NEWS
MyEagleNews.com
Wednesday, November 23, 2022
Virtual map shows thinning eff orts
By GEORGE PLAVEN
Capital Press
MORE INFORMATION
WASHINGTON, D.C. — As wild-
fi res grow bigger and hotter across the
West, the U.S. Forest Service faces a
daunting task.
The agency has developed a
10-year strategy that calls for remov-
ing hazardous fuels across 20 million
acres of national forests — and 30 mil-
lion acres of federal, state, tribal and
private land — to protect resources and
communities.
It’s a big job that will cost far
more than the combined $3.31 bil-
lion recently provided in the Biparti-
san Infrastructure Law and Infl ation
Reduction Act.
To start, the Forest Service set aside
$131 million this year to treat 10 areas
in eight Western states at high risk from
wildfi res, adding up to 208,000 acres.
Offi cials debuted a virtual map Tues-
day to track their progress, and show
To access the Forest Service’s
online interactive map, visit:
https://experience.arcgis.com/ex-
perience/a23d2e0cb7834d75bd-
5f830ae51720d9/
investments are being made to cre-
ate safer communities and healthier,
more resilient forests,” said Forest Ser-
vice Chief Randy Moore. “This work
will meaningfully change how peo-
ple, communities and natural resources
experience risk from wildfi re.”
The initial project areas and bud-
gets for fi scal year 2022 include:
• Central Oregon — $4.5 million,
5,000 acres.
• Central Washington — $24.6 mil-
lion, 24,000 acres.
• Southwest Idaho — $17.4 mil-
lion, 18,000 acres.
Lane County/Contributed Photo, File
A fi re tornado forms on the night of
Sept. 7, 2020, near state Highway
126, also known as the McKenzie Riv-
er Highway.
where the money is being spent.
“With this (map), audiences across
the country can see in real-time where
• North Yuba (Calif.) — $6.8 mil-
lion, 4,500 acres.
• Stanislaus (Calif.) — $21.8 mil-
lion, 8,500 acres.
• Colorado Front Range — $18.1
million, 10,000 acres.
• Enchanted Circle (N.M.) — $6.6
million, 9,000 acres.
• Kootenai Complex (Mont.) —
$3.6 million, 900 acres.
• Prescott (Ariz.) — $11.1 million,
28,000 acres.
• Four Forest Restoration Initiative
(Ariz.) — $12 million, 100,000 acres.
According to the map, the Forest
Service has spent $94.3 million, or
73% of its total funding. Two proj-
ects — North Yuba and the Four For-
est Restoration Initiative — have
come in over-budget, at $7.2 million
and $15.5 million, respectively.
In its 10-year strategy, the For-
est Service describes how wild-
fi re risk has increased nationwide
due to accumulating fuels, climate
A3
change and expanding development
in the wildland-urban interface, and
calls for a “paradigm shift” in land
management.
In 2020, 2017 and 2015, more
than 10 million acres — an area
more than six times the size of Del-
aware — burned nationwide. Nearly
one-quarter of the contiguous U.S.
is at “moderate” to “very high” risk
from wildfi re, with over half of that
area in the West.
“Western states are living the
reality of climate change every day,
where record droughts and cata-
strophic fi re threaten lives and liveli-
hoods like we have never seen in our
history,” said USDA Secretary Tom
Vilsack. “This new resource gives
everyone a chance to see the real
impacts of the on-the-ground work
the USDA Forest Service and its
partners have already done to protect
the communities and the resources
that are most at risk.”
New streaming channel highlights Oregon Mt. Vernon-area
EO Media Group
Pamplin Media Group and EO Media
Group have jointly launched a 24/7 TV
travel channel fi lled with streaming video
that highlights and promotes the wonders
of Oregon. The channel is live today.
Called Rediscover Oregon, the chan-
nel focuses on Oregon-centric places and
events one can visit and partake in. Video
content includes stories from Astoria and
the coast to Pendleton and Eastern Ore-
gon. The channel features scenes from
downtown Portland to downtown Bend,
the Willamette Valley and Medford in
Southern Oregon.
Rediscover Oregon includes locally
produced videos by local content cre-
ators and social media infl uencers. Top-
ics include Oregon escapes, tips on places
to hike, mountain bike, ski and where to
eat or fi nd good wines and vineyards. It
explores some of the hidden gems in Port-
land and other cities. Rediscover Oregon
should be your fi rst destination for when
you want to get out and explore everything
Oregon has to off er.
This streaming channel can be
accessed via Roku, FireTV, AppleTV or
other devices that plug in to your smart
TV. Simply search for Rediscover Ore-
gon. You can also go directly to the chan-
nel by going to rediscoveror.com.
“We hope this encourages Oregonians
and visitors to fan out and explore our
home state, to get a better understanding
of what we have to off er and why people
choose to live here,” said Heidi Wright,
chief operating offi ce for EO Media
Group and publisher of The Bulletin in
Bend.
“Coming out of the pandemic, Ore-
gon residents are eager once again to redis-
cover all the wonders in their own back-
yards. That makes this the optimum time
to launch this channel and remind people
why Oregon is a special place to live or
visit,” said Mark Garber, president of Pam-
plin Media Group. “Our partnership with
EO Media Group allows us collectively to
promote every corner of the state.”
The Rediscover Oregon channel will
reach 1.84 million readers of EO Media
and Pamplin Media Group weekly using
all their media assets — print, digital,
social media and email.
The launch of the channel was guided
by Tasaka Digital, a strategy and product
consulting fi rm based in West Linn. Guy
Tasaka works with local media companies
to create sustainable business models and
next-generation distribution strategies.
The channel is still in the buildout
phase and will eventually off er geographic
segmentation so viewers can learn about
their favorite regions of Oregon.
One of the goals of Rediscover Oregon
is to partner with local content producers to
highlight their videos about Oregon. Con-
tent producers can go to the CONTACT
US page on rediscoveror.com to send an
email about their videos and why they
would be a good addition to the channel.
“Viewer feedback is important to us,”
said Garber. “We encourage all feedback to
help us improve the quality of the channel.”
couple found dead
MT. VERNON — A Grant
County couple were found dead
in their home west of Mt. Ver-
non on the morning of Satur-
day, Nov. 19, the Grant County
District Attorney’s Offi ce
announced in a news release.
Jack Kight, 80, and Elaine
Kight, 76, each apparently died
from a single gunshot wound,
according to preliminary fi nd-
ings. Investigation appears to
show that Jack Kight fi red both
shots, the news release said.
Next of kin have been
notifi ed.
The Grant County Sheriff ’s
Offi ce and Oregon State Police
are investigating the incident
with assistance from a forensics
unit, crime reconstruction unit
and additional detectives.
Sheriff Todd McKinley said
the case remains under investi-
gation and that an update will be
released after all the evidence
has been fully evaluated.
Anyone with informa-
tion that might be helpful
to the investigation is asked
to call Grant County Sher-
iff ’s Sgt. Danny Komning at
541-575-1131.
“This, coupled with other
recent similar tragic events in
our community, has left us reel-
ing,” District Attorney Jim Car-
penter said in the news release.
“Let’s take the opportu-
nity to reach out and lift those
around us. Find ways to give
and inspire hope to everyone in
our sphere of infl uence.”
Anyone experiencing an
emotional crisis can call 988 to
speak with a counselor.
mation, call Leslie Traylor at
541-620-4032.
Do you have a community
event you’d like to publicize?
Email information to editor@
bmeagle.com. The deadline is
noon Friday for publication the
following Wednesday.
Blue Mountain Eagle
WHAT’S HAPPENING
THURSDAY, NOV. 24
FRIDAY, DEC. 9
Community Thanksgiving
dinner
• 1-4 p.m., John Day Elks
Lodge, 140 NE Dayton St.,
John Day
Volunteers will dish up a
free Thanksgiving dinner to
all comers at the John Day
Elks Lodge. The traditional
menu will include turkey, ham,
mashed potatoes and gravy,
green bean casserole, sweet
potatoes, rolls, stuffi ng, cran-
berries and pies. Those who are
disabled or homebound can call
the lodge at 541-575-1824 to
request deliveries. Leave a mes-
sage with your name, address,
phone number and how many
meals you will need.
Holiday Showcase
• 6:30 p.m., Grant Union
High School, 911 S. Canyon
Blvd., John Day
This 24th annual event will
feature special performances by
Grant Union Gold and Body,
Fitness & Dance.
THURSDAY, DEC. 1
Senior Citizens Advisory
Council meeting
• 11 a.m., John Day Senior
Center, 142 NE Dayton St.,
John Day
The Grant County Senior
Citizens Advisory Council will
hold its quarterly meeting. The
public is welcome to attend.
FRIDAY, DEC. 2
Carrie Young Memorial
Dinner and Auction
• 5 p.m., John Daty Elks
Lodge, 140 NE Dayton St.,
W HAT’S
HAPPENING
John Day
The 30th annual Car-
rie Young Memorial Din-
ner and Auction will feature a
donation-only dinner of spa-
ghetti, salad and bread as well
as live and silent auctions to
raise money to provide Christ-
mas presents and necessities to
Grant County senior citizens
and assisted living residents.
SATURDAY, DEC. 3
Blue Mountain Hospital
Bazaar
• 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Trow-
bridge Pavilion and Keer-
ins Hall, Grant County Fair-
grounds, 411 NW Bridge St.,
John Day
Hosted by the Blue Moun-
tain Hospital Auxiliary, this
annual event will feature a
wide array of holiday gift items,
many of them hand-crafted.
Lunch, pie and coff ee will be
available. A portion of the pro-
ceeds goes to support projects
of the Blue Mountain Hospital
District.
SATURDAY, DEC. 10
Ugly Sweater Christmas
Bazaar
• Monument Senior Center,
269 Main St., Monument
Wear an ugly sweater to be
entered into a drawing. Tables
are available at a cost of $15.
To reserve a table, call Jeanne
Strange at 541-934-2001.
Timber Truckers Light
Parade
• 6 p.m., Main Street, John
Day
The annual parade of log
trucks, big rigs and work vehi-
cles decked out in festive holi-
day lights will begin at former
Grant Western Lumber Co.
site just west of John Day, then
travel east on Main Street to
Third Street Extension before
looping back around to the
Elks Lodge, where a chili feed
and awards ceremony awaits
the participants and their fam-
ilies. This year’s theme is
“Christmas Memories,” and
Wishing you all the
makings of a happy
Thanksgiving.
Sally Knowles
Broker, GRI
Office:
entrants can sign up at the for-
mer Grant Western Lumber
site from 2 to 5:30 p.m., The
entry fee is $10. For more infor-
Babette Larson
Lori Hickerson
Broker, GRI
Office:
Principal Broker, GRI
Office:
www.dukewarnerrealtyofeasternoregon.com
D UKE W ARNER R EALTY
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from the US Department of Labor, Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC) and the Eastern Oregon Workforce Board (EOWB).
Outdo
B LACK F RIDAY
8 AM TO
5:30 PM
S ATURDAY
9 AM TO 4 PM
EVERYTHING ON SALE
STORE WIDE
10-50% off selected items
DP H OME E NTERTAINMENT
137 E. Main St. l John Day l 541-575-1637