Stacks of charred logs and burned trees litter the landscape near Cougar Dam in the McKenzie River Basin, southeast of Eugene, Oregon, May 28, 2021. In 2020, the Holiday Farm Fire, which was one of the largest in Oregon’s history, ravaged this area. The fire threatened Cougar and one other Portland District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dam and could have flooding-related consequences for years. When a wildfire burns a portion of a watershed, the resulting burn scar increases the potential for flooding until vegetation grows back. Natural, unburned vegetation and soil normally act as a sponge during precipitation. Heat from a fire can bake the ground, creating a surface that won’t absorb water and can increase the speed that water flows off the slope. This increases the potential for significant flooding and debris flows.
Last year, 27 Oregonians died in recreational boating-related incidents – the most in three decades. Incidents overall spiked in 2020. Of 96 fatal and non-fatal occurrences – a 20-year high – three happened at Portland District reservoirs.
The Oregon State Marine Board tracks these and officials attribute the increase – in part – to the pandemic.
“A big reason for that was record numbers of people getting outdoors as the COVID-19 pandemic limited other options,” said Randy Henry, boating safety program manager for the Oregon State Marine Board. Many of those people were new to boating,” he said.
Portland District averages more than four million visitors per year at 133 recreation sites across 18 dams and...
05.07.2021 | PORTLAND, OR, US |
Story by Tom Conning
Mother Nature can be comforting and calm but this year it seems like she used our first, middle and last name as she scolded (or scalded) us … “Pacific North [emphasis added] West, what in the world were you thinking?!” … for punching our hypothetical little sister (California). Our punishment has been drought, record-breaking temperatures, wildfires and extremely dry conditions throughout the region. Even though the early part of...
