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About The Hood River news. (Hood River, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 8, 2020)
HOOD RIVER NEWS | Hood River, Ore. A10 Wednesday, January 8, 2020 hoodrivernews.com GREATER GORGE ‘Snow Birds’: Dalles Dam hosts 10th Eagle Watch The Dalles Dam Visitor Cen- ter hosts the 10th annual Eagle Watch Saturday, Jan. 18 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Watch as bald ea- gles roost in their natural hab- itat along the Columbia River. During this Eagle Watch event, the visitor center will be open for live raptor presenta- tions, provided by the U.S. For- est Service, Columbia Gorge Discovery Center and Rowena Wildlife Clinic. Visitors are welcome and encouraged to bring their own scopes and binoculars; there will be a limited number avail- able for use. This event is free and accessible to those with disabilities. The Columbia River is an excellent food source for bald eagles that migrate each winter in search of food, said a press release. These “snow birds” use the green space below the dam Photo by Stephen Datnoff as a winter vacation home. EAGLE sightings like this are possible at The Dalles Dam. For a close-up view such as this one by Stephen Datnoff, bring scopes or Watching from The Dalles Dam Visitor Center provides a front binoculars if you have them; some will be available for use. row seat to view eagles. Mid-December through mid-February is the best time to visit Seufert Park for bird watching. The park, adjacent to The Dalles Dam Visitor Center, is open to the public for day use. The Dalles Dam Visitor Cen- ter is located off exit 87 of I-84, traveling east on Bret Clod- felter Way. Inclement weather may cause the event to be re- scheduled. For more informa- tion, contact The Dalles Lock & Dam Ranger Office at 541-506- 8475 or visit www.nwp.usace. army.mil/Locations/Colum- bia-River/The-Dalles/. To stay up to date on all Port- land District events, follow us on Facebook at www.facebook. com/PortlandCorps. Get more information about raptor viewing opportunities in the Columbia River Gorge at www.gorgediscovery.org or www.rowenawildlifeclinic.org. SAIF hosts farmworker safety seminars in the Gorge Farm work is a whole lot safer than it used to be. But as far as SAIF is concerned, even one injury or illness is too many, said a press release. That’s why SAIF is offering 29 free ag safety seminars in 17 cities across Oregon, continuing through March. Nine will be presented entirely in Spanish, inlcuding two in Hood River and The Dalles. “We purposely hold these in the off-season to encourage attendance,” said Courtney Mer- riott, senior safety management consultant at SAIF and presenter at this year’s seminars. “Our goal is to provide the latest safety content for the industry, so that every ag worker goes home safe and healthy each night.” This year’s seminars will focus on four topics: Respiratory per- sonal protective equipment, working at elevation, safety lead- ership for anyone, and incident analysis — a structured process for identifying what happened and reducing recurrence of injuries moving forward, said a press release. EN ESPAÑOL Jan. 13, Hood River; Jan. 23, The Dalles. In March, SAIF will also offer webinars online in English and, new this year, Spanish. The seminars are designed primarily for people working in agriculture, but are open to anyone interested in ag safety and health. English seminars will be Jan. 22 at The Dalles Readiness Center and Feb. 12 at Hood River County Fairgrounds. Spanish seminars will be Jan. 13 in Hood River, and Jan. 23 in The Dalles. All will run from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and lunch will be provided. Employers with small ag busi- nesses who attend the seminar, or watch the webinars, will meet the Occupational Safe- ty and Health Administration (OSHA) instructional require- ment, one of four requirements that exempt small agricultural operations from random OSHA inspections. Three hours of technical and one hour of business continuing education credits will be offered if approved by the Landscape Contractors Board. Producer continuing education credit hours for licensed insurance agents have been requested and are pending approval by the Department of Consumer and Business Services. For more information, visit www.saif.com/agseminars. Walden announces $1.6 million grant for Morrow Rep. Greg Walden (R-Hood River) has announced the De- partment of Transportation (DOT) awarded $1,623,000 in federal funding to the Port of Morrow to assist with improv- ing equipment and infrastruc- ture in order to meet the needs of the port’s marine terminals. In October, Walden wrote to Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao urging DOT to award this grant funding to the port. The port was able to apply for the grant due to DOT’s Maritime Administra- tion (MARAD) designating the Port of Morrow for Marine Highway Project Designation and thus expand additional funding opportunities for the Port and simultaneously in- crease economic opportunity for the region. “The Columbia River sys- tem is a valuable asset for transporting wheat and other products from eastern Oregon to the world and the Port of Morrow plays a pivotal role in that system,” said Walden. “... I want to thank Secretary Chao and the Trump Administration for awarding these funds and continuing to provide for Ore- gonians.” DISCOUNTED BRIDGE TOLLS with What is BreezeBy? What are the benefi ts? BreezeBy is an electronic system for paying tolls on the Bridge of the When the Bridge of the Gods Gods and the Hood River-White Salmon Interstate Bridge. Each BreezeBy system goes live on January 6, 2020, BreezeBy customers will be time you cross the bridge your toll is automatically deducted from the prepaid balance on your account. able to use their transponders to pay How do I sign up? their tolls on both bridges with one What does it cost? Create a new account online today at account. BreezeBy cutomers will pay There are no fees to open a portofcascadelocks.org BreezeBy account, and your fi rst We will mail your transponder to you, transponder is free. no need to come to the Port offi ce. 1 1 only $1.25 at the Bridge of the Gods, 2 instead of $2 for cash toll payments. 3 2 BreezeBy toll at the Hood River Bridge is $1 -- 3 Base rates are for 2-axle vehicles. One free transponder per household. Each additional transponder is $5. Beginning January 6, 2020, BreezeBy works for the Bridge of the Gods in Cascade Locks What happens to my Local Sticker? What happens to my Coupons? Coupons will no longer be sold after December 20, 2019. Coupons will no longer Local Stickers will not be be accepted for toll payment after February accepted after February 3, 3, 2020, but can be redeemed at either Port 2020. Having an active offi ce for credit to a BreezeBy account. Cash Breezeby account will be the way to get discounts on tolls refunds will also be available at the Port of Cascade Locks offi ce. going forward. Breezeby account holders will pay $1.25 per crossing at the Bridge of the Gods. 4 The cash toll will be $2.00. 4 BreezeBy toll at the Hood River bridge is $1 Questions? More information online at portofcascadelocks.org Call (541) 386-1645 or email porthr@gorge.net.
