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About Appeal tribune. (Silverton, Or.) 1999-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 14, 2018)
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2018 ❚ SILVERTONAPPEAL.COM PART OF THE USA TODAY NETWORK Warm winter, low snowpack makes drought likely Zach Urness Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK One of the warmest winters in Willamette Valley history could tilt Oregon toward drought next summer. Temperatures from November through January were the 12th warmest in Salem records stretching back to 1892. The result has been most of the state’s precipitation falling as rain instead of snow in the Cascade Range, where snowpack is an anemic 35 to 40 percent of nor- mal. “The lack of snowpack is concerning, and without a cool, wet spring drought development is likely in parts of the state,” said Kathie Dello, climatologist with Ore- gon State University. January’s average temperature of 45.7 degrees was 4.5 degrees warmer than normal in Salem, officials at the National Weather Service said. November was also warmer than normal, while December was a half de- gree cooler. “We’ve had a high-pressure system over the West Coast or just off the coast for a good chunk of winter,” National Weather Service meteorologist Colby Neu- man said. “That’s led to fewer storm systems than nor- mal.” Neuman pointed out that Oregon just missed a few cold storm systems that have blanketed Washington, Montana and Idaho in normal or above-normal snow. “If the direction of the storms coming from the Gulf of Alaska changed just a little bit, a lot could change in February and March,” Neuman said. But if things stay the way they are, a situation simi- lar to 2014, ’15 and ’16 could play out, with summer drought conditions bringing issues for wildlife and for- est health. “Water managers will need to carefully evaluate wa- ter supplies this summer if snow and spring rains fail to bring relief,” said Julie Koeberle, Snow Survey hy- Mount Hood is seen in 2014, a little short on snow. See DROUGHT, Page 2A ZACH URNESS/STATESMAN JOURNAL Wildfires slow number of visitors to Oregon’s outdoors in 2017 Kevin Lierman Chris Mayou Justin Much Silverton Progressives host 7-speaker potluck Justin Much Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK Onlookers watch the Eagle Creek Fire on September 4. U.S. FOREST SERVICE Crater Lake day-use visitors Oregon Coast day-use visitors 711,749 8 446,516 See POTLUCK, Page 2A 20.9 million 30 7 29.6 million 35 25 IN MILLIONS 6 5 4 3 20 15 10 2 5 1 0 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 0 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 IN HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS Sustainable energy being surveyed in Silverton USA TODAY NETWORK SOURCE: Oregon Parks and Recreation Department Justin Much Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK Oregon state parks visitation 50.8 million Day-use visitors 60 41.5 million 38.6 million 50 40 30 SOURCE: Oregon Parks and Recreation Department 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 0 2003 20 2002 Turns out, the only thing that will keep Oregonians from the out- doors are catastrophic wildfires. The number of people visiting Oregon’s outdoor destinations showed a slight dip during 2017, due largely to the state’s active wildfire season, according to state and national parks officials. Officials began 2017 expecting another record-shattering season, following four years of explosive growth. August's solar eclipse was expected to bring millions. “There was a little bit of relief that we didn’t continue on the same record-breaking pace,” Oregon Parks and Recreation Department spokesman Chris Havel said. “It gives us a chance to catch our breath and catch up.” Oregon’s state parks system had roughly 50.8 million visits in 2017, a slight drop-off from the previous year’s record of 51.7 million. The biggest declines were at parks in the Columbia River Gorge and Central Cascade Range, due mostly to wildfires, Havel said. A similar trend was observed at many, but not all, national parks, monuments, national forests and wilderness areas across Oregon. Crater Lake National Park had 711,749 visits in 2017, down from the Area state park visitation IN MILLIONS Zach Urness Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK Silverton skies gave no hint of winter at midday Feb. 7, where some conversations at Live Local Coffee House took place outside on the deck perched over Silver Creek. Brighter skies in a more figurative sense was the topic with Chris Mayou of the Silverton Progressives . The group formulated in recent years, primarily consisting of Bernie Sanders supporters. Following the 2016 election, it continued with a local focus, gaining momentum and members from a wider spec- trum. “Our membership is broader now than just people who supported Bernie,” Mayou said. “But we are pri- marily liberal and progressive.” She said the grassroots element is vital to social change, and shared a recent OPB segment about women's suffrage as an example. "That's where change always starts, because the people in power are comfortable where they are," Mayou said. The group meets twice monthly; a 10:30 a.m. cof- fee meeting on the fourth Thursday of the month and a first Wednesday evening meeting. The meetings USA TODAY NETWORK See WILDFIRES, Page 2 Online at SilvertonAppeal.com Vol. 137, No. 8 News updates: ❚ Breaking news ❚ Get updates from the Silverton area Photos: ❚ Photo galleries Serving the Silverton Area Since 1880 A Unique Edition of the Statesman Journal 50 cents ©2018 Printed on recycled paper Should Silverton be more proactive when it comes to handling its energy needs and usage? Members of an emerging local advocacy group, “Sustainable Silverton,” presented the idea to Silver- ton City Council on Monday, Feb. 5, and proposed a plan to study it. The council was receptive. “We would like to see Silverton jump on the chance to leverage the growing energy sector to our greatest advantage by actively selecting the strate- gies and tactics that we will employ to be prepared for and get the most from these opportunities,” said Elyce Brown, one of Sustainable Silverton's mem- bers. Brown said clean energy projects and their bene- fits are not new to Silverton, noting a solar park west of the city, water purification ponds above Pettit Lake and electric vehicle charging stations at Roth's. She said encouraging such projects empowers the city in making its own energy decisions rather than being pulled along by the tide. She said the group also hoped the city would ac- knowledge that climate change and energy concerns are a valid concern. “We are also asking the city to acknowledge that both the climate and the energy sector are changing; on the one hand, we are facing reduced snowpack, See SUSTAINABLE, Page 2A
