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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (March 7, 2008)
Roofers raise cash for Food Bank Roofers Local 49 of Portland held a first-ever Texas Hold’em Poker Tournament. Proceeds totaling $2,000 went to the Carpenters Food Bank. More than 66 participated in the event, with the top 10 finishers (pictured above at the table) awarded prizes. Troy Hatchell, a member of Communications Workers of America Local 7901, finished first, followed by Jim Kefahas of Carpenters Local 2260, and Mike Fahey. Fahey is a former executive secretary- treasurer of the Portland Metal Trades Council and coordinator of the Carpenters Food Bank. The all-volunteer food bank is housed in the basement of the union hall at 2205 N. Lombard, Portland. It feeds between 425 to 500 families a month. Food boxes are distributed the third Friday each month. Oregon retirees group to meet April 26 The Oregon Alliance for Retired Americans will hold its fifth annual convention April 26 at the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Hall, 2435 NW Front Ave., Portland. Registration for the convention, which opens at 9 a.m. and runs until 3 p.m., is $25 and includes lunch. For more information, call the Oregon ARA at 503-284-8591 MARCH 7, 2008 Left to right: Dave Johnson, Bruce Barnes, JR Robertson, Rob Towes and Bill Munson — all members of IBEW Local 48 — fly their union’s banner at Eco Park Resort in Toutle, WA. as they prepare to feed starving elk. The men are volunteers of Mt. Saint Helens Rescue. Union members feed starving elk in Washington VANCOUVER — Mt. Saint He- lens Rescue, an organization with strong ties to members of the Interna- tional Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, has been raising money and volunteering to feed starving elk herds in Southwest Washington this past winter. The group’s founder, Bruce Barnes, a member of IBEW Local 48, says he and other members of Local 48 and IBEW 125 have been taking alfalfa by the ton-loads to Eco Park Resort in Toutle, WA. and Muddy Creek in Cougar Wash., everyweek- NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS end since January. “We’ve delivered more than 50 tons,” he said. Supplimental food supplies are needed, he says, because a plan by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is failing. According to the department, the elk population has outgrown the land’s ability to provide food. It all started with the eruption of Mt. St. Helens in May of 1980, when hundreds of thousands of trees were blown down. The devastation allowed grasses and sedges that elk eat to thrive — resulting in elk populations to grow. However, as trees were replanted and (timber harvesting slowed on neighboring national forest land) shade caused a decrease in the growth of the foilage — and less food for the elk. Throw on top of that several cold, snowy winters, and the now overpop- ulated elk can’t find enough food to survive. “Leaving the elk to starve to death is animal neglect and cruelty by our government agency which was cre- ated to protect and create sound stew- ardship of the fish and wildlife in the state of Washington,” Barnes said. Locals 48 and 125, signatory union electrical contractor EC Company and the IBEW & United Workers Federal Credit Union have donated cash to help purchase the alfalfa to feed the elk. The cost so far has been more than $7,500. Barnes hopes other unions, and possibly the newly cre- ated Union Sportsman’s Alliance, will help even more. The Union Sports- man’s Alliance is a program of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, a coalition of hunting, fishing and conservation organizations nationwide. Donations checks can be made out and sent to: Pioneer Feed and Supply Attention: Mike Agard 21417 NE 10th Ave Ridgefield, WA 98642 For more information, call Barnes at 360-513-3874, or go to www.mt- sainthelensrescue.com (Editor’s Note: The Mt. Saint He- lens Rescue was founded in 2006 with a mission of ensuring the future of fish and wildlife while securing future recreational opportunities in the wilder- ness areas of Southwest Washington for hunting, snowmobiling, horseback riding, hiking and ATV riding.) PAGE 11
