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About Columbia Gorge news. (The Dalles, OR) 2020-current | View Entire Issue (June 30, 2021)
6 Wednesday,June30,2021 Columbia Gorge News www.columbiagorgenews.com Days shorten as summer begins and look for bright Venus. The bright planet will be hard to miss, about 15 degrees above the horizon. If you have a pair of binoculars, see if you can spot Mars, located right next to Venus, below and to the right of the bright planet, at about Jim the 7 o’clock position from Venus. White Now look above and to the left of Venus, and find the faint crescent Moon, about the width of your ULY, OUR FIRST FULL MONTH extended fist from Venus. The solar system’s largest planets, of summer, is here. Days are Jupiter and Saturn, are moving back beginning to grow shorter, and into the evening sky in July. They nights longer, as the seasons prog- will be quite low at the start of the ress. At the start of July, day length month, but by the end of July will be will be quite long, with sunset coming at about 9 p.m. and sunrise above the horizon by 10 p.m. Look at about 5:20 a.m. By the end of the for them low in the east after sunset. Early in July they will not rise until month, the Sun will set about 25 11:30 p.m. or a bit later. minutes earlier at 8:35 p.m., and Our Moon will begin the month sunrise will be about 27 minutes in the morning sky. On July 5, if later at about 5:47 a.m. July (and August) can be excellent months for you are up early, you may see a beautiful crescent Moon just to the stargazing, as nights start to come right of the Pleiades star cluster. The earlier, but weather is pleasant for Moon will be above the bright star viewing the night sky. Spica on July 16, and above Antares An interesting sight to put on on July 19. The Moon will be to your calendar occurs on July 12. the right of Saturn on July 23, and After sunset, look low in the west, What’s in the Sky J below Jupiter on July 26. Some of you may have been able to visit the Goldendale Observatory in May and June, when the State Park held limited attendance, with afternoon solar viewing. I was able to attend in early June. I enjoyed a presentation about our Sun, and a view of our star through the facilities’ 6-inch refractor. In July, evening presentations (Saturday and Sunday only, 9 p.m. to mid- night) will also be started. As with the afternoon solar presentations, attendance is limited, and you must reserve a spot in advance, on the observatory’s web page. Visit www. goldendaleobservatory.com for the latest. If you are interested in sup- porting the observatory or one of the other Goldendale-area State Parks (Maryhill, Brooks Memorial, Columbia Hills), a group is being formed to provide volunteer assis- tance. If this piques your interest, let me know (jwhite.stargazer@gmail. com) and I can provide you with information. An interesting bright star in the July sky is Altair, the southernmost star of the “summer triangle” and the brightest star in the constel- lation Aquila, the Eagle. Look for Altair below the bright star Vega, and below the constellation Cygnus, also known as the northern cross. You can use the Milky Way to find Altair — Vega and Cygnus will be on one side of the Milky Way, with Altair on the other. Altair is the 12th brightest star in our sky, and one of the closest to our solar system, being only about 16.8 light-years distant. Altair is about twice the diameter and 1.7 times the mass of our Sun. Amazingly, the star rotates in about 10 hours, making it bulge at its equator, and thus has an oblate shape, bulging out at its equator. Check out the “eye” of the Eagle! Enjoy July’s night skies! Three fawns reunited with mom Neita Cecil ■ By Columbia Gorge News hovering around. “It doesn’t take much of a hole for them to be able to sneak out.” A call was placed to BPA for Last Tuesday was Hallie Clark’s second day interning someone to open the locked with the Oregon Department gate to let the fawns in. But as of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), luck would have it, a woman who lives across the street and she spent part of it herding three speedy, skittish was heading to work — with the company that does lawn fawns to safety along a busy maintenance for the BPA site. road. Dani Lawson, who works The three fawns, likely for FLI Landscaping, had a set of twins and a fawn seen people standing around from another doe, found themselves outside the fence and grew curious, so she headed across the street. surrounding the Bonneville Power Administration facility Turns out she had a key to the gate, and she carefully on West 10th Street while a doe wandered around inside approached it, as two of the three fawns cowered in a the enclosure. corner nearby. ODFW was quickly called Those two fawns quickly to the scene, as one of the entered the enclosure after fawns squealed in distress. the gate opened, but a third Clark arrived with district fawn proved problematic wildlife biologist Andrew Meyers, whose sole objective and continually escaped after was to get the fawns into the getting herded to the gate by Meyers, Clark, Lawson and a BPA enclosure with the doe and away from the busy road. reporter. Meyers told the bystanders Clark said the doe and to walk slowly, with arms fawns would eventually wide, to herd the fawns. figure out a way out of the This wasn’t Meyers’ first enclosure once they weren’t wildlife-herding rodeo, but being stressed by people Tyler Stone, administrative officer with Wasco County, confirmed the county is Details being continuing to work with worked out both Google and Mid- Continued from page 1 Columbia Fire and Rescue to “bring the SIP agreement to conclusion.” The Strategic Investment also is continuing to move Program (SIP) is a state pro- forward, Mays said. In addition, developers gram overseen by Business and Mid-Columbia Fire and Oregon. It provides up to 15 Rescue continue to work on years of partial tax abatement the best way to provide fire for a project and is similar to protection for the new facili- an Enterprise Zone, also a ties. Although Mays is not di- state program, under which rectly involved with the work previous data centers were of the fire department, as he built. It involves agreements is with the SIP agreement, he between the developers, said progress is being made city and county. Developers and the work appears to be must also work out a fire going well. “I’m fully confi- protections strategy with the dent things will get worked fire department. out,” he said. In early march, Stone told Design LLC is also working Wasco County commission- to obtain the necessary permits from a host of state ers a final decision on the and federal agencies, Mays agreement would be delayed added, and that has also while details are worked out. slowed the process. “These things are compli- Mays said given the pace of cated, especially once we current negotiations, he an- start to get the details of the agreement,” Stone said, ticipates the completed SIP agreement will come again before the city and county in three months, if not sooner. Call your locally owned independent mortgage broker today. 541-490-2832 541-490-4077 541-806-0107 541-490-2832 541-380-1440 541-806-0107 541-490-4077 541-892-8808 nmls nmls 114033 38028 nmls nmls 1216376 114033 nmls nmls 1837820 1216376 nmls nmls 38028 1691008 11 3rd Street, Suite 101, Hood River 541-436-4706 Company Nmls #1851593 Magazine celebrates summer in the Gorge NEWS IN BRIEF GOOGLE Mike Ellsworth Ron Kurahara Lorena Salgado Mike Ellsworth Rachel Lorena Herman Salgado Ron Kurahara James Nygren he did say it took a bit longer than his other efforts to herd wild animals to safety. After one escape, the er- rant fawn briefly darted onto 10th Street, but all ended well on the third attempt to shoo it through the gate. Meyers said a key message to the public is to not pick up seemingly abandoned fawns. They are just staying put while mom goes off to feed. “This happens every year when fawns are dropping,” he said. They are born between late May and mid- June. He estimated these fawns were about a week old. When people pick up fawns, “their hearts are in the right place but the best bet for the fawn to have a normal Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) district wildlife biologist Andrew Meyers and ODFW life is to leave them there.” intern Hallie Clark attempt to herd a fawn through a gate as Dani Lawson, right, looks on. He said in a good year, Neita Cecil photo which depends on a lot of factors, 60 percent of fawns make it through their first where she is majoring in fish Meyers said twins are not settles and people clear out winter. “They are very sus- uncommon for deer, but of the area, she’ll come back and wildlife. After noting it was just her and try to find them.” ceptible at that time and a lot “triplets are super rare. So it second day, Clark said, “It’s Clark, the intern, is a of them do die,” he said. “And could’ve been that those be- been very eventful here.” we don’t see most of that. longed to a different mother Portland resident who is entering her senior year But it happens all the time in that was nearby and she got nature.” spooked away. After the dust at Oregon State University hoodrivermortgage.com Mt. Hood Railroad lot purchased In a foreclosure sale, the Mount Hood Capital Investments group came in and bought the lot that housed the Mt. Hood Railroad company. Spokesperson and Fruit Company CEO Scott Webster said in a statement: “Our foremost priority is to pledge our ongoing full support to the Mt. Hood Railroad, its employees and the many customers it serves in our community.” The sale was finalized on June 16 at the Hood River Courthhouse. CCA call to artists: ‘Fever Dream’ Columbia Center for the Arts has announced the call to artists for “Fever Dream: Abstract Interpretations of Dreamscapes and Nightmares,” happening this October. For this show, the focus will be on artwork that is inspired by the artists’ abstract interpretations of their personal dreams- capes and nightmares. Work in all mediums will be accepted including painting, drawing, printmaking, fiber, photogra- phy, glass, ceramics, sculpture, and new media. This show will be curated by Tom Lehmann of Blue Collar Agency in Hood River. Application deadline is Sept. 1. BIPOC, LGBTQ, and people with disabilities encouraged to apply. For more information on how to apply, visit feverdream. pages.ontraport.net/apply or www.columbiaarts.org/ Hood River runner ultra- runner Mark Chamley and Columbia Hills State Park are featured on the cover of the newest issue of “Gorge Magazine.” The Summer 2021 issue of the magazine, which can be found at multiple venues throughout the Columbia River Gorge, features Chamley’s “ultimate chal- lenge” — running a 200-mile race in mid-September. Additional articles look at summer exploration at Mount Hood Meadows Ski Resort on Mount Hood, the plein air regional outdoor landscape painting event and CultureSeek, a project helping underserved youth. A Goldendale sheep ranch is also featured. The magazine is widely distributed, and can also be found at Columbia Gorge News offices in Hood River and The Dalles. is Hiring Mt Hood Forest Products compensation and benefits include: Competive wage Paid Time Off Medical/Dental/Vision/Prescription Insurance offered Life Insurance 401K Traditional/Roth Up to 4% 401K company contribution match Mt Hood Forest Products LLC is an Equal Opportunity Employer Mt Hood Forest Products lumber facility in Hood River, Oregon is expanding additional shift production. We are looking to fill multiple positions in our fast paced lumber mill for both day and night shifts. If interested in any of these positions please apply: • • • • • • • • • DLI Operator Twin Horizontal Gang Gang Edger Operator Single Resaw Single Resaw Helper Tipple Operator Tipple Helper Hula Saw Planerman • Planer lnfeed Helper • Sorter Bin Chaser • Stacker • Strapper • Forklift Driver • Log Yard Operator/ Equipment Operator • Millwright/Mechanic • Chain Puller Full job descriptions and required application can be obtained at the main office located at 4865 Hwy 35 Hood River, OR 97031. Job postings can also be found on Indeed.com