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About Columbia Gorge news. (The Dalles, OR) 2020-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 21, 2020)
HoodRiverNews.com • TheDallesChronicle.com • WhiteSalmonEnterprise.com Columbia Gorge News Coal-powered plant shuts down Clean energy sources will replace lost power Portland General Electric Company announced Oct. 17 it has permanently shuttered its Boardman Generating Station in Eastern Oregon’s Morrow County. The closure fulfills an agreement PGE reached with stakeholders, customer groups and regu- lators in 2010 to significantly reduce air emissions from power production in Oregon by ending operations at Boardman 20 years ahead of schedule and transitioning to cleaner energy resources. Boardman is the only coal- fired power plant in Oregon. PGE has a 90 percent owner- ship share of the plant. Idaho Power owns the remaining 10 percent. While the plant was oper- ating, air quality studies in the Columbia River Gorge by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality found the plant contributed to poor air quality in the region during certain atmospheric conditions. “Our customers are count- ing on us to deliver a clean energy future,” PGE President and CEO Maria Pope said in a news release. “PGE’s Boardman closure is a major step on our path to meeting Oregon’s greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals and transforming our system to reliably serve our cus- tomers with a cleaner, more sustainable energy mix.” Boardman’s closure has been factored into PGE’s resource plans since 2010, so the company could take steps to ensure there’ll be enough electricity to continue reliable electric service to customers after the plant’s shutdown. No single generator will replace the facility. Instead, a mix of resources including five-year Wednesday, October 21, 2020 ‘Indian’s Giveaway’ event comes Saturday The “Columbia River Indian’s Giveaway” event happens Oct. 24 at Discovery Center in The Dalles. The socially-distanced event runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the center, 5000 Discovery Drive in The Dalles. Tribal members may enjoy a salmon meal and pick up food boxes and clothing. To donate, find the event on Facebook. Pickup times are: Lone The Boardman Generating Station, above, has been shut down. The plant was Oregon’s only coal-pow- ered electricity generating plant. According to Portland General Electric Company, which owns the plant, the early shutdown is “a major step on our path to meeting Oregon’s greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals and transforming our system to reliably serve our customers with a cleaner, more sus- tainable energy mix.” File photo/PGE B7 Pine, 10 a.m.; Cloudsville, 11 a.m.; Lyle Point, noon; Cooks Landing, 1 p.m.; Cascade Locks, 2 p.m. Participants have the chance to win drawing for a 10,000-watt hybrid gas-pro- pane generator. The event is held in alliance with the Discovery Center, Praisealujah, Celilo Restaurant and Bar, and Columbia River Indian Center. Parklets Time “Our customers are counting on us to deliver a NextEra. The Wheatridge farm is currently in clean-energy future.” wind the final stages of construc- tion and will be online this year. The solar and storage resources will be constructed contracts with the Bonneville during peak times) to create a in 2021 and are expected to Power Administration, cleaner, more resilient power be online before the end of Washington’s Douglas next year. system for the future. County PUD, and other Some Boardman employ- One new renewable power independent suppliers has resource that will help serve ees will continue with the been added to PGE’s energy PGE customers and con- plant during 2021 to conduct portfolio to meet near-term environmental cleanup and tribute to a healthy econo- needs; a request for pro- ready the facility for demoli- my in the Morrow County community going forward tion and removal beginning posals for additional long in 2022, while others will re- term, non-emitting capacity is Wheatridge — a facility PGE is building with NextEra tire, move to other positions resources is in the planning Energy Resources just south with PGE, or leave the com- stages and is expected to be and east of Boardman, with conducted next year. pany. The company provided The company is also bring- 300 megawatts of wind a comprehensive retention and 50 megawatts of solar, and severance plan as well as ing online energy storage, augmented by 30 mega- education and job-training new renewable resources, and new distributed resourc- watts of battery storage. PGE benefits to help employees fulfill their personal goals will own part of the wind es like demand response after the closure, the release resource and purchase the (when customers help stated. rest of Wheatridge’s output balance the grid by volun- on a long-term contract with teering to shift energy use Maria Pope PGE On street “parklets” at five Hood River businesses will be able to stay in place until Nov. 3 following permit extension by City of Hood River. Shown are the popular parklets at 64 Oz. Taproom on Oak Street. Others affected are Andrew’s Pizza on Oak Street, Double Mountain Brewery on Fourth, Stoked Coffee on Portway, and pFriem Family Brewing. (Heights Alley Porches, at Slopeswell Cider, have been relocated to private property in back of the cidery on 12th Street.) “This really helps us extend our season, if the nice weather continues,” 64 Oz. co-owner Rod Steward said. The parklet permit extension carries the caveat that, if requested by the City due to inclement weather, the parklets need to be removed within 48 hours, according to City Manager Rachael Fuller. Kirby Neumann-Rea photo WHAT’S HAPPENING What’s Happening is a free service of Columbia Gorge News and may be edited for length. Items can also be found online on the Columbia Gorge News web- site (Gorge Life tab); calendar items are updated daily. Send items to trishaw@gor- genews.com. Fundraisers ■ Oct. 22-25 — Virtual Stories of Hope. Fundraising event for The Next Door, Inc., at givebutter. com/VirtualStoriesofHope. Info at 541-386-6665 or info@nextdoorinc.org. ■ Oct. 25 — Hymn Marathon, beginning at noon at Zion Lutheran, The Dalles. Will run up to eight continuous hours. Featuring organist Garry Estep with Master of Ceremonies Pastor Tyler Beane Kelley. Pledges and hymn requests to zion. office.manager@gmail.com or 541-296-9146, or stop by Tuesday-Thursday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Pledges can also be made at the performance. ■ Thru October — Mt. Hood Town Hall Donation Campaign. Goal of $10,000. Every $25 donated gets a ticket for a drawing for one of 12 $100 gift cards from participating upper valley businesses; drawing Oct. 31. Mail donations to Mt. Hood Town Hall, PO Box 247, Parkdale, OR 97041. Info at mthoodtownhall@gmail. com or 541-402-4448. ■ Hay Donations for Wildfires — OSU Extension is helping coordinate hay donations with Oregon Emergency Management and TimerUnity. Go to extension.oregonstate. edu/announcements/live- stock-hay-feed-donation-re- quest. Children and Teens ■ Oct. 27-31 — Hood River County Library Trick- or-Treat. Come to any of the Hood River County Library branches during curbside hours for a free book (one per person). More info at hoodriverlibrary.org. ■ Oct. 30 — Halloween Movie Watch Party, 7 p.m. Sponsored by the Hood River County Library District. Join the Teen Discord at hoodriverlibrary. org/discord-form; stop by the library during curbside hours Oct. 27-30 for a movie goodies. Ages 13-19. ■ Tuesdays & Thursdays — Online Homework Help for Students and Parents, 10:30-11:30 a.m. Tuesdays and 3:30-4:30 p.m. Thursdays; Hood River County Library staff available by Zoom at zoom. us/j/91001800954. Teachers also welcome. ■ Wednesdays — 4-H Girls Who Code, 3:45–5 p.m. Free. Learn coding skills, build web pages, apps, more as a team. For girls grades 6-12. Register at 541-298- 4004 or seapyl@oregonstate. edu. ■ Thursdays — 4-H Coder Club, 3:45-5 p.m. Free. Grades 5-12; program games and animations. Register at 541-298-4004 or ham- mackd@oregonstate.edu. Exercise & Meditation ■ Sundays — Online Heart Devotion Meditation, 9-10 a.m. at Bit.ly/heartde- votion. For more info, call Emily at 503-358-1949. ■ Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays — Strong Women Classes, 10-11 a.m. at Cemetery Park, Cascade Locks. Community Events ■ Oct. 21 — Grazing Management Webinar for Livestock Owners, 12:30- 1:15 p.m. Cattle and horse grazing management for small acreage landowners and largescale ranch oper- ations; alpacas and llamas also briefly covered. Register at beav.es/oMC. ■ Oct. 21 — Sense of Place, 7 p.m. at mtadam- sinstitute.org/senseofplace. “Responding to a Pandemic: An Indigenous Perspective” with Emily Washines and Chuck Sams. Free; option to donate to support program. ■ Oct. 24 — Original Courthouse Annual Membership Meeting, 1:30 p.m. via conference call: 712-770-5505, access code: 148427#. ■ Oct. 27 — Hood River Watershed Group Virtual Meeting, 6-8 p.m. “Steelhead Production Monitoring Update for the Hood River Watershed.” RSVP to alix@hoodriverwa- tershed.org or 541-386-6063 to receive the zoom meeting log-in information. ■ Oct. 28 — Free Agricultural Pesticide Collection, 10 a.m. to noon at Hood River Transfer Station. Farmers and busi- nesses ONLY of Hood River, Wasco and Sherman coun- ties. Registration required; info at www.tricountyrecy- cle.com or 541-506-2636. ■ Oct. 28 — Death Café, 7-8:30 p.m. Sponsored by Providence Volunteers in Action and AgePlus Circles of Care. Limit 10 partici- pants; register at brittany. willson@providence. Ongoing ■ This Summer — Gorge Grown Mobile and Farmers Markets: White Salmon, Tuesdays, 4-7 p.m. at Rheingarten Park; Lyle, Fridays, 4-6 p.m. outside the Lyle Activity Center, Highway 14; The Dalles, Wednesdays, 4-6 p.m. outside the Transit Center, 802 Chenowith Loop Road, and Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at City Park, Fifth and Union; Hood River, Fridays, noon to 2 p.m. outside Hawks Ridge Assisted Living, Eighth and Pacific, and Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Fifth and Columbia parking lot; Odell, first and third Thursdays, 4-6 p.m. downtown; Cascade Locks, second and fourth Thursdays, 4-6 p.m. outside Brigham Fish Market, 681 WaNaPa St.; Maupin, second and fourth Wednesdays in Kaiser Park, Hwy. 197 and Sixth St., noon to 2 p.m. ■ Mondays & Thursdays — OSU Hood River County Extension Central Gorge Master Gardeners Virtual Plant Clinic, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free. To receive help for your home gardening questions, go to extension.oregonstate. edu/mg/hoodriver to com- plete and submit the Plant Clinic Submission Form, or call and leave a message at 541-386-3343 ext. 39259. ■ Tuesdays — Mommy Wellness Zoom Series, noon via Zoom. Series for moms with babies up to 2. Free. Register at 541-296- 7319 or mcmc.net. Class meets Tuesdays thru Nov. 17. Presented by MCMC Outpatient Therapy and facilitated by Gina Clark or Laurie VanCott. ■ Wednesdays — The Dalles Rotary Club, noon via Zoom. Address: us02web. zoom.us/j/693639881?p- wd=UFlNdWw2QTZGTUR- mRHVhY3VlZUQvQT09 (us02web.zoom.us). ■ Thursdays — The Dalles Kiwanis Club Online Meetings. Log in between 11:45 a.m. and 1 p.m. at TheDallesKiwanisZoom. us. For more information go to www.thedalleskiwanis. org/ or The-Dalles-Kiwanis- Club on Facebook. Oct. 22: County Commissioner Kathy Schwartz, Wasco County up- date; Oct. 29: City Manager Julie Kruger, City of The Dalles update. ■ Fridays and Saturdays — Hood River Valley Adult Center Thrift Shop, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Proceeds benefit Meals on Wheels. Masks must be worn and provided hand sanitizer used. ‘BEGINNER FRIENDLY’ ‘Makers’ workshops offered Columbia Center for the Arts and The Dalles Arts Center are partnering to offer a series of Makers Workshops to inspire the community to get creative as winter settles in. These beginner-friendly workshops taught by local artists are for adults (16 and older) have been redesigned for the times to provide a fun and physically distant way to learn and create art with others. Each workshop explores the art of crafts whether it’s weaving, natural dyeing, or making holiday wreath and garlands. Workshops are limited to six students and will be held in the classroom studios at CCA and TDAC. Beginning Tapestry Weaving — with Kristie Strasen. Students will learn the principles of basic tapestry weaving working on hand-held looms with natural yarns. Indigo Shibori — taught by Carolyn Hopkins. Students will be making tote bags and bandanna scarves using a traditional indigo dye bath. Plant-Based Ink Making — Molly Holmlund will teach students how to make inks from oak galls, Oregon grape and rose petals — all sourced from the Columbia River Gorge. Garland and Wreath Making — local florist and owner of Lucy’s Informal Flowers, Lucy Gorman, will teach students how to trans- form fresh greenery and natural plants into bountiful wreaths and garlands for the holidays. For more information on the artists and workshops and to register for work- shops, visit columbiaarts. org/makers-workshops-2020 or thedallesartcenter.org/ classes. Maker’s workshops explore variety of arts and craft. Contributed photo
