Headlines & History since 1879 Goldendale, Washington
WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2026
Vol. 147 No. 19
$1.00
Victor Baca
HOME & GARDEN: This year’s Home & Garden Show, held last weekend, was a scaled-down version but with much that pleased visitors.
Duck Derby returns to Ekone Park Lorrie Fox For The Sentinel
Rodger Nichols
DANCING AT PUSHPUM: Friday saw close to 300 people gathered near the site of the proposed Goldendale Storage Project to join the Yakama Nation in protesting the project. The tribe calls the land Pushpum. The event included Native dancing, drumming, and speeches from several concerned parties.
Tribe holds protest event against Pumped Storage Project Rodger Nichols For The Sentinel
The Yakama Nation stepped up the opposition to the Goldendale Pumped Storage project on Friday, assembling an impressive list of supporters for a daylong event. Joining the protest were Columbia Riverkeeper; Columbia River Intertribal Fish Commission (CRITFC); American Rivers; the Friends of White Salmon; Klamath Tribe Chair Willie Ray and councilor Les Anderson; Chief of the Kamilpa Mid-Columbia Bronco Jim Jr.; and Washington 47th District State Representative Chris Stearns, a Navajo tribal member. While the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has
issued its final approval for the project to commence, there is a last-ditch hope for revisiting the decision. The Friday event, which drew an estimated 300 people, was held on the Tuolumne wind farm property slightly east of the proposed construction at Juniper Point. Clearway Energy, which purchased the wind farm a year ago, granted tribal access recently after company officials saw a documentary about the controversy. The actual proposed site itself is on private hands; tribal leaders warned everyone at the gathering to keep off it. To the Yakama, the site of the proposed construction is known as Pushpum and is considered a sacred site. The tribe says they
cannot reveal why it is a sacred site. Simone Anter, senior staff attorney for Columbia Riverkeeper, says there is a reason for that: “There is a history of cultural resource desecration, and there’s a history of grave robbing, of looting.” It is also an area where tribal members have gathered various roots and plants both for medicine and as part of their First Foods. Elaine Harvey, CRITIFIC watershed manager, put it this way: “I can tell you today every one of our traditional foods are under threat,” she said. “Our salmon, our suckers, our sturgeon, our lamprey, our deer and elk, and all the different roots that we gather
See Tribe page B1
WALK FOR A CAUSE: A long line of people set off on the annual Walk For Life Saturday morning.
Victor Baca
The Kiwanis Club of Goldendale has officially announced the return of the annual Duck Derby, set to take place at noon on Saturday, June 13, at Ekone Park. The duck race starts at 2 p.m. The Duck Derby serves a vital purpose for local youth, as proceeds are used to fund the Kiwanis mission, “Serving the Children of the World.” Throughout Klickitat County, the club’s activities include providing free books for children, placing flags around Goldendale frequently, and providing scholarships to graduating Goldendale seniors as funding allows. A flock of colorful rubber ducks will be tossed upstream in the Little Klickitat River to “race” toward the finish line at Ekone Park. Prizes will be awarded for the first, second, and third place finishers. The owner of the last duck to cross the line will also receive a prize. Additional prizes will be award-
ed during the race. The Goldendale Kiwanis is calling upon additional local businesses to support the cause, by either selling rubber ducks or by donating cash, gift cards, or goods and services to serve as prizes for the Duck Derby. Sponsorship opportunities are also available and include: • For $300, your business will be featured on a sandwich board during the Duck Derby, listed in the Goldendale Kiwanis Club program, and acknowledged in the Goldendale Sentinel. • For $150, your business card will be included in the Goldendale Kiwanis Club program, and your sponsorship will be highlighted in the Goldendale Sentinel. • For $50, your sponsorship will be announced in the Goldendale Sentinel. Community members looking to get in on the action can purchase ducks at various businesses around town displaying a duck, including The Goldendale Sentinel, or directly from any
See Derby page B1
County seeks summer flaggers Rodger Nichols For The Sentinel
Klickitat County has issued burn bans for Zones One and Two starting May 18, is actively recruiting 18-year-olds for summer flagging positions with Public Works, and a planned $1.2 million budget adjustment will be revenue neutral. Those were the big takeaways from the May 5 Klickitat County Board of Commissioners meeting. Much of the morning workshop session was taken up with a closed session, followed by an executive session. Public Works Director Jeff Hunter was able to get in a couple of clear messages in the short morning session. About the burn bans: “We have been in communication with Zone 3. They have not picked a time. The fire chiefs make that call. It’s not a call made by emergency management.” About summer flaggers: “They’re typically college kids, and since we still have a few open slots for permanent employees that we are not filling right now, we have it in the budget. It’s a good start for the kids, and it’s pretty reasonable pay. It’s good for them, and it’s good for us.” According to the most recently available documents, Klickitat County wages for summer flaggers range from $16.48 to $21.48 per hour In the afternoon session, county budget manger Heather
Gallagher presented a proposed budget amendment. “We have a total request of $1,229,018 dollars,” she said. She added that this was the total of eight requests, all of which, she said, were either budget neutral or a carryover from last year for things that were approved but, due to timing, didn’t get completed. Included in the amendment were a $182,000 grant for buildings and grounds, an $80,000 grant carryover for elections, a $73,860 carryover for sheriff’s investigation equipment, and adjustments for approved projects under the affordable housing fund, and landfill gas projects fund. Under the consent agenda, commissioners approved: • The transfer of certain inventory from Behavioral Health to Public Works • 2026 Contract with SWACH for the Narcan vending machine in the jail lobby • Settlement agreement for right of way along Long Road, for the Long Road reestablishment project, CRP 354 • Resolution banning open outdoor burning within the unincorporated areas of Klickitat County in Burn Ban Zone One • Resolution banning open outdoor burning within the unincorporated areas of Klickitat County in Burn Ban Zone Two • A letter of support for Opportunity Zone designation • A public meeting for approval of short plat, SPL 2024-03, Pax-
See County page B1