Cottage Grove Sentinel
Community & Lifestyle
B1
CONTACT SPORTS REPORTER NICK SNYDER AT
942-3325 OR NSNYDER@CGSENTINEL.COM
THURSDAY | JULY 2, 2020
Eagles land new coach
By Nick Snyder
nsnyder@cgsentinel.com
UNF announces
reopening of some
campgrounds
Recreational sites
reopen just in time for
the holiday weekend
Th e Umpqua National Forest
is announcing the re-opening of
the Diamond Lake South Camp-
ground to recreational users
beginning Friday, June 26. Dia-
mond Lake North Campground
opened last week.
All Diamond Lake camp-
grounds will be available by ad-
vance reservation only through
www.recreation.gov. No pay-
ments will be accepted at the
campground. Reservations can
be made through Recreation.
gov beginning Wednesday, June
24, and must be made two days
in advance of your intended vis-
it. Local District offi ces have no
ability to make reservations for
you. Unless you have been noti-
fi ed to the contrary, all existing
reservations are still valid.
Forest personnel are working
to reopen other campgrounds on
the forest in the upcoming weeks.
Th e fi rst priority is mitigating
storm and insect damage that
have weaken and killed a signifi -
cant number of trees in our camp-
grounds this winter. Th e damage
is most prevalent in the Diamond
Lake campgrounds where hun-
dreds of trees continue to be re-
moved by staff to eliminate them
as a safety risk to our users and
staff . Further announcements
will be forthcoming as we remove
more trees that allow us to open
campgrounds around Diamond
Lake and elsewhere on the Forest.
“We are working hard to get
these campgrounds open,” said
Alice Carlton, Forest Supervi-
sor, Umpqua National Forest.
“We have employees out prepar-
ing these sites every day and are
excited to be able to off er these
again to the public in the near
future.”
Many facilities, such as vault
bathrooms, showers and water
points will be open for public use.
Members of the public wishing to
utilize these facilities are doing so
at their own discretion and must
take all necessary precautions
to ensure their own personal
health and safety. While we are
See LAKE 3B
While a cloud of uncer-
tainty still looms over the
2020-21 high school sports
season, as of last week there
is a bit more clarity at least
for Yoncalla boys basketball.
After finishing the 2019-
20 season going 10-14
overall and 4-8 in Skyline
League play under first year
head coach Lourie Hall,
Yoncalla High School has
handed the reigns of their
boys basketball program to
Yoncalla Elementary School
principal Don Hakala.
Hakala, who former-
ly worked for Salem-area
schools, joined Yoncalla
School District just last year,
but the support of the local
community helped him
quickly get his feet firmly
under him in his adminis-
trative duties.
“Being in a big district
and going to a smaller dis-
trict has been really nice,”
Hakala said of his transition
to life in Douglas County.
“I’m totally new to it and
I’ve enjoyed it greatly. Ev-
eryone’s been very welcom-
ing and very supportive.”
The warm welcome of
the Yoncalla community al-
lowed Hakala – who turned
down the head coaching
job last year to focus on his
role as principal – to jump
at a second opportunity and
take on the new challenge
of building a consistently
competitive Eagles basket-
ball program.
“Basketball is the longest
season of any sport and it
See HAKALA 3B
COURTESY PHOTO
New YHS boys basketball coach Don
Hakala currently serves as the princi-
pal at Yoncalla Elementary School.
Corps urges safe recreation over holiday
PHOTO C/O CORPS OF ENGINEERS
A boater takes advantage of a sunny summer day on Cottage Grove Lake, an Army Corps of Engineers-managed site.
The U.S. Army Corps of En-
gineers encourages outdoor en-
thusiasts to recreate responsibly
and safely this holiday weekend.
With reservoirs throughout
Oregon near normal capacity
and many areas now reopened,
Corps officials are expecting in-
creased activity on its water and
land-based recreation sites.
“The fourth of July is a great
time to celebrate with fami-
ly and friends, but it can also
be one of the most dangerous
weekends of the year,” said Park
Ranger Christie Johnson. “This
year, with COVID-19 still a
concern and most public holi-
day events cancelled, we want
to make sure that people who
come out to recreate understand
the risks and are prepared.”
Corps park rangers would
like to remind the public of the
following safety guidelines:
Be prepared. Some parks have
limited access to amenities and
services so bring your own per-
sonal protective supplies includ-
ing hand sanitizer, soap, water,
face mask, and disinfectant
wipes. Not all areas are open for
camping and parking may be
limited so have a plan B.
No fireworks. Do not bring
your personal fireworks as use
of fireworks is prohibited on
Corps land except through spe-
See CORPS 3B
Drinking and boating? Ye be warned
The Marine Board, marine
law enforcement from 18 coun-
ty sheriff ’s offices, Oregon State
Police, and five Oregon U.S.
Coast Guard Stations will be
participating in Operation Dry
Water during the weekend of
July 3-5, as part of a national-
ly coordinated effort to reduce
the number of accidents and
fatalities related to Boating Un-
der the Influence of Intoxicants
(BUII).
“We have multiple patrols
scheduled this season to catch
impaired boat operators,” says
Randy Henry, Boating Safety
Program Manager for the Ma-
rine Board. “We also have new
tools. The legislature gave us
the authority in 2020 to take
your boater education card for
up to three years, if convicted.”
Many marine officers have
Yard of the Week
brought to you by:
Cottage Grove Sentinel
116 N. 6th • (541) 942-3325
Week of July 2nd Winner is: 1104 South 2nd Street
Yards will be selected each week by nominations.
To nominate a yard you can call City Hall (942-5501)
or Chamber of Commerce (942-2411)
completed specialized training
to recognize alcohol and drug
impairment. This includes
prescription drugs, alcohol,
inhalants, marijuana, or any
other substance that impairs a
person’s ability to make sound
judgments and to safely operate
a boat. The effects of drugs and
alcohol are also amplified on
the water with the combination
of sun glare, wind, waves, and
other environmental stressors.
Alcohol also dehydrates the
body making sudden immer-
sion into cold water at an even
greater risk for drowning.
Impaired boaters can expect
to be arrested or face serious
penalties. In Oregon, the con-
sequences of being convicted
of BUII include the possibility
of jail time, $6,250 in fines, loss
of boating privileges and a one
to three-year suspension
of the boater education
Cottage Grove Sentinel Introduces...
card and potentially being
court-mandated to take
another boating safety
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See BOATS 3B