Make the McKenzie Connection!
Make the McKenzie Connection!
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MCKENZIE BRIDGE: Access to the McKenzie River National Recreation Trail and Roads 2654-2655 will be affected from June 13th to July 22nd. The U.S. Forest Service and the McKenzie Watershed Council have partnered on a restoration project on the lower portion of Deer Creek. Work there was designed to restore natural processes that create and maintain diverse habitats for fish and wildlife. To date, officials say, the project has been successful, and Phase Four of the project will be implemented...
LEABURG: People might feel what it's like to almost fall in love in Paris, nearly tumble to their death in Berlin, or barely escape from a Sahara sandstorm. Others could gain insights into how civilization was carved into the surface of America's western frontier. Experiences like those can come to mind by picking up the "The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao" by Junot Diaz or "Angle of Repose" by Wallace Stegner. Both books are among a multitude of Pulitzer prize winners on the shelves of...
VIDA: What was once a turn-of-the-20th-century stagecoach stop will now be a place to stop again – for live musical performances. Chris and Leian DeLeon, owners of Gate Creek Ranch in Vida, and their daughter Jesslin DeLeon are building a large wooden stage on their property (known for its big red barn) which also houses their businesses - Blue Sky Trees, Inc. and a social event venue. "We've always thought it would be great to have live music here," says Chris DeLeon, who is milling lumber for...
New Central Cascades Wilderness permits for day use opened up over the weekend for the Deschutes Willamette and Deschutes National Forests. It began on June 15th and ends on October 15th, annually. Beginning June 13th, at 7 a.m., the reservation period for two-day advance day use permits will open on Recreation.gov for the permit system. Day use permits will continue to be available in ten-day and two-day rolling windows throughout the permit system season. Day-use permits are only required on 19 of the 70 trailheads within the Mt. Jefferson,...
Lane County residents with curbside recycling carts and customers at all Lane County transfer stations can add #1 and #2 bottles, jars, and jugs to their recycling. This expanded list of items—which must be clean, dry, and larger than a tennis ball—rejoin the recyclable materials stream after being excluded in 2018, following a global recycling market crisis. Since then, the market and sorting process has improved, according to Lane County Waste Reduction Program Supervisor Angie Marzano. “Since the crisis, local material recovery facil...
Fire recovery work on Forest Service Road (FSR) 19, also known as Aufderheide Drive, was completed this week and the road is now open to thru traffic from Highway 126 to Highway 58. Recreational day-use sites and campgrounds, including Terwilliger "Cougar" Hot Springs, are now accessible from Highway 126. Fire recovery work and safety mitigations included the removal of hazardous trees, rock scaling, and the replacement of guard rails. Maintenance work on FSR 19, such as road paving and...
Many wildlife rehabilitators are currently not accepting waterfowl due to the spread of avian flu in wild birds. Because they can carry the virus without showing symptoms, allowing them into rehabilitation facilities can put all the birds at the facility at risk, officials warn. Goslings, ducklings, and adult waterfowl can all carry the virus. If people find healthy ducklings or goslings without a parent nearby, they’re asked to leave them alone and allow the parents to find them. If not, they can be released at the nearest waterway. Injured d...
Fishing will be free in Oregon this weekend - on Saturday and Sunday, June 4th and 5th. Everyone can fish, clam and crab for free in Oregon those two days. No fishing/shellfish licenses or tags are required for those two days for either Oregon residents or nonresidents. It's also free to park and camp at Oregon State Parks on Saturday, June 4th. All other fishing regulations apply including closures, bag limits, and size restrictions. Check the Oregon Dept. of Fish & Wildlife's Recreation...
SISTERS: The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office has identified a body discovered by a small group of mushroom hunters. The man’s remains were found near the snow gate on State Highway 242 (the Old McKenzie Pass Highway) west of Sisters on the afternoon of May 21st, and a subsequent investigation has found no signs of foul play, Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies reported last Monday. The man has been identified as 44-year-old Marcus Ryan Kawano. Sgt. Doug Sullivan said Kawano was a transient who moved around the area “quite a bit,” but last...
The OnPoint has announced the three winners of the 2022 Educator of the Year Award who will have their mortgage or rent paid for an entire year and receive $2,500 for their school: The winners are Jennifer Krebs, a kindergarten teacher at Marcola Elementary School; Emmanuel Aquino, an 8th grade English - Spanish immersion teacher at Beaumont Middle School in Portland; and Jesse Bolt, a 9th to 12th grade English, reading intervention, and braille teacher at the Washington State School for the...
MCKENZIE BRIDGE: Last Tuesday volunteers from the Scorpions were busy restoring areas hit by 2021's Knoll fire on the McKenzie River Trail - between Deer Creek and the Trailbridge Reservoir. They joined a McKenzie River Ranger District crew about 2 miles downstream from the dam that was repairing fire-damaged sections of the trail. The work included restoring the tread on sections that were damaged by slides, trees, rock falls, etc. Last Tuesday they focused on a section with a very steep side...
The amount of money politicians raised to gain votes in Oregon’s 2022 Primary Election has been released. Assembling the largest campaign war chest, according to recent filings, was U.S. Senate Democratic winning candidate, Ron Wyden - with $8,098,290. Second place finisher William Barlow reported no campaign contributions and won 18,193 votes to Wyden’s 255,056. In the Republican U.S. Senate Primary Jo Rae Perkins raised $26,155 and won the race with 114,341 votes. Second place finisher Darin Harbick of Rainbow raised much more - $278,335 - b...
Oregon streams, wetlands, and prairies will get $1.65 million in federal funds to restore wildlife habitat, the state's senators announced this week. The money is part of the $26 million the U.S.Bureau of Land Management will spend nationally this year to restore ecosystems and comes from last year's bipartisan infrastructure law. "Most Oregonians will tell you that our forests, coastline, rivers, mountains, high desert, and more are what make this state such a special place to live," said Sen....
SISTERS: On May 21st, Deputies from the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office were dispatched to a report of a deceased male near the eastern snow gate of Hwy. 242. The corpse had been located by a mushroom hunter around noon. Detectives and a Deputy Medical Examiner from the Deschutes County Medical Examiner's Office arrived on the scene to assist in the investigation. They found no evidence of foul play., according to Sergeant Jayson Janes of the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office. DCSO is still...
Recently, some people have been wondering why what they thought were dead geese on utility lines weren't decomposing. Instead what they've observed is a Eugene Water & Electric Board program to discourage ospreys from building nests atop power poles that might cause fires or outages, as well as increase electrocution risks for the birds. Birds remain committed to their sites year after year, which utility officials say can lead to very large nests that exceed the weight capacity of the pole and...
Snapping turtles, an invasive species in Oregon, are nesting this time of year and are more likely to be encountered on land which is an opportunity for the public to help out, wildlife officials say. Snapping turtles can harm native turtle populations as well as amphibians, mammals, birds, and fish. Oregon Dept. of Fish & Wildlife (ODFW) wildlife biologists are citing an uptick in reports. Recently, some people have captured some. If a snapping turtle is sighted on land and it can be contained...
In a one-two act, people had opportunities to socialize and not have to cook last weekend. Keeping the food coming at the Orchid Medical Clinic's Friday afternoon BBQ was Andy Aldrich, husband of clinic manager Missy Aldich. His grillwork kept a steady flow of burgers and dogs Pasta master for the McKenzie River Locals Helping Locals "Spaghetti Dump" the next day was Devon Thompson, Executive Director at McKenzie Valley Long Term Recovery Group. Attendees brought a quart of their favorite...
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has issued special restrictions on all their public lands administered in Oregon and Washington beginning on May 27, until October 31. Prohibitions under the order include: 1. Discharging or using fireworks or pyrotechnic devices. 2. Discharging or using combustible or explosive composition or chemical devices, including but not limited to exploding targets. 3. Discharging or using tracer, explosive, or incendiary ammunition. 4. Discharging steel component (core or jacket) ammunition, except a person with a...
EUGENE: During their May 3rd session the Eugene Water & Electric Board's commissioners gave good reviews for last month's meeting in Leaburg when options for the Leaburg Canal were discussed. Agreeing with that assessment was Will Rutherford who also asked for some more details. "People need to know what percentage of electricity is generated by Leaburg and what that means in terms of dollars and income to EWEB because we think the impact is really greater than it is," the Lure Lane resident...
The Community Credit Union's 13th annual celebration of outstanding education is granting $2,000 Community Builder Awards to the McKenzie Community School and the Marcola Elementary School. The McKenzie District's Fire Recovery and Art Therapy Project supports student recovery from the 2020 Holiday Farm Fire through art and music. Funds will be used to purchase art supplies to provide mental health resources to students. The Marcola Elementary School's Playground Improvement Project supports...
LEABURG: A Lane County Parks task force's recommendations to address the maintenance needs, restore critical habitat, and enhance services calls for a $6 million Five-Year Local Option Levy. The details of their recommendations will be on the agenda of a May 23rd meeting. During the Parks Master Planning process officials say it became clear that prioritizing investment in key parks was crucial. Feedback from community residents included taking into account the distribution and equity of recreat...
FINN ROCK: The Mc-Kenzie School District dealt with a shortage of school bus drivers this week by combining the downriver routes, to and from school. This Thursday was scheduled as a half day. Students will be released at 11:45 am and buses will leave the campus at noon. They will arrive home 4 hours earlier than usual. People interested in becoming drivers are encouraged to contact the school. No experience is necessary - the district will train qualified candidates. The work involves 16 hours...
SALEM: The Oregon Public Utility Commission (PUC) has approved permanent rules for electric utilities. Temporary rules were implemented for the 2021 wildfire season while the PUC, utilities, public safety partners, and communities worked to finalize permanent rules. This is a timely decision as May is National Wildfire Awareness Month and wildfire season quickly approaches. A PSPS is an important safety measure designed to help protect people and communities in high fire-risk areas by proactively shutting off electricity during extreme and...
The Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) published a draft Action Plan for a $422 million disaster recovery grant this week, funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Officials say the effort, known as “ReOregon,” was established to support individuals, households, and communities that are still recovering from the 2020 Labor Day Fires. Assistance will primarily come in the form of new permanent housing in the areas most impacted by the disaster. The proposed programs target fire survivors who were ren...
Val Rapp, president of McKenzie Valley Wellness, reports somebody has created a fraudulent membership form that purports to be from McKenzie Valley Wellness and has given it to people. “We are currently creating our official form, which we will release within the next couple of weeks,” Rapp said. “If anyone offers you a supposed McKenzie Valley Wellness membership form, please message me who offered it to you and when. I take this attempt to commit fraud in our good name very seriously, and I will pursue legal action against whoever is doing...
