Earthquakes

All volcanoes in the Cascade Range of Oregon and Washington have been at normal background activity levels. These include Mount Baker, Glacier Peak, Mount Rainier, Mount St. Helens, and Mount Adams in Washington State and Mount Hood, Mount Jefferson, Three Sisters, Newberry, and Crater Lake in Oregon.

Mount St. Helens continues to experience slightly heightened seismicity than typical of recent years, with 26 located earthquakes a week ago, and 451 since February 1st when the current increase in seismicity began. The largest earthquake since then was a magnitude 2.0. Although this level of seismicity is elevated compared to the last several years at Mount St. Helens, it is still considered within the background range and does not suggest an imminent eruption. No changes have been detected in ground deformation, volcanic gas, or thermal emissions at the volcano.

Bus rides

If you’re a patron of the Lane Transit District you may have noticed more passengers recently filling seats. That’s because of an uptick in ridership during the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Track & Field at the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field in late June.

“The Trials bring thousands of visitors to the area and we are thrilled people made the sustainable choice to hop on a bus to Hayward Field,” said Anni Katz, LTD’s Public Information Officer. “There’s a huge amount of infrastructure installed for this event, which meant parking was harder to find and local roads were blocked off. Riding the bus allowed people to skip all of this.”

EmX ridership was generally higher during the Trials, with noticeable bumps of 10-20% on a few of the most final-heavy days.

According to the International Energy Agency, cars emit between 57 and 322 gCO2-eq/pkm—compared to buses at just 22-92 gCO2-eq/pkm. Full buses emit 0.18 pound of CO2 per passenger mile, making them comparable to rail. Plus, the City of Eugene, notes that one full 40-foot bus equals a line of moving automobiles stretching six blocks.

Firefighters

The Oregon State Fire Marshal and the Oregon Department of Forestry are bringing in out-of-state firefighters and equipment to fight several wildfires impacting communities and resources across the state.

Last Sunday night, the Oregon State Fire Marshal mobilized two task forces from Washington to add structural firefighter capacity. The two task forces are from Snohomish, Thurston, and Grays Harbor counties with 29 firefighters, eight engines, and two water tenders. The task forces are assigned to the Falls Fire in Harney County.

ODF has received more than 58 resources from eight states to assist in the Salt Creek and Larch Creek Fire. 71 resources are coming to Oregon through state-to-state mutual aid agreements and the Northwest Compact.