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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 23, 2015)
Community Blue Mountain Eagle FIRE Continued from Page A1 resulted in flows down Can- yon Creek peaking at 661 cu- bic feet per second (cfs). Now, because of the loss of vegetation caused by the ¿re, that type of storm could be expected to result in a peak Àow of 1, cfs down Can- yon Creek. By comparison, peak Àows in Canyon Creek during the 211 Àood that damaged the local high school reached 856 cfs. 3eak stream Àows follow- ing a 10-year storm would in- crease by a magnitude of eight in Vance Creek and by mag- nitudes of 3.5 in Berry Creek, 1. in 3ine Creek and 1.8 in Indian Creek. The BAER team recom- mended working with the National Weather Service to establish an early warning system that would alert peo- ple along Canyon Creek of imminent Àooding. Marilyn Lohmann, a Na- tional Weather Service hy- drologist in Pendleton, said that type of system would likely include a series of rain gauges at higher elevations and at some critical points along the stream. The gauges would send messages by sat- ellite every 10 minutes to the Wednesday, September 23, 2015 There is a lot of work to do before allowing folks back into those potentially hazardous areas.” “ Rob Tanner Burned Area Emergency Response team leader weather service’s Pendleton of¿ce and people could also monitor the data themselves on the Internet. How Àood alerts are is- sued, whether through the use of sirens, a so-called “re- verse -1-1” system or an- other method, is something the community can decide, Lohmann said. “I think together we can make something like this work,” she said. In an effort to mitigate Àooding and protect soil, ¿sh and the watershed, the BAER team also recommends mulch- ing treatments on slopes that were heavily damaged by the ¿re, which burned 110,221 acres. The BAER team used pre- and post-¿re satellite images to help compare vegetation before and after the ¿re. The Eagle/Sean Ellis Community members listen to a specialized U.S. Forest Service team’s treatment recommendations to mitigate imminent post-fire threats Sept. 21 at the Canyon City Community Hall. The data showed that 11 percent of the soil affected by the ¿re, or 12,028 acres, was burned severely, 35,18 acres (33 percent) of soil was burned moderately, 52,526 acres ( percent) had a low burn severity rating and ,20 acres ( percent) was un- burned or had a very low soil burn severity rating. Mulching treatments will largely take place in areas with a severe soil burn rating and along slopes with a grade of between 20-50 percent. In areas with moderate soil burn, natural needle fall is expected to act as a natural mulch, while it’s not practi- cal to do mulch treatments on slopes with grades of less than 20 percent or great- er than 50 percent, Tanner said. The BAER team’s recom- mendations include recondi- tioning 22 miles of existing drainage ditches and cleaning or modifying culverts to allow for increased water Àow. The team also recommends 12.6 miles of trail drainage work in recreation areas and campgrounds. “There is a lot of work to do before allowing folks back into those potentially haz- ardous areas,” Tanner said. A3 “There are a lot of hazards out there.” The team recommends posting 50 hazard signs along damaged roads and recreation areas warning people of fallen rocks and debris or that they are entering a burned area. It also recommends sur- veying for and treating new- ly discovered invasive plants and weeds and preventing the spread of existing popula- tions, and installing 34 wood jam catchment structures to help protect ¿sh and hydrol- ogy. The BAER team is also requesting non-emergency funding for things like fences and recreation infrastructure and can also apply for supple- mental emergency funding if the need arises. Engineer Doug Fergu- son, who is acting as Grant County Court’s liaison with other agencies to coordi- nate the various restoration efforts aimed at preventing catastrophic Àooding, said the BAER team has provid- ed the community with a lot of good information and data. The local community can take advantage of that data “to ¿x problems that have existed in the past,” he said. “I’ll be a lot more succinct on what we can do in the next week, hope- fully, when the funding comes together.” Oregon cattlemen, politicians weigh in on sage grouse decision Contributed photo Sage grouse Wyden added, “This vic- tory just goes to show how collaboration between pri- vate stakeholders and local, state and federal leaders can lead to balanced, sustain- able solutions for the man- agement of wildlife and our public lands,.” The response from U.S. Rep. Greg Walden (R-Hood River) was similar, “Farm- ers and ranchers in eastern Free plane rides for ¿re victims Sign up at the airport through Sept. 30 vided by Air Search pilots during October and Novem- ber, weather permitting. For more information, call airport manager Patrick Bentz at 541-55-1151. B REAKING N EWS A LERTS myeaglenews.com/breakingnews THE INTERN PG-13 70-year-old retiree (Robert DeNiro) comes out of retirement to intern for an online fashion site. FRI & SAT (4:00) 7:00 9:35 SUNDAY (4:00) 7:00 MON-THURS (4:00) 7:00 HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA PG Dracula and his friends try to bring out the monster in his grandson in order to keep Mavis from leaving the hotel. FRI & SAT (4:10) 7:10 9:40 SUNDAY (4:10) 7:10 MON-THURS (4:00) 7:10 MAZE RUNNER: THE SCORCH TRIALS PG-13 After having escaped the maze, the Gladers now face a new set of challenges. FRI & SAT (3:45) 6:45 9:30 SUNDAY (3:45) 6:45 MON-THURS (4:10) 6:45 $9 Adult, $7 Senior (60+), Youth Blue Mountain Eagle Lane Burton, from the Assessor’s Office, wants to remind folks who have damaged or destroyed structures from the Canyon Creek Complex fire to PLEASE stop by the Assessor’s Office to sign an application to remove the property taxes on the damaged/destroyed structures for this current tax year - if you have not already signed an application. If you have any questions, please call the Grant County Assessor’s Office at 541-575-0107. 200 S. Canyon City Blvd. Canyon City, OR 97820 02700 JOHN DAY – In lieu of the canceled Fly-In, Grant Coun- ty Air Search will sponsor free airplane rides for people who lost homes in the Canyon Creek Complex ¿re. Anyone interested can sign up at Grant County Re- gional Airport during regular business hours 8 a.m.-4 p.m. through Wednesday, Sept. 30. The free rides will be pro- to ensure these plans work for the people who live there,” Walden said. “This is truly a histor- ic day in the history of the American West cat- tle business,” said Oregon Cattlemen’s Executive Director Jerome Rosa. “Through collaborative ef- forts by ranchers, energy companies and conserva- tionist reducing the decline of the sage grouse habitat in 11 Western states, the need for a listing was not need- ed.” Ranchers have been working hard for several years to prevent a listing, in- cluding partnering with other groups to booster sage grouse habitat. Rancher’s Tom Sharp and John O’Keeffe have led many of the efforts on behalf of the Oregon Cattlemen’s Association. B REAKING N EWS A LERTS myeaglenews.com/breakingnews Thank You! R The City of Prairie City would like to thank all the Firefighters for their courage and hard work this fire season. A huge shout out goes to all the resources behind the scenes, the unsung heroes who donated time and effort to support those fighting the fires. Our heartfelt sympathies go out to those who have lost so much in this disaster. Mayor Hamsher would like to commend the community for coming together in such a perilous time. Mayor Hamsher and the Public Works Director would also like to thank the residents for their outstanding efforts to conserve water during the emergency, and helping to avoid a major crisis. 02746 WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ’s decision Tuesday morning, Sept. 22, to not list the Greater Sage Grouse as an endangered species drew praise from Oregon state politicians and Oregon Cattleman’s Association. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) said, “I am thrilled by to- day’s announcement that the greater sage grouse does not require protection un- der the Endangered Species Act,” adding, “I applaud the efforts of ranchers, con- servationists, governors and others who have come to the table, signed agree- ments and worked hard on the ground to fight for rural Oregon jobs and communi- ties.” Oregon have been work- ing hard to avoid a listing of the sage grouse, a move that would severely impact jobs in rural communities throughout the west.” “This will give commu- nities in Oregon time to im- plement locally driven con- servation efforts without the federal government’s heavy hand getting in the way,” Walden said. Walden cautioned that while the step is a positive one, obstacles remain. He noted strong concerns he heard from people at re- cent town halls throughout Eastern Oregon regarding the Bureau of Land Man- agement’s sage grouse plans. “The BLM must be flex- ible and continue working with the local communities 02735 Blue Mountain Eagle
