Wasco County Commissioners heard from landowners in the southern part of the county concerned about the latest proposals for the state’s wildfire hazard map. Dan Van Vactor and Stephen Griffith told Commissioners the state is not recognizing enough irrigated lands, rating them as high or moderate risk. They both note vegetation is really the only factor considered by the map landowners can control. Commissioner Steve Kramer noted that similar comments are coming from other parts of the county and the rest of the state, with over 15 counties expected to take part in a Monday meeting with the Oregon Department of Forestry and Oregon State University to deliver that message. This the state’s second try at this kind of map, after public criticism of the first attempt led to a restart of the process.
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Whisky Creek Fire Moves To 24% Containment
Containment of the Whisky Creek Fire southeast of Cascade Locks in the Mark O. Hatfield Wilderness has jumped up to 24%, as fire managers take advantage of favorable weather conditions to implement more direct fire suppression efforts. Northwest Complex Incident Management Team 10 Operations Section Chief Cary Neu says much of their focus has remained to the south and east of the fire. Neu says to the north and east mop up and patrol continues. Fire size was increased slightly to 2,067 acres. Officials expect cooler temperatures, higher humidity, and scattered showers in the next couple of days will continue to moderate fire behavior.
Williams Mine Containment At 19%
Containment of the Williams Mine Fire northwest of Trout Lake has moved up to 19%. Spencer Gregory with Northwest Complex Incident Management Team 13 Field Operations says the cooler and wetter weather is providing great conditions in the effort to put the 11,764 acre fire to bed. Over a quarter of an inch of rain is forecast for the fire area through the weekend. Washington Department of Natural Resources lands near Trout Lake and Glenwood remained closed due to the fire, along with the Yakama Nation Tract D Recreation Area. Level 1 evacuation advisories are in effect for the Trout Lake area.
Wilder New NCPHD Public Health Officer
North Central Public Health District has named Dr. Kathleen Wilder as its new Public Health Officer, replacing Dr. Christopher Van Tilburg. Van Tilburg had been serving as Pulbic Health Officer for both Hood River County Health Department and NCPHD since May of last year, and will remain in the Hood River County position. He will also continue regional work with Wilder and NCPHD. Wilder has been Deputy Health Officer at NCPHD since last summer and will take the lead as of September 1. Wilder says she has always approached clinical medicine through a public health lens. She earned a Master’s Degree in the area of Public Health before going to medical school. Wilder has been an obstetrician-gynecologist at Adventist Health Columbia Gorge’s Columbia River Women’s Center.
MCCFL Refocuses Crisis Response For OHA Rules
Mid-Columbia Center for Living is in the process of refocusing its crisis response from focusing on responding to hospital emergency rooms to community response. That’s to adjust to the Oregon Health Authority’s adoption of new rules for Community Mental Health Programs it governs. The rules require programs like Center for Living to have two-person mobile crisis response teams available 24-7 to respond to behavioral health crisis in the community while reducing the need for law enforcement involvement in non-violent situations. Center for Living Executive Director Al Barton says another element of the new rules requires up to 52 days of support for families and youth age 20 or younger. Barton says they have been working with area hospitals for this transition, but those facilities will need to provide their own staff to provide behavioral health assessments and discharge planning.
CGCC Looks At Demographic Data
Columbia Gorge Community College has been reviewing its enrollment and demographics data over the course of the last five years. CGCC Director of Advising and Outreach Karly Aparicio says there was a dip in enrollment during the pandemic, but that has bounced back. She adds their demographics show the typical CGCC student is actually “everyone,” but it has trended older in recent years. Aparicio says the data does show opportunities to better serve the Gorge community for a wider range of students. Options for that include changing how some classes are offered, growing the number of high school students who have access to in-person instruction, and adding new programs.
Whisky Creek Fire Activity Concentrated To The South
Size of the Whisky Creek Fire southeast of Cascade Locks in the Mark O. Hatfield Wilderness went up by one acre to 2,058 acres, while containment is still at 9%. Northwest Complex Incident Management Team 10 Operations Section Chief Cary Neu says crews continued mopping up containment lines along the fire’s eastern edge while removing hazardous trees, but fire activity is concentrated to the south. Firefighters are scouting line options near Tomlike Mountain. Officials expect cooler temperatures, higher humidity, and partly cloudy skies will continue to moderate fire behavior.
Cooler Weather Calming Williams Mine Fire
Cooler weather has helped calm the Williams Mine Fire northwest of Trout Lake. Northwest Complex Incident Management Team 13 Fire Behavior Analyst Dean Warner says moisture over the weekend has kept the fire at bay, and helped with efforts in the southern portion of the fire. Containment for the fire increased slightly to 13%, while the acreage was also upped to 11,755. Incident managers expect the containment percentage to continue climbing at a steady rate over the coming week as firefighters strengthen perimeter security along the fire’s edge.
White Salmon Schools Adopt No Cell Phone Policy
When school starts next week at Whitson Elementary, Stevenson Intermediate, and Henkle Middle schools in White Salmon, a new no cell phone policy will be in place. The White Salmon Valley School District Superintendent Rich Polkinghorn says if phones are brought to the schools, they must either be stored in lockers or turned in to the main office. Polkinghorn noted they are still formulating a cell phone policy for Columbia High School, and will work with parents and students to formulate it.
Gorge Gleaning Collecting Unwanted Produce
Gorge Gleaning is into its tenth year of collecting fresh fruits and vegetables that would normally go to waste from backyard fruit trees, public and private orchards and backyard gardens. Hannah Ladwig of the Gorge Grown Food Network, which Gorge Gleaning is a part of, says the produce goes to food banks and other groups that help those with need. Statistics show nearly 40% of fresh foods in the United States are wasted, while Ladwig says one in three people in the Gorge worry about where their next meal will come from. Those who would have grown fruits and vegetables that might go to waste, or who would like to help gather it, can go to gorgegleaning.com for more information.