Make the McKenzie Connection!
Make the McKenzie Connection!
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With more people recreating on and near area waterways, public safety agencies are cautioning people to take extra precautions when floating the river this year as debris from the Holiday Farm Fire has increased the number of river hazards. Officials recommend all water users wear life vests, don't float on uncertified floatation devices and don't float in unfamiliar waterways....
March and April of 2021 were among the driest spring months since the 1890s. Many streams are already at 25 percent of the flow that is typical for this time of year, with flows usually seen in early summer observed in April on some southern Oregon streams ODFW is bracing for a serious drought as summer arrives, with the entire state being impacted. Currently, 72 percent of the state is in severe or extreme drought status according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. "Unfortunately, we are likely...
MCKENZIE BRIDGE: In a report released this week, the National Traffic Safety Board cited a lack of pilot experience and weather conditions for contributing to an August 27, 2019, fatal airplane accident in McKenzie Bridge. Killed in the wreck was pilot, Steven Pasiack, 23, and his passenger Jake Kelley, 22. Both were from Lebanon, Oregon. Investigators determined that after flying over mountainous terrain, the pilot attempted an approach into the McKenzie Bridge Airstrip - a 2,600-foot long grass runway bordered by tall trees. Witnesses near...
For the second time in three years, a plan to clearcut over 100 acres of forest from the Thurston Hills on the edge of Springfield has been deemed illegal by a federal judge. Opponents claimed the project increased the risk of wildfire and diminished recreational values that clear-cut logging would bring to the area. "It's been such a relief to hear that the forest I think of as my backyard won't be destroyed by Seneca Jones Timber Company and the Bureau of Land Management," according Ronna...
RAINBOW: Some area families should soon be able to return to living on the river again, after losing their homes in the Holiday Farm Fire last year. In an agreement between the Federal Emergency Agency and the US Basketball academy, 17 temporary trailers will be located on the eastern portion of the academy's property. "Housing units for each household are chosen by FEMA based on the survivor family composition and needs, as well as to ensure that requirements for access or functional needs are...
Valor Family Farm and Cascade Relief Team are hosting a tree planting event this weekend, June 4 to June 6. Valor Family Farm owners Wes Ross and Jenny Stewart have over 10,000 conifer seedlings (and possibly several thousand more) that need to be planted immediately to survive. The seedlings were overstock from a nursery in Jefferson and were headed for landfill disposal until Ross decided to plant and hold them over on his farm. The seedlings will be later given to Wildfire Survivors. Ross...
New developments in recreational fishing technology – from the use of aerial drones and social media scouting reports to advances in hook design – are creating challenges for fisheries management and effective policymaking, according to a new study co-authored by the University of Massachusetts Amherst researcher Andy Danylchuk. With the opening of the spring fishing season, millions of recreational fishing aficionados across North America are dusting off their tackleboxes, fitting together thei...
EUGENE: “Although programs and practices are already in place to help prevent wildfires, the Eugene Water & Electric Board is developing a distinct Wildfire Mitigation Plan,” according to a report from the utility’s Assistant General Manager, Rod Price. During EWEB’s May 18th work session Price outlined new programs based on what California has developed for preparing for and responding to wildfires that he said should be transferable to the Pacific Northwest. “Vegetation is the biggest impact for both reliability and fire risk,” according t...
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley on Monday announced that Lane Electric Cooperative will receive a $3.72 million federal grant for repairs from the February 2019 snowstorm that left customers without power and caused severe damage to the utility's power distribution lines and systems. "Oregonians who experienced the loss of electricity in their homes and businesses for weeks on end from this winter storm remember all too well the damage this snowfall inflicted on Lane C...
FINN ROCK: A 60-acre construction zone will take shape within weeks just downstream from the old Rockabye Cabins site in Finn Rock. During the project to restore riparian habitat, water will be temporarily diverted and large amounts of earth will be moved to re-contour down-cut areas and old gravel piles. Recent social media posts have been criticized the project, hopefully, due to a misunderstanding of the water diversion according to Daniel Dietz, Conservation Director of the McKenzie River...
During a Monday night online meeting, Lane Electric Cooperative General Manager Debi Wilson said the utility is planning to put more of its lines underground to offset the impacts of natural disasters. “We’re committed to rebuilding the McKenzie community stronger than before,” Wilson said. “There are many more hazards that exist now than before the wildfire,” she noted, listing “landslides, rockslides, and flooding.” Currently, the Coop is working with a consultant to develop a rebuilding plan that will be submitted to the Federal Energ...
Last Friday, May 14th, lawyers representing 70 property owners filed a lawsuit against the Lane Electric Cooperative and Eugene Water & Electric Board seeking damages from the 2020 Holiday Farm Fire. On Labor Day, the wildfire destroyed approximately 430 homes, killed one resident, and burned 173,393 acres. In their 55-page complaint, the Salem Fire Lawyers group asks for $102,544,945 in restitution based on individual property losses ranging from $250,000 to $2.5 million, as well as twice the...
The US. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is making priority funding available for National Scenic Areas and other rural communities that have been devastated by wildfires. In all, $2 million will be made available under the Rural Business Development Grants program for eligible projects in rural communities located on a river or ocean coastline, with priority given to projects on National Scenic Areas impacted by wildland fires. Applications are due July 6, 2021. For more information go to:...
Monthly estimates of available water supply in the Columbia River basin are continuing to drop after a month of record low rainfall in April. Eugene, Portland, and Lewiston, ID, all recorded their driest April on record, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. And, in some basin areas, May is also on track for near-record low precipitation. Meanwhile, remaining snowpack across the region is a mixed bag, with much of the region under drought conditions, yet with some...
MCKENZIE BRIDGE: People have probably noticed the large, green reflective address signs on many properties along the McKenzie Highway. While they are very helpful for visitors unfamiliar with the area, they're even more important for emergency responders to arrive on site quickly. The Upper McKenzie Rural Fire District Public Education Division is now creating new signs for people who don't have one or had one destroyed in the Holiday Farm Fire. Residents of the rural fire protection district...
WALTERVILLE: The Eugene Water & Electric Board started diverting less water into the Walterville Power Canal last Thursday afternoon. The change was aimed at increasing McKenzie River flows in the bypassed reach of the river to improve fish migration and water quality. Under the utility’s federal operating license, the Walterville hydroelectric project is allowed to divert up to 2,577 cubic feet per second (cfs) into the canal during normal operations. The license requires EWEB to maintain minimum instream flows of 1,000 cfs in the bypassed r...
It was greeted as good news locally when the Lane County deputies assigned to the McKenzie Valley arrested two suspects connected to thefts on fire-impacted properties in January. “The McKenzie District deputies serve the community members in the McKenzie River Valley using a community policing model, which allows deputies to provide enhanced police services in addition to the services they already receive as Lane County residents,” Lane County Sheriff’s Sergeant Carrie Carver said at that time. She added, “This theft was able to be investi...
RAINBOW: "Being born and raised here I've seen a lot of things in the last year and a half that I can't just sit back and watch without stepping up and trying to carve a new path." Those words, Darin Harbick says, are key to his decision to announce plans to become the next governor of Oregon. Some things that triggered his decision include restrictions imposed for dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. "I just feel we're losing more and more of our freedoms," Harbick feels. "There are mandates...
May is Wildfire Awareness Month, and the western United States is preparing for an active year. Coming off a severe wildfire season where nine Oregonians were killed and 40,000 were displaced, preventing fires is on the minds of many in the state. Kristin Babbs, president and CEO of Keep Oregon Green, said prevention is key. “Over 70% of Oregon’s wildfires are started by people, and that places the power of prevention squarely in our hands,” Babbs contended. “Public lands saw large crowds...
Lane County's Bridge Crew was busy last week replacing about 80 damaged deck boards throughout the Goodpasture Covered Bridge. Increased traffic there had caused accelerated wear and tear. The work was done to help protect the stringers underneath (which support the bridge deck) and help keep the structure in good repair. (top photo) The other part of the Bridge Crew was busy replacing guardrails along Blue River Road, leading to the Blue River Dam. Existing guardrails there were fire-damaged...
Since 1978 McKenzie River Reflections has been focused on serving the McKenzie River Valley’s nine unincorporated communities - for local news and information on area activities, recreation resources and history. Originally produced using a typewriter to set copy that was then waxed onto layout sheets, production methods advanced to Compugraphic typesetters in the following decade and computer/laser output soon after. In 2013 the newspaper’s first website was created as an expanded platform opt...
U.S. Forest Road 19 (Aufderheide Drive) remains closed to through traffic entering the area off Hwy. 126 due to a rockslide. McKenzie River Ranger District officials say the cliff adjacent to Road 19 has a high risk of falling rocks and debris that pose a danger to public safety. Terwilliger Hot Springs, also known as Cougar Hot Springs, is still accessible from the Westfir side where snow in the Box Canyon area was cleared. Because the drive from Westfir to Terwilliger Hot Springs is nearly a...
LEABURG LAKE: After five days of helping build a McKenzie River drift boat, Tom Clawson says he still has a steep learning curve ahead. He tells people he expects it will be, “Like learning to drive, but in a Ferrari.” It’s not that Tom is unfamiliar with maneuvering his way through stretches of whitewater. After all, he’s been a professional river guide for 25 years. The difference is his prior time came at the oars of larger inflatable rafts. He, like the others who signed up for Oregon...
MCKENZIE BRIDGE: The public is being asked to comment on plans aimed at dealing with overcrowding at the Tamolitch Falls/Blue Pool area of the McKenzie River National Recreation Trail. Under consideration are projects that call for the trail to Tamolitch Pool to be re-routed from the west to the east side of the river by decommissioning approximately two miles of trail and constructing approximately three new miles of trail. In addition, Tamolitch Pool would be closed to all swimming to protect...
The Blue River Post Office, destroyed in the Holiday Farm Fire, resumed normal operations on Monday with Postmaster Henry Brown manning the front desk. A planned Grand Opening and ribbon cutting ceremony had to be delayed after Lane County went back to Extreme COVID related restrictions last week. The office is now open from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m, with a half hour lunch break at noon, five days a week. The lobby area is open for Post Office box holders 24 hours a day, seven days a...
