The latest News around the Klamath Basin from Wynne Broadcasting’s KFLS 1450AM/102.5FM, BasinLife.com and The Herald & News.
MONDAY, AUGUST 12, 2019
Klamath Basin Weather
Scattered thunderstorms moved across Southern Oregon and Klamath County over the weekend. The National Weather Service Medford Office is reporting more than 1,600 ground lightning strikes were recorded across Southern Oregon and Northern California in the past 24 hours.
Here’s the latest on the Ward Fire:
Multiple fires were reported over the weekend in Klamath County with the largest fire being the Ward Fire located 18 miles southwest of Klamath Falls. Multiple ground and air resources are on scene and more resources are being order.
The Ward Fire started early afternoon August 9th, 2019 when a lightning storm came through the area. The fire instantly started running and spotting, aided by topography and winds. Crews from ODF and BLM along with Green Diamond timber company responded rapidly.
At fire has had minimal growth since yesterday due to the moist and cool conditions and effective dozer lines built directly against the burning perimeter on the northern flank of the fire. Last night, firefighters worked to mop up 30 feet in on the fireline in the northwest flank of the fire. Crews also worked to install hose lays along the completed dozer line on the northeast portion.
The plan for today is the continue to secure, improve, and hold constructed fireline along the northern areas of the fire. The southern flank of the fire has burned up the rocky and steep ridge overlooking the Klamath River. Fire managers are scouting and looking for opportunities to hold and secure this southern perimeter. Firefighters continue to patrol for and extinguish spot fires in heavy fuels in the forested area of the fire.
The forecast calls for warmer and dryer conditions today and a return to normal temperatures in the coming week, with gusty winds possible over the fire on Tuesday.
Safety considerations will continue to be snags, rattlesnakes, power lines, and rolling debris on the steep slopes on the southern edge of the fire.
Cooperators assisting partner agencies ODF and BLM include Green Diamond Resource Company and the Klamath County Fire Chief.
Pacific Northwesterners who forage for wild mushrooms are noticing that the late summer and fall delicacies are coming in early this year.
Edible wild mushrooms are now flooding wholesale markets. In the Cascade Mountains mushrooms are poking up earlier than normal too.
Charlie Wiley, a commercial mushroom buyer said “We’re already seeing mushrooms coming in that generally don’t show up until the middle of September,” He went on to say “We’ve got pine mushrooms coming in. I can’t remember ever getting them in August.” A new festival in Oregon to celebrate wild mushrooms had to be moved up by a week to Aug. 25 because the star attraction is arriving early. The Mt. Hood Meadows Mushroom Festival was originally scheduled for Labor Day weekend.
The Crater Lake Rim Runs were held this weekend and Sergio Morales returned to win the Crater Lake marathon on a cold, rainy Saturday.
The 29-year-old Morales returned after having missed the race a year ago because of injury, still ran with pain but turned in the eighth fastest marathon time in the 44-year history of the longest race in the Crater Lake trio of events. He also became the first male to win the marathon four times. Morales now has won four of the last five Crater Lake marathons.
The 173rd Fighter Wing at Kingsley Field will conduct night flying operations tonight thru Wednesday.
Operations will take place between approximately 4:00 p.m. through 11:00 p.m. Night flying is one part of the course curriculum for F-15C student pilots at Kingsley Field, the premiere F-15C schoolhouse for the United States Air Force.
The majority of the training will occur in the military operating airspace to the east of Lakeview where the pilots can fly without lights. However, the local community will most likely hear the jets during take-offs and approaches to and from Kingsley Field. Take-offs will occur after sundown and the jets will return approximately an hour-and-a-half later.
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown has decided not to veto a bill that will ease rules for farmers clearing out irrigation ditches.
Her decision was likely to please many in rural parts of the state like the Klamath Basin, but it spurred a furious reaction from environmental groups.
The legislation says farmers would need to give notice that they were going to clear an irrigation ditch, but would not need a permit unless they planned to move more than 3,000 cubic yards of material over a five-year period — a 60-fold increase from the current 50-cubic-yard threshold.
Environmental groups argued that the measure undermines the state’s ability to protect state wetlands.
Last week a man from Jacksonville became the fifth Oregon Lottery multi-million-dollar winner from the Southern Oregon town of a population of less than 3,000.
When Martin Oliverson of Jacksonville claimed his $3 million Mega Millions prize, he didn’t realize that since the prize wasn’t the overall jackpot, he would receive the whole amount, minus taxes. According to Oliverson he won double what originally thought.
…For complete details on these and other stories see today’s Herald & News. Wynne Broadcasting and the Herald and News…stronger together to keep you informed.