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About The Hood River news. (Hood River, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 2020)
A2 Wednesday, January 1, 2020 HOOD RIVER NEWS | Hood River, Ore. hoodrivernews.com GREATER GORGE Wasp targets harmful fruit fly NATIONAL SCENIC AREA By MARK GIBSON The Dalles Chronicle Submitted photo DRONES are allowed to fly only via special permit, under new NSA rules. Drone restrictions in place over Scenic Area recreation sites Drones are now forbidden from liftoffs and landings in Co- lumbia Gorge National Scenic Area parks, according to a new order placed on Nov. 4 directed by the National Forest Service. The updated order, signed by Lynn Burditt, forest supervisor for the Columbia River Gorge Scenic Area, prohibits the “landing of aircraft, or dropping or picking up any material, supplies, or person by means of an aircraft” in developed recreation sites within Hood River, Klickitat, Skamania, and Multnomah counties. Listed below are trails that come under the directive: ■ Multnomah Falls ■ Wahkeena Falls ■ Horsetail Falls ■ Eagle Creek Recreation Area ■ Cape Horn Area ■ Coyote Wall, Catherine Creek Day Use Area “The takeoff and landing of drones and other aircraft have been prohibited on National For- est Service lands at Multnomah Falls, Wahkeena Falls, Horsetail Falls and Eagle Creek Recreation Area since last year. The new Forest Order 06-22-01-20-04, which was executed on Nov. 4, expanded the rules to the new trail areas,” a press release noted. The order will be temporarily active until Nov. 4, 2021. The order does not differentiate be- tween commercial and hobbyist drone operators, public affairs officer Rachel Pawlitz said. “However, if there are valid reasons for requesting a permit, we do in some cases issue special use permits that will allow drone use for a specified set of dates for specific purposes,” Pawlitz said. “These have to be arranged more than 10 business days in advance. Folks can call the CRGNSA office at 541-308-1700 to inquire about the process and learn more about whether they would meet the criteria for a per- mit and how much it would cost,” noted Pawlitz. The order makes a special exemption for any “federal, state or local official or member of an organized rescue or firefighting force in the performance of an official duty.” Pawlitz cited public safety and the need to minimize dis- turbances to wildlife in areas where the agency had previ- ously found there was a need to limit disturbances through NEPA decisions as reasons for the prohibition of drones in the wilderness areas. Furthermore, the press re- lease noted that “parts of the following open trails traverse the wilderness: Herman Creek Trail, Larch Mountain Trail, Mount Defiance Trail, Nick Eaton Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, Starvation Ridge Trail and Wah- clella Falls Trail.” Pawlitz said increased drone use was a factor that prompted the response by the agency. As the popularity of drones grows and ownership of the un- manned flight systems become more commonplace, Pawlitz noted, the agency has received complaints and requests by the public to address the nuisance that drone use can pose to other visitors. “At most of these sites, there’s a high number of people rec- reating and under (Federal Aviation Administration) reg- ulations, flying over crowds is already prohibited; the benefit of having a ban in place is that we’re able to ensure consis- tent rules and avoid confusion about what exactly constitutes ‘a crowd,’” Pawlitz wrote in an email. As household drone usage increases across the country, federal agencies have been playing catchup by enforcing tighter restrictions on drone pilots. A federal law that went into effect last year reinstated the registration requirement for drone owners, including hobbyists, mandating them to register serial numbers and identifying information with the Federal Aviation Administration and spend $5 for the registry. Pawlitz noted that compli- ance remains steady, although the agency typically sees offenses occurring at Multnomah Falls due to the high volume of visitors to the park. While the agency could issue a citation in these instances where an offense is re- ported, Pawlitz said, the agency typically begins the interaction by simply requesting the drone pilot to stop flying in the prohib- ited areas. A parasitic wasp has shown tremendous potential attack- ing and controlling spot- ted-wing drosophila — an invasive, destructive fruit fly that costs Oregon fruit and berry growers close to a bil- lion dollars a year, according to Oregon State University researchers. Biological control is the use of beneficial insects to manage other insects, which means using less pesticides. “Spotted-wing drosophila is very difficult to control,” said Vaughn Walton, profes- sor and Extension entomol- ogist in OSU’s College of Ag- ricultural Sciences. “It’s got a very, very high reproduction rate, many generations a year. Because of that, when using pesticides, they have to be applied constantly.” If successful, the wasp could have a big impact on orchardists in the Gorge, said OSU Extension horticulturist Ashley Thompson, who works with growers in Wasco and Hood River counties. “It’s a major problem for growers here,” she said of the spot- ted-wing fruit fly. Cherries become suscep- tible to the fly when the fruit begins to gain color in the spring. Thompson monitors fly numbers throughout the year, with well over a dozen traps in orchards from Dufur to Mosier. Trap results are reported to growers. “That gives them an idea of what is out there, and when they need to spray,” she said. “Growers use a variety of pesticides to treat for the spotted wing,” and may spray four or five times a year when numbers are high. She said if found to be a successful control, the wasp will be an important part of controlling the invasive fly. “This will be an important tool, especially for organic growers,” she said. Currently only one organic pesticide, based on soil microbes, is available for use. The parasitic wasp could also decrease the frequency of spray use, Thompson said. Pesticide application can cost $150 per acre, and re- duced application represents significant cost savings, she said. Researchers noted that blue- berry growers are most impact- Europe and the eastern U.S., the pest is already a serious problem in wine grapes. Researchers have high hopes for the wasp. “Based on the survival and host-kill- ing capacity of the wasp, we have concluded that it has tre- mendous biocontrol potential Submitted photo WASP lays eggs on spotted-wing drosophila larvae, an invasive and destructive fruit fly in local orchards. The wasp is being tested as a biological control for the destructive fruit fly, which was intro- duced to Oregon in 2009 and impacts local cherry growers. ed by the fly, and may have to spray weekly when numbers are high. “Using that much pesticide is not economically or environ- mentally sustainable,” Walton said. On average, spotted-wing drosophila, also known by the acronym SWD, destroys 10 percent of fruit value. The fly is especially destructive for blueberry growers, and management in the blueber- ry industry alone costs $100 million a year. Other crops affected include strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, cher- ries and, if conditions are right, grapes — a worrying possibility for Oregon’s wine industry. In against SWD,” Walton said. The OSU researchers pub- lished their findings in the journal PLOS ONE. Usually a parasitic insect burrows into its host, which can then produce antibodies to fight it off. But P. vindemniae lays its eggs on the outside of the larvae skin, avoiding the antibodies. That’s what makes it so effective, Walton said. A native of Southeast Asia, spotted-wing drosophila ar- rived in Oregon in 2009 and has now spread throughout the world. The P. vindemmiae wasp is one of only two para- sitoid species that have been naturally found to successfully CERT training comes to The Dalles All of Oregon is focused on preparing for the impacts of the Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake and tsuna- mi, according to a press re- lease. Those efforts lead to a culture of preparedness and more resilient communities. Community preparedness includes citizens trained to respond following a disaster. The Community Emergen- cy Response Team (CERT) trains citizens to be first responders when the event is larger than the profession- al responders can handle and as volunteers assisting professional responders in other emergencies. “If serving your community in its time of need is some- thing that interests you, or if you just want to learn how to prepare and respond for your family, friends and neighbors, then the CERT training is for you,” said a press release. “CERT is an in-depth training and to be certified you must attend all sessions. At the completion of all sessions and the final hands-on ex- ercise you will also receive a CERT backpack with essential response items. There is no financial cost for this train- ing, just commitment of your time.” Three different class series Happy New Year from your local Hood River News Team! HoodRiverNews.com are planned for this winter; choose the one that works for your schedule: ■ Two weekends: Friday, Jan. 10 from 5:30–9 p.m., Sat- urday, Jan. 11 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Friday, Jan. 17 from 5:30–9 p.m., and Saturday, Jan. 18 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. ■ Six week series on Thurs- day evenings beginning Jan. 16 and ending Feb. 20 ■ Weekday, week-long se- ries starting Monday, March engagement announcements go to twalker@hoodrivernew. com. Happenings (individual events) and Gatherings (recur- ring ones) may be submitted to twalker@hoodrivernews.com. Items may be edited for brevity. Your Mortgage Lender Call Bernie today 541-490-0167 Bernie Dittenhofer Senior Loan Officer-Branch Manager 509 Cascade Ave, Suite F, Hood River Company NMLS #2550 NMLS #114231 Apply at berniedittenhofer.mannmortgage.com 9 through Friday, March 13 from 1–5 p.m. All sessions will be held at Mid-Columbia Fire and Res- cue, 1400 W. Eighth St., The Dalles. To register contact the Mid-Columbia CERT Coor- dinator Lynette Black at 503- 806-7132 or lynette.black@ oregonstate.edu. To learn more about CERT visit www.ready.gov/cer. SUDOKU This week’s Sudoku is presented by: BRIEN D . GIBSON CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANT 3 1 2 4 7 8 Got News? Do you have a news tip or announcement you would like to share? Let the Hood River News know at 541-386-1234, or hrnews@hoodrivernews.com. Send sports items to gbra- vo@hoodrivernews.com. Wedding, anniversary and attack and kill spotted-wing drosophila in the field, accord- ing to Walton. Adult drosophila flies re- semble the small fruit or vine- gar flies that buzz around the kitchen or rotting fallen fruit outdoors. Infested fruit shows small scars or speckles made when the adult female lays its eggs. The eggs soon hatch and the maggots begin feeding inside the fruit, causing dam- age that results in severe crop losses. The chances of deterring spotted-wing drosophila im- prove with cultural practices like good sanitation, correct pruning, drip irrigation and weed cloth. Drip irrigation lowers the longevity and reproductive ability of spotted-wing droso- philia. Weed cloth provides a bar- rier to keep the flies that drop from the fruit from burrowing into the ground and laying eggs. “The wasp helps, but you must do the other things as well,” Walton said. “None can stand on its own. If you’re doing all of the cultural prac- tices, you’re going to have a much lower problem. I had a call from a grower who was doing everything right and he wanted to know if he could spray less pesticides. Even removing one application is a significant cost savings. That’s a lot of savings if you can do all of these things together.” The parasitic wasp has gone through rigorous testing and Walton is awaiting a per- mit to raise and release the wasp in large numbers. In the Columbia River Gorge, the spotted-wing fruit fly peaks in October, and num- bers begin dropping in Decem- ber, Thompson said. “We are still catching some,” she said Dec. 11. In winter, the flies feed on fruit left on the ground. The flies are always present, but their numbers vary year to year, she added. “Some years we spray less frequently than others.” (Kym Pokorny of Oregon State University contributed to this report.) 5 6 4 1 2 5 1 5 8 3 4 9 6 6 3 4 9 9 7 3 7 4 7 2 5 1 © 200 Hometown Content Fill in all 81 squares on the puzzle with numbers 1 to 9. You can use each number 1-9 only once in each nine square section, in each horizontal line of nine squares, and in each vertical column of nine squares. The puzzle is completed when you correctly fi ll every square. BRIEN D . GIBSON CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANT T: (541) 226-3503 F: (503) 331-3904 E: briencpa@gorge.net L: 1814 BELMONT AVE. HOOD RIVER, OR 97031
