Make the McKenzie Connection!
Make the McKenzie Connection!
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Jon and Jerri Jo Payne of the Leaburg Store received the most votes in this year's balloting. One gave them praise for "having been very successful at converting the sleepy little stop in Leaburg into a thriving store." Others said they appreciated things like an ever expanding selection of food including fresh breads, fruits and vegetables, while also featuring "quick to go meals." There were plenty of mentions about things to eat - including fresh sourdough and whole wheat breads, locally...
EUGENE: Green could be the color to describe some of the reasoning behind the Eugene Water & Electric Board commissioner’s decision to decommission the Leaburg Hydroelectric Project. The pigment, often used in reference to clean energy production, was pitted against ongoing impacts to the environment. But it was the amount of greenbacks involved - $117 to $230 per megawatt hour (to bring the generators back into full service) versus $33 MWh to buy power from the BPA - that helped assure a u...
WALTERVILLE: A vehicle versus pedestrian accident took the life of a Springfield man early last Thursday night. The Oregon State Police responded to a vehicle versus pedestrian crash on Hwy. 126E, near milepost 14.2, at approximately 6:09 p.m. on January 5th. Police said their preliminary investigation indicated a pedestrian, 50-year-old Brandon Philes of Springfield, was walking on the eastbound fog line of the McKenzie Hwy., near the intersection with Latta Lane, when he was struck by an eastbound Subaru Outback, operated by Frank King III...
Where did Americans move over the last decade? The top migration destinations include the Pacific Northwest, parts of the Southwest Texas, Florida, and a large swath of the Southeast In contrast, people tended to move away from places in the Midwest, the Great Plains, and along the Mississippi River. Those sort of moves are expected to continue as extreme weather events, including heat waves, hurricanes, and wildfires continue. The predictions are part of a 10-year examination of trends in human...
Oregon continues to face new and enduring hazards related to climate change, but opportunities for adaptation and mitigation are also expanding, the latest assessment released today by the Oregon Climate Change Research Institute indicates. “In general, the qualitative climate projections haven’t changed appreciably,” said Erica Fleishman, director of the institute, which is housed at Oregon State University and is charged with producing the biennial assessment. “It is becoming hotter and an...
The Oregon Division of Financial Regulation (DFR) warns cryptocurrency investors to do their homework before giving any money to a crypto trading platform. Many crypto trading apps or websites are really just fake platforms set up by scammers to take investor money and give nothing in return. Investors are promised huge returns in a short amount of time and will see account balances increase rapidly, but will not be able to withdraw funds without having to deposit more money in “withdrawal fees” or “taxes.” The scammer will continue extorti...
The Pacific Northwest Regional Forester has withdrawn a January 2021 Record of Decision that authorized the Flat Country Project near McKenzie Bridge. Officials say they will review aspects of the project including the conservation of mature and old-growth forests and carbon stewardship. The action means will not go forward at this time. The action came after Regional Forester Glenn Casamassa formed an interdisciplinary review team to review the Willamette National Forest’s Flat Country p...
Log buyers are actively looking for wood right now and while prices aren’t where they were last winter, they are certainly good and on par with past years. Prices are likely seeing a dip from last year because housing interest rates are up quite a bit and home buying is less attractive. That being said, winter is usually a difficult time for small landowners to access their trees for harvesting anyway, but if you are set up for it, it can prove to be beneficial as inventories are typically l...
Some trees that normally live for more than a thousand years may be facing an end-of-life crisis. That was part of the warning on December 14th from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in announcing the agency was designating the whitebark pine as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Over the last two decades, more than a quarter of the trees have been killed by white pine blister disease, climate change, wildfires, and voracious beetles. “As a keystone species of the W...
The Oregon Conservation and Recreation Fund (OCRF) granted $997,929 in 2022 to support projects. The money was earmaked for projects that protect and enhance the species and habitats while also creating new opportunities for wildlife watching, urban conservation, community science, and other wildlife-associated recreation - as well as drought preparedness and wildfire research. Since the formation of the OCRF three years ago, 91 projects have been funded through competitive requests for proposals. Officials say those projects have spanned the...
It can be challenging for parents and caregivers to shield their children from bigotry and hatred online, but there are a few tips they can follow. Lindsay Schubiner, Momentum program director at the Western States Center, said the work is especially crucial because white nationalist groups are using the internet to recruit people. She pointed out young people are developing identities and ideas in relationship to everything around them, including what they see and hear online. "As hate...
January At the start of 2022, the Jones family (owners of the Seneca Family of Companies) donated 16 acres adjacent to the Aaron and Marie Jones Field/McKenzie Track for community rebuilding and revitalization after the 2020 Holiday Farm Fire. A range of possible range from affordable housing to a state-certified child care center, as well as multi-use office spaces, community drinking water, septic infrastructure, and more. The McKenzie River Trust said it will manage the site with community...
Oregon is joining the ranks of states providing paid leave for all workers. In January, employees and employers will begin paying into the program. Workers will be able to apply for benefits in September. Karen Humelbaugh, director of the Paid Leave Oregon program for the Oregon Employment Department, said the program is important for the safety and welfare of communities. "Some of us have had paid leave through our employer, but many Oregonians do not have any form of paid leave," Humelbaugh...
The Willamette National Forest has authorized the 2020 Fire Affected Road System Risk Project, which aims to reduce the risks posed by fire-killed and injured trees along roads while restoring access to and through the burned area. The work will involve cutting and falling fire-killed and damaged trees along 250 miles of important access routes within the 2020 fire-affected road system. Moderate, high, or mixed tree mortality trees likely to survive the effects of fire or don't threaten the road...
A new study published in Nature Energy found that electricity customers often lack awareness of their daily energy-use patterns at home, which could have a serious financial impact as utility companies move toward time-of-use energy pricing models. If utilities change their pricing structures, consumers need to understand how and when they're using electricity so they can make informed decisions about billing choices, the study's authors say. "Energy systems and the grid are undergoing drastic...
The McKenzie Watershed Council's Firewood Program is helping rural Lane County residents with their heating needs this winter. The program began in December of 2021, spurred in part to help those affected by the Holiday Farm Fire. It has now expanded to include more of the McKenzie River area communities, helping residents in need with firewood harvested from private properties in the burnzone. Lara Colley, Watershed Restoration Specialist at McKenzie Watershed Council mentioned, "We heard...
The McKenzie Watershed Council's Firewood Program is helping rural Lane County residents with their heating needs this winter. The program began in December of 2021, spurred in part to help those affected by the Holiday Farm Fire. It has now expanded to include more of the McKenzie River area communities, helping residents in need with firewood harvested from private properties in the burn zone. Lara Colley, Watershed Restoration Specialist at McKenzie Watershed Council mentioned, "We heard...
BLUE RIVER: The town’s new library will be located on the corner of Blue River Drive and Dexter Street. After the Holiday Farm Fire, two lots adjoining the old O’Brien Library property were purchased with the insurance settlement. The added space will improve access, visibility, parking, and septic service. Funding for the replacement includes $1.4 million in state funding received in November of 2021 and $600,000 in the insurance settlement. PIVOT Architecture of Eugene was selected to des...
BLUE RIVER: Lane County Public Works is developing a design concept for the portion of Blue River Drive between where it crosses Blue River and the McKenzie Highway. Planners say the immediate need for the project is to provide better direction for people who are redeveloping in the area and where to start measuring building setbacks from Blue River Drive. Currently, there is a 60-foot right-of-way along the roadway; however, Lane County code requires 90 feet. "As you can imagine, that 30-foot d...
EUGENE: In what several commissioners referred to as “the best of the worst” options, the Eugene Water & Electric Board has endorsed plans to remove Leaburg Dam, fix stretches of a leaking canal, and back away from some local power generation. The move came after 20 board sessions that have been discussing what to do with the aging facility after water seepage caused the hydroelectric plant’s shutdown in 2018. Studies and negotiations with federal agencies are likely to go on for another ten years before any removal work begins but ongoi...
LEABURG: From his base at Merchandise Mart (now the Twitter Building) in San Francisco, Tom Ripp traveled the world representing firms like Sony and SECO. That meant he had a lot of free time on planes or in hotel rooms. He filled it by reading and since starting in 1957 Ripp has amassed one of the world’s largest collections of books on angling. “The history of angling literature is massive,” he told a crowd at the dedication of the Angler’s Roost room at the Leaburg Libray last Saturda...
EUGENE: In a report sure to dominate the Eugene Water & Electric Board's December 6th meeting, the utility's general manager is calling for a move that would permanently discontinue electricity generation at the Leaburg Hydroelectric Project. While both the Leaburg and Walterville projects are included in the current Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) operating license, Frank Lawson limited his comments to Leaburg and noted that if economic conditions change in the future, EWEB might re...
Some lucky hikers could come home with a new decoration for their Christmas trees this year. Ornaments have been placed on the Tamolitch Falls (Blue Pool) Trail #3507, Waterfalls Loop Trail #3503, and the King-Castle Trail #4326 in the McKenzie Ranger District. People should take only take one ornament per household so other families can enjoy the same thrill. Every ornament on a given trail features the same design. When people find one, they can register to win the grand prize - and put the...
BLUE RIVER: If all goes well there will be a community celebration for a new Blue River fire station next year. When recovery became the focus of the Upper McKenzie Rural Fire Protection District, it became clear the vacated alley on Echo Street where the old station stood wasn't buildable under current standards. A search began for a feasible location to replace a building that was destroyed when the Holiday Farm Fire swept through the town. When long-time volunteers Vern and Renee Langan...
Santa, Christmas trees, and battery-powered lights - all on rubber rafts - cheered the night just before dusk last Saturday in Rainbow. The flotilla of river guides from Horse Creek Lodge passed under the Belknap Covered Bridge in coordination with the annual holiday lighting of the structure....
