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GORGE NEWS
August 29, 2012 
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Portland Commissioner pledges to introduce no-coal resolution
Scott Learn, the Oregonian

August 28, the Oregonian - At an anti-coal rally in front of the Portland office of the Army Corps of Engineers, City Commissioner Amanda Fritz said she will bring a resolution to the City Council September 19 "to oppose coal trains coming through the city of Portland", reports Scott Learn of the Oregonian.

 

Oregon Public Broadcasting also reported on the event, as did the Portland Mercury.

The export proposals, if approved, would make the Columbia Gorge and the Pacific Northwest a conduit for large amounts of coal from the Powder River Basin in Wyoming and Montana  to be shipped to Asian markets.

Friends of the Columbia Gorge, which helped stage the press event, has joined with other groups and concerned citizens in an alliance to stop these major transport proposals.


Other coal export links:
  • There are now five pending coal export proposals in the Northwest instead of six after plans to build a coal terminal facility in Grays Harbor, WA were shelved.  
  • A challenge for the anti-coal side: the Albany Democrat-Herald reports U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Coos Bay) considers shipping coal to a proposed terminal facility in Coos Bay a "tremendous asset to that community," and that potential problems with congestion and coal dust can be overcome. 
  • A number of recent train derailments nationwide, including one that killed two teenage girls in Maryland, is adding extra fuel to the coal export debate.
  • Editorial: The Columbian opines that the more information on coal exports is made available, the more likely it is a "suitable compromise" can be worked out between industry and communities.
  • Commentary: Lisa Arkin of the Eugene Register-Guard says coal is a bad deal for Oregon.   
Helicopter operation to require one-day closure of trail section

Terry Richard, the Oregonian
August 16, the Oregonian - A new footbridge will be installed on the Cape Horn Trail, forcing a six-hour closure of a section of the trail on a day before November 1, reports Terry Richard of the Oregonian.
 
The footbridge will be installed by helicopter. Because the operation is weather-dependent, it will be held with little or no notice. Trails will be cleared of hikers just before the flight.

Current updates can be found at the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area website.
Portland-based utility says it needs two more weeks to finish job
Copyright 2011 Andy Maser and Steve Stampfli

August 21, the Columbian - Condit Dam is not quite yet a thing of the past.

PacifiCorp, the utility overseeing the removal of the century-old dam on the White Salmon River, has requested an extension on the completion of the job. If the extension is approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the new completion date would be September 15.

The extension was sought after demolition crews found that removing the dam's base was more slow-going than they expected. The removal of Condit Dam began after it was breached last October. Fish were observed swimming up the White Salmon River in July.
31 break-ins reported in July alone
Multnomah County Sheriff's Office

August 23, the Oregonian - Take your valuables with you or leave them at home. That's the message being stressed to Gorge visitors by law enforcement after a significant increase in vehicle break-ins this summer along a 22-mile stretch of I-84 from the Sandy River to hiking areas east of Multnomah Falls.

According to the story, a volunteer citizen patrol regularly travels the Historic Columbia River Highway looking for suspicious activity, using a police scanner to stay in touch with law enforcement.
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Cape Horn Panorama
Jamie Francis, the Oregonian
In This Issue
Friends and allies hold press event about coal exports
New bridge on Cape Horn Trail
Extension sought for Condit Dam removal
Vehicle break-ins increase in Gorge
Gorge cruises
Gorge wineries
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Old-style steamer to begin Gorge cruises
August 22, News Wire - A replica Victorian steamer will begin cruises down the Columbia River in fall of 2013. According to a story posted at TravelAgent Central, the cruise line InnerSea Discoveries will began offering trips down the Columbia and Snake Rivers, combining the usual cruise amenities with an educational focus.
Gorge News Sources

 

Gorge wineries: Open for Labor Day 
Mark Hanson/Columbia Gorge Winegrowers Association
August 27, the Oregonian - The wineries of the Columbia River Gorge have organized a showcase for their products (not to mention the awesome views from their properties) Labor Day weekend, September 1-3. More than 30 member wineries of the Columbia Gorge Winegrowers are taking part.
About Friends of the Columbia Gorge

Founded in 1980, Friends of the Columbia Gorge is the only 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated entirely to protecting the Columbia River Gorge. In 1986, Friends helped secure the passage of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area Act to create comprehensive Gorge protection consistent across six counties and two states.  In 2005, Friends created Friends of the Columbia Gorge Land Trust, a 509(a)(3) support organization to acquire critical lands in the Columbia Gorge. Since then, the land trust has acquired through purchase and donation over 650 acres of land. Friends of the Columbia Gorge is uniquely suited to ensuring that the wild and beautiful Columbia Gorge remains a place apart, an unspoiled treasure for generations to come.