Reserve and Reserve trust
get Fort Vancouver names

Effective today, the Vancouver National Historic Reserve and the Vancouver National Historic Reserve Trust become the Fort Vancouver National Site and the Fort Vancouver National Trust, reports Elson Strahan, president of the nonprofit Fort Vancouver National Trust.

Strahan says, “Clearly, the name changes will enhance our overall tourism development programs. Equally important, we hope residents in our four-county region will finally realize that Fort Vancouver includes their National Park assets and is the nexus of our collective Northwest history.”

According to Strahan, the partners realized the name presented an ongoing challenge, but they didn’t realize the magnitude of the identity obstacle until a marketing grant enabled the partners to commission a scientific poll of households in Multnomah, Washington, Clackamas and Clark Counties. When respondents were asked to identify the National Park Service site closest to the Portland-Vancouver metro area, only one percent noted the Historic Reserve.

In 1996 the Historic Reserve was established by an act of Congress, solidifying a partnership between the National Park Service, City of Vancouver, U.S. Army and Washington State. The Vancouver National Historic Reserve Trust was the nonprofit partner for these entities.

Next, respondents were told that the site includes Fort Vancouver, Officers Row, Pearson Air Museum and events including the 4th of July. Given this information, respondents were asked how they thought the site should be referenced. Not surprisingly, 64 percent preferred the name Fort Vancouver.  The survey also included a fabricated name, Columbia River National Park, which was favored by 23 percent, while only 12 percent preferred the current identity, Vancouver National Historic Reserve.

Both of the significant historical periods leading to the site’s development were associated with the identity “Fort Vancouver.” Fort Vancouver was the name given to the site after its founding in 1825 by the Hudson’s Bay Company, and the U.S. Army also adopted this identity for more than twenty-five years after establishing operations at the site in the mid-1800s.

Fort Vancouver is the historical name, the name still used by the National Park Service, and the name by which the public knows the site.

Paul Gardner named CFO
for Rehfeldt Construction

Paul Gardner has joined Rehfeldt Construction of Vancouver as chief financial officer. Gardner has more than 15 years’ experience as a controller, chief financial officer and financial analyst.

Prior to joining Rehfeldt Construction, Gardner was the general manager and controller of Armstrong Manufacturing Company, a Portland machinery manufacturer.

Vancouver-based Rehfeldt Construction is a family-owned general contracting company that provides construction services to commercial and industrial clients throughout the Northwest.

Bill Nye, The Science Guy®,
guest at local fundraising event

The Mount St. Helens Institute will be welcoming Emmy Award-winning scientist and inventor Bill Nye, The Science Guy®, on Saturday, May 16, as part of a public, ticketed event at Johnston Ridge Observatory at Mount St. Helens from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. There will be a variety of activities, including hikes and a silent auction, as well as Nye’s presentation. Funds raised from this event will support the new “Feel the Pulse of an Active Volcano” exhibit, which will be introduced in May 2010.

“It’s a Blast: Volcano Science in Your Backyard!” is the title of the event. Tickets are available online at www.mshinstitute.org. Admission is $10 per person, except for children 8 and under, who are admitted free, or $35 per person for admission plus the Bill Nye presentation.

Historic Hough Homes home
and garden tour is June 13

The Divine Home and Garden Tour in the historic Hough neighborhood will be conducted from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 13.

Six homes are on tour, four restored vintage homes and two that are new construction designed and built to fit in seamlessly with the neighborhood. All proceeds from this tour will benefit the Hough Foundation, which is hosted by Divine Friends, a project of Gifts for Our Community.

For information on where to buy $15 tickets, call 695-6443.

Tall ships headed for east
County, Stevenson

The tall ships Lady Washington, a replica of a ship that accompanied Captain Robert Gray’s ship Columbia Rediviva, which gave the Columbia River its name, and Hawaiian Chieftain, a typical European trader replica, will be available for river passages as part of their 2009 “Rediscovering the Columbia River” voyage.

On Wednesday, May 13, passages will be available from Washougal to Stevenson; the ships will dock in Stevenson overnight and be available Thursday, May 14, for passages from Stevenson to Hood River. In June, the ships will return, providing the public with other opportunities for passages. Both ships are owned and operated by the Grays Harbor Historical Seaport Authority.

For more information on schedules, availability and pricing, or to purchase tickets, visit www.historicalseaport.org or call 800-200-5239.

People

Prairie High School’s unarmed, close-order Regulation Drill team placed third in a field of 38 high schools in national JROTC competition at Daytona Beach, Fla., last Saturday. Senior Keith Hummel, student leader of the PHS Air Force Junior ROTC team, finished third in the unit-leader competition. Coached by Sgt. Randy Martin and part of the PHS Air Force Junior ROTC program headed by Col. Pete Gray, the 13-member team of five girls and eight boys finished with 780 out of a possible 1,200 points.

Calendar

The Southwest Washington Regional Transportation Council meets at 4 p.m. today in the 6th floor training room in the Public Service Center. <> Clark County commissioners meet in regular session at 7 p.m. this evening.

Community Calendar Links

• Southwest Washington Center for the Arts

• Greater Vancouver Chamber Community 

• City of Vancouver Calendar