KWSO News for Wed., Jul. 6, 2022

In Warm Springs, Road construction season is here, work continues on highway 26 as crews are working at Milepost 69 where they will stripe, place barrier and move traffic onto new detour route next to the bridge with single lane closures and up to a 20 min delay with flagger control. Watch for trucks going in and out of work zone as they have narrowed lane widths and a speed reduction to 40 MPH is in place. This project is expected to be completed by December 2022. The Highway 3 Pedestrian project continues as they have delays and are working to put in sidewalks and street lights from the Warm Springs Industrial Park to Highway 26. Be sure to give yourself a little extra time to get to your destination and drive safe.

People in 24 Oregon counties and 15 counties in Washington State should resume mask-wearing indoors in public and on public transportation, according to recommendations from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Data from the CDC shows the counties are considered high risk for COVID-19 infection as of June 30. Included in those Oregon counties in Central Oregon are: Deschutes, Crook, Jefferson and Wasco. In Washington, the counties include many like Pierce county where the City of Tacoma lies, but doesn’t include King County which houses the City of Seattle. More than half of the Washington State Counties range from Central to Eastern Washington. In Warm Springs, there haven’t been any mask mandates being reinforced, but there have been recommendations to mask up when in large gatherings of people as wastewater management has shown increases in COVID. Most recent COVID numbers reported have been in double digits, but not alarming enough to require masks at this time.

Warm Springs Fire Management gathered public safety and fire personnel yesterday to talk about fire season protocols and the fiscal process for the Bureau of Indian Affairs Warm Springs Agency when a wildfire occurs.  Current fire conditions in the lower elevation areas of the reservation have led to restrictions for burning with especially tall dry grass.  Above the timberline – conditions are less severe but as soon as we get more sustained heat waves – that will dry out as well.  Fuels crews are doing fuel reduction around the community.  Fire lines around subdivisions are in place.  The hotshot crew is on assignment in New Mexico working with FEMA on flooding issues and are expected to return to Warm Springs soon.

Despite the deep political divides that exist in the state, Oregonians on both sides of the political spectrum agree wildfires are a major concern. Lauren Dake has more. “The majority of Oregonians believe that wildfires are not only a threat, but that they will likely increase in the next decade. That’s according to a statewide survey conducted by the Oregon Values and Beliefs Center. More than 80 percent of Oregonians surveyed are concerned about the health effects of smoke and the loss of wildlife and fish habitat. Their concerns make sense: Wildfires burned more than 800,000 acres in the summer of 2021. And one in five Oregonians surveyed said they have had to evacuate due to a wildfire. When it comes to wildfire reduction methods, however, there is less consensus. More than 30 percent of residents surveyed want more logging across forested landscapes, while closer to 80 percent would like periodic controlled burns. I’m Lauren Dake reporting”