With the wildfires in the Northwest over the last two years causing a big demand for tree seedlings and reforestation services in the region, Oregon State University Extension and the Oregon Department of Forestry are working together to help small family forestland owners be able to get the seedlings.  Extension Forester Glenn Ahrens says they are aggregating small landowner orders, with many large forest tree nurseries not taking orders for less than 10,000 seedlings at a time.  If you’re looking for help with establishing new forest trees, call Ahrens at 503-655-8631.

Oregon Class 5A Boys Soccer First Round

Woodburn 2, Hood River Valley 0:  Jose Guzman scored on a rebound in the ninth minute to put Woodburn on top, and the Bulldogs got the insurance goal in the 76th minute when Christopher Amezcua followed up a shot that glanced off the post.  Woodburn had most of the offensive chances in the game, with HRV goalkeeper Hugh Dalbey making a number of key saves to keep the Eagles in the game.

LaSalle 5, The Dalles 0:  The top-seeded Falcons scored four goals in the first half to win their sixth in a row.

  Washington Class 2B District 4 Volleyball Tournament

Stevenson def. Winlock 3-0

Wahkiakum def. Stevenson 3-0  (loser out)

The Hood River Valley Parks and Recreation District Board will consider putting a pair of ballot measures on the May 2022 ballot during its meeting on Thursday.  The board is considering one measure to dissolve the current district and a second to reform with a new permanent property tax rate.  District director Mark Hickok says the current rate is locked in under Measure 50 at 34 cents per thousand dollars of assessed property value, and dates to when the district was formed and simply about swimming pool operation.  But with the Hood River Valley Aquatic Center pool needing replacement, and the district taking on parks and trails and a demand for other services, Hickok says they need a different tax rate.  The meeting will be on Zoom at 4 p.m. on Thursday.  Log-in details will be available at hoodriverparksandrec.org.

Semi-annual maintenance welding to the steel grate deck of the Hood River-White Salmon Interstate Bridge will begin Monday, and helicopter service to repair overhead utility lines on November 10 will require intermittent closures of the bridge.  The Port of Hood River says there will be single lane closures of the bridge with flaggers directing traffic between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. weekdays starting Monday through November 24.  Motorists should expect delays of approximately 15-25 minutes throughout the day, depending on traffic volume.  There will be three, 30-minute total closures of the bridge next Wednesday to allow a helicopter to service the overhead telecommunication utility line.  The bridge will be closed to all vehicle traffic on that day between 9:00 and 9:30 a.m., 10:30 and 11:00 a.m., and 12:30 and 1:00 p.m.

Mid-Columbia Senior Center Executive Director Scott McKay is retiring at the end of the year.  McKay began his 15-year tenure as the Center’s executive director in 2006.  McKay says one highlight of his tenure was the installation of an elevator to make the downstairs floor of the Center accessible to all.  In a statement, the MCSC board of directors said the center has grown under his leadership, becoming a place of gathering and sharing with group activities and classes.  The Board says it will be actively seeking a new executive director.  The job description and application is available on the Center website, midcolumbiaseniorcenter.com.

Klickitat County:  https://results.vote.wa.gov/results/20211102/klickitat/ Skamania County:  https://results.vote.wa.gov/results/20211102/skamania/    

Fire burned a building at an agricultural facility in the Tygh Valley area on Monday night.  Paul LaPlante of the Tygh Valley Rural Fire Protection District says the fire occurred around 8:30 p.m., and firefighters arrived to find the building on Fred Ashley Road fully involved.  Fire crews were able to surround the fire and contain it to the single building.  The building is a total loss.  LaPlante said no one was hurt in the fire.  The cause is under investigation.  Crews from Wamic/Pine Hollow, Juniper Flat, Dufur, Shaniko, and Southern Wasco County Ambulance joined Tygh Valley Fire in responding to the blaze.

The Dalles Public Works Director Dave Anderson says he is confident a proposed water agreement with Google would leave the City in a better position than it currently is in now, adding supply emergencies are covered by the City’s water management and conservation plan.  Anderson says that plan puts the highest priority on providing water to meet public health needs, including residential and home consumption, hospitals, and businesses, and would supersede any industrial need.  The Dalles City Council will discuss the proposed agreement with Google at its meeting this Monday at 5:30 p.m.  Google is seeking the deal as part of plans to eventually build two data centers on the former aluminum plant property it owns.

Mid-Columbia Community Action has a site picked out for a navigation center in The Dalles with multiple agency services, and is working with a development consultant on the project.  Community Action executive director Kenny LaPoint said they are planning to use a 1.3 acre site the organization already owns on West Second Street on land zoned commercial/light industrial.  LaPoint says they have $1.5 million from the state and $500,000 from the City of The Dalles for the project, but they probably need another $500,000 to do the full build, and they will go to the community for some of that.  LaPoint said they don’t have a timeline for development of the navigation center, but they would like to do it in the next 12 to 18 months.

The Barlow Ranger District of the Mt. Hood National Forest says the fire damage closure for the White River Fire has been reduced.  The entire length of Forest Roads 48 and 43 are now open.  In addition, the McCubbins Gulch Off-Highway Vehicle area is open, along with much of the land around McCubbins north of Highway 216.  A smaller area within the White River Fire perimeter will remain closed as fire recovery and salvage work continues.  Also, some roads have winter closures which begin December 1.