Boys Soccer
Hood River Valley 1, Central Catholic 1
Trout Lake-Glenwood 5, Horizon Christian 0
Girls Soccer
Trout Lake-Glenwood 2, Stevenson 0
Williams Mine Fire Activity Down
The Williams Mine fire area northwest of Trout Lake did not receive the amount of rain that had been forecast for Wednesday, but higher humidity and cooler temperatures kept fire activity down. Fire officials say similar weather is expected for several more days. Size of the fire remains at 13,089 acres, and containment has not moved from 31% for several days. Officials say fire personnel continue to monitor the fire for hot areas, but are also able to make progress on repair work that needs to be done on roads and dozer lines before fall rains arrive. Forest Service Road 23 south of Road 90 is still closed to the public due to fire suppression activity.
El Grito Sunday In White Salmon
Hispanic Heritage Month will be observed with a celebration of El Grito this weekend at White Salmon’s Rheingarten Park on Sunday. Washington Gorge Action Programs, the City of White Salmon, the Southwest Washington Accountable Community Health, and One Community Health are sponsors of the third annual event. There will be food, music, activities for kids, and information on community resources available. Although the title “El Grito” refers to the Mexican Independence battle cry, WAGAP says the purpose of this event is to bring all Latin American cultures together with local community members to share their heritage. El Grito runs from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday afternoon at Rheingarten Park.
September 11 Prep Sports Scoreboard
Volleyball
Stevenson def. Hockinson 25-14, 25-16, 25-20
Girls Soccer
Hood River Valley 4, Liberty 0