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B6
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B1
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A6-7
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B5
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B4
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Columbia Gorge News
HOOD RIVER | THE DALLES | WHITE SALMON
Wednesday,March31,2021 Volume1,Issue52
No easy fix to homeless issue
Mental illness a driver
in problems; part 2 of 2
Neita Cecil
■ By Columbia
Gorge News
THE DALLES — The Dalles
Police Chief Patrick Ashmore has
compassion for the homeless, and
puts his money where his mouth is:
He’s done all-night shifts as a volun-
teer at the winter warming shelter.
But he also believes neighbors
of the St. Vincent de Paul office
in downtown The Dalles need
empathy. St. Vincent’s normally (in
pre-pandemic times) houses the
warming shelter, and is continuing
as a year-round meal site for people
who are homeless. In part 1 of this
2-part series, St. Vincent’s residen-
tial neighbors described a daylight
break-in, littering, feces, scary
behavior and harassment from
the homeless people who come to
St. Vincent’s for meals and other
services.
Ashmore said of the neighbors,
“It feels like their quality of life and
safety are not considered at times.”
SeeHOMELESS,page8
The Dalles activist and city councilor Darcy Long-Curtiss sits at a table at the pallet shelter site in The Dalles. Previously
set to close March 31, a recent grant will fund the facility year-round (see page A9).
Mark B. Gibson photo
Post Canyon Trail could close
Oberst
■ By For Gail
Columbia Gorge News
as the Routson property. County
Forest Manager Doug Thiesies
discussed the issue with the board
HOOD RIVER — A popular trail and agreed that the trade was not to
in Post Canyon is in danger of clos- the county’s benefit.
That leaves the Post Canyon trail
ing because it cuts through private
property. The Hood River Board of users and the property owners in
Commissioners March 15 decided the area without a solution, said
Commissioner Karen Joplin. Access
to pass on trading a tract of river
front forest land in exchange for the to the trail may be closed and
private property near Post Canyon fenced. “It’s been made clear that
these private landowners are done.
Drive owned by Erwin Haglund.
Haglund’s 42 acres borders Seneca We need to find a solution.”
The commission discussed
Fouts State Natural Area to the
turning the matter over to the
north and west. The biking and
hiking trail cuts through Haglund’s County Forest Recreation Trails
and other private property.Haglund Committee, which may investigate
a land purchase, or other resolu-
in December 2020 asked the com-
tions to the problem, including
missioners to consider taking his
land in trade for 150 acres of county rerouting a portion of the trail to
Post Canyon Road.
forestland on Highway 35 known
Wyden
plans
Gorge
town halls
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden will have
live, online town halls hosted by
People’s Town Hall for residents
of Clackamas, Linn, Lincoln,
Tillamook, Hood River, Jefferson,
Deschutes, Klamath, Lake,
Josephine and Polk counties.
The Hood River County event
is at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday,
April 3 at www.facebook.com/
events/456411829028757.
Oregonians in all listed counties
who want to submit questions for
Senator Wyden can do so online at
forms.gle/tVCQmYNkuLeWvGzc6.
After the pandemic in March
2020 required Wyden’s town halls
to go virtual, he has continued to
hold regional and county virtual
town halls.
“I very much look forward to re-
suming the ongoing conversations
with Oregonians in communities
large and small to hear residents’
priorities with the new Biden ad-
ministration and Senate in its first
weeks with the American Rescue
Plan and more,” Wyden said.
Region to
get millions
in stimulus
funds
Gail Oberst
■ For By Columbia
Gorge News
The Post Canyon trail, used by bicyclists and hikers, could close because it cuts
through private property.
Columbia Gorge News file photo
‘Uprooted’ — short film explores SDS
timber practices ahead of sale
Jacob Bertram
■ By Columbia
Gorge News
For the film, Roth interviewed
Rainer Hummel, who worked with
Washington Department of Natural
A virtual premiere of “Uprooted,” Resources; David Powell, formerly
an archaeologist with the Yakama
a short film made by local resi-
Nation; wildlife biologist Bill Weiler;
dent Joel Roth that examines SDS
and artist/author Joy Markgraf. The
Lumber Company’s land man-
film is available on YouTube for
agement practices, saw more than
viewing.
100 in attendance of the Sunday
“When we think about how SDS’
evening Zoom session to watch
approach differs from other timber
the film and to discuss how those
companies is that they have very
practices may be impacted in the
strong local ties. So they’re very
future.
involved with the community, they
The nine-minute film analyzes
deal with different stakeholders,
how the lumber company has
be it hunters, recreationalists like
maintained operations through
mountain bikers or people that
sustainable management of the
just want to go for a hike,” Hummel
land. Through interviews with
said in the film. Hummel said SDS
industry professionals and knowl-
edgeable locals, the film makes the Lumber Company uses a 60-year
rotation for their timber harvest,
case that SDS Lumber Company’s
longer than the industry average.
forest practices are both above
The film also explores the
average and at risk of being lost to
relationship between SDS Lumber
a buyer who does not share those
Company and the Yakama Nation,
same practices.
and its presence as an economic
Local environmental group
Friends of the White Salmon River engine in the county. Powell said
in the film that he worked with SDS
sponsored the documentary,
and Yakama Nation for the culti-
which was shown amid the back-
vation of cultural resources before
drop of news that Bingen-based
a harvest, and said that “anything
SDS Lumber Company, which
that we found, (SDS) protected.”
owns more than 100,000 acres of
FWSR reached out to SDS to par-
timberland across five counties, is
preparing to sell the entirety of their ticipate in the premiere but no one
corporate assets, leaving the future from the company attended, said
of local forests, critical area habitats Pat Arnold, president of the Friends
located within the SDS-owned
of the White Salmon River.
land, and the jobs of some-350 em-
“I’m really proud of Joel and
proud of this film and I hope it
ployees in the area uncertain. The
serves the purpose of getting
video is hosted onine at YouTube,
everybody talking and thinking,”
search “Uprooted.”
$1.00
The "Uprooted" video can be found on YouTube.
said Arnold. “The potential impacts
of the SDS Lumber sale just can’t
be overestimated and we hope to
educate people about what is at
stake here.”
Roth had the opportunity to
share his experience making the
film.
“My perspective changed a
lot while making this film. In the
beginning, I was not really super
pro-logging — you know I wanted
the trees to stay there,” Roth said.
“But as I read articles and learned
stuff I really see that it’s an import-
ant part of this community; $13
million is the revenue that comes
around and I thought that was just
a really interesting fact.
“It was a very large project. We
started working on it back in the fall
and spent about 200 hours of work,”
Roth said.
A short question and answer
discussion followed. One viewer
posed the question of what the
ideal protection of the forest is in
the perspective of Friends. Arnold
replied that an ideal outcome, in
her view, “is one that protects the
forest, protects the habitat, protects
the river.
“But we don’t think this is just
about us. What hit us, when we
first saw that press release, is the
economic effect on the commu-
nity, and the effect on friends and
neighbors and people who live
here and work for the company,”
Arnold said, recalling the original
announcement from SDS Lumber
Company that they had intentions
to sell the company.
“There’s just all sorts of
SeeFILM,page8
On March 23, Oregon Gov. Kate
Brown announced that between
state and local governments,
Oregon will get approximately $6.4
billion in federal funds from the
American Rescue Plan. The stim-
ulus plan’s payouts will go directly
to counties while cities and other
local governments will be paid
through the state. The payments
aim to offset losses surrounding
the COVID-19 virus and bolster
local economies.
Hood River County, for ex-
ample, is slated to receive $4.53
million and Wasco $5.17 million,
according to early estimates pro-
vided by the federal Department
of Treasury. Millions more will go
to every incorporated city in the
region based on 2020 population
and budgets.
Among city payouts listed
are: $3.21 million, The Dalles;
$1.59 million, Hood River;
$590,000, White Salmon;
$350,000, Stevenson; $240,000,
Cascade Locks; $90,000 Mosier.
The entire list of payouts can be
found at democrats.senate.gov/
final-state-and-local-alloca-
tion-output-030821. Amounts may
vary by the time the state distrib-
utes funds.
SeeFUNDS,page6
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