After a few idle months, Hermiston’s Tour of Knowledge is gearing up for a busy season.
On Dec. 6, Hermiston’s only grass roots citizen group that works with natural resources, discovered their Dodge Caravan had a blown head gasket. Without transportation, the group’s future looked grim. Two months later, a Hermiston-area resident learned of the problem. Knowing how important reliable transportation is to the group, she donated money so the group could purchase a replacement van.
“It was a total surprise” said Eileen Laramore, executive director of the Tour of Knowledge. “We all were stunned. We’re very grateful and want to thank our benefactor for being so thoughtful and generous. Support from the community means a lot to us.”
Now that the Tour of Knowledge is back on the road they will be holding monthly meetings starting April 5 at the Hermiston BMCC campus in room 133 from 7 to 8 p.m. The meetings are on the first Wednesday of each month and open to the public. Topics such as the proposed CAFO (dairy) in Morrow County, the Columbia River Treaty , regional water issues, Hanford and the effects of climate change in our region will be discussed, as well as Oxbow updates and a rundown of public hearings, meetings and events that are relevant to our area.
The Tour of Knowledge visits sites and facilities that impact our natural resources and also visits places of historical interest.
In 2013, the group adopted the Oxbow Property through both SOLVE and Columbia Riverkeeper’s Adopt-A-River programs. Projects at Oxbow include a litter program, river bank and riparian zone monitoring and an invasive weed program. A Garlic Mustard containment zone has been established to prevent the noxious weed from spreading into the 7,000 trees that are planted on Oxbow.
The Tour of Knowledge works with the Bureau of Reclamation, the DEQ, the Umatilla County Weed board and the LUB GWMA.
Tours and meetings are open to the public, always free and kid friendly. For more information contact Eileen Laramore 541-303-3872 or tourofknowledgeinfo@gmail.com.
