OPINION: GIVE THANKS FOR THE MIRACLE OF AGRICULTURE Page 6
Capital Press
A g
The West’s
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2018
Weekly
VOLUME 91, NUMBER 47
WWW.CAPITALPRESS.COM
$2.00
THANKSGIVING
IN WINE COUNTRY
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
OR-7, the wolf that wandered to the Rogue
River drainage from northeastern Oregon, is
seen in this file photo. Diverse Northwest views
figured in the U.S. House debate on whether to
deny gray wolves federal protection.
U.S. House
Wolf debate
features OR-7,
WSU, ‘idiots’
Wolves seen as check on
suburban deer
By DON JENKINS
Capital Press
Photos by George Plaven/Capital Press
Jim Bernau, the founder and CEO of Willamette Valley Vineyards in Turner, Ore.
Oregon wineries prepare
for their big weekend
By GEORGE PLAVEN
Capital Press
T
hanksgiving tradition-
ally means food, family
and football on TV, but
for Willamette Valley
wineries it also ushers in
one of the biggest and most important
sales weekends of the year.
Wine Country Thanksgiving is
Nov. 23-25, with more than 140 win-
eries from Portland to Eugene open-
ing their doors for special events, tast-
ings and offering new releases. Some
wineries, such as Ken Wright Cellars
in Carlton, Ore., also host private
gatherings for wine club members
and invited guests the previous week-
end, adding to the festivities.
Ken Wright, who founded the win-
ery in 1994, said he figures to do 20
percent of his annual retail business
around Thanksgiving.
“It’s by far the most profitable
weekend we have, by a mile,” Wright
said.
Wright was expecting more than
1,100 guests for a private barrel tast-
ing Nov. 17, where wine lovers could
get an early taste of 2018 Pinot noir
from several nearby vineyards in the
northern Willamette Valley. Harvest
Taylor Varuska, vineyard manager at Ken Wright Cellars in Carlton, Ore., pours a
sample of 2018 Pinot noir straight from the barrel during a private tasting event Nov.
17 at the winery.
only just finished in October, and the
wine has spent barely a month in oak
barrels.
Judy Erdman and Richard Stinson,
self-described “wine groupies” from
Portland, walked between the rows of
barrels in the dimly lit winery, savor-
ing sips of the budding wine. Erdman
said they never miss a chance to en-
joy Thanksgiving in Oregon’s wine
country.
“It’s after harvest. You get to talk
to the winemakers and figure out how
things went,” she said. “You’re look-
ing to the future.”
Industry growth
Compared to other renowned wine
regions around the world, Oregon’s
wine industry is still relatively young,
with the first present-day wineries es-
tablished in the late 1950s.
Since then, the number of wineries
in Oregon has grown to 769, along
with 1,114 vineyards and $5.61 bil-
lion in annual statewide economic
impact. Between 2013 and 2016, win-
ery sales increased 46 percent to $529
Turn to WINE, Page 11
The U.S. House debate Nov. 16 on
de-listing gray wolves in the lower 48 was
tinged with Northwest references to OR-
7, Washington ranchers and the thought of
turning lose apex predators in Portland.
A Virginia lawmaker cited a Washington
State University scientist’s assertion that
shooting wolves increases attacks on live-
stock. Oregon Rep. Earl Blumenauer said
wolves balance ecosystems and noted the
danger suburban motorists face of crashing
into deer. Another Oregon congressman,
Peter DeFazio, said he wished his south-
western Oregon district had more wolves
and dismissed de-listing as idiocy.
The House could have used the hour set
aside for the debate on wolves to work on
education policy, the budget or a farm bill,
said DeFazio, D-Springfield. “But, no, we
are here on a talking point for a few idiots,”
he said.
The House, still controlled by Republi-
cans for a few more weeks, voted 196-180
to pass H.R. 6784. The measure would strip
wolves of federal protection in California,
and the western two-thirds of Oregon and
Washington. Wolves already have been
de-listed in Idaho and the eastern one-third
of Oregon and Washington.
DeFazio was also dismissive of the bill’s
chances of becoming law. “By the way, it’s
going nowhere in the Senate,” the veteran
congressman said.
Washington Republican Cathy McMor-
ris Rodgers said ranchers in her state have
been affected by wolves for many years.
“Each year, we are losing hundreds of
livestock to wolves and costing our econo-
my millions of dollars,” she said.
“In Eastern Washington, and specifically
in northeastern Washington, predation on
calves has become common.”
Rep. Don Beyer, whose Virginia district
borders Washington, D.C., said he would
“love to see the gray wolves in Virginia
someday.”
Turn to WOLVES, Page 11
Orca task force recommends
looking at Snake River dams
By DON JENKINS
Capital Press
Adding 10 orcas to Puget
Sound over the next decade
will require more fish habitat
and possibly removing four
Lower Snake River dams, ac-
cording to a report released
Nov. 16 by a governor’s task
force.
The Washington Farm Bu-
reau was one of six organiza-
tions on the 47-member task
force that abstained from vot-
ing to send the report to Gov.
Jay Inslee. The Farm Bureau
couldn’t endorse some of the
report’s 36 proposals, includ-
ing taking another look at
We’re
Moving!
removing Ice Harbor, Lower
Monumental, Little Goose
and Lower Granite dams, di-
rector of government relations
Tom Davis said.
“That’s a non-starter for
us,” he said. “It just prolongs
the conversation.”
The task force, which will
continue to meet, responds
Turn to ORCAS, Page 11
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Orcas, also known as killer whales, travel off the coast of Washing-
ton. A governor’s task force may recommend looking at removing
four Lower Snake River dams to help orcas have more fish to eat.
2870 Broadway St. NE Salem, Oregon 97303
47-1/HOU
Farm Bureau
withholds blessing