USS Ranger Foundation

When the Foundation looks ahead to complimentary businesses to support Ranger, naturally boats come to mind. One such fun new business for East County could be the duck boats from World War II. These land and sea craft are entertaining visitors across the United States with their fun tours of sights and attractions on both land and water. Businesses such as the duck boats would help build on Ranger’s tourism mission.

Imagine our very own fleet of duck boats to join Ranger’s carrier group. Take a look at what San Francicso offers its visitors. Seattle also have duck boat tours in place. We are sure East County can match those rides for fun and adventure. Especially since we are the home of the University of Oregon Ducks! Imagine being able to duck boat by Ranger at her mooring. Priceless!  

The opportunity to ride the only working former U.S. Navy PT Boat awaits one lucky raffle ticket winner. Granted special permission from the PT Boat 658 organization, this one time fundraiser for the USS Ranger Foundation gets the winner and one guest a ride very few have ever taken.

A raffle ticket could be the perfect Valentine’s Day gift for Ranger supporters (and anyone interested in historic ships). The USS Ranger Foundation’s raffle winner gets several exciting prizes. Here are the details:

A special once-in-a-lifetime experience for two aboard PT Boat 658 during Portland’s Rose Festival Fleet Week

Package includes:

• Ride for two aboard PT 658 on the Willamette and Columbia Rivers in the Portland Metro area. See the Fleet arrive, be a part of the amazing festivities during the June 2012 Rose Festival and get a waterside view of Ranger’s future home in Fairview, Oregon.

• Overnight lodging for two at a local Portland Metro area hotel.

• Dinner for 2 at a local restaurant.

• And More!

PT 658 is the only historically accurate operational PT boat left in the world. She was restored and is operated by a group of PT Veterans and volunteers over a 20 year period. PT 658 is stationed at the Swan Island Navy Base in Portland, Oregon. Escorting Navy ships from the United States and other countries to attend the Rose Festival Fleet Week is one of the major excursions the boat takes each year since 2004.

The Portland Rose Festival is in it’s 104th year and has been named “Portland’s Official Festival” and also received the honor of “Best Festival in the World” from the International Events and Festivals Association for 2011.

Raffle tickets will be mailed to buyers before the drawing date. The raffle drawing will be held March 4, 2012, at 6 p.m. Ticket holders need not be present to win.

Only 950 tickets are available at $10 each. They are going fast so make sure you get your chance to ride on PT Boat 658 today.

One of the questions we get from supporters outside the Pacific Northwest is how can Ranger fit in a river? So we wanted to introduce our future visitors to the mighty Columbia River. The Columbia isn’t an average river, it’s a supercarrier sized river. By water volume, the Columbia River is the fourth-largest river in the United States. Her water flow is also the greatest of any river flowing into the Pacific.

Barge traffic moves up and downriver on the Columbia on Oct. 29, 2011 as seen from the banks of the Chinook Landing Marine Park.

Starting in Canada, this mighty river flows 1,243 miles to meet the Pacific Ocean at the Columbia River Bar between Oregon and Washington. Given the 2,690 foot drop in elevation, the Columbia produces more hydroelectric power than any other river in North America. In addition to working as a power generator, the river is a major transporter for commerce, wildlife, fish, wind surfers, sternwheeler tour boats, sail and power boats.

In order to keep all this water traffic moving, the navigation channel is maintained to an operating depth of 40 feet and 600 feet in width. Ranger will be moored approximately 125 miles upriver from the Pacific Ocean and navigable river traffic will continue on past her to inland Idaho, as it does today.

Many federal, state and local agencies support and manage the Columbia River, in addition to the tribes, river pilots and law enforcement agencies who are all stakeholders in this great resource. Ranger’s new home on the banks of the Columbia is a pristine setting where wildlife and commerce work together under strict land use rules.

Part of Ranger’s educational role will include the importance of the river and wildlife in our region. The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), which markets and moves the electricity generated by the Army Corps of Engineers dams on the Columbia, wears many hats as one of the federal stewards of the river.

Below are links to BPA free publications for kids to help them learn about the importance of this mighty river. The Foundation embraces the stewardship and responsibility of this natural resource. Not only is this river a lifeline in the Pacific Northwest, it will also move Ranger to Fairview.

Zippy, Splash and Sam Coloring Book  http://www.bpa.gov/corporate/pubs/coloring_book.pdf

Salmon lifecyclHexagon to print and create (requires 11×17 paper to print out)  http://www.bpa.gov/corporate/pubs/salmon_hex.pdf

How hydro power becomes electricity in our homes  http://www.bpa.gov/corporate/Power_of_Learning/docs/hydro.pdf