A2 Wednesday, March 18, 2020
HOOD RIVER NEWS | Hood River, Ore.
hoodrivernews.com
GREATER GORGE
COVID-19 IMPACTS
Confluence Project
postpones Sense of Place,
other events
Photo Kirby Neumann-Rea
M EMALOOSE R EFLECTIONS
Bright late-winter day highlights the Washington banks of the Columbia River and Memaloose
Island, burial site sacred to indigenous Chinook people, and gravesite of pioneer Victor Trevitt,
whose stone marks his burial place.
The Confluence Story gath-
ering event on March 18, in
collaboration with the Sense
of Place Lecture Series, has
been postponed to a date to
be announced, due to coro-
navirus concerns, according
to an emailed statement from
Confluence Project Executive
Director Colin Fogarty. Pur-
chased tickets are valid for the
rescheduled event.
Also postponed are the April
11 Confluence gathering at
Whitman College and the April
25 Design Week hike at Sandy
River delta in Troutdale.
In a press release, Fogarty
issued this statement: “Like
many of you, we at Confluence
have been closely monitoring
the rapidly changing situation
across the globe and in our
communities in response to
the COVID-19 coronavirus.
“We had hoped that our
relatively small cultural gath-
erings could be spared from
the tidal wave of cancellations
and postponements we are
all seeing. But circumstances
have changed so rapidly and
we have heard concern from
some of our event participants.
The last thing we want is to put
anyone at risk.”
Fogarty added, “We remain
hopeful that our Earth Day
Work Party at the Confluence
Land Bridge in Vancouver
will still go on as planned on
Saturday, April 18. But in col-
laboration with our partners,
we will make that call as the
date nears.”
Mt. Hood National Forest receives federal
funds for Rock Creek Reservoir work in Wasco County
The Mt. Hood National For-
est is one of 16 forests selected
to receive funding for a Joint
Chiefs’ Landscape Restoration
project. The U.S. Department
of Agriculture (USDA) and Nat-
ural Resources Conservation
Service (NRCS) awarded the
forest over $560,000 for work
in 2020 on public and private
lands in Wasco County near
Rock Creek Reservoir, west of
U.S. Highway 197.
The completed work will
improve forest resiliency to in-
sects and disease, restore pine
and oak habitat and riparian
areas, improve conditions for
wildlife, and reduce the risk
of fires spreading from public
lands to neighboring non-fed-
eral lands, said a press release.
The local project is a partner-
ship between the forest, Wasco
County Forest Collaborative,
Oregon Department of Forest-
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Wedding, anniversary and
engagement announcements
ry, Oregon Department of Fish
and Wildlife, Rocky Mountain
Elk Foundation, and Wasco
County Soil and Water District.
The project area encompass-
es approximately 27,573 acres
of Forest Service-managed
lands, 7,603 acres of State of
Oregon Department of Fish
and Wildlife land (White River
Wildlife Area), and 12,564
acres of private lands. The
project was developed by the
All-Lands Committee, an inter-
agency subgroup of the Wasco
County Forest Collaborative
interested in advancing land-
scape-scale restoration.
The USDA and NRCS will
invest more than $41 million
this fiscal year through the
Joint Chiefs’ Landscape Resto-
ration Partnership for projects
that mitigate wildfire risk, im-
prove water quality and restore
healthy forest ecosystems.
Projects focus on areas where
public forests and grasslands
intersect with privately-owned
lands.
“This partnership has a
strong history of accomplish-
ing critical management work
across boundaries,” said For-
est Service Chief Vicki Chris-
tiansen. “The collaborative
approach exemplifies USDA’s
shared stewardship model of
working with our federal, state
and local partners to spring-
board high-priority restoration
work.”
The funded project builds on
work started last year within
the Rocky Restoration Project
area.
Learn more about current
Mt. Hood National Forest proj-
ects at www.fs.usda.gov/goto/
mthood/projects.
Serious Theater holds auditions for ‘The King’
go to twalker@hoodrivernew.
com.
Happenings (individual
events) and Gatherings (re-
curring ones) may be sub-
mitted to twalker@hoodriv-
ernews.com.
Items may be edited for
brevity.
Serious Theater kicks off its
2020 season with auditions
for a new play: “The King, The
Final Hours,” by Mark Macias.
A perusal script may be
obtained, and alternate au-
ditions times will be consid-
ered, by emailing seriousthe-
aterdalles@gmail.com. Audi-
tions are March 20 and March
23 at 7 p.m. in the basement
of Zion Lutheran Church in
The Dalles corner of 10th and
Union.
“The King, The Final Hours”
presents an interpretation of
what was going through Elvis
Presley’s mind during his final
hours. Audience members will
follow The King as he recalls
historical and pivotal moments
that shaped his personal life
as the most famous man in
the world, said a press release.
“Most stories on Elvis water
down the personal struggles he
faced throughout his life,” said
Macias. “But at the root, Elvis
was a man with personal flaws,
just like all of us.”
The play calls for both a
young and an old Elvis, Ann
Margret, Priscilla Presley,
Gladys Presley (Elvis’ mother),
and Colonel Tom Parker (Elvis’
manager), as well as a number
of small parts for men and
women (many of which can be
combined). The Elvis and Ann
Margret roles require singing.
Performances will be at Se-
rious Theater’s venue in the
newly renovated Sawyer Hall.
There will be two performanc-
es each on Saturday May 9 and
16 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., and one
performance each Sunday May
10 and 17 at 2 p.m.
Rose
H O O D
R I V E R
R O TA R Y
Roses for
$25 a dozen
S A L E 2 0 2 0
Brighten someone’s day and help Hood River Rotary provide scholarships
to Hood River High School seniors, and middle school opportunity fund.
HURRY! — NEW Earlier Order date, March 20, 2020.
They will be delivered on April 16, 2020.
Orders need to be paid for prior to delivery. Make checks payable to Hood River Rotary.
Questions? Call Chelsea Marr, 541-490-6113 or email cmarr@hoodrivernews.com
www.hoodriverrotary.com