Make the McKenzie Connection!
Make the McKenzie Connection!
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Environmentalists chalked up a win last month in the efforts to stop a Trump-era rule that allowed more logging on post-fire land without conducting detailed environmental reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act. In rules adopted in 2020, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) increased the maximum area for “categorical exclusions” from 250 to 3,000 acres. The change allowed the agency to move ahead on logging projects they said would involve minimal environmental impacts. Cascadia Wil...
A new Oregon State University Extension Service website has been designed to provide a trove of science-based solutions for garden pests, weeds, and disease problems in one easy-to-navigate place. The project was shepherded by Weston Miller, an OSU Extension community horticulturist who got the ball rolling six years ago when collaborators ex-pressed interest and provided funds for what would become the Solve Pest and Weed Problems website. "Our stakeholders – Metro, the East, and West M...
The McKenzie Community Partners are sponsoring the McKenzie Holiday Lights event. Organizers say they’d love to see even more lights up this year than last, especially on homes and properties that can be seen from the road. People are asked to install their lighted decorations by December 1st and take them down on New Year’s Day. Last year featured the first large-lit display - Santa Riding a Salmon at the McKenzie River Discovery Center at Leaburg Lake. Two more have been added this year - a S...
Christmas tree permits are available for the Willamette National Forest and can be purchased through December 31st. They're available at several local vendors. Rather than going to a ranger station, people are also encouraged to purchase Christmas tree permits online at Recreation.gov. The Forest Service decided to move Christmas tree permit sales to Recreation.gov as an added convenience for visitors, as well as provide an alternative to in-person transactions at forest offices. Visit...
EUGENE: Imagine if heavy snowfall and freezing rain hit the area this winter. Imagine damaged trees, road closures, and widespread power outages. What would you do? The Eugene Water & Electric Board's electric division and emergency management staff imagined that exact scenario last week during a mock winter storm power outage drill that is conducted every year. More than 60 staff members participated in the drill that simulated a five-day storm scenario where power was lost to over 18,000...
Faster and more widespread testing for chronic wasting disease in deer is now possible due to a new partnership between the Oregon Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at Oregon State University's Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Chronic wasting disease is spread through animals' waste and saliva, and infected animals can be contagious for months or years before showing symptoms. It is incurable and affects members of the Cervidae family: deer,...
The U.S. Forest Service will recognize the service of America’s veterans by waiving standard amenity fees for all visitors to national forest and grassland day-use areas on Veterans Day, November 11th. “Many veterans spend time with their families and connect with nature while hiking, hunting, boating, and exploring the range of outdoor recreation opportunities national forests and grasslands have to offer,” said Tracy Calizon, regional assistant director of recreation for the U.S. Forest Service in the Pacific Northwest. Officials say making V...
THURSTON: Police responding to a report of a very slow vehicle last Thursday found a line of about 30 cars had built up by the time they caught up with it. Initially, the caller had reported he was behind an eastbound Kia near the Walterville Elementary School. A Lane County Sheriff's Deputy was finally able to get the driver of the cream-colored Kia Soul to stop before directing the driver to pull into the Ike's Pizza parking lot by Leaburg Lake. The driver reportedly almost ran over a deputy...
MT. JEFFERSON: The family of a pilot killed in an accident in the Mount Jefferson Wilderness got some help from a GoFundMe campaign, according to Linn County Sheriff Michelle Duncan. The sheriff reported on October 20th that her office had continued to assist in the recovery of a plane that was lost near Mount Jefferson. At 4:14 p.m., on September 22nd, two hikers who had been on the Pacific Crest Trail reported they heard the crash and said they could smell fuel but did not see an airplane....
BLUE RIVER: The McKenzie Valley Wellness (MVW) non-profit got some good news last week from the Oregon Dept. of Justice. In their determination, the DOJ said they’d received “sufficient information and otherwise addressed our questions outlined in the Order. We do not intend to take any further action at this time.” According to MVW president Val Rapp, “the DOJ requested only that McKenzie Valley Wellness send them confirmation when MVW members vote on a proposed new board composition policy, drafted by MVW’s attorneys in response to the DOJ’s...
EUGENE: No matter what commissioners finally decide on the fate of the Eugene Water & Electric Board’s Leaburg hydroelectric plant it is still likely to cost anywhere from $50 to $100 million more than what they’d expected. During a four-hour work session last Tuesday EWEB’s staff told the board those projections would be part of an updated report they could expect to receive next month. The additional costs would cover anticipated upgrades to EWEB’s Walterville Canal likely to be required by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Both facil...
The Forest Service is now accepting scoping public comments through November 14th for its proposal to develop a trail-wide comprehensive plan and associated environmental analysis for the Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail, extending the original scoping public comment period by 15 days. The Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail was designated by Congress as part of the National Trails System in 2009 and is one of the nation’s newest national scenic trails. The trail covers a route of approximately 1,200 miles, from the Continental D...
The Oregon Board of Forestry approved more than 100 changes to the Forest Practices Act at a special board meeting on October 26th. The rule changes will impact timber harvest activities on more than 10 million acres of private and non-federal forests in the state. “The rules we adopted are just one of a great many changes coming from the Private Forest Accord that will advance how Oregon protects its natural resources and responds to the climate change crisis, while also providing some stability for the communities and economies that rely on t...
FINN ROCK: After over two years, and with the help of state and federal grants, the stadium grandstands lost to the Holiday Farm Fire at McKenzie High School are being rebuilt. Last week, the district focused on "making a mark" by allowing students and staff to put a handprint or initials on the wet concrete slab under the new bleachers. Like the structures built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, the slab will likely be something students can visit with their own offspring in the...
SALEM: The Oregon Department of Education (DOE) last week released its 2021-22 "At-A-Glance" report on the state's schools, which provides information about student and teacher demographics, educational readiness, and success. The information in the report is based on the 2021 - 2022 year, which offers a comparison to pre-pandemic years, according to the DOE. Some of the data, though, could be reflected in low regular attendance numbers caused by the delta and omicron COVID surges. Commenting...
Local residents in Camp Creek and Rainbow both got together last week to talk about ways to improve emergency communications. Some of the 30 people who gathered at the Camp Creek Church on Tuesday night voiced concerns about what happened during a recent power outage. When power companies de-energized their electrical lines during a Red Flag wildfire alert, many said they were surprised to learn they’d also lost their phone service. Craig Myers, of Springfield-based MyComm Communications, explained an outage like that can occur when a phone s...
La Niña is expected to return for the third consecutive winter. Starting in December 2022 through February 2023, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts wetter-than-average conditions for areas of the Pacific Northwest, Ohio Valley, Great Lakes, and the northern Rockies. "The hardworking forecasters at NOAA's Climate Prediction Center produce timely and accurate seasonal outlooks and short-term forecasts year-round," said Michael Farrar, Ph.D., director of the...
Earlier this month the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF), Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), and U.S. Forest Service (Forest Service) renewed their agreement allowing continued work across boundaries to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires, improving forest and watershed health, and create jobs in rural, forest-dependent communities. The cooperative work agreement was extended until 2032 under the Good Neighbor Authority (GNA). This is a provision of the 2014 federal Farm Bill that allows state agencies to do vital...
FINN ROCK: Representatives from the Oregon State Marine Board (OSMB) and Lane County Parks brought a preliminary peek at what a rebuilt Forest Glen Boat Landing could look like during a presentation at the McKenzie High School gym on Monday night. Lane County Parks Manager Brett Henry stressed that what people were being shown was just a preliminary concept designed for generating public input. Two key components of the proposal included the launch areas and parking. Currently, several users of...
People who want to see the Leaburg Dam and the lake it created remain in existence made a showing last Sunday. They brandished "Save the Lake" signs atop the dam and amongst a flotilla of boats and kayaks nearby. Currently, the Eugene Water & Electric Board, which built the structures for hydropower generation over 70 years ago, is mulling over ways to either repair to remove the infrastructure. Two proposals that would preserve the dam and lake involve either a full or limited return to power...
Voters in the eastern portion of the McKenzie Valley are being asked to support emergency services when they mark their ballots for the November 8th election. If the Upper McKenzie Rural Fire Protection District’s request for renewal of its local option tax levy is approved, the current rate of 50 cents per $1,000 of assessed value would continue. That amount translates to about $90 per year for a home assessed at $150,000. In a fact sheet provided by the district, officials note they provide coverage for the communities of Blue River, R...
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) proposed updates to flood maps for Central Lane County in the mail of local residents. Affected property owners began receiving annual Community Rating System floodplain letters at the end of September. “Our partners at FEMA have done a great job creating opportunities for residents to view, learn about and provide feedback on these maps,” said Lane County Planning Director Amber Bell. Officials say the updated flood maps better represent flood risks in the county by showing areas with the hig...
Vehicle collisions with deer and elk tend to peak in October and November, when migration and breeding (the "rut") puts them on the move, making them more likely to cross roads. Fewer daylight hours and rainy weather also reduce drivers' visibility. On average, the Oregon Dept. of Transportation (ODOT) documents more than 6,000 vehicle collisions with deer and elk each year. The actual number of collisions is likely higher, as many are not reported if there is minimal damage or no human...
LEABURG: U.S. Forest Service policies that support logging old-growth trees drew over 100 protesters to Leaburg Lake last weekend. While calling for the cancellation of the Flat Country Timber Sale near McKenzie Bridge, organizers of the event urged the crowd to go further. “This river is now known as the McKenzie but who was McKenzie?” asked Madeline Cowen of Cascadia Wildlands. “He was a European colonizer who forcibly removed the original residents from this land,” she added. Cowen went on...
Under a $422,286,000 federal grant, Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) will administer the “ReOregon” program for disaster recovery funds tied to the 2020 Labor Day fires. The money grant is intended to support rebuilding housing, particularly for low- and moderate-income survivors, revitalize communities, and prepare affected areas to withstand future disasters. Officials say OHCS proposes implementing programs directly—while allowing survivors to work with local partners in the a...
