Make the McKenzie Connection!
Make the McKenzie Connection!
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Security, food, health, construction, gifts, rentals, clothing, and graphics may not seem to have a lot in common. But they all got a boost this month thanks to the Oregon Community Credit Union Foundation and the Springfield Chamber of Commerce. Under a micro-grant program fifteen small businesses and non-profits impacted by the Holiday Farm Fire received checks ranging from $500 to $1,500. Some businesses, like the Indigo Café, are well known. Others, including George R Kruse Excavation, are...
BLUE RIVER: The Lane County Sheriff's Office is requesting the public's assistance in locating Shane Eldor Sprenger. The 47-year-old Springfield man was last believed to have been in the area of the Blue River Reservoir area, possibly picking mushrooms. Family members say they had been able to talk with with Sprenger until approximately 7:30 a.m. last Wednesday, November 3rd. At that time, he said he'd lost his keys to his truck and needed a ride home. Sprenger's truck was located by family on...
MCKENZIE BRIDGE: The Eugene Water & Electric Board used a helicopter with saw attachments to trim branches and treetops along its 17-mile transmission line corridor that runs from the Carmen-Smith Hydroelectric Project to Cougar Reservoir. The trimming protects power lines from trees, increases reliability and mitigates wildfires. The Carmen-Smith transmission line is a vital connection to EWEB's electric distribution system and the Bonneville Power Administration's transmission system. The line...
Data gathered by backcountry skiers, avalanche forecasters and other snow recreationists and professionals has the potential to greatly improve snowpack modeling, research by the Oregon State University College of Engineering indicates. The findings, "Assimilation of citizen science data in snowpack modeling using a new snow data set: Community Snow Observations," published in the journal Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, stem from a NASA-funded project known as Community Snow Observations,...
It's been six years since the Chemawa Indian School in Salem was last reviewed by the federal Department of the Interior, which found then that "the school did not have an adequate plan in place to ensure students' educational achievement." Now U.S. Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden have asked the department to look into what progress has been made in the six years since, and to demand greater transparency of the school's finances. Chemawa opened in 1880 as a residential boarding school, founded...
U.S. Sens. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Gary Peters (D-MI) led 21 of their colleagues this week in urging the U.S. Department of Interior to issue an emergency listing to restore temporary federal Endangered Species Act protections to the gray wolf in the western United States. No Northwest senator signed the letter. The letter comes on the heels of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service initiation of a comprehensive status review of the gray wolf in the western United States as well as the recent...
BLUE RIVER The Pure Water Partners (PWP) program is inviting community members to help replant the Blue River Park on Saturday, November 6th. During what's planned as a family-friendly event, volunteers will help plant native trees and shrubs around the park with guidance from Pure Water Partners staff. During the day people can pick from two shifts. The morning shift will run from 9 a.m. to noon. The afternoon shift is scheduled from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Because of COVID-19 precautions, crews will...
Winter is coming If you must travel in difficult weather conditions, be sure to have chains or traction tires for your vehicle and use them when it's necessary. • Chains can be link chains, cable chains or other devices that attach to the wheel, vehicle, or outside of the tire that are specifically designed to increase traction on snow and ice. Drivers should note that link chains may not be recommended for use on some types of vehicles; check your owner's manual. • Traction tires can be studded tires or tires that meet Rubber Man...
A report released last Wednesday by state auditors largely praises how the Oregon Department of Transportation handled debris removal after the largest natural disaster in state history. The transportation department and the contractors it hired to remove tens of thousands of damaged trees from along 120 miles of state highways in the Santiam Canyon and McKenzie River Valley after catastrophic fires in 2020 have been under fire for the past year as employees and onlookers alike reported that...
MCKENZIE BRIDGE: The Oregon Department of Transportation closed the west side of the Old McKenzie Highway, OR 242, for the season on October 21st. Gates were locked from milepost 62 (about 7 miles east of the junction with OR 126) to milepost 72 near the Dee Wright Observatory. The east side of McKenzie Highway remains open from Sisters to Dee Wright Observatory, with a tentative closure date of November 1st. Gates on the east side may close sooner depending on snowfall. The scenic route closes...
SOLVE, a state-wide volunteer group, and the Bureau of Land Management are teaming up to remove illegally dumped and littered trash in the Camp Creek area next month. Of particular concern, according to organizers are illegal dump sites that could transfer leached toxins into the creek, the McKenzie River and into the Willamette River. “As the plastic ages, it gets broken into smaller and smaller pieces that are eaten by wildlife and enter the food chain,” according to SOLVE. The Camp Creek Watershed Cleanup is scheduled for Saturday, Nov...
Heeding grandma's advice on COVID vaccine; restoring traditional health practices in native communities; agri-therapy for veterans suffering post-traumatic stress; and how myths, monsters, and legends spur tourism. https://www.newsservice.org/cuts/e/comp-3468.mp3?zz=5755...
If you must travel in difficult weather conditions, be sure to have chains or traction tires for your vehicle and use them when it’s necessary. • Chains can be link chains, cable chains or other devices that attach to the wheel, vehicle, or outside of the tire that are specifically designed to increase traction on snow and ice. Drivers should note that link chains may not be recommended for use on some types of vehicles; check your owner’s manual. • Traction tires can be studded tires or tires that meet Rubber Manufacturers Association standar...
Volunteers from the McKenzie Community Track and Field will be busy over this fall and winter sprucing up their facilities for what should be a very busy spring and summer next year. In addition to the regular school-related events, officials hope to attract one of the teams taking part in the World Athletics Championships to use their facility as a practice venue. According to MCTF president Duane Aanestad, "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us to showcase our amazing track and...
This summer a pair of Oregon entomologists traipsed through the woods in northern Washington on the hunt. They were looking for a dangerous predator: Asian giant hornets. Native to south and east Asia, they've earned the name "murder hornets" for their ability to decimate a honey bee hive in an hour or two. They can even kill humans. The Japanese enjoy them fried as a delicacy on skewers or in liquor: Their venom gives it a kick. But they're also a menace. They kill pollinators like European...
A La Nina has developed and is projected to extend through the second winter in a row, according to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center - a division of NOAA's National Weather Service. La Nina is a natural ocean-atmospheric phenomenon marked by cooler-than-average sea surface temperatures across the central and eastern Pacific Ocean near the equator and is translated from Spanish as "little girl." La Niña intensifies the average atmospheric circulation-surface and high-altitude winds, rainfall,...
A 16-year-old emergency response plan was tested again last Wednesday at the Hendricks Bridge County Park in Walterville. The joint "spill drill" organized by the Eugene Water & Electric Board, McKenzie Fire & Rescue and the Eugene Springfield Fire Hazmat Team was designed to familiarize first responders with the McKenzie Watershed Emergency Response System (MWERS). "Interagency drills like this are extremely valuable because it allows us to refresh and hone our skills in deploying spill...
The USDA Forest Service will be accepting applications for more than 1,000 seasonal spring and summer jobs in Oregon and Washington from November 5th to 12th. Positions are available in multiple fields, including fire, recreation, natural resources, timber, engineering, visitor services, and archaeology. “We’re looking for talented, diverse applicants to help us manage over 24 million acres of public land in the Pacific Northwest,” said Glenn Casamassa, Pacific Northwest Regional Forester. “If you’re interested in stewarding our national...
The Bonneville Power Administration made its 38th consecutive U.S. Treasury payment Oct. 5, on time and in full. This year’s $1.05 billion payment brings BPA’s cumulative payments to the Treasury to more than $32 billion since 1984. “This payment, along with actions taken as part of BPA’s Financial Plan, reinforces the agency’s financial strength and demonstrates the agency has met all of its financial commitments,” said the agency in a press release. This year’s payment to the U.S. Treasury includes $806 million in principal and $187 million...
Ahead of the busiest season of the year for the U.S. Postal Service, some Oregon postal workers are voicing concerns about the latest policy changes. They include new "service standards" that slow down first-class mail delivery. Mail traveling less than 1,000 miles should reach its destination in three days, and mail traveling more than 1,900 miles will take about five days. The Postal Service also has hiked rates for mail, packages, and other special services. With these changes and staffing...
An all-Black Oklahoma town joins big cities in seeking reparations; a Kentucky vaccination skeptic does a 180; telehealth proves invaluable during pandemic; and spooky destinations lure tourists at Halloween. https://www.newsservice.org/cuts/e/comp-3456.mp3?zz=40ad...
EUGENE: Plans to move ahead on ending the metro area's reliance on the McKenzie River as their only drinking water source got a nod from EWEB commissioners last Tuesday. During their October 5th virtual meeting, board members heard an update on plans that date back for decades. Wally McCullough, the utility's water engineering supervisor, noted that having a single source of water for a community of almost 200,000 people was an "enormous vulnerability." He went on to say that although the...
On Wednesday, the Lane Electric Coop announced it was "one step closer to helping rebuild the McKenzie community stronger than before," thanks to FEMA committing $19.9 million toward costs to repair and significantly improve infrastructure damaged by the wildfire. The FEMA grant will help cover crucial expenses associated with building a more resilient power system. This includes undergrounding the majority of the power lines in the McKenzie area. Undergrounding helps mitigate the extreme weather risks above ground power lines are susceptible...
Oregon is following the FDA and CDC, which recommend booster shots for people 65 and older who received the Pfizer vaccine at least six months ago. Boosters are also encouraged for younger people at risk of severe infection because of other medical conditions, and for front-line workers. Dr. Kristen Dillon, senior advisor of the COVID Response and Recovery Unit for the State of Oregon, said the vaccines provide good protection, but decline over time and in a more pronounced way for older...
