Make the McKenzie Connection!
Make the McKenzie Connection!
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 1812
“When the library burned, even the angels folded their wings and sulked.” Those words from a poem read by John Witte reflected the impact the loss of the O’Brien Memorial Library made. Yet, similar to “words flying off like seeds” in the flames of the Holiday Farm Fire, he noted, hope can “take root in the ashes, sprouting new trees, new leaves, new books.” The shoulder-to-shoulder crowd that packed the library Saturday afternoon echoed the feeling of rebirth. All were there to celebrate the...
People interested in building new houses and looking forward to welcoming new neighbors were drawn to a spot of open ground last Friday. The site, at the corner of Rose and McCauley Streets in Blue River, is expected to affect community rebuilding positively. Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Rose Street project, McKenzie Community Land Trust (MCLT) executive director Brandi Ferguson saluted the area’s “can-do spirit.” Talking to a crowd of well-wishers in a gentle rainfall, she t...
“To be resilient to climate change and to minimize climate change, you need healthy soil,” said Lauren Hallett, an associate professor of environmental studies and biology at the UO’s College of Arts and Sciences. For the past five years, Hallett and her colleague Marissa Lane-Massee, a research assistant at the UO and fourth-generation hazelnut farmer, have worked together to create cover crop seed mixes that keep agricultural soils cooler during increasingly hotter seasons without inter...
It’s time to lace up your skates for an all-ages skate party at the Bob Keefer Center, 250 S 32nd St. in Springfield. Bring your roller skates, in-line skates, and rollerblades, or rent them at the 2-hour event for $3 worth of skating in style with a live DJ, lights, decorations, and more. Registration is not required. Learn more at willamalane.org/skate The Skate Party can accommodate up to 200 people at one time. Willamalane has limited skates in various sizes available for rent for $...
Oregon is one step closer to using a state forest to help capture and store more planet-warming greenhouse gases, and to fight climate change and earn money through the carbon market. Leaders at the Department of State Lands signed a development agreement Thursday to enter all of the nearly 83,000-acre Elliott State Forest near Coos Bay into the voluntary carbon market for 40 years. The project will be managed by the carbon brokerage and development company Anew Climate, with offices in...
Oregon school districts are projected to pay $670 million more to the state’s public employee pension program over the next two years, potentially wiping out all increases to school funding proposed by Gov. Tina Kotek. The increased tab, more than 10% for some districts, follows lagging returns in investments of the Public Employees Retirement system and could affect teaching and learning in some schools. “Next year’s sharp jumps in PERS rates will take significant money away from class...
Honoring the important traditions of “our grandmas, grandpaws, aunties, and uncles” was all called to mind as people gathered in Blue River last Sunday. “The things of the traditional world when we recall those days,” added Dietz Peters, “are especially important so when our kids get older, they can pass it on to their kids and grandkids.” Deitz, himself an elder of the Confederated Tribes of the Grande Ronde, was speaking to a group of about three dozen people interested in restoring s...
Only 38% of homes have been rebuilt four years after a destructive wildfire, while property values and the cost of rebuilding have risen 40%. In addition to the 517 lost homes, the number of people living along a 60-mile stretch of Hwy. 126 from McKenzie Bridge to Springfield has also dropped off. “Since the Holiday Farm Fire, the McKenzie River Ranger District has had difficulty filling vacant positions. The reason most often heard from prospective applicants when they decline a position is t...
In a significant election for Oregon House District 12 and Lane County governance, voters turned out to resolve races and measures that highlight the area’s evolving political landscape. From redistricting reform to charter amendments and recall efforts, Lane County residents faced choices reflecting regional and state concerns around transparency, governance, and community values. The state representative race and various ballot measures brought two distinct visions for the area’s future to...
Some of the ideas floated at a joint Lane County Parks and Oregon State Marine Board community meeting are starting to take shape at the Forest Glen Boat Landing in Blue River. Last week, the Parks Department announced that people dropping by to answer nature's call or get ready to launch their drift boat no longer had to hold it, thanks to $45,000 in improvements, including installing new modular vault toilets funded by Parks funds and a FEMA grant. Officials say the next phase of improvements...
When the Astoria City Council got the results of a forest inventory in the Bear Creek Watershed about a decade ago, councilors learned the city was in possession of far more valuable trees, and timber, than they had realized. In light of the news, some members of the council in northwest Oregon wanted to boost timber harvests and revenue for city services and infrastructure. The 3,700-acres of forests that protect the city’s main drinking water source have been logged semi-regularly for decades,...
EUGENE: Last Tuesday, the Lane County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to approve the Blue River Complete Community Plan and zoning amendments that expand the community’s boundaries to include the Blue River Park. The amendments were developed to allow higher density development near bus stops and schools and flex use designations within the community’s boundaries. Details of their approval mean that owners of one-acre residential properties can build two homes—as well as an Acces...
The Blue River Work and Cleanup Day held last Sunday, November 3, was a rousing success. What started out as a your standard rainy and chilly November morning evolved into a warmer and appreciated sun-teasing day highlighted with much good work accomplished by the cheerful volunteers who answered the call from sponsor McKenzie Locals Helping Locals. The volunteer work crew represented the entire length of the McKenzie River Valley and included Antony Able, Melanie Brite, Mark Bruce, Don Dowe,...
Winners in the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s 2025 Waterfowl, Upland Game Bird, and Habitat Conservation stamp art contests have been announced. This year’s winning artwork will be featured on collector stamps and other promotional items supporting the state's wildlife and habitat conservation efforts. First place in the Waterfowl Stamp category depicting a ring-necked duck went to Jeffrey Klinefelter of Etna Green, Ind. Buck Spencer of Junction City claimed first place for the Upl...
The Oregon Department of Education (ODE) has released a guidance document for school districts, outlining research, recommendations, and three model policies to limit or restrict cell phone use in classrooms. The guidance aims to help school districts update their current policies on the use of cell phones and other mobile devices and increase student learning, well-being, and belonging. “We will be challenged to help students achieve their educational goals, like reading and math skills, if stu...
The extraordinary costs of climate change hit home for Cody Desautel during the 2015 wildfire season. Now the executive director of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Indian Reservation, Desautel was a forester and a firefighter who had just completed taking a full inventory of the 922,000 acres of forest on the 1.4 million acre reservation in north-central Washington. About half of those forests – 450,000 acres – were nearly ready to be enrolled in California’s emissions trading progr...
BLUE RIVER: “We had to learn to trust that our lives in this community are worth rebuilding.” Those words from McKenzie Valley Wellness president Val Rapp helped explain that the area’s rebuilding efforts involve more than just putting up new walls. “There was not a single one of us here who could do this by ourselves,” she said. “But working together, we began to figure out who could be our allies and support and help us and others in the community.” Rapp spoke at Saturday’s dedication of t...
OLD MCKENZIE PASS: The east side gate to McKenzie Highway (OR 242), located near Sisters, will close for the season on Friday, November 1st ahead of an incoming storm, the Oregon Department of Transportation reported on Monday. ODOT is also clarifying a report from last weekend regarding whether it allows snowmobilers, skiers and recreationists into the closed area. The west side gate near McKenzie Bridge was closed last week. When the east side gate closes Friday, highway vehicle access across...
FINN ROCK: Public input on a possible community disaster recovery grant was limited last Thursday when only one person showed up at the old McKenzie High School gymnasium. Up for discussion was an initiative managed by Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) aimed at aiding recovery in disaster-impacted communities. Up for discussion were aspects of possible U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funding to help after major disasters, such as wildfires, flooding, or other emergencies. The CDBG-DR funds are flexible,...
The Lane Transit District (LTD) will host a Día de los Muertos celebration on Friday, November 1st. The party will take place from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Rosa Parks Plaza at LTD’s Eugene Station. Attendees will see live performances from local groups Mariachi Cuervo and a folklórico dance by Raíces de Oregon. Also planned are interactive activites for children, including bilingual storytime on an LTD bus and family-friendly art projects. Community partners, including Plaza de Nuestra Comu...
A small statue of St. Francis sits on a stump holding court in Julie and John Christensen’s forest in Corbett. The patron saint of animals and ecology is at home among the couple’s 70-acres of Douglas firs, cedars and hemlocks near the Columbia River. The Christensens moved to Corbett, a small, unincorporated town 30 miles outside of Portland, in 1984, intending to make it a communal home for themselves and friends they’d met through Julie’s work as a Catholic campus minister at Western Washing...
Over the past year, I've been fortunate to make some energy efficiency and weatherization upgrades to my home. During this process, I examined the feasibility of installing solar panels. As it turned out, my home was not a great candidate for installation (too much shade), but I still wanted to know more. So, this month, I turned to local installation expert Jeremiah Chavez, General Manager of Energy Design (solarenergydesign.com), to ask a few follow-up questions. First on my list: what makes...
Fall Season has arrived armed some pretty decent rainy days putting to bed another long and dry fire season. If you recall, however, the Spring season was wet and warm and responsible for profuse vegetative growth, some still standing. Earlier in the summer, McKenzie Locals Helping Locals sponsored a Blue River Cleanup Day. Those efforts around the South end of town helped remove invasive Scotch Broom plantations and other invasive plants as well as pick up many, diverse scattered items remaining following the Holiday Farm Fire and initial...
The Oregon Health Authority is launching a new rental assistance program through its Medicaid plan that serves low-income Oregonians when medical crises impact their ability to pay rent. The health authority’s plans are intended to keep people housed who need a short-term bridge to make ends meet and pay rent. Its goal is to help people maintain their health and their housing, which can lead to better long-term outcomes. People who face homelessness or the threat of eviction are 35% more l...
At least four progressive organizations that previously backed an Oregon ballot measure to hike taxes on businesses and divide proceeds among all Oregonians have withdrawn their support. Voters will decide in November whether to approve Measure 118, which proponents say would give about $1,600 annually to all Oregonians by making corporations pay more. Opponents across the political spectrum, citing analysis from state economic researchers, warned that it would raise prices and blow a hole in...
