The Joan Burchell Fund of the Gorge Community Foundation announced grants to six recipients for its 2017 grant cycle.  The Burchell Fund supports projects ranging from arts to social services, health care and the environment.  2017 Burchell Grant recipients include the Washington Gorge Action Program for a new hydroponic farming system to provide fresh produce to those in need…the Hood River Warming Shelter for sleeping bags and cots…the White Salmon Valley Education Foundation for a program to teach youth health life skills…the Rowena Wildlife Clinic to provide care for native eagles…FISH to provide summer meals to underserved children…and Gorge MakerSpace for tools and furniture for a new makers’ facility in Bingen  Over $71,000 has been granted through this fund since its inception in 2010.

A wildfire is burning on the north end of the Warm Springs Reservation has quickly grown to 16,800 acres, and two structures are now reported to have burned.  KTVZ in Bend is reporting that one home has been lost in the Nena Springs Fire along with a historical structure.  A fire public information officer is indicating the buildings were in the Schoolie Flats subdivision.  Residents of about 70 homes remained under a Level 2 pre-evacuation notice Thursday morning.  The fire started within the Juniper Flat Rural Fire Protection District on Tuesday and moved on to Warm Springs land, putting out heavy smoke.  The fire has burned through juniper, sage, grass and dense stands of Ponderosa Pine.       Fire behavior has been extreme with spotting, crowning and wind driven runs.  A Type 2 incident management team is taking over fire operations Thursday.  A regional structure-protection task force is protecting homes threatened by the fire in three subdivisions.  Cause of the fire is undetermined.

The Indian Creek Fire in the Mark O. Hatfield Wilderness in the Mount Hood National Forest remains at 83 acres, as the fire continues to creep and smolder.  Smoke was visible Wednesday from similar locations on the west flank of the fire where smoke was observed last week.  Air drops continue to be used to be minimize fire growth in the steep terrain that makes it unsafe for crews to directly fight the fire that started over a month ago and is expected to continue until the first major rain in early fall.  Officials indicate replacement of a heavy helicopter with a Type 2 aircraft has greatly reduced the effectiveness of drops through the dense canopy, and they will evaluate the need for an additional aircraft.

The Neon Cruise Weekend is arriving in The Dalles.  Friday evening brings the cruise downtown.  This year the cruise will start at 7 p.m. with a one-hour controlled cruise for only those registered through Mid-Columbia Car Club to participate before it is completely opened up at 8 p.m.  Steve Hudson of the Mid-Columbia Car Club explains they don’t have specific qualifications to participate in the controlled cruise, and is open to anyone who registers.  The weekend continues with Show In The Shade at Sorosis Park at 9 a.m. Saturday, the Neon Cruise Party at Lewis and Clark Festival Park at 6 p.m. Saturday, and drag races at Columbia Gorge Regional Airport in Dallesport on Sunday.

The Dalles-Wasco County Library has been handing out sunglasses to view the solar eclipse, but some of them were not the right ones.  The City of The Dalles says some of the glasses may not be ISO certified for eclipse viewing.  If you received sun glasses from The Dalles Library that do not have the ISO mark on the frames, you are encouraged to return to the Library and exchange them for ISO certified glasses.  Do not use glasses that do not have the ISO mark to view the eclipse.  For more information call The Dalles-Wasco County Library at (541) 296-2815.

A wildfire is now burning on Warm Springs Reservation land about 35 miles south of The Dalles.  The Wapinitia Fire started within the Juniper Flat Rural Fire Protection District, but has moved on to Warm Springs land.  There is limited information at this point, but it is estimated to have burned 4,500 acres.  It is burning in grasslands.  The fire was reported on Tuesday.  There is no containment figure at this time.

A total solar eclipse occurs about every 18 months somewhere in the world, but very few are in as convenient a location for viewing as the eclipse that will occur on August 21.  Troy Carpenter of the Goldendale Observatory says many eclipses occur over an ocean or areas of very little population.  But this one offers many viewing opportunities, going across the North American continent, starting in the Pacific Ocean, crossing north-central Oregon, going through the country, and exits in South Carolina, all in about 93 minutes.  The last one to cross the nation from west to east was in 1919, even though there have been several eclipses that could be observed in parts of the country.  Carpenter reminds people if they are going to look directly at the eclipse, they must wear certified filtration glasses.

With wildfire smoke from fires throughout the Northwest continuing to linger in the Gorge, health officials continue to remind people about potential issues that come from that, especially for the elderly and very young.  Ellen Larsen of the Hood River County Health Department says the particles in this kind of smoke are very fine, and are easily breathed into the lungs, so strenuous exercise is discouraged.  She adds staying hydrated is important.  Larsen also pointed out the need to drink plenty of water during the hot temperatures that have been in the area over the past couple of weeks.

The Mid-Columbia Economic Development District has a received a 2017 Innovation Award from the National Association of Development Organizations for the Gorge Night Sky project.   The Gorge Night Sky Project was a collaborative effort between MCEDD, Friends of the Goldendale Observatory, and the Goldendale Chamber of Commerce, and other governmental and business partners.  The project promoted preservation of the Columbia River Gorge’s rural dark sky by supporting education about International Dark-Sky standards and recommendations for energy efficient LED lighting.  Those efforts included development of an educational unit for local schools and organization of a two-day educational symposium to allow interested parties to discuss issues and possible solutions on local and regional scales.

The public input process of the visioning phase of Wasco County 2040, the County’s effort to update its Comprehensive Land-Use Plan, is continuing.  The latest in a series of community workshops will take place Thursday in Wamic, and an on-line survey is asking for opinions on the County’s long-range vision.  County long-range planner Kelly Howsley Glover says they are trying to go a bit deeper than standard land-use questions.  The next community meeting is Thursday evening at 6:30 in the Wamic Community Center, with more to be scheduled.  The full process is expected to take three years.  The website for the update is wasco2040.com.