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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 5, 2015)
6A COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL August 5, 2015 B EYOND THE G ROVE Impactful news from Lane County and surrounding communities F IRE DOWN SOUTH (photo courtesy ODFW) Members of the Territorial Riders chapter of Backcoun- try Horsemen of Oregon head up the trail on Mt. Hood with a load of trout that were released in Shellrock Lake. Crews in Douglas County battle vicious blazes in stifl ing heat S Horsemen help ODFW release high lakes trout peratures and dryer conditions. Temperatures may reach the 90s and there is a chance of thunder- storms. Mindful of this cautionary note, fi refi ghters paused during the morning briefi ng to honor fallen comrade David Ruhl, who was re- cently killed in a wildfi re in North- ern California. The fi re area and forest roads remain closed to the public. High- way 138 remains open with the aid of a pilot car. moke and haze in the Cot- tage Grove area in recent days are evidence of a battle rag- ing in nearby Douglas County, as crews have fought blazes and hot, dry weather simultaneously in two separate fi res. Sunday’s cooler weather with a smattering of rain helped fi refi ght- ers progress in battling the Cable Crossing Fire, which started on Tuesday afternoon, July 28, along Highway 38 six miles east of Glide. On Saturday, fi re crews met with concerned Glide area citizens to answer questions about the fi re and their efforts. On Monday morning, an update from the Oregon Department of Forestry stated that “fi refi ghters on the Cable Crossing Fire took advantage of” Sunday’s “break in hot, dry weather to gain ground on the fi re.” They say the fi re is now completely trailed and esti- mated at 1,674 acres and 20 per- cent contained. As a precautionary measure, the level one evacuation notice remains in effect on Little River Road from the Peel Store to the Wolf Creek Trail Head and along Highway 138 in the vicin- ity of Evergreen Lane to Honeycut Road. Those seeking more infor- mation on evacuation notifi cation levels and Ready, Set, Go can visit www.wildlandfi rersg.org. “Crew bosses are hopeful they took the fi ght out of the fi re,” said Incident Commander Link Smith. “We’re confi dent we’ll continue to make great strides toward contain- ing the fi re.” Smith said the optimism is not without its precaution, however. Crews plan to be fl exible today as the weather shifts to warmer tem- Meanwhile, the 15,000-acre Stouts Fire continues to burn east of Canyonville, though more fa- vorable weather has again aided the fi refi ghters’ cause, according to recent updates. Residents along Upper Cow Creek Road were al- lowed back into their homes on Sunday, though many residents are being cautioned to remain ready to evacuate. On Monday, an ODF update stated that build additional fi re line, prepare contingency lines, and assess the areas around struc- tures that need clearing and start- ing work to help protect them if the fi re moves that way. The fi re grew slightly but remains just over 15,000 acres, and is estimated at 5% containment. About 1400 fi refi ghters continue fi ghting the Stouts Fire around the clock. Over 160 community members turned out to Sunday night’s meeting at the Milo fi re hall. The fi re is burn- ing approximately 1/3 on private land, 1/3 on Bureau of Land Man- agement land, and 1/3 on National Forest land. The causes of both fi res remain under investigation. E courtesy photo Helicopters have been enlisted in efforts to fi ght the Cable Crossing Fire, which started July 28 about six miles east of Glide along Highway 138. Grant funds solar install for Creswell food pantry Concerning Creswell News and notes from our neighbor to the north BY JON STINNETT The Cottage Grove Sentinel T he efforts of a food pantry in Creswell were supercharged last week with the fl ip of a switch. Community Food for Creswell, which op- erates in that city’s Cobalt Building on the north end of town, recently utilized funding from a 2014 Green Power Grant from the Emerald Peoples Utilities District (EPUD) to install a 13.2 kilowatt solar power system on its roof. The organization’s Susan Blach- nik said the new system, which Blachnik started herself by fl ipping a switch outside the Cobalt Building on Thursday, should re- duce the energy costs the pantry pays by 50 percent, saving the pantry about $1200 per year, an amount equal to 10 percent of its annual budget. Blachnik said the savings will come at a crucial time for the pantry. “We’ve been using up our savings for about a year,” she said. “It’s important that we decrease our expenses, and there aren’t many grants available to reduce operating expenses.” Blachnik said the process of applying for and utilizing the grant funding has been quite complicated, as the City of Creswell photo by Jon Stinnett Flanked by EPUD representatives, Community Food for Creswell's Susan Blach- nik fl ips the switch to engage the solar energy system at the Cobalt Building. owns the Cobalt Building and its name ap- pears on its utility bill. The changes are part of a broader restructuring there, however, as the lease has just been renewed from a fi ve- year lease with a fi ve-year extension option to a 10-year lease with a fi ve-year option. “It’s got us covered until at least 2030, and that’s a very big deal for us,” she said. “It makes us a lot more stable.” Community Food for Creswell serves an average of 169 households with a food box, Blachnik said, while numbers have been in- creasing in the last three months. July was especially hard on the pantry’s clients in July, she said, because the month had fi ve It’s not too early to weeks as opposed to four and clients’ SNAP benefi ts typically run out about three weeks into any given month. Top brass from EPUD were on hand for the ceremony, including General Manager Scott Coe, Energy Services Coordinator Rob Currier and many others. “We’re tickled pink that the food bank was awarded the grant,” Coe said. “A lower bill lets them spend more money to serve clients.” Coe pointed out that participants in EPUD’s Green Power program support the grant program entirely by paying an extra fee on their monthly utility bills. SAVE MONEY. SAVE LIVES. PR E PA R E FO R THE SEASON. Wildfire season is upon us. State Farm ® can help before as well as after it strikes. Contact me today to learn how to prepare or visit statefarm.com ® . Ground Ambulance Memberships $65 per year Ground Ambulance & Air Membership Matt Bjornn, Agent 1481 Gateway Blvd Cottage Grove, OR 97424 Bus: 541-942-2623 matt@bjornninsurance.com $110 per year statefarm.com 4UBUF'BSNt#MPPNJOHUPO*- why ODFW uses them to stock high lakes only during odd- numbered years. The horsemen helped ODFW staff load 40 trout into plastic bags fi lled with oxygen-en- riched water and ice into paniers onto fi ve mules for the 30-min- ute walk from the loading area into Shellrock Lake. Walczak said fi sh loaded this way in cool, oxygenated water will probably survive for up to two hours. Only three fi sh died on the ride into Shellrock Lake. Walczak said that based on this year’s successful release, he is looking to expand the horse- stocking operation to as many as six or eight release sites next year. Not every location is a good candidate. Horse-stocking release sites need to be within two hours ride over a horse- compatible trail. “This gives us some more op- tions as far as releasing trout and creating additional fi shing opportunity in the high lakes during those years when we can’t afford to use helicopters,” Walczak said, noting that ulti- mately the success of the project depends on the participation of volunteer horsemen. There is a lot of interest in fi shing Oregon’s high mountain lakes, especially this year when many other locations have been impacted by drought conditions. Oregon’s high lakes consistently get top ratings in ODFW angler surveys. ODFW encourages an- glers to consider the high lakes in their summer fi shing plans. “Fishing Oregon’s high lakes can be a really good experience,” said Mike Gauvin, manager of ODFW’s Recreational Fisher- ies Management Program. “The crowds are usually smaller, you don’t have competing activities, and it’s generally more relaxing, not to mention some exceptional scenery.” Looking Glass Community Services SOUTH LANE COUNTY FIRE & RESCUE P077169.1 very two years the Or- egon Department of Fish and Wildlife goes to the air to release more than 350,000 fi n- gerling trout into more than 500 lakes throughout the Oregon Cascades mountain range. This summer, ODFW added a low-tech twist to its high lakes trout stocking program: horses and mules. Every two years, ODFW stocks the high lakes with fi sh, mostly from helicopters be- cause they are fast, cover a lot of ground and can carry a big payload. This year, in addition to heli- copter stocking, two Northwest Oregon high lakes were stocked with fi sh carried in on horses and mules provided by the Ter- ritorial Riders Chapter of Back- country Horsemen of Oregon. On July 11, the volunteer rid- ers delivered 200 “legal-sized” eight-inch trout to in Shell- rock Lake, located in the in the High Rock Lakes area 38 miles southeast of Portland. A month earlier, the horsemen helped Walczak deliver 1,200 trout fi n- gerlings to Cast Lake near Gov- ernment Camp on Mt. Hood. “Having dedicated volun- teers who generously donate their time and resources made this project a success,” said Ben Walczak, ODFW fi sh biologist. ODFW has used horses to stock high lakes for decades but gradually turned away from that practice in favor of helicopters because of their ability to cover so much more ground. Still, horses have advantages over helicopters, including on- the-ground reports of lake con- ditions, high survival rates of fi sh stocked, and the ability to stock larger fi sh, according to Walczak. “We can’t stock legals from a helicopter,” he said. Helicopter time is also ex- tremely expensive, which is ® Call 541-942-4493 for info. FOR EMERGENCY DIAL 911 Serving South Lane County. We serve youth ages 11-17 with; • Family Reconciliation • Emergency Shelter and Basic Needs 541-767-3823 19 N 6th Street • Cottage Grove www.lookingglass.us e v i t o m o Aut s e i t l a i c e S p PRACTICING THE ART OF TRANSMISSION REPAIR SINCE 1991 Manual & Automatic Transmission Repair Tune ups 30-60-90K Services Brakes, belts, hoses and cooling system services Muffl ers & Custom Exhaust Drive-train repair such as clutches, u joints and differentials All makes and models. MAINTAINING YOUR VEHICLE AFFORDABLY WE LIVE IN THE SAME TOWN WE WORK IN “ NO MONKEY BUSINESS!” www.automotivespecialties.biz DUSTIN TULLAR & RUSS OWENS 541-942-8022 • COTTAGE GROVE
