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Kid in a Park passes available Friday Sep 2, 2016 at 12:01 AM Mark Freeman Mail Tribune @MTwriterFreeman All incoming Rogue Valley fourth-graders and their families can claim a free Every Kid in a Park pass, which allows free entry into national parks, federal forests and recreation areas from Sept. 1 through next Aug. 31. To print out a voucher, visit the program's website at www.everykidinapark.gov. Students and their families can redeem those vouchers for more durable plastic passes at any Forest Service or Bureau of Land Management office in southwest Oregon. This is the second year in a two-year pilot program to help get kids and their parents outdoors. When they were setting up the program, federal officials settled on fourth-graders as their target because that is when kids' brains are developed enough to enjoy nature as a living classroom, as well as the importance public lands play in people's lives, says Chamise Kramer, spokeswoman for the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest. Along with free entry, the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest plans some outings over the coming year targeted to pass-holders. The pilot project ends next Sept. 1, and whether it gets extended will be determined by the next presidential administration, according to the Forest Service. Del Rio vineyard hikes return Del Rio Vineyards is hosting free hikes this month through their Gold Hill vineyards for those who want to take a stroll through the picturesque vineyard and even sample some of grapes right off the vine. The guided hikes begin at 9:30 a.m. each Wednesday and Sunday throughout September at the vineyard, 52 N. River Road, Gold Hill. The easy to moderate hikes cover about three miles around the vineyard. Participants hike at their own pace, and there is no end time. Comfortable shoes and your own water are recommended. For information, call the vineyard at 541-855-2062. Mandatory Deschutes portage rules for late September The Oregon State Marine Board has issued a temporary rule that requires Deschutes River boaters to portage around the Tetherow Road Bridge at times during a bridge replacement project, including later this month. The Oregon Department of Transportation is replacing the bridge at river mile 141.1, and floating under the bridge during construction has been deemed hazardous. Boaters, therefore, will be forced to get themselves and their boats out of the river above the bridge and carry their gear around it before re-entering the Deschutes. Signs will direct locations for ingress and egress, according to the Marine Board. The Oregon Department of Transportation will remove and replace the bridge, and boating will not be permitted due to safety concerns during each phase of the project. The restrictions were in effect in late August and will again go into effect Sept. 25-28. Reach Mail Tribune reporter Mark Freeman at 541-776-4470 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MTwriterFreeman.