Hood River County Commissioners heard a proposal from County Forest Manager Doug Thiesies to create a new campground at Kingsley Reservoir once expansion of that facility is finished.  The current campground at Kingsley will be flooded when the reservoir expansion by Farmers Irrigation District is done.  The concept plan presented by the County Forestry Department included a first phase on the east side of the reservoir that would involve three major group camping sites, a few single vehicle camping spurs, RV sites and a dump station, day-use parking, picnic shelter, and boat ramp, with a second phase constructing more camp sites on the southwestern end of the reservoir.  Commission Chair Ron Rivers said it was an impressive plan, but there are some important questions to be answered, most notably how to fund it.  Commissioners asked Thiesies to bring back more details, including cost figures, at their next meeting September 18.

Two ranches in Sherman County will be honored as Century Ranches during a ceremony at the Oregon State Fair on Saturday.  The Belshe Ranch and the Kee/Crofoot Ranch are both receiving the designation.  The Belshe Ranch was founded in 1916 by Susanna Belshe and her son Clay on 800 acres, providing hay and pasture for work horses, and growing to the point where today the ranch consists of several thousand acres raising wheat and barley and for many years included a cow and calf operation.  It is currently operated by Clay’s great-grandson Martin James Belshe.  The Kee/Crofoot Ranch was founded on 320 acres Frank and Iva Kee to raise cattle and soft white wheat, the same as it does today.  The Kee’s sold the ranch to their son Eben Kee and his wife Edna Crofoot Kee, and it is now operated by their nephew Dell Squire.  Award winners receive a certificate signed by the Governor and Director of the Oregon Department of Agriculture.  Historic roadside signs are imprinted with the founder’s name and the year the ranch or farm was established.

There is a need for more people to become officials for high school and youth sports in the region.  Phil Hukari of the Mid-Columbia Football Officials Association says the number of officials is down in all sports both in the local area and across the nation.  Hukari has been official in various sports for a long time, saying it is a rewarding way to remain involved in the game.  Those interested in becoming prep sports officials can go to the Oregon Athletic Officials Association website at oreofficials.org to learn more, and get contact information for Mid-Columbia associations in each sport.

Two Columbia Gorge arts organizations have received grants from the Oregon Cultural Trust in its distribution for the 2017-18 fiscal year.  The Columbia Center for the Arts in Hood River is receiving $17,294 to support the creation of a local children’s theatre.  The Dalles Art Association will receive $8,203 to support the preservation and community utilization of the historic Carnegie Library that houses the Art Center and all of its programs.  Statewide, Oregon Cultural Trust fundraising to a new high, resulting in a record $2.94 million in grants to 136 cultural nonprofits for fiscal year 2017-18.

The Oregon Department of Transportation is reporting stop-and-go traffic on northbound Highway 97 starting ten miles south of Biggs Junction to the Biggs Bridge…and northward into Washington. There is also congestion reported on Highway 97 about two miles south of Grass Valley.  Traffic on Highway 26 westbound out of Madras is slow going from the Highway 97 junction to Warm Springs.  Google maps is projecting an extra hour drive back to Portland from Madras.  In a Facebook post…the Hood River County Sheriff’s Office says it is expecting an increase in the quantity of vehicles on Highway 35 and Interstate 84 similar to a holiday weekend…but stop-and-go traffic is unlikely.  In the Willamette Valley…Interstate 5 both directions out of Salem is very thick, and travel times to Portland are estimated at around three hours.

The moment so many people had been waiting for arrived this morning, as the total solar eclipse occurred over Oregon.  Crowds gathered in many areas of the state, but in particular near Salem and Madras, which were in the path of totality.  Those people watch in awe as the moon passed over the sun.  And now many of those people have begun their trip home.  Traffic on Highway 26 westbound out of Madras appears to be already slow going from the Highway 97 junction to Warm Springs.  Google maps is projecting an extra hour drive back to Portland from Madras.  An ODOT webcam on Highway 97 at Kent showed a steady stream of traffic.  In the Willamette Valley, Interstate 5 both directions out of Salem is very thick with cars, and adding more than an hour to the drive to Portland at this point.

The Performing Arts Initiative is entering into its second phase towards establishing a 600-seat performing arts facility in the Gorge that would include classroom space.  The group received a feasibility study from ECONorthwest that showed there is a market for such a facility, but it would need more than earned income to be sustainable. The report shows to be viable the center needs to be constructed without taking on any debt and obtain sufficient contributed revenue streams.  The initiative’s Mark Steighner says they are now trying to obtain the seed money to hire those who can run a capital campaign.  The initiative is working on a lease of property on Westcliff Drive west of Hood River to locate the center.

Worries about traffic heading to eclipse viewing locations in the path of totality may have kept people away from the Gorge this past weekend.  The Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Lisa Farquharson said on Monday they didn’t have as many people come through their visitors’ center over the weekend as they expected, and the eclipse may have kept away the usual recreationalists in the Gorge.  But Farquharson still expects post-eclipse traffic to be heavy through the area as people head for home in greater concentrations than when they made the trek into the path of totality.

With just a few days to go until the total solar eclipse, agencies are working together to dispense information on traffic, health and safety, wildfire danger, camping, and weather among other things to residents and tourists eager to view the once-in-a-lifetime celestial phenomenon.   A wide variety of information about the eclipse can be found on Facebook and Twitter by using #OReclipse and #Eclipse2017.  A non-emergency Oregon state eclipse hotline is operating through Wednesday between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m.  Dial 2-1-1, visit 211info.org or text ECLIPSE to 898211.  Real-time traffic information is available at tripcheck.com, and a clickable map allowing users to pinpoint their location and learn about fire danger and restrictions is on the Oregon Department of Forestry website…click on fire restrictions and closures.  The Wasco County Sheriff’s Office has an information line available at 541-506-2792 and will post information on its Facebook page, as will the Hood River County Sheriff’s Office.

Drivers are reminded with expected congestion on highways the next few days to watch for emergency vehicles and get out of the way to allow them through.  Wasco County Sheriff Lane Magill says if an emergency vehicle has its lights and sirens on, there is a reason for it.  ODOT is reminding motorists that in Oregon, if an emergency, roadside or tow vehicle is on the side of the road displaying warning lights, you are required by law to move over a lane, and if you cannot do that safely or you are on a two-lane road, you must slow down to at least five mph under the speed limit.  If you’re heading to the “path of totality” to view Monday’s solar eclipse, be prepared to spend a lot of time in your car in heavy traffic.  Take plenty of food and water, and make sure you fill up your vehicle with gas before you go.