Make the McKenzie Connection!
Make the McKenzie Connection!
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"I felt it was a great honor to be asked, and I have always believed that public art has the power to bring people together, and this seemed like a really good opportunity for that potential," explains Jud Turner, a Eugene sculptor invited last winter to create a sculpture for the McKenzie River community by a coalition of groups - McKenzie River Development Council, Love for Lane County and the Arts and Business Alliance of Eugene. Working with people who live in Blue River, Turner says...
Since 2019, Chief Bucich and McKenzie Fire & Rescue have been seeking alternate water sources as some of their regular draft sites became unusable. One solution that came up repeatedly is the strategic placement of water tanks throughout the fire district, especially in areas ways of getting down to the river is limited. The result was a decision to construct holding tanks. The tanks, which hold 15,000 gallons of water, are gravity fed, and designed to be used with minimal personnel, leaving cri...
A new report identifies some of the most ecologically important rivers in Oregon (including the South Fork McKenzie). Conservation Science Partners looked at 54,000 miles of unprotected rivers and streams in Oregon, highlighting watersheds with outstanding water quality, recreational value and that support rare or at-risk species. More than 5,700 river miles were in the range of at least 30 aquatic Species of Greatest Conservation Need. Caitlin Littlefield, lead scientist for Conservation Science Partners, said many rivers are under threat as...
MCKENZIE BRIDGE: The 544-acre lightning-caused Knoll Fire, located seven miles northeast of McKenzie Bridge was reported as 60% contained this week. Officials say the fire is staying within containment lines, as fire crews continue mopping up and monitoring the fire. Due to fire impacts and safety hazards, four miles of the McKenzie River Trail will be closed until summer of 2022, and possibly longer. The area extends from the Blue Pool/Tamolitch Falls Trailhead south to Deer Creek. The trail...
Work is nearly complete in the first phase of restoration work at the McKenzie River Trust's Finn Rock Reach. The area includes dozens of acres where gravels and large wood sections were added to mimic the effect a big flood could have had on wetlands and stream-side channels before upstream dams were built. The project was designed to benefit threatened and endangered salmon, who use this area for spawning and rearing. To follow progress online, go to: alturl.com/34amm....
Greater buffer zones around bodies of water and more consistent enforcement of water protection regulations are needed to reduce agriculture-based pollution in the Western U.S., a recent review from Oregon State University found. The OSU paper, "Agricultural Effects on Streams and Rivers: A Western USA Focus," reviewed more than 40 case studies on the impacts of agriculture on water quality. Specifically, researchers looked at studies that related agricultural management practices to aquatic...
RAINBOW: First responders from the Upper McKenzie Rural Fire Protection District quickly responded last Thursday to the report of a single vehicle accident, with entrapment, at 54947 McKenzie Hwy. According to Lane County Sheriff's Office reports, the driver, 72-year-old Akkiva Vonmendelssohn of Blue River, reportedly fell asleep and struck a guardrail at 3:18 p.m. A witness told investigators that the vehicle had been traveling eastbound at approximately 50 mph prior to the crash....
"The fire isn't completely out until it's black and it's cold," explained Randy Johnson during Monday night's online briefing on fires burning on federal lands near McKenzie Bridge and Oakridge. Johnson, Incident Commander for the Knoll Fire and Middle Fork Fire Complex, told onlookers that the recent clearer weather and winds associated with it were some things firefighters welcomed. The clearer skies provided opportunities to observe fire activities from the air. "It showed us where the fire...
The $1.2 trillion infrastructure package recently approved by the U.S. Senate includes a $2.855 billion investment in salmon recovery and ecosystem restoration programs, as well as tens of billions of dollars allocated for water infrastructure. The bill, which has moved on to the U.S. House of Representatives, awaits decisions on final passage this fall. Language in the Senate version includes $1 billion for the U.S. Department of Transportation to create a new program aimed at removing,...
EUGENE: Sierra Pacific Industries (SPI) and Seneca have announced that SPI plans to acquire Seneca and affiliates, combining two complementary, family-owned forest products businesses with strong historical roots on the West Coast. Founded in 1953, Seneca operates a 175,000-acre sustainably-managed tree farm, sawmills, and a biomass plant in Oregon. SPI, a leading lumber producer that manages over 2.1 million acres of timberland in California and Washington, as well as manufacturing millwork, windows, and renewable energy. Spokesmen for the...
The 2020 Community Rebuilding Fund, a collaborative effort led by the Oregon Community Foundation (OCF) in partnership with Meyer Memorial Trust, The Ford Family Foundation and American Red Cross, announced today $4,439,256 in grants to support 40 organizations throughout the eight Oregon counties ravaged by fires. Locally organizations receiving money include $105,000 to the non-profit McKenzie Community Communications group to build a GMRS repeater network and distribute radios that will...
MCKENZIE BRIDGE: The Knoll Fire, located off Highway 126 to the north/northeast of McKenzie Bridge, was ignited by lightning around 10:30 p.m. on Thursday. By Tuesday it had grown to over 59 acres. Officials report firefighters supported by aerial resources are utilizing a combination of constructed fire lines, existing roads, and natural features to limit the spread of the fire. Crews have been reinforcing containment lines by burning vegetation between the fire line and active fire. There are...
MCKENZIE BRIDGE: The Eugene Water & Electric Board's rebuild of the salmon spawning channel just below Trail Bridge Dam is nearly complete. On Monday utility staff began releasing water into the channel. It was expected the rewatering process would create some minor turbidity in the upper McKenzie River that some people could be concerned it could be related to the two sinkholes discovered at Trail Bridge Dam in June. "That work has been completed and thankfully didn't result in a significant...
The Willamette National Forest has released its Danger Tree Decision Memo and will begin to implement its roadside danger tree reduction project on the McKenzie River, Detroit, and Sweet Home Ranger Districts. The project focuses on improving safety and access to Forest System roads within areas affected by the unprecedented 2020 wildfires. The documents are available for download from the Willamette National Forest website at: https://go.usa.gov/xFNwp. More information about how fires weaken...
VIDA: The Holiday Farm Fire destroyed the building but not the treasure buried inside the foundation of the Vida McKenzie Community Center (VMCC). But last Friday people weren't too sure their search would be a success. "This is something the state and the Oregon and the Oregon Debris Management Team is really committed to," said ODOT's Onsite Incident Commander Kevin Finch before any earth was moved. "Hopefully we'll find a capsule from 1949." Whether or not there was anything to dig up wasn't...
RAINBOW: Close to nine months after the Holiday Farm Fire, some families should soon be able to return to living on the river again. The first of up to 17 temporary trailers funded by the Federal Emergency Agency were delivered to the US Basketball Academy site in Rainbow this week. The Mobile Housing Units (MHUs) vary from two to three bedrooms with a living room area, as well as kitchen, and bathroom spaces. FEMA will host an Open House and Tour of the site at 11 a.m. on Thursday, August...
Ten McKenzie High School students recently completed a Restoration Class in which they had the opportunity to help their local community recover from the Holiday Farm Fire. The grant funded program featured completion of local service projects and watershed education provided by the McKenzie Watershed Council, in partnership with McKenzie High School in sponsoring the class. The McKenzie River Ranger District also supported the program by allowing the student team the opportunity to work on District property near the School. Justin Demeter,...
History of the McKenzie River Club, Inc. The McKenzie River Active Club was organized November 4, 1941, by members of the McKenzie River Grange, for the purpose of having a social organization that would also work for the welfare of the McKenzie River country. Membership was open to anyone, regardless of residence. The By-Laws were written by the following Officers of the Grange: Tom Powers, Weldon Keller, Ulla Bredell, Earl Friedly, Ruth West, Carrie Friendly, Ruby Keller and Frances Rodebaugh. The first Officers, elected November 18, 1941,...
McKenzie River area, eventually burning some 170,000 acres and causing catastrophic damage to homes, businesses, infrastructure, and the environment. The communities of Blue River and Vida were both hit especially hard and were almost complete losses. All told, approximately 500 homes were damaged or destroyed and 1,000 individuals displaced. A Long Term Recovery Group (LTRG) is a cooperative body that is made up of representatives from faith-based, non-profit, government, business and other organizations working within a community to assist...
On Wednesday morning at 12:01 a.m. Extreme Fire Danger restrictions went into effect for the South Cascade District of the Oregon Dept. of Forestry (ODF), which includes Eastern Lane and Linn counties. The designation includes public use restrictions, and an Industrial Fire Precaution Level 3 industrial closure. According to ODF officials, the area passed the threshold for Extreme Fire Danger a few days ago, with near record high levels of fire danger for this time of year. "The weather...
Camp Noah is coming to the McKenzie Valley in August, with week-long camps for elementary-aged children at McKenzie School and Walterville School, and, the admission is free. Three generations of a long-time Vida family will be working at the McKenzie School day camp. Judy Gough attended McKenzie School, as did her daughter Kelly Shaw. In addition, Judy's granddaughter Kiana Woodard will also be volunteering at the camp. Kelly, a mental health professional, said she recognizes, "The need for...
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service this week said it is proposing a revised critical habitat rule for the northern spotted owl that identifies 204,797 acres of exclusions from the 2012 critical habitat designation under the Endangered Species Act. The Service is simultaneously proposing to withdraw the Trump Administration's January 15, 2021 rule that would have excluded 3.4 million acres of critical habitat for the northern spotted owl. The proposed exclusions are located in 15 Oregon counties...
As the Bootleg fire burns in southern Oregon, the U.S. Senate is considering an infrastructure package that environmental scientists say contains misguided provisions. The infrastructure bill would include billions in funding for the U.S. Forest Service in the name of wildfire prevention. Dr. Dominick DellaSala, chief scientist for Wild Heritage and an evacuee of last year’s wildfire in Talent, Oregon, said increasingly the term “wildfires” is a misnomer because they become urban fires that destroy unprepared communities. “Every dollar spent i...
Last Tuesday, around 4:06 p.m., the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office Special Services Unit was dispatched to an injured 19-year-old hiker on the South Sister Climbers Trail about 300 feet from the summit of the mountain. They determined Bend woman would be unable to walk down the trail without assistance. Airlink Air Ambulance agreed to transport two Search and Rescue volunteers partially up the trail which would reduce the time and distance required to reach the patient. After attempting the...
The Willamette National Forest has implemented a total campfire restriction effective on Friday, July 23, at 12:01 a.m., to reduce risks of human-caused wildfires as dry conditions persist. Additionally, dry conditions may lead to new ignitions and rapid fire spread. The long-term forecast predictions point to much of the same for the rest of the summer. All open fires, including charcoal fires, are prohibited with no exceptions for developed or hosted campgrounds. Open fires in wilderness...
