Make the McKenzie Connection!
Make the McKenzie Connection!
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Thousands of kids across Oregon are guaranteed summer and after-school programs in the coming school year with millions in new federal funding. The Oregon Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Education announced Monday that 25 school and education service districts around the state, along with the Boys & Girls Club and United Way, will share more than $53.5 million during the next five years to provide summer and after-school programs. The money is from the federal 21st Century...
The geology program, “OREGON ROCKS,” held last Saturday at the McKenzie Fire and Rescue’s Community Room in Leaburg, drew close to 40 people, half of them children. It was offered by the Museum of Natural and Cultural History at the University of Oregon, and sponsored by the Leaburg Library. It was an excellent program, expertly presented by Kali, a junior at U of O, majoring in geology. She had those kids in the palm of her hand as she explained and demonstrated what makes Oregon tick – geo...
EUGENE: As the third anniversary of the Holiday Farm Fire approaches, it’s not the only calendar preview causing anxiety for survivors. “I currently can’t get my building put up because of a parking issue - still,” was the message Meyer’s General Store & Liquor Shop owner Melanie Stanley gave the Lane County Board of Commissioners last Tuesday. “We have until 2025 - that’s less than a year and a half from now so we can’t wait anymore.” “Melanie and the other owners are stuck,” according t...
Highway 126 was reopened around 7 p.m. on 8/31. The three small spot fires from the Lookout Fire east of Highway 126 and four miles north of Belknap Springs were extinguished. The Lookout, Horse Creek, and Pothole Fires 2023 burning in both Lane County and Linn County jumped over Highway 126 in Lane County this morning. While the main fire is still burning on the west side of Highway 126, a small spot fire has started burning on the east side, near the intersection with National Forest Service...
The robotic birds of the sky, known colloquially as drones, were a menace to the wildland firefighting community. The mere appearance of a recreational drone in the skies near a wildfire called for the grounding of all firefighting aircraft, giving birth to catchy sayings like “If you fly, we can’t,” and “It’s not worth the view.” While these sayings are still true, drones – also called UAS or unmanned aerial systems – are playing an increasingly important role in fighting wildfires. No,...
Fire camps never cease to amaze: Like a magician whisking away his big red scarf to reveal something out of nothing, a fire camp can magically appear overnight in a bare field. Of course, there’s no magic about it. Preparing to house, feed, and care for hundreds maybe thousands of firefighters is a well-honed skill. The Logistics folks on a fire team are responsible for finding a site near the fire that’s big enough, close enough – but not too close – and hopefully upwind from all the smoke....
“Level 1 is where we want people up here to be all the time” was the assessment Lane County Sheriff Cliff Howard delivered to people gathered to hear updates on the status of the Lookout Fire. Speaking at the McKenzie High School gym last Thursday, the sheriff went on to add that because most people in the McKenzie Valley live in a wildland/urban interface, they should be “thoughtful about these things throughout the year and have a little higher level of awareness.” Residents in the areas n...
There was good news from firefighters battling the Lookout Fire this week when they reported on Monday that although the fire now encompasses 11,174 acres, it has reached a 5% containment level. Over 1,000 personnel are involved in the operation, which includes 65 engines, 19 crews, 13 bulldozers 27 water tenders, 11 masticators, and 7 helicopters. Part of their work has been focused on the fire’s southwest corner along USFS Road 700. There, crews are clearing hazardous trees and vegetation a...
The 2020 Labor Day wildfires strained understaffed state and local agencies and highlighted a need for more communication so people can recover and access services, the Oregon Department of Emergency Management concluded in a report released Thursday. The 147-page report, based on surveys and interviews, offers a window into the state's work to recover from the wildfires that scorched an area the size of Rhode Island and left communities across the state reeling as thousands of Oregonians lost...
LEABURG: A project to rebuild the earthen pond at the Old McKenzie Fish Hatchery continues to move forward. While dormant it had filled with sediment and vegetation, but now has been converted to a community fishing pond at the McKenzie River Discovery Center site. Thanks to a $19,000 grant from the Oregon Dept. of Fish & Wildlife and the work of volunteers, the pond has been upgraded with an eye toward hosting angling and education/outreach events. When completed, the pond will provide a...
Firefighting resources including aircraft, road machinery, and personnel have all been flowing into the area to fight the growing Lookout Fire. The blaze, which grew to 1, 200 acres on Tuesday morning, caused Oregon Governor Tina Kotek to invoke the Emergency Conflagration Act in response to its projected $2 million plus impacts on the local area. That move has resulted in fire personnel from multiple agencies, emergency managers, and the Lane County Sheriff’s Office all working together. At a...
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 who recovered the body of the deceased person from the water of Blue River Reservoir on August 12, have confirmed it to be Blue River resident Mekenna Reiley, according to the Lane County Sheriff's Office. The State Medical Examiner's office has ruled the cause of death as drowning. Officials say there are no signs of...
With excessive temperatures and wildfire conditions affecting power generation across the region, Eugene Water & Electric Board is encouraging customers to voluntarily conserve energy through Wednesday, especially between 4-9 p.m. As people shelter indoors from wildfire smoke and use their air conditioners to stay cool, the regional power grid is strained and market prices for electricity are extraordinarily high. EWEB typically buys power at around $30-50 per megawatt hour. But the utility is seeing prices of $1,000-$1,700 per megawatt hour...
MCKENZIE BRIDGE: Every August since 2012, a group of dedicated classic car collectors has set out from Seattle for a 1,500-mile road trip to California. The route of the Pebble Beach Motoring Classic travels through mountain passes and along the Pacific Coast. Organized by fellow collector Al McEwan, their destination is the famed Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance collector car show. After an evening of entertainment courtesy of the Oom Pah band and the chicken dance, drivers departed the T...
Billed as a “soft opening” the turnout was impressive when the doors of the new Vida McKenzie Community Center were opened to the public on Sunday. The official opening will come in the Fall but in the meantime, people had a chance to see numerous photos of the equipment that will be installed - from an under-counter refrigerator and freezer to a convection oven. There was also an opportunity to explore the outdoor patio area, where some names have already been etched on the memorial paver blo...
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...
