SILVERTONAPPEAL.COM ܂ WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6, 2018 ܂ 3B
Eagle Creek Fire holdover flares up
Dry weather, wind
could be to blame
for early morning
blaze, officials say
Zach Urness Salem Statesman Journal
USA TODAY NETWORK
CASCADE LOCKS — The Eagle Creek
Fire apparently isn’t finished.
A flare-up from last season’s massive
wildfire was reported May 29 near Her-
man Creek Trailhead in the Columbia
River Gorge.
The glow from the small flare-up was
spotted around 2 a.m., U.S. Forest Ser-
vice officials said in a news release. Fire-
fighters located the hotspot early this
morning and are suppressing the fire,
which was found smoldering in heavy
downed timber with few ground fuels.
“Eagle Creek Fire has not yet been de-
clared out and the hotspot is not unex-
pected,” the news release said. “Heavy
fuels and organic material known as
duff can hold heat underground over
winter and flare back up after a period of
warm dry weather.”
The dry weather and wind are two
factors that could have kicked up the
flames, said Rachel Pawlitz, spokes-
woman for the Columbia River Gorge
National Scenic Area.
"It's a surprise to most people — it
doesn't seem to make sense — but it's
A small flare-up of the Eagle Creek Fire was reported on May 29. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE U.S. FOREST SERVICE
actually a common occurrence," Pawlitz
said.
"We may see a few more of these and
we're keeping a close eye on it.
"It's a reminder of the reason many of
these areas remain closed."
Hotspots are a post-fire hazard that
have caused area trails to remain closed
in the wake of Eagle Creek Fire, officials
said.
Other hazards include fire-weakened
trees and loose boulders that can fall on
trails at unpredictable times, as well as
ongoing rockslides and landslides.
This spring has already been unusu-
ally dry in the Gorge, and the seasonal
outlook suggests a hot, dry summer.
“People are reminded to be extra vigi-
lant with campfires and observe any lo-
cal prohibitions due to fire hazards,” the
news release said. “As a reminder, fire-
works are always illegal on federal pub-
lic lands. Always check that a campfire
is stone-cold out before leaving; when-
ever it is too hot to touch, it is too hot to
walk away.”
For a full list of Eagle Creek Fire clo-
sures and more details about response
efforts, visit bit.ly/eaglecreekfireres-
ponse.
Mayor: What is causing Detroit Lake algae blooms?
Zach Urness Salem Statesman Journal
USA TODAY NETWORK
Salem Mayor Chuck Bennett is calling
for an investigation into the cause of
the toxic algae blooms at Detroit Lake.
The most recent bloom is blamed for
fouling the city’s water supply.
MOLLY J. SMITH/STATESMAN JOURNAL
Salem Mayor Chuck Bennett is call-
ing for an investigation into the toxic al-
gae bloom at Detroit Lake blamed for
fouling the city’s water supply.
Toxic algae blooms have been a
common occurrence at the reservoir
east of Salem, which serves as the
source of the city’s water supply.
But this year is the first time those
toxins have infiltrated Salem’s water
supply at levels high enough to cause
harm to vulnerable residents.
Bennett wants to investigate what’s
causing the toxic blooms, which Oregon
officials say could become more
common due to the impact of climate
change.
“We need a specific reason the bloom
is occurring not some general statement
like ‘it happens every year,’” Bennett
said in a Facebook message to the
Statesman Journal. “Something is
wrong up there and appears to be get-
ting worse.”
Salem’s water treatment facility, de-
signed in the 1930s, is based on the pre-
sumption of “excellent source water”
from Detroit Lake and the North San-
tiam River, which has historically been
true.
That allows the city to use a sand fil-
tration system — which is rare in the
United States but also is the cheapest
option, city officials said.
"What we're doing is the least expen-
sive way to deliver finished water to a
community," Salem Public Works Direc-
tor Peter Fernandez said at a press con-
ference May 30.
But if toxic algae is fouling the source
water, that needs to be addressed, Ben-
nett said.
“I’ve asked the council to include a
request for a detailed explanation of the
increasingly regular algae blooms in
some of the Detroit Reservoir tributar-
ies,” he said. “I want to understand
whether actions underway up there are
affecting our water quality.”
Bennett pointed to factors such as
fire damage, fire suppression practices,
historic logging activities and weather
conditions as potential culprits.
Pot
Continued from Page 2B
California, equally known for black-
market pot from its Emerald Triangle.
Rules now in effect there cap only
certain, medium-sized growing li-
censes. In some cases, companies ac-
quired dozens of growing licenses,
which can be operated on the same or
adjoining parcels. The California Grow-
ers Association, an advocacy group, is
suing to block those rules, fearing they
will open the way for vast farms that will
drive out smaller cultivators.
Beau Whitney, senior economist at
national cannabis analytics firm New
Fishing
Continued from Page 1B
self at https://www.foodandwine.com/
news/foods-royal-wedding-fever.
Given how the algorithms are prob-
ably processing my search requests
from, ahem, the previous week’s col-
umn, in future I probably can expect to
see ads in the margins of my searches
offering medical appliances to put you
in the proper position for consuming
Velveeta Crowns and Cheese.
Those will be right next to the come-
ons for the mud flaps and garden sprays.
But back to the original topic: Clam-
ming.
My expectations of a minimal turn-
out for the low tide because of the Royal
Wedding hysteria were – OK, consider
the source – something of an under-
count.
Probably by, let’s see, a couple hun-
dred.
It was a virtual rake and shovel-
swarm, but almost everyone got clams,
and many limited.
Cockles with a side of Crowns and
“In my view ... it’s a failing of the state for not stepping
back and taking a look at where this industry is at following
legalization.”
U.S. Attorney Billy Williams, regarding the oversupply of licensed marijuana sellers
Frontier Data, said he’s seeing Califor-
nia prices fall.
In contrast, Washington knew over-
supply could draw federal attention and
was more conservative about licensing.
As the market matured, its regulators
eased growing limits, but the state nev-
er experienced an oversupply crisis.
Cheese, anyone?
Anyone?
And for the five or six people in Ore-
gon who weren’t at the coast because of
the you-know-what, there are a couple
of excellent minus-tide series coming
up in June and July.
The first, one of the best of the year,
runs June 13 through 18, with the lowest
of the series on June 15, a Friday.
But the Saturday and Sunday minus
tides also will provide excellent oppor-
tunities.
During July, there is another stellar
minus series starting July 11 and wrap-
ping up July 16 with the lowest of the se-
ries on July 13 and 14.
July 14, it should be noted, is a Sat-
urday!
You can check out all of the tides for
the Oregon coast online at http://salt-
watertides.com/dynamic.dir/oregon-
sites.html
It could be your crowning summer
achievement, pun intended.
Henry Miller is a retired Statesman
Journal columnist and outdoor writer.
You can reach him via email at Henry-
MillerSJ@gmail.com
Colorado has no license caps, but
strict rules designed to limit oversupply
allow it to curtail a growers’ farm size
based on past crop yields, existing in-
ventory, sales deals and other factors.
In Oregon, cannabis retail chains are
emerging to take advantage of the
shake-up.
He noted that the situation has be-
come more urgent following a plan by
the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to
drain the reservoir for 1 to 2 years in a
plan to improve fish runs, beginning
around 2021.
“We need to know because the cost of
treating our water differently to meet
these challenges could cost in the upper
tens of millions of dollars just for Salem
and more when you factor in the San-
tiam Canyon communities that pull
their water from the North Santiam,” he
said.
Fernandez said building a new type
of water facility that could successfully
treat the toxins entering Salem’s drink-
ing water could cost around $200 mil-
lion.
Zach Urness has been an outdoors
writer, photographer and videographer
in Oregon for 10 years. He is the author of
the book “Hiking Southern Oregon” and
can be reached at zurness@Statesman-
Journal.com or (503) 399-6801. Find
him on Twitter at @ZachsORoutdoors.
A company called Nectar has 13
stores around the state – with three
more on tap – and says on its website it
is buying up for-sale dispensaries too.
Canada-based Golden Leaf Holdings
bought the successful Oregon startup
Chalice and has six stores around Port-
land, with another slated to open.
William Simpson, Chalice’s founder
and Golden Leaf Holdings CEO, is ex-
panding into Northern California, Neva-
da and Canada. Simpson welcomes
criticism that his business is to canna-
bis what Starbucks is to mass-market
coffee.
“If you take Chalice like Starbucks,
it’s a known quantity, it’s a brand that
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