Make the McKenzie Connection!
Make the McKenzie Connection!
Sorted by date Results 101 - 125 of 1812
EUGENE: While discussing rate changes, Eugene Water & Electric Board commissioners considered how these adjustments might influence Eugene businesses and residents to move toward more eco-friendly power and water alternatives that could improve the overall community. “We want people to use less energy and electricity, and no matter what happens it will always be beneficial for us to use less electricity,” said Commissioner Mindy Schlossberg. “It takes a while to build habits in people, even though we might not need to do it right now, I think...
Of forest properties burned in the 2020 Holiday Farm Fire, estimates are approximately 144,000 of that amount were on U.S. Forest Service land, 8,000 acres within Bureau of Land Management boundaries, and around 20,000 acres of private forest land. More than 1 million acres were impacted around Oregon in that year - close to 3% of the state’s forestland. Almost all of it was on the west side, where the industry is centered. Of private owners, Weyerhaeuser was the hardest hit - reporting t...
The U.S. men’s eight rowing team is coming back home with a bronze medal from the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, a group that includes Grant High School alumnus Pieter Quinton, second from right. Like jigsaw puzzles? See how quickly you can rebuild this one and help the rowing team stroke their way to the top of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Go to: tinyurl.com/c4dzs9aj Block Party Springfield’s “The Block Party,” now in its fifth year, exists to celebrate Springfield on one magical night, Downtown, from 4 to 9 p.m. This year’s beverage garden, s...
The Lane Regional Air Protection Agency (LRAPA) has lifted the air quality advisory for eastern Lane County that has been in effect since July 26, 2024. After 17 days of heightened concern due to wildfire smoke, a shift in weather patterns has brought a welcome improvement to air quality in the region. A persistent northwest airflow across the state has been instrumental in clearing smoke from the area. While this is good news, LRAPA reminds residents that wildfire season is not over, and conditions can change rapidly. For the next few days,...
Supporters of a ballot measure that would establish an independent commission for setting the pay of elected officials have launched a campaign. If passed in November, Measure 116 would set up the Independent Public Service Compensation Commission - to decide salaries for elected officials including the governor, state lawmakers, judges, and district attorneys. Robin Ye is the political and strategy director for the organization East County Rising, which is supporting the measure. “It’s abo...
The wildfire season in Oregon has likely not yet peaked and already 1.3 million acres have been blackened or are ablaze, with 34 large fires burning. And five of them have spread over 100,000 acres each. “We are on a trend of possibly setting a record in the state of Oregon for the number of acres affected by fire,” Carol Connolly, a spokesperson for the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center, which coordinates fire resources, told the Capital Chronicle. “Typically the Northwest peaks aroun...
FINN ROCK: Many of today’s McKenzie Valley residents have heard of recent riparian restoration efforts in the “Finn Rock Reach” near Milepost 38 of Hwy. 126. Fewer, though, recall the former Finn Rock Logging Camp which had long roots, stretching back to 1890, and a sawmill in Rosboro, Arkansas built by Thomas “Whit” Whitaker Rosborough. After Rosborough’s honeymoon itinerary swung through the Pacific Northwest, he’d always had a longing to return. He did in 1939, moving to Springfield,...
The Lane County Sheriff's Office marine patrol wants to alert boaters that a downed tree is almost a complete river blockage just above Belknap Hot Springs Resort. It is only passable on river right and is visible from upstream. Hazard signage has been posted upstream at Frissell and Olallie boat launches....
The Ore Fire is one of ten being managed by the Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team 1 - all on Willamette National Forest lands. Fire suppression work is continuing on the Ore Fire, burning seven miles northeast of Blue River. By Tuesday, the fire had continued to slowly grow, covering 2,001 acres at a 29% containment level. Officials report workers have been strengthening primary and contingency lines around the northwestern and northeastern sides of the fire using heavy equipment...
MCKENZIE BRIDGE: Work continues on Hwy. 126 from the Linn County line to the Old McKenzie Highway - along a section known as the Clear Lake Cutoff. There will also be 48-hour closures from August 20th to the 22nd., in addition to the current schedule of half-day closures from August 1st through 8th, - Sunday through Thursday nights - from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. (with Fridays and Saturdays excluded). Besides repaving the roadway, three bridges in the section are also being resurfaced as part of the...
Bus registration for Springfield School District students is now open. In addition to enrolling for school each year, students eligible to ride the bus will need to be registered to ride the bus for each school year. The district provides transportation services for elementary students who live more than 1 mile from their schools and for secondary (middle and high school) students who live more than 1.5 miles from their schools. Many students with special needs qualify for special...
As Oregon is seeing its first major heat event of the summer, some simple tips can help you keep your home cooler. Most of Oregon was under a heat advisory over the holiday weekend. And with summer just starting, Cameron Starr - senior operations customer experience manager with Energy Trust of Oregon - said more hot days are likely ahead. He said one recommendation is to keep out heat by pulling down window shades during the hottest part of day, and open windows when temperatures cool down....
New research suggests humans aren’t the only ones experiencing negative effects from wildfire smoke. Researchers are studying Ponderosa pines, which inhabit much of the western United States, and they’re finding that smoke may be affecting trees and many more kinds of plants - including food crops. Research co-author Delphine Farmer, a chemistry professor at Colorado State University, said they don’t yet know the full extent of the effects of wildfire smoke on plant life, but they do know it can...
Officials with the Oregon Department of Transportation say they will have to slash more than 1,000 jobs if lawmakers don’t address the agency’s financial woes during next year’s legislative session. Transportation leaders painted a grim picture of what faces the state’s road system during a Thursday meeting with the Oregon Transportation Commission, during which commissioners “reluctantly” approved ODOT’s budget request for 2025-2027. Among the budget’s most glaring problems, according to ODOT:...
Wildfires have burned across Oregon this year, but a few tips could help people protect themselves against their damaging impacts. Fires have burned more than a million acres so far this year, in what has become an annual occurrence for Oregon. Scott Leonard, a program manager with Energy Trust of Oregon, said smoke from wildfires has consequences for people’s health. He said it’s important to keep unhealthy air out by closing gaps around windows and doors and sealing around air con...
BLUE RIVER: A controlled burn that reignited on Forest Service land near Blue River grew to over 1,400 acres this week. Its cause, which officials say is suspicious, won’t be available until this fall. During a public meeting last Tuesday, McKenzie District Ranger Darren Cross outlined how the Ore Fire developed after the 39-acre project was completed on June 10th. It had been out for a month when area temperatures began to rise to the 100-degree range last month. When “smokes” began to appea...
Firefighters have harnessed the temporary break of cooler weather and no new lightning fires to add miles and miles of new containment lines across nearly 30 large wildfires on national forests in Oregon and Washington. But after just a short 72-hour reprieve, wildfire conditions across much of the Pacific Northwest are set to come roaring back. “August is showing us nothing but hot, dry, windy conditions and dry lightning all in the first week,” said Ed Hiatt, Pacific Northwest Assistant Fir...
RAINBOW: Last Sunday was a busy day for the Upper McKenzie Rural Fire Department. At approximately 8:13 p.m. a call came in for a house fire on the corner of Mill Creek Road and McKenzie River Drive. One minute later a second caller reported a fall injury occurred at a separate location on McKenzie River Drive, followed by a third call at 8:27 p.m. for a possible stroke nearby. When firefighters arrived on the scene, heavy smoke and flames were visible from the second floor and the homeowners...
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is hosting webinars and a public meeting in August as part of the agency’s process to chart a sustainable future for state hatcheries. A thorough review and assessment of 14 state-owned hatcheries was directed by the 2023 Oregon Legislature and conducted by third-party contractors. Webinars run from 12 p.m. – 1 p.m. on August 1, 8, and 15. Webinar details are available online; you must click the green “Register now” button for each webinar to attend....
Plans to add Aufderheide Drive (US Forest Road 19) to the Oregon Scenic Bikeway program are moving forward. At a July meeting at the Upper McKenzie Community Center, Connor Nolan provided updates on the project. Nolan, destination development manager for Travel Lane County is the lead proponent of a group that includes the McKenzie River Chamber of Commerce, cycling enthusiasts, area businesses, and other supporters. It aims to focus on “a hard corps cycling audience to come from afar to e...
Oregon high schoolers in the class of 2027 can expect a new financial literacy course on their schedules. The class on personal finance, along with a class on career preparation, will be required for graduation after the Oregon School Board sided with legislators this summer. Opponents of the requirement included teachers unions and school boards, who wanted the lessons to be integrated into other classes. Pam Leavitt, senior vice president of political programs and legislative affairs for the...
Using trees as a cost-effective tool against climate change is more complicated than simply planting large numbers of them, an international collaboration that includes an Oregon State University scientist has shown. Jacob Bukoski of the OSU College of Forestry and seven other researchers synthesized data from thousands of reforestation sites in 130 countries and found that roughly half the time it’s better just to let nature take its course. Findings of the study led by Conservation I...
More Oregonians are suffering from respiratory, heart and mental health issues caused by extreme weather events linked to climate change, and rural, elderly and minority communities are being hit the hardest, a new state report found. But new investments in portable air conditioners, home air filtration systems and gardens and green spaces are helping lessen the effects, according to the Oregon Health Authority’s latest Climate and Health in Oregon report. Analyzing 2023, officials found that m...
A wildfire reported on the afternoon of July 16th suspected to be human-caused has led to the closure of sections of public lands in the Willamette National Forest. The closure, ordered for for public and firefighter safety, is expected to continue through November 15th, unless rescinded or modified sooner. Fire suppression efforts continue on the Ore Fire, which is burning in steep, rugged terrain 7 miles northeast of Blue River. It had grown to approximately 750 acres by Tuesday. On Sunday, a...
The Lane Regional Air Protection Agency has issued an Air Quality Advisory for Eastern Lane County related to smoke from local wildfires, particularly the Oakridge Lightning Fires complex and various in fires in southeastern Lane County. The advisory is in effect through Saturday, July 27, 2024, afternoon. Key points of the advisory: Eastern Lane County, including areas such as Vida, Blue River, Oakridge, and the High Prairie area, may experience intermittent periods of smoke. Air quality is expected to vary widely throughout the day, with...
