Make the McKenzie Connection!
Make the McKenzie Connection!
Sorted by date Results 151 - 175 of 1851
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...
RAINBOW: The aroma of grilling hot dogs and hamburgers was only part of the draw for people who turned out last Saturday on the grounds of Orchid Health’s McKenzie River Clinic in Rainbow. There were other attractions besides the free food - ranging from raffle items and gift cards to a bubble machine and kids' games - but the most appreciated thing most people said was the opportunity to once again interact with other community members....
BEND: In June, the Deschutes County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved funding for a new pilot program that encourages builders to construct and sell new homes at prices attainable to median-income earners. The program, called Workforce Home Ownership for Median-income Earners (Workforce HOME), was established in partnership with NeighborImpact, Housing Works, and the Central Oregon Builders Association (COBA). It will provide developers a $30,000 builder credit for each home they...
Several dogs were sickened from salmon poisoning in Oregon recently. Salmon and trout carcasses may harbor bacteria in their blood that can be fatal to dogs. Without treatment, salmon poisoning in dogs is often fatal. Symptoms include severe vomiting and diarrhea. Fortunately, with treatment, most dogs will survive. The bacteria can infect a dog after they eat, bite, or even lick an infected fish carcass. Symptoms may begin showing 5-7 days after exposure. Dog owners should be vigilant about...
More than $27 million is coming to upgrade forests in the Northwest for recreation. The investment is the latest round of funding from the Great American Outdoors Act, which was passed in 2020 and established the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund. The legislation is aimed at addressing the backlog of maintenance needed on public lands. Tracy Calizon, Northwest Region assistant director for recreation, trails, wilderness, and heritage, for the U.S. Forest Service, said 23...
In just the last week, Gov. Tina Kotek declared five conflagrations – meaning many structures have burned or the scale of the fires exceeds local resources. They’re the result of some human-caused fires and thousands of lightning strikes earlier in the week that ignited more than 100 new fires. Ruiz-Temple and the Oregon Department of Forestry’s deputy director of fire operations, Kyle Williams, said lightning storms that are expected Friday through Monday will further elevate risk. Southcentral...
The Willamette National Forest has issued a temporary emergency closure order for Ray Benson Sno Park, which will be utilized as an incident command post to effectively respond to nearby wildfires and station firefighters. The closure order is effective through October 15, 2024, unless rescinded or modified sooner. Visitors are encouraged to support firefighters and crews working the Pyramid Fire east of Sweet Home by recreating elsewhere in the coming weeks. Nearby recreation options include Little Nash Snow Park, Potato Hill, and Santiam...
Millions of acres of national forest lands across Oregon and Washington are continuing to see record breaking dry timber conditions on both sides of the Cascades. These critical conditions are spurring rapid wildfire growth from recent lightning storms including the July 16-17th storms which produced over 2,000 strikes in 48 hours. How many days without rain? Places like the Fremont-Winema and Deschutes national forests in Oregon have surpassed 75 days without wetting rains. And 45 days without...
WALTERVILE: Under canopies shading vendors ranging from “Ali’s Art” to the “Vintage Makeover” booth, there was plenty to delight the eyes and soothe the senses of people walking around the fragrant grounds of the McKenzie Lavender Farm this weekend. Many left laden with bundles of U-cut lavender as well as ceramic, acrylic, wood, metal, or fabric handcrafted treasures. Someone stopping by Gini Hornbecker’s “Sister Stones” display for a keepsake could leave with a purchase no one else possesses...
By Bayla Orton The Carmen-Smith Hydroelectric Project’s increased costs, supply chain shortages, and other Eugene Water & Electric Board projects could soon translate to a 15% increase in utility bills for the utility's customers. Costs for the Carmen site were up $21 million - or 3.3% - last week, creating new issues for budgeting, board officials said. Concerns include requirements for the safe passage of Chinook salmon and bull trout along an 8-mile stretch of the McKenzie River. There are n...
Inexplicable delays to a federal report on ending hydropower generation in the Willamette River Basin to save threatened fish are creating frustration and concern for tribal leaders and conservationists in Oregon. Congress directed the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 2022 to produce a report by the end of June 2024, detailing the impacts that eight federal hydroelectric dams in the Willamette River Basin have had on native fish populations over the past 60 years, and the possibility of deauthori...
All volcanoes in the Cascade Range of Oregon and Washington have been at normal background activity levels. These include Mount Baker, Glacier Peak, Mount Rainier, Mount St. Helens, and Mount Adams in Washington State and Mount Hood, Mount Jefferson, Three Sisters, Newberry, and Crater Lake in Oregon. Mount St. Helens continues to experience slightly heightened seismicity than typical of recent years, with 26 located earthquakes a week ago, and 451 since February 1st when the current increase...
