A4
V IEWPOINT
Hood River News,
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
O ur readers write
JOE PETSHOW
Publisher/President,
Eagle Newspapers, Inc.
CHELSEA MARR
General Manager
JODY THOMPSON
Advertising Manager
DICK NAFSINGER
Publisher, Emeritus (1933-2011)
TOM LANCTOT
Past President,
Eagle Newspapers, Inc.
KIRBY NEUMANN-REA
Editor
TONY METHVIN
Columbia Gorge Press Manager
DAVID MARVIN
Production Manager
Subscription $42 per year in Hood River trade area. $68 outside trade area.
NATIONAL NEWSPAPER
ASSOCIATION
Printed on
OREGON NEWSPAPER
PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION
recycled paper.
Official Newspaper, City of Hood River and Hood River County
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
Water wise?
Public agencies must take the lead in
conserving precious resource
Word came from a reader this week about some side-
walk watering by a public agency.
The precise location of this carelessness is not im-
portant. What matters is that, whether it be public or
private property, we all have a responsibility to con-
serve.
Hand-made “brown lawn and proud of it” signs are
increasingly visible, an indication that residents are get-
ting behind the need to cut back as snowpack levels
reach their lowest point in years.
The hot weather this weekend will only underscore
this fact.
Hydrate yourself, and your pets, and judiciously look
out for plantings that need that sustenance.
But if your sprinkler is whipping precious water all
over the sidewalk or other areas that do not need it,
change your appliance or at least your application.
Public agencies and large users, given their volume
used, should take the lead in conservation. Each loca-
tion’s needs vary, but overall it is up to those large users
to make sure that they water at the proper time of day
and that the water is being used efficiently.
The above-mentioned complaint was a double-deal: it
was all over the street and sidewalk, and it was being
sprayed in the heat of the day, at noon — essentially
pointless.
Hood River County is taking the right step in conven-
ing today’s 10 a.m. water meeting at Rockford Grange.
Watershed Group meets June 23 to share practical infor-
mation on efficient irrigation practices for homes and
orchards (details on page A5). OSU Extension is lining
up classes in water conservation.
Al this shows a rising understanding of a declining
resource.
Our reality is that water is a prized commodity, and
there is less of it.
That should be the guiding principle for us all. For
Hood River county and city residents, water comes from
one source, ultimately: the springs or glaciers of Mt.
Hood.
We need to nurture this gift.
Water concerns
I’ve been a homeowner in the City
of Hood River for over eight years. I
take good care of my home and yard
and take pride in the way they both
look. Like any responsible citizen I
am well aware of our current water
situation and the demands put on
the supply by people, agriculture
and fish. Even though conservative
with my water usage, I have been
feeling guilty about keeping my yard
alive, using water that could be used
for better purposes.
Recently I have learned that Hood
River City water comes from springs
in the mountains and its use does
not affect the water supply for farms
and fish. That water comes from
other sources. At some point ra-
tioning may come to the city and if
it does I will do my part to comply
with regulations. In the meantime I
will continue to watch my usage
knowing that as long as I am willing
to pay the bill I can feel a little less
guilty about keeping my yard, lawn
and garden alive this summer.
Tim Pearson
Hood River
Editor’s Note: Anne Saxby of Hood
River Soil and Water Conservation
District responded this way:
“The water from this spring that is
not captured by the intake for the City
goes into the West Fork. West Fork
water supplies irrigation needs for
Dee Irrigation District. Further
downstream, Farmers Irrigation Dis-
trict takes part of its water right
from the mainstem Hood River.
“So, while it is true that East Fork
Irrigation District, Middle Fork Irri-
gation District and Mt. Hood Irriga-
tion District use water that is cap-
tured higher in the river system, the
water that is not captured by the City
does help provide irrigation water to
some farms. And all of the water in
the river is utilized by fish and the
other aquatic life that depend on it.
Even City residents can help farms
and fish by conserving water.”
Doing part
I know we all love to have that
pretty green lawn, but as the article
in the Hood River News stated, we
really need to conserve our lawn wa-
tering. I have been watering every
few days and only for 30 minutes in
the evening just to give the ground
some moisture. Summer has kicked
in early so I am trying to do my part.
Ron Dunn
Dee
Not impressed
Voters from U.S. Re p. Gre g
Walden’s district shouldn’t assume
that he thinks like them simply be-
cause he’s Republican. After nation-
al protests initially suppressed it,
the Trans Pacific Partnership was
resur rected in the House and
rammed through with Walden’s ap-
proval.
This trade authority bill is so se-
cret that only a few people have been
allowed to read it, and that was with
secret service agents peering over
their shou lder to make sure they
didn’t take notes. What little we
know is that it bypasses congres-
sional authority on global trade and
gives foreign signatories the right to
dictate our immigration rates to us.
Thanks for nothing, Walden. Your
folksy style at town hall meetings
doesn’t disguise your globalist, es-
tablishment, elitism anymore. The
primaries can’t get here soon
enough for me.
Lyneil Vandermolen
Tualatin
Delta Kappa
helps
Delta Kappa Sorority has been
serving the Hood River Community
for over 36 years and their hard
work continues with many volun-
teer hours for St. Jude, Easter Seals
and many local projects, such as
helping the fire department, library,
veterans and their families, FISH
Food Bank and Special Olympics, to
name a few.
This year, they have raised funds
and made the following donations:
$1,000 scholarship to Columbia
Gorge College; $1,000 scholarship to
Hood River Valley High School;
$8,300 to St. Jude Research Hospital;
$200 to Special Olympics; $100 to
CASA; and $962 to Easter Seals.
Betty Draper
Hood River
W HERE TO WRITE
President — Barack Obama, White House, 1600 Pennsylva-
nia Ave., Washington D.C., 20500
E-mail: president@whitehouse.gov
U.S. Senators — Jeff Merkley, SDB-40B, Dirksen Senate Office
Building, Washington D.C., 20510. Phone: 202-224-3753; E-mail:
oregon@merkley.senate.gov; Ron Wyden, 717 Hart Office Build-
ing, Washington D.C., 20510. Phone: 202-224-5244.
Web address: www.senate.gov/member/or/wyden/general/
2nd Congressional District Representative — Greg
Walden, 14 N. Central Ave., Suite 112, Medford, OR 97504.
Phone: 541-776-4646;
E-mail: www.walden.house.gov/contactgreg
Governor — Kate Brown, 254 State Capitol, Salem, OR
97310. Phone: 503-378-3111;
E-mail: www.governor.state.or.us/email.htm
District 26 State Senator — Chuck Thomsen, 900 Court St.
N.E., S-307, State Capitol, Salem, OR 97301. Phone: 503-986-
1726; E-mail sen.chuckthomsen@state.or.us
District 52 State Representative — Mark Johnson, 900
Court St. N.E., Bldg. H-385, State Capitol, Salem, OR 97301.
Phone: 503-986-1452; E-mail: rep.markjohnson@state.or.us
Hood River County Board of Commissioners — Chair
Ron Rivers, Vice Chair Maui Meyer, members Les Perkins, Bob Ben-
ton and Karen Joplin, Hood River County Courthouse, Hood River,
OR, 97031. Phone: 541-386-3970.
County Administrator — Dave Meriwether, Hood River
County Courthouse, Hood River, OR, 97031. Phone: 541-386-
3970.
Hood River City Council — Mayor Paul Blackburn, members
Laurent Picard, Mark Zanmiller, Kate McBride, Becky Brun, Peter
Cornelison and Susan Johnson Hood River City Hall, Hood River,
OR, 97031. Phone: 541-386-1488. E-mail: cohr@gorge.net
Hood River City Manager — Steve Wheeler, Hood River City
Hall, Hood River, OR, 97031. Phone: 541-387-5252.
Cascade Locks City Council — Mayor Tom Cramblett, Glen-
da Groves, Jeff Helfrich, Richard Randall, Bobby Walker, Bruce Fitz-
patrick and Deanna Busdieker Cascade Locks City Hall, 140 S.E.
WaNaPa, Cascade Locks, OR, 97014. Phone: 541-374-8484.
Cascade Locks City Administrator — Gordon Zimmerman,
Cascade Locks City Hall, 140 S.E. WaNaPa, Cascade Locks, OR,
97014 Phone: 541-374-8484.
W HERE TO E-MAIL
For letters to the editor, guest columns, news items and
press releases, the e-mail address is:
HRNews@hoodrivernews.com
For e-mail letters to the editor, please include your name,
address and daytime telephone number.
ANOTHER VOICE
Sen. Ron Wyden in support of
‘blueprint for trade done right’
Senate Finance Committee Rank-
ing Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., an-
nounced Monday he will support
moving forward on trade legislation
that the Senate will consider this
week.
“The trade package currently be-
fore the Senate is a blueprint for
trade done right,” Wyden said. “It
will make our country stronger by
opening new markets to American
products and creating new opportu-
nities for good-paying American
jobs.
“Taken together, this is the most
progressive trade package ever pro-
duced. I spent months negotiating
this deal because it is in our coun-
try’s best interest. It includes a
Trade Promotion Authority bill that
creates unprecedented transparency
and raises the bar on human rights,
labor, and the environment, while
promoting the open Internet. It in-
cludes a tough bill that beefs up
trade enforcement
and cracks down on
trade cheats; and it
expands support for
workers through
Trade Adjustment
Assistance and the
health coverage tax
credit.
Sen. Wyden
“I held round-the-
clock discussions
with the Senate Majority Leader, the
Speaker of the House and leading
Democrats over the past week. We
urged Republican leaders to include
Senator Brown’s trade enforcement
bill as a sign of good faith that Re-
publican leaders will do what is nec-
essary to ensure the entire trade
package gets done, and I remain
committed to seeing all four bills en-
acted into law. I plan to support the
continued advancement of the trade
package tomorrow.”
The Senate is expected to take a
procedural vote tomorrow on Trade
Promotion Authority, which in-
structs the president on congres-
sional trade priorities in exchange
for rules that allow Congress to con-
sider trade agreements in a timely
manner. The Senate is also expected
to consider a bill that renews and ex-
pands Trade Adjustment Assistance
to support worker training, as well
as trade preferences for a number of
countries in the developing world.
■
Sen. Wyden will hold a Town Hall
meeting Saturday at 1 p.m. at Hood
River Valley Adult Center, Sterling
Place at Brookside Drive on the
Heights.
ABOUT LETTERS
Hood River News reminds letter to the editor writers that shorter is better. Concise letters are not only better-read,
they are more likely to be published because limited space is available. Almost any point can be made in 350 words
or fewer, so this is set as an upper level for length.