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8 CapitalPress.com November 10, 2017 Washington Late wildfire damages apple orchard By DAN WHEAT Capital Press WENATCHEE, Wash. — A Foreman Fruit Co. or- chard sustained an estimated $50,000 to $100,000 in dam- age from a 1,100-acre wildfire northwest of town on Nov. 1. It was the latest fire in the sea- son of any size in the area in recent memory. Some apple trees in the 100-acre Panorama Orchard were seared, probably dam- aging buds of next fall’s crop, but the more significant dam- age is labor and materials needed to remove numerous partially burned, 100-foot-tall poplar trees that were wind breaks on the orchard’s edges, said James Foreman, compa- Dan Wheat/Capital Press ny manager. Firefighters spray water on hot spots along burned fenceline and poplar trees on the edge of Pan- “We’ll have to take them orama Orchard northwest of Wenatchee, Wash., on Nov. 2. A wildfire burned 1,100 acres, mostly down this winter because grassland, the day before. they’re a safety hazard. We don’t want them falling into Foreman, a Wenatchee attor- man, candidate for governor spots along the poplars on the orchard when workers ney. Dale Foreman is a former and Washington Apple Com- Nov. 2. Eduardo Sanchez and another orchard worker were are working,” said Foreman, state House majority leader, mission board chairman. Firefighters watered hot loading empty apple bins on a son of company owner Dale state Republican Party chair- 17 th Annual WILLAMETTE VALLEY truck, the harvest of Autumn Glory apples having finished the day before the fire. San- chez estimated half a mile of 8-foot-tall deer fencing is damaged or destroyed. Fence replacement is about $16,000 to $26,000 per mile, depending on terrain, James Foreman said. Some irrigation pipe might also be damaged. Foreman said damaged poplar trees will have to be tipped away from the orchard when cut and removed before the fence is replaced, as they are inside the fenceline. He will have to decide whether to maintain a wind break with new trees, he said. “Standard orchard (insur- ance) policy doesn’t cover deer fencing, so unfortunate- ly I don’t expect any claim to help us out,” he said, esti- mating damage at $50,000 to $100,000. Foreman and 10 workers helped fight the fire on the or- chard edge. Sandison ‘optimistic’ U.S., Canada will renegotiate Columbia River Treaty By MATTHEW WEAVER Capital Press 3 Big Days! Tues • Wed • Thurs MOSES LAKE, Wash. — The director of Washington state’s agriculture department says he is optimistic the U.S. and Canada will be able to suc- cessfully renegotiate the Co- lumbia River Treaty. “We’re pretty close on a lot of things,” said Derek Sandi- son, director of the state De- partment of Agriculture and former director of the state De- partment of Ecology’s Office of the Columbia River. He spoke Nov. 2 during the Columbia Basin Development League an- nual meeting. The 60-year-old agreement is designed to coordinate flood management and optimize hy- dropower generation by Co- lumbia River dams. Under the treaty, the U.S. paid Canada $64 million to construct three dams in British Columbia in exchange for 8.94 Looking Forward g To Seein t x e N u o Y ! k Wee NOVEMBER 14 • 15 • 16 4 Big Buildings! CORE Pesticide Training for credits CPR/AED Training (Register online) Forklift Certification Classes (Register online) Antique Farm Equipment Show with over 70 pieces on display 180+ Vendors and Dozens of New Exhibitors! Another 20,000 sq. ft. of indoor heated displays! Back by Popular Demand: Wed. Evening Dine Around Oregon. Tickets available online. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 14 Meetings: Oregon Farm Bureau Luncheon (by invitation) Training: CORE No registration required - 2 to 4* credit hours (Repeated Thursday) • 10:30-11:30AM • Andony Melathopoulos; Going Soft on Pollinators and Hard on Pests (1 CORE) This session will have an easy-to-apply set of rules to help you judge how to apply pesticides with minimal impact to pollinators. • Lunch Break • 11:30-12:30PM • Janet Fultus; Worker Protection; Standards Update (1 CORE) • 1:30-3:30PM • Andy Steinkamp; Practical Sprayer Calibration (2 CORE) Covers the importance of sprayer calibration, sprayer calibration methods and dry bait calibration methods. It will cover step by step e xamples using basic math. There will be a best practices discussion and time for questions. Does not cover specific controller brands and operations. Meetings: Training: WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 15 Pennington Seed Growers Breakfast (by invitation) • 10:30- 12:15PM • CPR/AED/ Standard First Aid Training (advanced registration required): CPR: Participants will review and practice emergency procedures that prepare responders to act in breathing and cardiac related emergency situations with adults and children (ages ~ 12 +); AED – Automated External Defibrillator: Training will offer device tech info, preparation, and operation. Participants will be trained on how to use the AED for adult and pediatric victims. • 1:30-2:45PM • Standard First Aid: Participants will review skills to recognize and respond to sudden illness and emergencies. Training will culminate with skills practice and testing. Certification awarded upon completion. $30 for CPR/AED/First Aid Training; $15 for First Aid Training only • 1:00 – 3:00PM Forklift Certification Training: Includes classroom, workbook, written knowledge check verification with scheduled practical driving evaluation immediately following. Proof of successful completion of course, knowledge check and practical driving evaluation provided within 7 days. Program and equipment provided/donated by Pape Material Handling and OVERTON Safety Training. Class size limited to 50 people. Advanced registration required online at www.wvaexpo.com.This class is free with paid admission. Class size limited to 50 people. Dine Around Oregon - Back by popular demand! • 5:00pm – 8:00pm: $12 Admission in advance online at www.wvaexpo.com (or at the door while tickets last.) Ticketed progressive, hearty dinner event featuring food and products from Oregon. 4-6 serving stations throughout the Expo. Enjoy Oregon beef, lamb and cheese, produce, wine and brew! THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16 Training: CORE training – Repeated from Tuesday, November 15th, 2016 • 10:30-12:30PM • Andy Steinkamp; Practical Sprayer Calibration (2 CORE) Covers the importance of sprayer calibration, sprayer calibration methods and dry bait calibration methods. It will cover step by step e xamples using basic math. There will be a best practices discussion and time for questions. Does not cover specific controller brands and operations. Lunch Break • 11:30-12:30PM • Janet Fultus; Worker Protection; Standards Update (1 CORE) • 2:30-3:30PM • Andony Melathopoulos; Going Soft on Pollinators and Hard on Pests (1 CORE) This session will have an easy-to-apply set of rules to help you judge how to apply pesticides with minimal impact to pollinators. A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO OUR 2017 WILLAMETTE VALLEY AG EXPO SPONSORS: • Ag Chains Plus, Partial Sponsor, Dine Around Oregon • Ag West Supply, Partial Sponsor, Dine Around Oregon • Boshart Trucking, Full Sponsor, FFA Transportation to the event • Citizens Bank, Full Sponsor, Welcome Bags • Coastal Farm, Sponsor, Dine Around Oregon • Complete Wireless, Full Sponsor, Complimentary coffee for vendors • Crop Production Services, Partial Sponsor, Dine Around Oregon • Doerfler Farms, Sponsor, FFA Transportation to the event • Farmland Tractor, Full Sponsor, Antique Farm Equipment display • GK Machine, Partial Sponsor, Dine Around Oregon • Les Schwab Tires, Ag Scholarship Sponsor • Linn-Benton Tractor, Partial Sponsor, Dine Around Oregon • NW 94 Sales, Partial Sponsor, Dine Around Oregon • Northwest Farm Credit Service, Partial Sponsor, Dine Around Oregon • Pacific Health & Safety Sponsor, First Aid/CPR/AED Training • Overton Safety Training, Full Sponsor, Forklift Training • Pape Machinery, Partial Sponsor, Dine Around Oregon • Peterson Machinery, Full Sponsor, Dine Around Oregon Presenting Sponsor • Sunbelt Rentals, Full Sponsor, Sunbelt Arena • Oregonians for Food & Shelter, Full Sponsor, CORE Training • And thank you to the following Dine Around Oregon sponsors: • Reed Anderson Ranches • Manning Farms • NORPAC Foods • Oregon Dairy Women • Oregon Cattleman’s Association Linn County Fair & Expo Center For Expo updates, follow us on Facebook! 3700 Knox Butte Rd. I-5 @ Exit 234 • Albany, OR Consultant to study costs, scope By MATTHEW WEAVER Capital Press MOSES LAKE, Wash. — Stakeholders are seeking millions of dollars in feder- al support to help widen or replace 10 bridges that cross an Eastern Washington canal system that is part of a mas- sive expansion of the Colum- bia Basin Project. Of the 17 bridges on the East Low Canal system, five are adequate, Melissa Downes, technical project lead for the state Department of Ecology’s Office of the Columbia River, said during the Nov. 2 Columbia Basin Development League annual meeting. The East Columbia Basin Irrigation District has already replaced the Leisle Road www.wvaexpo.com 45-3/100 million acre-feet of assured flood storage. In 2024, assured storage converts to “called-upon” and “effective use” storage. The U.S. would first have to make effective use of its reservoirs for flood control before calling on Canada to store snowmelt, drawing down the dams to make as much flood volume as possible, Sandison said. “That’s an arrangement we’re not particularly fond of,” he said. “You’re hammering bridge and increased the ca- pacity to convey water under the Calloway Road bridge. The Leisle Road Bridge cost $732,000 and the Calloway Road Bridge cost $797,000, Downes said. Ten remaining bridges need modification or replace- ment. The East Low Canal is being widened as part of an effort to replace wells with water from the Columbia River. Nearly 700,000 acres within the federal Columbia Basin Project are irrigated. The league supports complet- ing the 70-year-old project by bringing river water to the re- maining 300,000 acres. The stakeholders will seek federal funding for the 10 bridges, owned by the state or the counties. “Bridges are a little bit different than the water con- veyance system,” said Mike Schwisow, director of govern- ment relations for the devel- opment league. “They’re not a canal, a siphon or something that carries the water. They’re part of the regional transpor- tation system, so they have a little different characteristic. ... But all of them need to get fixed in order for us to finally fully develop this project.” The bridges are “pinch points” on the canal system limiting water flow, said Ste- phen McFadden, director of the Adams County Develop- ment Council. The stakeholders are seek- ing grants from the U.S. De- partment of Transportation’s Transportation Investment Generating Economic Re- covery and Infrastructure for Rebuilding America for the bridges, and employ- ing a consultant to conduct cost-benefit analyses and outline the scope of work to replace the bridges, McFad- den said. Scientist: Weed control needs refinement Capital Press (20 Minutes South of Salem) Matthew Weaver/Capital Press Derek Sandison, director of the Washington State Department of Agriculture, said he expects movement on renegotiating the Columbia River Treaty. U.S. reservoirs in the hopes that your March forecast is right and there will be water late (in the) irrigation season to make up what you’ve pushed out to the ocean.” As part of the Canadian en- titlement, Canada receives 50 percent of the power generated downstream. Sandison said the treaty uses an outdated formula that doesn’t factor in modifica- tions made in 1993 to address the Endangered Species Act and protected fish. U.S. and Canadian negotia- tors agree the Canadian entitle- ment is too high, Sandison said. “They don’t want any more than they’re entitled to,” he said. “That’s what they said, I take them at face value.” The regional recommenda- tion on the U.S. side called for a recalculation of the power entitlement to reflect the actual value, re-establish some level of assured flood control and fully consider the ecosystem. Stakeholders seek funds for bridges in canal widening project By DAN WHEAT CORE Pesticide Training The fire was first reported at 10:30 a.m. Nov. 1. It started on the shoulder of U.S. High- way 2/97 just west of the town of Monitor, about five miles northwest of Wenatchee. The cause was determined to be sparks from a passing vehicle, possibly from a bro- ken tail pipe or trailer chains dragging, said Phil Mosher, chief of Chelan County Fire District 6 in Cashmere. “The big issue was the grass and sagebrush compo- nent of fuel and wind and per- cent of slope. The wind just took it and ran it up the slope. It was blowing 20 mph on top the ridge,” Mosher said. Ten firefighters, three brush trucks, an engine and one ten- der were on the initial attack. “The big challenge was resources because summer re- sources had been released and a house fire in East Wenatchee was tying up firefighters,” said Rich Magnussen, Chelan County Emergency Manage- ment spokesman. WENATCHEE, Wash. — Management of invasive plant species is still too much like surgery by bludgeon instead of scalpel, says Dean Pearson, research ecologist at the U.S. Forest Service Rocky Moun- tain Research Station in Mis- soula, Mont. “We’re getting good at tak- ing out the target weed but not much good beyond that. Better restoration tools is where the big need is right now,” Pearson said in his keynote address at the Washington State Weed Association’s 67th annual con- ference at the Wenatchee Con- vention Center, Nov. 1. Pearson said he’s found 168 studies of the management of invasive plants with only 38 of Dean Pearson those look- ing at what happened beyond the weed. “In those 38, we found 96 percent suppressed the target weed, so that’s success. But the primary response to the control was secondary inva- sions, 89 percent of the time by a noxious invasive weed. That’s not what we want to see happen,” he said. The key in handling inva- sive plants with herbicides is aiming to get to a place of sur- gical precision with minimal disturbance to the ecology, or pushing it in the right direc- tion, he said. Broadcast reseeding is the most cost effective restoration tool but effectiveness is like a lottery because weather plays a big role, he said. Invasive plants can alter an ecosystem for a long time, Pearson said. He showed pic- tures of a Missoula hillside in the early 1970s with Balsam- root, Lupin and Paintbrush and a picture of the same area dras- tically altered by Knapweed 30 years later.