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Outdoor Report: Try to ignore the smoke, the fishing is great

by George Custer | Aug 18, 2023 | Front Page, Outdoors

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Rob DeHarpport photo

The author’s fine days catch from last Wednesday at Odell Lake with Clay Jones.

By ROB DEHARPPORT/for The Herald  —  It seems as if summer passes more quickly as I get older. I remember my high school years when the dreaded “daily doubles” football practices signified that the end of summer was arriving. Other signs that summer was soon to end back in the 1970s was the smoke that would blow into Oakridge from the burning of grass seed stubble in the Willamette Valley.

 We used to have to suffer the burning of grass seed stubs

Oregon has allowed field burning since 1948, according to the Oregon Department of Agriculture. Used to control diseases in grass seeds, over 250,000 acres were burned each year through the 1970s and 1980s.

In 1991, House Bill 3343 limited regular limitation acres burned per year to 40,000 and 25,000 acres for identified species and steep terrain.

Burning grass seed crops ended in western Oregon in 2009 with Senate Bill 528, which limited field burning in the north Willamette Valley to 15,000 acres.

Forest fires seem to have taken their place

Thankfully, that practice has essentially ended. However, in recent years it’s been replaced by massive wildfires from our seemingly unmanaged national forests. (more on that in a future opinion piece).

Both field burning in the past and massive wildfires impact our daily lives and our ability to enjoy the outdoors. Today, outdoor activities are sadly determined by which way the wind is blowing and from what fire or fires.The best we can do is to plan as best as we can to avoid choking on smoke and get out there and enjoy what is left of Summer.

Summer will officially end on September 23rd. School begins soon. I encourage everyone to make the most of it.

Kokanee: the fish de jure

Fishing remains good at Odell Lake. The 3-year-old Kokanee are plump and often approaching 16″! Mature Kokanee will lose their scales prior to spawning in the creeks and shoals. This hasn’t happened yet; another sure sign of Summer’s “swan song” ending. Along with that signal to Kokanee anglers, is that Huckleberries have ripened! Grab a pail, load up the family and go pick a bunch for a pie, cobbler, or jam.

Mosquito season is also basically over! Get out and explore trails that you’ve never hiked or backcountry lakes that you’ve yet to enjoy.

In this age of the internet, Facebook, and other social media, I always chuckle to read questions on social media such as: “Is it smokey at Crescent Lake?”  As most of us know, the smoke can roll in and change a beautiful clear day in a matter of minutes no matter where you are or which direction the fires are from your location.

Go somewhere else if necessary

I suggest getting out and enjoying all of the great places within the Highway 58 corridor that are available. If the smoke rolls in and it gets to be unbearable, change plans head to the coast or the opposite direction of the incoming smoke. While enjoying wherever you choose to go hope, pray, and advocate for a positive change in how our forests are managed. How much more of our forests can we bear to see blackened?

After all, the voices of the people changed the way that grass seed farmers managed their fields. Massive annual field burning has ended. The same can happen with our forests.

In the meantime- get out and enjoy our great outdoors.

Rob DeHarpport photo

Rob DeHarpport was a long-term resident and former mayor of Westfir. Rob now lives in the Crescent Lake area and is The Herald’s reporter for the Outdoor Report.

 

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George Custer lives in Oakridge with his wife Sayre. George is a former smokejumper from his hometown of Cave Junction, a former captain in the U.S. Marine Corps. and ran a construction company in Southern California. George assumed the volunteer duties as the Editor of the Highway 58 Herald in 2022. He loves riding his Harley-Davidson motorcycle, building all things wood, and playing drums on the weekends in his office.

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Written by George Custer

August 18, 2023

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