US Forest Service to Invest Millions to Reduce Wildfire Risk in Pacific NW Communities
Communities that have limited resources and face high risk from wildfire are getting additional support from the US Forest Service. In an announcement made this week, Oregon will receive more than $24 million and Washington will receive more than $26.6 million in Community Wildfire Defense grant awards. These grants are part of more than $250 million being invested in 158 projects across 31 states, two territories and 11 tribes. A total of 22 projects were funded across Oregon and Washington. In Southern Oregon, the funded proposals include $250,000 to the Josephine County Emergency Management Director, $191,700 to the City of Grants Pass and $249,959 to the Applegate Partnership & Watershed Council. Funding from the Community Wildfire Defense Grant Program is designed to assist communities with planning for and mitigating wildfire risks, and for critical infrastructure to help confront the nation's wildfire crisis. The funding supports developing or revising Community Wildfire Protection Plans as well as completing projects that are identified in these plans. The program is funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and includes $1 billion to reduce wildfire risk over five years.
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US Forest Service Opens Bear Camp Road in Time for 2024 Summer Recreation Season
The US Forest Service has announced that Bear Camp Road is now open for public use. Road crews from the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest and Umpqua National Forest have removed all snow drifts from Bear Camp Road. In coordination with the Medford District of the Bureau of Land Management, the mountain road is now open for public use during the summer recreation season. Next month, the Josephine County Public Works Department will be chip-sealing Bear Camp Road from Burnt Ridge Road east to the junction with the BLM road. Crews plan on working the week of June 24th on chip-sealing operations. There will be traffic delays of up to 20 minutes during the construction work. This is the final phase of a project funded by the Great American Outdoors Act. Bear Camp Road is roughly 37 miles long. The east side starts at the county road near Galice and the road ends at the Agness Road/Forest Service Road junction. The first 12.3 miles of the road is managed by the Medford District BLM. There are gates that close the lower section of the road near the Galice Slide. They will be reopened when the road becomes passable.
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City of Grants Pass Announces 10 Winners in 2024 Drinking Water Week Poster Contest
The City of Grants Pass has announced 10 winners in the 2024 Drinking Water Week Poster Contest. For more than 40 years, Grants Pass and the American Water Works Association have celebrated Drinking Water Week. As part of the annual celebration, the City created a Drinking Water Week Poster Contest. This year, more than 20 local students submitted original artwork focused on the theme "Reimagine Our Water Future." The artwork was submitted in three categories: grades K-2, 3-5 and 6-8. Entries were judged based on creativity, originality and relevance to the theme. In the K-2 division, 1st place and $75 went to Zoey Jenkins, 2nd place and $50 went to Charlotte Brownell and third place and $25 went to Sierra Parker. In the 3-5 division, Olivia Christian grabbed first place while Silas Oldham placed second and there was a tied for third between Mya Mears and Olivia Ryther. In the 6-8 division, first place went to Haley Horst, second place went to Parker Cease and third place went to Ezra Hulet.
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