Make the McKenzie Connection!
Make the McKenzie Connection!
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MCKENZIE BRIDGE: Details of the U.S. Forest Service’s Tamolitch Draft Decision Notice and Final Environmental Analysis is now up for review. Details of the propopsal include constructed a 3-acre parking lot with 100 spaces. Also in the plan are construction of 4 vault toilets and re-routing 2 miles of the McKenzie River Trail to the east side of the river, including 2 footbridges over stream crossings. A toilet would also be placed at the Tamolitch pool site, along with 400 linear feet of stone barriers. Details of the Draft Decision Notice, EA...
BLUE RIVER: In March of 2021 the Oregon Business Magazine named Orchid Health 29th on its list of the “100 Best Places to Work in Oregon.” The data came from confidential surveys of employees who ranked various aspects of their organizations. As the year came to a close, readers of River Reflections voted Orchid Health’s McKenzie River Clinic as their choice for the Valley’s “Business of the Year.” A flurry of posts on social media this week, though, have been critical of the local clinic’s operations. Some of the harsher comments have...
PORTLAND: Engineers and planners are considering major changes that may impact the continued operations and maintenance of the 13 dams in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Willamette Valley System. As part of developing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), the Corps is planning a virtual information session. Prior to the meetings, people can view a virtual room, which contains videos, digital boards, slides and maps that describe the purpose of the EIS and the National Environmental Policy...
LEABURG: On January 6th, at 4:57 p.m., McKenzie Fire & Rescue was dispatched to a house fire just west of Leaburg. Upon their arrival, personnel observed flames coming from the southwest corner of the residence. Based on the alarm details crew members knew there was a high potential that the caller was still inside. The property had several down trees which completely blocked any driveway access, forcing firefighters to use the eastbound lane of Highway 126 for their initial attack. The first crew on scene was able to locate the caller inside...
WALTERVILLE: An out of the ordinary call from the Walterville School last Thursday morning drew McKenzie Fire & Rescue Chief Bucich and Deputy Chief Bart Thompson to the the Walterville School. Springfield Schools District personnel had pumps in place, attempting to divert the water. The fire depatment added two more pumps, then brought more from the Leaburg and Walterville stations. The primary source came from the Twin Firs Road area and one pump redirected that water back into Potter Creek. The others were used to redirect the water that...
For the second year in a row - Melanie Stanley Brite has received the most votes as the Woman of the Year for her continuing contributions. "Mel has been there for us all in the troubling times of attempting to rebuild," was the way one nomination read. Another thanked her for, "Always being there." Each year, The Lane Council of Governments celebrates regional accomplishments for the prior year and recognizes elected officials, public employees, citizens, intergovernmental teams, economic...
BLUE RIVER: The Jones family (owners of the Seneca Family of Companies) has donated 16-acres of land for community rebuilding and revitalization after the 2020 Holiday Farm Fire. Blue River community members have asked the McKenzie River Trust to conduct the due diligence needed to accept the donation of land, to be the interim holder of the property, and to manage it while a regional visioning and planning process moves forward. In response to the Jones family's offer to donate the land this pa...
"I'm amazed at all he does," was how the first vote we received started out. "He's a lot older than I am but I look up to the man as a source of inspiration," it continued. Like the other award winners this year, "Walt" too has been on the recovery road after his home and beloved Vida McKenzie Community Center burned. "When you look around you can see him continuing to volunteer with the Bottle Boys, getting the Neighborhood Watch up running again and being part of public meetings," was part of...
Fairly new to the area, the Orchid Health Clinic was wiped out when the leased building that housed their exam rooms and office burned to the ground in Blue River. Nearly 80% of Orchid Health staff had to evacuate, and Dr. Tia Cloke's home burned too. "Tia lost her home but chose to move back upriver and live in an RV for the past year so she could provide care for her patients," a supporter noted. Soon after the fire, Orchid's staff was able to set up makeshift quarters inside the Rustic...
5 was the third year of the restoration work for the volunteer based Friends of the Santiam Pass Ski Lodge (FSPSL), despite difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. This year a fully commercial electric system was installed, further structural issues were repaired, windows sashes and jambs were restored, and siding work was initiated. Significant funding was procured , which organizers say puts them in a position to begin other work early in 2022. In early April. according to the FSPSL...
Lisa Charpilloz-Hanson learns best out in the field, which is how the new director of the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board found herself, first month on the job, standing over a bridge in Tillamook watching salmon and steelhead swim upstream. In her new role, Charpilloz-Hanson now has a hand in how to spend $170 million each year for projects that improve fish and wildlife habitat across Oregon’s waterways. The money, issued in grants, comes from state lottery profits, the sale of salmon l...
The Holiday Farm Fire burned more than 175,000 acres in and around the McKenzie River Valley in September 2020, displacing more than 1,000 residents and destroying 464 homes, notes Lane County's Disaster Recovery Manager Matt McRae. In a report released last week McRae reported more than 135 wildfire survivors are still sheltered in hotels in Eugene, and less than half of affected property owners have begun rebuilding. "In short, there are hundreds of survivors still dealing with very difficult...
EUGENE: A federal court approved this month details on the “how” of fish passage, drawdowns and spill designed to aid salmon and steelhead passage at Willamette River dams, even as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is preparing a new environmental impact statement for the agency’s 13 Willamette Valley Project dams. Although it has filed an appeal with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the Corps already is complying with the U.S. District Court’s injunction for the interim actions that the agency is to initiate while it is completing the EIS...
A project first proposed in June came to life last week. Fifty larger-than-life candy canes were be delivered and installed around Blue River just in time for Christmas. "Before the fire, the Blue River community would come together to decorate one of the large trees in town," said McKenzie Valley Long Term Recovery Group Board Member Sarah Koski. "This is our way of helping to bring some of the traditional cheer of the holiday season to the community while they are still working to rebuild and...
Almost three Oregon dozen waterways tested this year have microplastic contamination. They include rivers that flow through the state's biggest urban centers to treasured resources like Clear Lake. The findings are outlined in a new report, released last Monday by the Environment Oregon Research & Policy Center (EORPC), "The results of this study should set off alarms for all Oregonians who love our state's rivers and lakes," said Celeste Meiffren-Swango, state director with EORPC. "The...
BLUE RIVER: Homes for Good (HFG), Lane County's housing agency, has purchased 7.35 acres of the former Lazy Days Mobile Home Park. Located on the north side of the McKenzie Hwy at 52511 McKenzie River Highway, the facility was completely destroyed in September of 2020, when a wildfire ravaged the area. Homes for Good purchased the property on December 6th for $703,800.Rebuilding of the site could start as soon as Spring of 2022 if we are able to secure financial commitments, according to HFG...
BLUE RIVER: The fate of a 47-year-old Blue River man missing since November 2nd remains a mystery. An initial 911 call reported Shane Sprenger was believed to have been in the Blue River Reservoir area, possibly picking mushrooms. The next day, a family member said they‘d been able to talk with him at approximately 7:30 a.m. the next day. At that time, they advised Sprenger told them he’d lost the keys to his truck and needed a ride home. On November 4th. family members found his abandoned silver 2009 GMC Sierra near U.S. Forest Service Rd....
OREGON CASCADES: The Lane County Sheriff’s Office received information Monday morning that five overdue subjects, including a 6-year-old, were missing. The group included 37-year-old Jobee and 33-year-old Renell Baumgardner, their 14-year-old son Caleb, 6-year-old Colton, and 14-year-old Thomas Blanton. The group left the Springfield area Sunday at about 10:30 a.m. to go play in the snow. They planned to return by 8 p.m. The Baumgardners had said that they’d likely be going to the area of HooDoo (On Hwy. 20’s Santiam Pass) or the Salt Creek...
U.S. Forest Service Christmas tree permits are available from local vendors, via phone from a ranger district, or via Recreation.gov. Permits are primarily being sold online at Recreation.gov, Fourth-grade students who have an Every Kid Outdoors pass can apply for a free Christmas Tree permit through the online system with Recreation.gov by entering their voucher or pass number when prompted. Visit the Every Kid Outdoors website at www.everykidoutdoors.gov. Tree permits are not for sale in any...
The winner of Sunday's McKenzie Holiday Light Business Parade was Ike's Pizza in Leaburg designed by Tina, an employee. Runners-up were the Leaburg Fire Station, Craig's Lucky Logger Restaurant, and the Walterville Grange. Despite the rain and cold, about 65 people showed up to enjoy bonfires, hot chocolate, cookies, and lots of other treats, according to McKenzie Chamber of Commerce president Nadine Scott; "The businesses all did a great job of displaying the Holiday Cheer," she said. "And it...
Where two million gallons of water is going remains a mystery for the Blue River Water District. The suspected leak, however, wasn’t behind the water board‘s vote to charge residential customers a $25 monthly fee in addition to $3.50 per thousand gallons for the water they use. Although the missing amount might seem alarming, it’s down a million gallons from a year ago thanks to improvements made to the system. In fact, Blue River isn’t alone, according to Jason Carman, with the Rural Community Assistance Corporation. Carman told the board i...
CLEAR LAKE CUTOFF: An accident last Friday near Milepost 13 sent two people tp hospitals. Oregon State Police reports say a Toyota Yaris traveling eastbound shortly after noon made a quick left turn and was t-boned by an eastbound Chevy Tahoe that was attempting to pass. The driver of the Toyota, 66-year-old David Babb, was transported to St. Charles Hospital in Bend by Lifeflight with serious injuries. A passenger in the Toyota, 68-year-old Penelope Scott of Walterville, was transported by...
