Make the McKenzie Connection!
Make the McKenzie Connection!
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The National Weather Service on Monday issued Red Flag Warnings for a large portion of the Forest Service’s Pacific Northwest Region due to unstable conditions combined with wind and low relative humidity. A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now or will shortly. These warnings are issued when specific criteria are met to create prime conditions for fast fire spread if a fire were to ignite. “Today’s red flag warnings are in effect for extremely hot, dry, unstable weather west of the cascade crest...
Two tribes in Washington are asking federal regulators to ban a chemical widely used in car tires that scientists have identified as highly toxic to salmon and other fish. The Port Gamble S’Klallam and Puyallup tribes, along with the Yurok, which is the largest native nation in California, petitioned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday to establish regulations prohibiting the manufacture and use of the substance, known as 6PPD. Researchers in 2020 identified an offshoot of the c...
Poachers beware! This week, the state launched Protect Oregon’s Wildlife - Turn In Poachers - a new campaign to help protect fish and wildlife for future generations through education and awareness. Now residents across the state can learn more about poaching and how to report the illegal killing of fish and wildlife. Poaching poses as a direct threat to Oregon’s precious fish and wildlife populations. The new website, ProtectOregonsWildlife.com, features tips on how to recognize poaching, the...
The McKenzie River Ranger District in the Willamette National Forest had some fire activity from the lightning storm that went through last Friday. The McBee fire started in the southern end of the Three Sisters Wilderness and 4 smokejumpers arrived on the scene that evening. The fire was contained, controlled, and called out at .10 acres on Saturday afternoon and the smokejumpers returned to base. Also on Saturday, a Forest Service engine assisted Upper McKenzie Rural Fire Protection District w...
DEATH INVESTIGATION Just after 1 p.m. on Saturday dispatchers received a 911 Call that reported a body had just washed up at the Blue River Dam. Investigators with the Lane County Sheriff's Office recovered the body of the deceased person from the water of Blue River Reservoir yesterday. The identity of the involved and the cause of death are under investigation. Additional information is not available at this time....
CENTRAL OREGON CASCADE FOOTHILLS-WILLAMETTE NATIONAL FOREST- 227 PM PDT FRI AUG 11 2023 ...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT SATURDAY NIGHT TO 8 PM PDT MONDAY FOR WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONES 606 AND 608... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PORTLAND HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG WARNING FOR WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY, WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT SATURDAY NIGHT TO 8 PM PDT MONDAY. THE FIRE WEATHER WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT. * AFFECTED AREA...IN OREGON, FIRE...
The Lane County Sheriff’s Office is advising the public of a water obstruction on the McKenzie River in the Blue River area. A log is obstructing the river-right channel near River Mile 62.5 (close to the area of McKenzie River Dr. and Mill Creek Rd.) This obstruction is difficult to see from upstream. Boaters are encouraged to use extreme caution and stay to the left side of the channel when passing. For the most current information on water obstructions and safety tips, please review the i...
Additional fire restrictions are in effect on the Willamette National Forest beginning Aug. 8. All open campfires are prohibited, including in campgrounds and wilderness areas. Fire danger is currently ‘very high’ and Industrial Fire Precaution Level (IFPL) remains as IFPL III. 🚫 Building, maintaining, attending or using a fire, campfire or stove fire, including a charcoal, wood, or coal fire. However, pressurized liquid or gas stoves, lanterns, and heaters that can be switched on and off ar...
EUGENE: It may be 20 years or more before any significant changes are made but area residents would like a better understanding of how the removal of the Leaburg Dam will impact them. That’s the message several speakers brought when they testified at the utility’s August 1st board meeting. Jake Grisley of Leaburg Dam Road reminded the board that several hundred people live on the south side of the McKenzie in that area. If the Leaburg Dam and bridge are removed, he said, property owners along Leaburg Dam Road and Leashore Drive could be adverse...
RAINBOW: The judge at this year’s Ice Cream Social at the Upper McKenzie Community Center was Steve Severin, who had a chance to sample a table full of entries before naming his favorite. Over 100 people attended the event last Saturday and had the opportunity to see plans for future improvements for the historic structure while tasting some of the cobblers themselves. Other crowd pleasers were the shelves of books and other offerings at the temporary site of the O’Brien Memorial Library and...
FINN ROCK: Work on Elk Creek in the Finn Rock Reach restoration area is showing results. Contractors working for the McKenzie River Trust have built log jams and transplanted willows as well as reintroduced spawning gravels to the area in anticipation of the creek being re-routed into its original channel. Last Friday night, the restoration team removed the first of three sections of berm built to armor the area against the McKenzie River. As the water began to move across the floodplain for...
Fire investigators with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service are seeking the public’s assistance with any tips or information pertinent to the start of the Bedrock Fire. Reported on July 22nd, the wildfire is located in the Willamette National Forest’s Middle Fork Ranger District, approximately 36 miles east of Springfield. The fire started near the Bedrock Campground, off of Forest Road 18 in the Fall Creek area, This week over 720 emergency responders have supported sup...
MCKENZIE BRIDGE: The 40-year operating license at Carmen Smith, issued in 2019, includes 10 natural resource and recreation management plans and over 300 individual commitments. Part of the Eugene Water and Electric Board’s license agreement calls for providing passage for federally threatened bull trout and Chinook salmon so they can move safely past the Trail Bridge Dam. In that area, populations of native trout are being monitored, along with a focus on returning historic fish spawning and f...
BLUE RIVER: The Bottle Boys have stepped up to provide a generous donation to support the much-needed maintenance and mowing of the Blue River Park grounds. As soon as the fire restrictions ease up, the park will be mowed and weeded, thanks to the kind contribution from the Bottles Boys. Over the past year, the park district has been working on a Wildfire Recovery Master Plan, taking into account feedback gathered from surveys. The Overall Plan, with assistance from the National Park Service...
Scientists analyzed more than 650 dam removal projects over 55 years in the United States totaling $1.52 billion inflation-adjusted dollars to develop a tool to better estimate the cost of future dam removals. The analysis arrives at a time of increasing awareness of the disruptive impact dams can have on ecosystems, while thousands of dams are increasingly being removed because they are aging, unsafe, no longer serving their original purpose, or in need of costly repairs and maintenance. “We ar...
Scientists analyzed more than 650 dam removal projects over 55 years in the United States totaling $1.52 billion inflation-adjusted dollars to develop a tool to better estimate the cost of future dam removals. The analysis arrives at a time of increasing awareness of the disruptive impact dams can have on ecosystems, while thousands of dams are increasingly being removed because they are aging, unsafe, no longer serving their original purpose, or in need of costly repairs and maintenance. “We are transitioning from a period of building dams to...
NORTH SISTER: Hope turned to sorrow following a 12:18 p.m. report on July 17th that a woman’s boyfriend had fallen approximately 300 to 500 feet down a Cascade peak and was severely injured. According to Lane County Sheriff’s Office, Fiona Curley was unable to see where Joel Tranby had fallen and couldn’t reach him due to the extremely steep and rocky terrain of that section of the North Sister. A Lane County Sheriff’s Office SAR Coordinator and a Mountain Rescue volunteer arrived in the area vi...
The Lane Regional Air Protection Agency (LRAPA) extended the air quality advisory on Thursday for Eastern Lane County. LRAPA expects intermittent smoke in the following areas through at least Monday night. Smoke levels can change rapidly depending on the weather. Check current conditions on the Oregon Smoke Information Blog, or by visiting the EPA’s Fire & Smoke Map: https://fire.airnow.gov/ Smoke can irritate the eyes and lungs and worsen some medical conditions. People most at risk include i...
COUGAR DAM: Crews from advanced American Construction of Portland have been busy while traffic has been blocked from crossing over the top of Cougar Dam. Details of the $6,650,000 in upgrades include the placement of a 480v electrical line across the Cougar Dam crest, concrete work, and repainting. The work closure of Road NF-1993 will extend through this fall. It will reopen on September 29th. Visitors may need to plan alternate routes to access these trailheads: Lower Echo/East Fork, Upper...
"Chimneys were all that was left of our Blue River home Sounding the sirens and calling out names Leave everything that you own and your Blue River home..." Those words can stand alone - but put to music in a new recording - they can convey much more to listeners. Singers and songwriters Mike and Carleen McCornack are Oregon/Willamette Valley natives with a 50-plus-year history as folk musicians. As the couple recalls some shared experiences over the past few years, their thoughts have often...
The Lane County Board of County Commissioners will conduct a public hearing regarding proposed code amendments that would allow accessory dwelling units (ADUs) in rural residential zones. The public hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, August 1st, at 1:30 p.m. People can attend in-person in Harris Hall at the Lane County Public Service Building (125 E 8th Ave., Eugene) or visit www.LaneCountyOR.gov/BoardAgendas for more information about participating virtually. The code amendments would authorize accessory dwelling units on properties zoned...
Researchers in the Oregon State University College of Engineering are developing technology to convert wastewater into a product that would simultaneously irrigate and fertilize crops. The three-year project led by Xue Jin, assistant professor of environmental engineering, will be supported by $750,000 in funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and will involve partnerships with farmers, wastewater treatment plants and USDA scientists. “Agricultural activity accounts for 70% of all a...
The Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) wants to remind Oregonians to stay vigilant this fire season. Over the last several weeks, the department has recognized an uptick in human-caused wildfires. ODF hopes that with understanding and cooperation, human-caused fires do not continue progressing. With dry fuels, higher temperatures, and low humidity, now is the time for Oregonians to actively practice wildfire prevention. “We all need to do our part to prevent wildfires from starting throughout the year, but right now everyone needs to be e...
EUGENE: “Focusing on operational readiness and honing in on our research and development” was how Jeannine Parisi characterized the Eugene Water & Electric Board’s plans for counteracting weather-related fire dangers. The utility’s strategic planning manager’s presentation to the utility commissioners last week also noted that “communication is the most important part of PSPS (Public Safety Power Shutoffs).” Last year EWEB had planned to increase the sensitivity of powerline shutoffs when...
