Make the McKenzie Connection!
Make the McKenzie Connection!
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The long-anticipated arrival of the destructive emerald ash borer (EAB) has sharpened concerns about the impacts to Oregon’s urban forests, wetlands, and streams. Wyatt Williams is the Oregon Department of Forestry’s Invasive Species Specialist. For the past couple years he’s been managing a federal grant to try and save the gene pool of the state’s only native ash species ahead of a pest that could wipe it out. “Since it was first found in the Detroit, Michigan area back in 2002, EAB has becom...
Thousands of Oregonians whose homes or businesses were damaged by the 2020 wildfires are eligible for state grants to help protect them from future wildfire damage. The state Department of Consumer and Business Services said Monday it is offering up to $7,500 for a manufactured home or $6,800 for another home or business to pay for renovations that “harden” the structures against wildfire damage. The grants cover roofs, walls, decks and porches, windows and skylights, overhangs, and ven...
LEABURG: A 71-year-old man is dead and a 37-year-old is in jail for his killing following a Friday night altercation at the deceased man's residence. According to Lane County Sheriff's reports shortly after 10 p.m, on Friday, July 8th, deputies received a call from a neighbor who had witnessed a dispute involving two males at a residence in the 44000 block of the McKenzie Highway. When police arrived on the scene responded and found Gary Stuart Coulter on the ground outside with severe...
To boost capacity within the Oregon fire service, the Oregon Office of State Fire Marshal (OSFM) has awarded $6 million in grants to Oregon's structural fire service agencies to hire fire fighting staff during the 2022 wildfire season. The money was awarded to 180 local fire districts and departments across the state. As part of the OSFM's Response Ready Oregon Initiative, the grant program was available to all 306 local fire districts and departments. The Upper McKenzie Rural Fire Protection...
NIMROD: The Oregon Dept. of Forestry's South Cascade District has added a drone, based out of the Holeman Guard Station that will be used for a variety of missions, The quadcopter unit is fitted with both an infrared and an 8k camera. Officials say the drone will be used primarily to detect fires, scout fire lines, observe fire behavior, and assist with fire investigations. It can also hoist a 30-foot or 100-foot long line to deliver items to the crews on fire lines. Officials say the drone...
Until the 1980s, pulling logs and trees out of streams was widely promoted across North America. Today, millions of dollars are invested every year to put sections of large wood back in streams. Supporters of the new approach say important benefits include the geomorphology of channels, stream discharge, sediment deposits, and habitat for fish. Yet, little is known about the role of large wood in streams for wildlife ranging from birds to large mammals. Recent research results from studies...
BLUE RIVER: The Orchid Health McKenzie River Clinic in Rainbow has hired Daisy Cruz as its new Community Health Worker. Daisy holds a master’s degree in business administration and technical management, along with ten years of experience in administrative work, customer service, and marketing with startup medical organizations. Orchid says that as a Community Health Worker, “Daisy will provide individualized support to help patients beyond the walls of Orchid’s clinic. This includes outre...
BLUE RIVER: Adair Homes has announced their new Legacy Program is providing custom-built houses free of charge to three families affected by Oregon's devastating wildfires of 2020. .In the summer of 2020, raging blazes swept across the Pacific Northwest, leveling properties and destroying entire communities. Adair says their Legacy Program was created to help some affected community members rebuild homes free of charge. Three families were picked to receive the free home builds - one in Blue...
The Lane County Sheriff's Office received a call shortly after 10 pm Friday night that a male had been assaulted at a residence in the 44000 block of McKenzie Hwy. near Leaburg. The victim, a male resident in his 70's, died following the assault. His identity along with specific details about the assault are being withheld at this time. Investigators have identified 37-year-old Nickolas Trevor Jessee as a person of interest. Jessee fled the scene prior to investigators arriving. Jessee is...
BLUE RIVER: Non-profit McKenzie Valley Wellness (MVW) is looking for new members with what they're calling "The best deal in town." Anyone over 18 can join for $10 a year, the same price it was 40 years ago. People who are already members don't need to do anything. Everyone who is a member by July 30th will be able to vote in the upcoming election of board members and any other agenda items at the annual membership meeting, scheduled for Tuesday, August 30th, at the Upper McKenzie Community...
EUGENE: The Lane County Planning Commission will hold a work session and public hearing regarding proposed code amendments that would allow accessory dwelling units (ADUs) in rural residential zones on Tuesday, July 19th. The code amendments would authorize ADUs on properties zoned Rural Residential that are at least two acres in size. The ADU building would have to be an accessory to a single-family dwelling on the property, as well as several other standards and conditions. This proposal also...
VIDA: Caddisfly Concerts, a new organization dedicated to bringing live music to the McKenzie River Valley, got off to a successful start late last month with its first show at Gate Creek Ranch in Vida. Three top-notch bands entertained the Sunday afternoon crowd on a grassy lawn surrounded by towering trees. Tapping toes and murmurs of approval echoed through the audience, relaxed on blankets and lawn chairs. Three bands, Melissa Ruth and the Likely Stories and Neil Gregory Johnson from...
SOUTH SISTER: Deschutes County rescue personnel were busy mid-month after a 911 call from a hiker who had taken a fall and injured himself. At 6:54 p.m. on June 16th, a male from Ithaca, New York, advised he was stranded on the north side of the South Sister. According to Assistant Search and Rescue Coordinator Deputy Donny Patterson the climber had reportedly triggered a small avalanche, which caused him to tumble down the mountain. He was injured in the fall, which made him unable to continue...
MCKENZIE BRIDGE: On Monday, workers put a hardhats, strapped into safety equipment and ascended 190 feet up a metal-framed communications tower that juts up from one of the highest ridges in the McKenzie River Valley. At the top, they installed a basketball-sized camera with a lens that has a 360-degree view of the surrounding mountains and can see 40 miles during the day and up to 120 miles at night. The new digital fire lookout, with a live feed viewable on the internet, will be used to spot...
Lane County Commissioners, McKenzie River Chamber of Commerce board members, business leaders and area residents all joined in at Hendricks Park last Thursday to celebrate start of construction for two "McKenzie Gateway" signs. The signs - at each end of the Valley - were designed to help the McKenzie area as a tourism and business hub and help in the revitalization of the area after the Holiday Farm Fire in September 2020. For the past several years, the McKenzie River Chamber of Commerce Touri...
The Oregon Dept. of Fish & Wildlife has announced leftover tags will go on sale on July 1st at 10 a.m. Tags can be purchased via the online licensing system at https://odfw.huntfishoregon.com/login. However, hunters who drew a controlled hunt must wait until July 2nd at 10 a.m. to try to exchange it for a leftover tag. Also on July 2nd., leftover tags can be purchased through a license agent in addition to the online sale. Officials say an existing tag already purchased or a controlled hunt win for which people haven’t yet purchased the tag c...
EUGENE: "This is probably the biggest decision you'll ever make on this board unless we have to hire another general manager," was the advice Eugene Water & Electric Board president John Brown had for the utility's commissioners on June 16th. Echoing that assessment at last week's meeting, John Barofsky said he wanted at least four hours blocked out in December for discussions that will determine the future of the Leaburg Canal. At the core of those talks will be four options. At one end of the...
VIDA: After many months of enthusiastic fundraising efforts, Vida McKenzie Community Center is breaking ground on the new Center building. Increased building costs have resulted in a funding gap of approximately $250,000. Fundraising will continue during the build with the next event being an amazing, family-friendly concert on June 26th from 1-5:00 p.m. at Gate Creek (the big red barn) on Hwy. 126 in Vida. Tickets are available at the door but pre-purchase is suggested from...
VIDA: What started as casual brainstorming among friends for ways to bring neighbors and tourists together has become Caddisfly Concerts, and the first show is slated for Sunday, June 26th. Three local bands will perform, from 1 to 5 p.m., at the Gate Creek Ranch in Vida. Concert goers can expect high energy, family-friendly fun, and a variety of musical genres, organizers say. "Most folks in the McKenzie Valley had to bug out during the fire of 2020," according to Paul Dage. "Most are back to...
Cultural resource specialists with the Portland District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) have finalized an agreement that will enhance the protection of historic and cultural resources across the Willamette Valley, where the Corps manages 13 dams and reservoirs in addition to thousands of acres of land. The National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (NHPA) requires federal agencies to consider any potential impacts their projects may have on historic properties. The new 10-year document, officials say, goes a step further by...
BLUE RIVER: In documents issued in May, the Oregon Dept. of Justice has requested all information involving the activities of McKenzie Valley Wellness (MVW) and the Orchid Health Clinic beginning in January 1st, 2017 related to the operations of charitable trusts or a nonprofit corporation. Several different areas are coming up for review. MVW has been ordered to produce all records related to the activities of its board of directors, its bylaws, and membership lists, as well as financial transactions and passwords to electronic bookkeeping...
WALTERVILLE: On June 6th at 4:18 p.m., the Springfield Police Department responded to a report that a male suspect had unsuccessfully attempted to abduct a child in the area of South 48th Street near Daisy Street in Springfield. The caller provided a description of the suspect's vehicle and the direction they were headed. Officers from the Lane County Sheriff's Office and State Police responded and located the suspect and his vehicle, aided by the caller's testimony. In the interim, police...
MCKENZIE BRIDGE: It’s critical that all subscribers who receive this newspaper via the US Postal Service send their email addresses to [email protected]. Oregon Web Press (OWP), which has printed McKenzie River Reflections for three decades, informed publishers last week that they will retire their newsprint press line on July 1st. As a result, they will no longer be printing newspapers. That’s very bad news for about eight Oregon weeklies and more than a dozen monthly school and university publications that were printed at OWP’s Albany, Oregon...
MCKENZIE BRIDGE: The planned reopening of the Old McKenzie Pass is set for the third Monday in June, which this year would be on the 20th. Bicyclists and pedestrians have been enjoying the route for the last few weeks before it is again open to motorists. (Vehicles longer than 35 feet are prohibited from using the highway.) The first route over the Mc-Kenzie Pass, known as Craig's McKenzie Salt Springs/Deschutes Wagon Road, was completed in 1872. Crews rebuilt sections of the road in the 1920s...
