July 31, 2012 - Submission of Phase II application which meets the Navy’s minimum requirements for donation.

September 30, 2012 - Navy completes evaluation of the Phase II application and requests the Foundation to submit its Phase III application within six months.

March 31, 2013 - Foundation submits Phase III application which fully meets the Navy’s minimum requirements for donation.

April 30, 2013 - Navy completes evaluation of Phase III application and notifies the Foundation to proceed to negotiate with EPA Region 10 on a draft donee/EPA PCB compliance agreement.

July to September 2013 – Move preparation begins for Ranger to be moved to Swan Island, Oregon no later than Sept. 31, 2014.

April 30, 2014 - Completion of a signed donee/EPA PCB compliance agreement.

April 30 to June 30, 2014 -  60 day period for Navy to finalize an Environmental Assessment pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act and obtain Secretary of the Navy concurrence for donation.

July 2014 – July 2015 -  Site construction for Ranger complex.

July 1 to 31, 2014 - 30-day Congressional notification period per 10 USC 7306 (any recess in excess of three days is not counted in the 30-day notification period)

July 31, 2014 - Execution of donation transfer contract and allowance of 60-days to remove ex-Ranger from INACTSHIPMAINTO Bremerton

September 2014 - Target date for removal of ex-Ranger from INACTSHIPMAINTO Bremerton

March 2015 to October 2015 – Program and vendor start up at Ranger complex.

June to September 2015 – Move preparation and Ranger moved to Fairview, Oregon site.

October 2015 - Ranger complex scheduled to open to the public.

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.

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

USS Abraham Lincoln sailors conduct water hose drills onboard Ranger on June 11, 2009. (Photo by U.S. Navy)

Clackamas County leads the development of a multi-hazard emergency preparedness calendar each year for surrounding counties and other interested partners in the Pacific Northwest. The calendar provides general emergency information. Each month focuses on specific preparedness and response information for different hazard events. All photos and information are provided by area agencies and responders. The emergency preparedness calendar is completely funded through contributions of agencies that partner in the calendar project.  The city of Fairview and the Fairview Police Department also participated for 2012.

2012 calendar partners include Benton, Clark, Columbia, Clackamas, Lincoln, Linn, Marion and Multnomah Counties, plus the Oregon Judicial Department, and the cities of Fairview, Gresham, Damascus, Lake Oswego, West Linn, Wilsonville, Tigard and Sweet Home. The Gladstone Police, Lake Oswego Fire Department, Portland Fire and Rescue, Fire District 72 Sandy, Fire District 1, Fire District 6, Estacada Fire District, Clackamas County Sheriff, Benton County Sheriff, Lincoln County Sheriff, Fairview Police Department, Mt. Hood Search And Rescue Council, C-COM, Citizen Corps, Medical Reserve Corps, Multnomah County Health Department, Providence Health Services, Department of Veterans Affairs VISN 20, MetroWest Ambulance, Oregon Department of Forestry, NW Natural Gas, Portland Community College, Multnomah County Emergency Management, Portland Office of Emergency Management, CRESA 911, Radiah Technologies and the USS Ranger Foundation all participated this year.  

When area partners work together to provide information and life saving education, it helps all of us respond when a disaster event occurs. You can see this year’s calendar online http://www.clackamas.us/docs/emergency/calendar.pdf

Hard copies of the calendar are available from some of the participating agencies.

The Foundation looks forward to using Ranger’s considerable resources and capabilities to help Oregon and Washington when she is needed to provide emergency support. Ranger will be a regional Pacific Northwest resource and an invaluable asset in the box of emergency response tools available for the region when she opens in Fairview.

Team Ranger staff have been working very hard behind the scenes on major project development pieces. Due to complicated and delicate negotiations on many fronts, we can only give limited information at this time, but be assured we are moving in many positive directions at once. 

BNSF Railroad Bridge: Interactions are taking place at the national level to address BNSF’s concerns and requirements needed to move Ranger through the working freight and passenger line bridge. The Foundation appreciates the dedicated support and team leadership of the Oregon and Washington Congressional delegations working on our behalf.

Fundraising: We appreciate the continuing support of individual donors, the city of Fairview, area businesses and other organizations helping the Foundation. An exciting licensing opportunity is being finalized to help raise funds through a “Ranger only” product to be released

The Foundation is looking forward to a great 2012!

USS Arizona Memorial Photo Credit mysteriousuniverse.org

To honor their service and sacrifices we wanted to share some Pearl Harbor information most citizens may not know.  These men, women and children learned the devastating impacts of war on an unsuspecting Sunday in Oahu. A total of 49 civilians were killed in the attack, ranging in age from 3 months old to 66 years. A total of 35 additional civilians were wounded.

Military losses totaled 2,390 personnel. By service they included 1,999 Navy sailors, 109 Marines, and 233 Army and Army Air Corps soldiers and flyers who were killed in action. More than 710 sailors, 60 Marines and 364 Army soldiers and Army Air Forces staff were wounded.

A total of 12 ships were sunk and beached and an additional nine were damaged. A total of 164 aircraft were destroyed and 159 were damaged. Numbers cannot relate the human cost that day. Families in Hawaii and back on the mainland were affected by the attack.

There were 37 sets of brothers assigned to the USS Arizona on that day. At the end of the battle, 62 of those brothers died out of the 77 serving on the Arizona. OF those men, 23 sets of brothers were killed in action. Two families had a set of three brothers serving aboard the USS Arizona; only one brother survived out of each trio.

War knows no boundaries and that included a father and son both serving on the USS Arizona who died that day; Thomas Augusta Free and his son William Thomas Free.  The USS Arizona was removed from the official register of U.S. Navy ships after the attack. On March 7, 1950, she was “re-commissioned” with a flagpole erected on the ship.  All Navy ships render her honors when they pass. The USS Ranger crew rendered those honors on the ship’s last voyage home when she docked at Pearl Harbor in 1993.

The National Park Service is responsible to maintain the USS Arizona.  The Memorial is part of the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument established by Presidential Proclamation. The national monument focuses on the events leading up to Pearl Harbor through to the Peace Treaty in Tokyo Bay—with the emphasis on the historical events of World War II in the Pacific Theater and its impacts on the mainland.

To watch videos from the National Park Service and learn more about Pearl Harbor history, these links are provided. http://www.nps.gov/valr/index.htm http://www.youtube.com/user/WWIIValorNPS

Fairview 2010 Christmas Tree Lighting

Come visit the Ranger Foundation store table at the 5^th Annual Christmas Tree Lighting this Saturday, Dec. 3 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Fairview City Hall. Team Ranger reindeer will be at the event supporting the Fairview elves who make this wonderful tradition possible. Stop by and play with the Ranger Teddy Bears, they make great gifts! Other Foundation items will also be available for sale.

The 5 p.m. tree lighting will include free hot chocolate for kids and treats to buy for the adults from Bella Café, a Ranger Foundation supporter. A popular attraction returning this year is the horse drawn wagon rides. There will be caroling, crafts and of course Santa will be making an appearance to get those important gift wish lists from the kids. The event is free and all are welcome.

 A big thank you to the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support whose 27,000 employees around the world have made sure the turkey and stuffing are pre-positioned for all our troops around the globe.  According to the Department of Defense more than 270 dining facilities have received their food deliveries and are postured to serve the special Thanksgiving holiday fare. Deliveries included 168,000 pounds of turkey, 37,800 pounds of stuffing, 93,876 pounds of beef, 43,560 pounds of sweet potatoes, 24,000 pounds of shrimp, 34,560 pies and 25,800 pounds of cranberry sauce, along with other holiday treats.  Now that’s logistics!

With that in mind, we wish to thank our service members serving around the globe, those in harm’s way, those who are home visiting with their families, those who will soon be coming home from war, those recuperating in military hospitals and those who will continue to serve while away from family and friends.  We are thankful for your continued service and sacrifice.