The Hood River news., April 22, 2015, Image 4

A4
V IEWPOINT
Hood River News,
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
JOE PETSHOW
Publisher/President,
Eagle Newspapers, Inc.
TOM LANCTOT
Past President,
Eagle Newspapers, Inc.
CHELSEA MARR
General Manager
KIRBY NEUMANN-REA
Editor
JODY THOMPSON
Advertising Manager
TONY METHVIN
Columbia Gorge Press Manager
DICK NAFSINGER
Publisher, Emeritus (1933-2011)
DAVID MARVIN
Production Manager
Subscription $42 per year in Hood River trade area. $68 outside trade area.
NATIONAL NEWSPAPER
ASSOCIATION
OREGON NEWSPAPER
PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION
Printed on
recycled paper.
Official Newspaper, City of Hood River and Hood River County
O ur readers write
Published Every Wednesday & Saturday by Hood River News,
P.O. Box 390, Hood River, Oregon 97031 • (541) 386-1234 • FAX 386-6796
Member of the Associated Press
Green acts count
T
his is Earth Day, though plenty has happened
last weekend and will happen this weekend as
the greater Gorge community rallies around the
need to conserve, reduce, and help the earth re-
cover.
As Earth Day Network notes, April 22 marks the an-
niversary of what many consider the birth of the modern
environmental movement in 1970.
“The height of hippie and flower-child culture in the
United States, 1970 brought the death of Jimi Hendrix, the
last Beatles album, and Simon & Garfunkel’s ‘Bridge Over
Troubled Water.’ Protest was the order of the day, but sav-
ing the planet was not the cause. War raged in Vietnam,
and students nationwide increasingly opposed it.
“At the time, Americans were slurping leaded gas
through massive V8 sedans. Industry belched out smoke
and sludge with little fear of legal consequences or bad
press. Air pollution was commonly accepted as the smell
of prosperity. ‘Environment’ was a word that appeared
more often in spelling bees than on the evening news. Al-
though mainstream America remained oblivious to envi-
ronmental concerns, the stage had been set for change by
the publication of Rachel Carson’s New York Times best-
seller ‘Silent Spring’ in 1962. The book represented a wa-
tershed moment for the modern environmental movement,
selling more than 500,000 copies in 24 countries and, up
until that moment, more than any other person, Carson
raised public awareness and concern for living organisms,
the environment and public health.
“Earth Day 1970 capitalized on the emerging conscious-
ness, channeling the energy of the anti-war protest move-
ment and putting environmental concerns front and cen-
ter.”
■
More terms unknown in 1970 were global warming, cli-
mate change, carbon footprint, and oil and coal trains. Car-
bon was something put to use in a sheet of copy paper
placed in a typewriter. People don’t use typewriters any-
more, but computers and their email and research func-
tions are a new tool for individuals to respond to environ-
mental challenges, even when businesses or industries
might not.
The Earth Day Network (earthday.org) sponsors a vari-
ety of global programs including “1.5 billion acts of
green,” with the goal of reaching that number by Earth
Day. As of Tuesday morning that was 1,123,953,624.
Events this week in Hood River County give opportuni-
ties to each of us as individuals to add to the green count.
Creating a species tribute for Saturday’s Procession is one.
Helping with Saturday’s waterfront cleanup is another. In-
vesting in a composting bin via Tri-County Hazardous
Waste and Recycling is another. (Go to tricountyrecy-
cle.com for details on plenty of green practices.)
Every time you walk instead of drive, or hang up the
laundry instead of running the dryer, you do something
green. Specific to fruit-laden Hood River valley, very time
you invest in backyard trees that do not attract fruit-dam-
aging codling moth you support local orchardists’ efforts
to keep pesticides off the trees. If you are thinking of
planting trees this spring and you live anywhere near an
orchard, it’s a good thing to think about. Call Master Gar-
deners at OSU Extension Service to learn more about
healthy horticultural options.
After all, what is more of a “green act” than planting a
tree?
Happy Earth Day.
ON THE AGENDA
City of Hood River’s buildable
lands and affordable housing com-
mittee meets at 3:30 p.m. on April
28, to review a consultant’s report
which indicates, among other find-
ings, that 190 vacation rentals and
140 second homes exist inside city
limits.
■
These are the regular meeting
times of governing bodies for these
agencies:
Cascade Locks
Cascade Locks City Council, 7
p.m., City Hall Council Chambers,
140 W. WaNaPa St., second and
fourth Mondays of the month.
Cascade Locks Planning Com-
mission, 7 p.m., City Hall Council
Chambers, 140 W. WaNaPa St., sec-
ond Thursday of the month.
Cascade Locks Port Commis-
sion, 6 p.m., City Hall Council
Chambers, 140 W. WaNaPa St., first
and third Thursdays of the month.
Hood River
City of Hood River Planning
Commission meeting, 5:30 p.m.,
Hood River City Hall Council
Chambers, 211 Second St., general-
ly the first and third Mondays of
the month. Place and dates subject
to change.
Hood River Port Commission, 5
p.m., 100 E. Port Marina Drive,
board room, first and third Tues-
days of the month.
Hood River City Council, 6 p.m.,
Hood River City Hall Council
Chambers, 211 Second St., second
and fourth Mondays of the month.
Hood River Soil and Water Con-
servation District Board of Direc-
tors meeting, 4 p.m., OSU Exten-
sion Service Building, 2990 Experi-
ment Station Road, first Thursday
of the month.
Hood River Valley Parks and
Recreation District, 6 p.m., Aquatic
Center, 1601 May St., third Wednes-
day of the month. Place subject to
change.
Hood River County
Hood River County Board of
Commissioners regular session, 6
p.m., 601 State St., first floor con-
ference room, third Monday of the
month. Time subject to change.
Library District Board meet-
ing, 7 p.m., 502 State St., confer-
ence room, third Tuesday of the
month.
Hood River County Planning
Commission meeting, 7 p.m., 601
State St., first floor, generally sec-
ond and fourth Wednesdays of the
month.
Water concerns
I am deeply concerned about Ore-
gon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s
decision to approve the water rights
swap in Cascade Locks (Hood River
News, April 15). This illustrates a total
disregard for the public’s concern and
opposition. It is unacceptable to throw
out public interest and review.
When did state agencies start tak-
ing a role in making public water
available for corporate profit? This
swap does not benefit ODFW or the
public, which makes it a completely
irresponsible decision. It is a time of
drought, with over five Oregon Coun-
ties labeled “drought emergencies.”
Right now Nestlé continues to pump
massive amounts of water out of
Sacramento and other parts of Cali-
fornia during one of California’s
worst droughts in history.
Governor Brown needs to take the
lead here (since the state agency
won’t) and protect Oregon’s water
today and for future generations.
Pamela Larsen
Hood River
For Reitz
Reitz is right for Position One. As
an active parent volunteer in the Hood
River Valley School District for 14
years, I am very appreciative of the
hard work that the school board does
to help manage the district on a vol-
unteer basis. Thank you very much,
Liz Whitmore, for your eight years of
important service as you step down
from your position on the board this
spring. Filling your shoes will be diffi-
cult, but I strongly encourage the
community to vote for Chris Reitz in
Position One in the Westside area. She
has given many hours over the years
in several voluntary roles as a West-
side Elementary PTO and site council
member and as a board member for
two child-related services in the com-
munity. From being a co-founder of
the Gorge Kids Triathlon to working
at the Hood River Warming Shelter,
she has a range of experiences that
will help her objectively assist the
school board with their many difficult
decisions and challenges that they
face in considering what is best for
each child in our school district. I be-
lieve she works hard in an objective
way to gather information and talk to
people before giving an opinion and
would be a real asset to the Hood River
School Board both as a parent and a
community member. Please join me
in voting for Chris Reitz this May.
Theo Parkinson
Hood River
For Wilhelm
My kids are grown, but as a grand-
parent and lifetime resident of Hood
River, I am concerned about our
schools. That’s why I am supporting a
different kind of candidate for
HRCSD Board, Kris Wilhelm, running
for Position 1, Westside Hood River
and Cascade Locks.
You can bet Kris will vote first and
foremost with what’s best for the kids,
not the interest of state and federal
government.
As a taxpayer, I know Kris will also
represent me, and make wise use of
the limited funds that is given to the
schools.
Kris will listen, weigh all facts, and
will boldly vote for what’s right. She
cannot be swayed on principal. She is
willing to come to the table with an
open mind, and again, vote for what’s
best for kids, teachers and taxpayers.
Please join me in marking your bal-
lot for Kris Wilhelm for school board
in the May 19 election.
Linda Hutson
Hood River
‘IRS’ scam
I would like to remind readers to be
on the alert for scam calls and emails,
falsely claiming to be from the IRS,
urging the home owner to respond im-
mediately in order to avoid the IRS
“taking action” against them. I re-
ceived two such calls today — April 15
— and no doubt I am not the only one.
Such communications can be very
distressing, particularly to the elderly
who are the frequent targets of such
scams.
Please be vigilant, and don’t let
yourself or your loved ones fall victim
to these predators.
Faith Keolker
Hood River
Re-elect Watson
Re CGCC Board of Directors Elec-
tion in May:
I want to express my thanks to Stu
Watson who, as the only member of
the Columbia Gorge Community Col-
lege Board of Directors had the
courage to ask President Toda to re-
sign due to his demonstrated incom-
petence, as the President of the insti-
tution.
President Toda has approached the
severe financial budget shortfall as a
“Pollyanna,” hoping that funding will
appear out of thin air. Not taking cor-
rective action long before the crisis
developed was beyond his abilities.
Think about the knee jerk reaction
that President Toda made, when “out
of the blue” he announced the Hood
River Campus would be closed this
summer.
He has ignored all of the impending
signs of a large budget deficit and the
vote of no confidence by more than 40
members of the faculty staff in a
signed letter to President Toda in the
summer of 2013 speaks volumes.
I urge all eligible voters in Hood
River County to cast their vote and re-
elect Stu Watson as a responsible
member of the BOD. Stu has been the
only voice on the CGCC BOD who has
raised the budget shortfall alarm long
before it became a crisis.
Stu has earned my vote. I urge you
to vote for Stu Watson too.
Dale Nicol
Hood River
Blast zone
march
On Thursday, April 23, from noon to
1 p.m., there will be a march near the
BNSF RR tracks in Bingen, Wash., to
protest having to share the Columbia
Gorge with potentially exploding oil
trains. Nineteen oil unit trains per
week travel on the BSNF RR putting
the entire Columbia Gorge at risk for
a catastrophic oil train fire or an oil
spill into the river. On the Oregon side
Union Pacific RR is shipping seven to
ten trains monthly of Canadian tar
sands oil through the Gorge which
has recently been found to be as ex-
plosive as the Bakken crude. A tar
sands oil spill into the Columbia River
would be next to impossible to clean
up because it sinks instead of floating
like Bakken oil.
To participate in the march, meet at
Daubenspeck Park in Bingen around
noon. Make our own sign if you care
to. There will be some pizza available
or bring a sack lunch. The march will
be less than a mile and start at 12:20
and conclude by 12:45 p.m. Please
show your concern over this issue by
joining us on Thursday.
Peter Cornelison
Friends of the
Columbia Gorge
Hood River
Protect water
If Oregon had a state-owned bank
like North Dakota has, instead of out-
sourcing our revenues to the big
banks, our state bank could put up the
capital for a water bottling plant that
would be publicly owned and con-
trolled. After meeting all of Cascade
Locks needs for improved infrastruc-
ture, instead of outsourcing the prof-
its from Oregonian’s water to a multi-
national corporation, Oregonians
could receive a dividend like Alaskans
do from their oil revenue.
Oregon protects farm and forest
land; its waters should be protected as
well.
I am not in favor of bottling water in
plastic and shipping it all over. I am op-
posed to digging up the last dregs of
fossil fuels and burning them as fast as
possible. We should be very, very care-
fully proceeding with the resources
that are left, with great respect for our
only home and all future generations.
Karen Harding
Mt. Hood
Natural
disconnect
A man once told me about his vil-
lage in New Mexico, where his people
continue to collect water from the
nearby river each day for their needs.
He explained that it wasn’t their lack
of appreciation for technologies that
would have brought running water
from pipes and faucets into their
homes that motivated them. Rather it
was their intention to remember daily
their direct connection to their water
source. They have found that with this
remembrance in place they are better
stewards and protectors of that
source.
Nestlé’s desire to bottle Oxbow
Spring water in Cascade Locks is an
excellent example of our disconnec-
tion from a precious natural, publicly
owned resource. The Swiss multina-
tional corporation’s recent move to
convince Oregon to trade some of its
legal rights to the spring thereby by-
passing processes evaluating any neg-
ative impact on the public only serves
the interests of corporate profit, not
Please see LETTERS, Page A5
Victim’s name release was a
mistake not to be repeated
Last week the Hood River
News did something that
should not have happened: we
published the name of a victim
of a felony abuse crime.
Publication of the name was
our mistake and we apologize
for that mistake.
It is the policy of the Hood
River News NOT to publish
names of victims of rape and
abuse crimes. Though the arti-
cle was based on an open court
proceeding, the name should
never have been printed, and
the Hood River News will en-
sure that it does not happen
again.
We recognize how deeply this
affects the victim and family, as
well as the agencies involved in
victim representation, enforce-
ment, investigation and prose-
cution.
The primary concern is for
the safety and emotional and
physical welfare of the victim.
In addition, the Hood River
News would never intentional-
ly do anything to impede the
proper administration of jus-
tice. The staff of the Hood
River News has reviewed the
situation and how its own poli-
cy was violated, and will use
this process to prevent any re-
peat.
The reporting of crimes and
committed participation by vic-
tims is critical to efforts to
prosecute those responsible for
rape and abuse crimes. Despite
the recent error, we assure
community members that the
essential privacy between vic-
tim and those responding will
be respected in the future.
— Joe Petshow, Publisher