By Ty Walker
The Mountain Times
Wildfire was the main topic of discussion at the Aug. 10 hybrid meeting of the Government Camp CPO and Mount Hood Cultural Center and Museum. Hoodland Fire District Division Chief Scott Kline gave an update on several wildfires ignited by lightning storms passing through the region Aug. 5. The Barlow Ridge Fire in Sandy reached a quarter acre before it was stopped, and a fire line was drawn around its perimeter within 24 hours. Another small wildfire, the Hunchback Trail Fire, was reported along the trail southeast of Rhododendron on Mount Hood. Kline said everything has been 100 percent lined and firefighters are patrolling those sites.
Kline said the largest, most active fire in Clackamas County was the Sandstone Fire. According to the Clackamas County website, the fire had burned approximately 387 acres in the Clackamas River Ranger District on the south side of Thunder Mountain, approximately four miles north of Bagby Hot Springs. Multiple roads, trails and recreation sites were closed in the area.
The proximity of the wildfires to Government Camp has Community Planning Organization President Nick Rinard concerned. He said those potentially threatening fires “hit close to home.” Rinard referred to a statewide wildfire hazard map being drafted by the Oregon Department Of Forestry and Oregon State University. The map rates the chances that a wildfire could occur on your property. The map shows people the hazard level for the area they live in based on weather, climate, topography and vegetation. The ODF website said while wildfire risk can be mitigated through actions at the community and property level, wildfire hazard cannot.
To view the interactive map online, go to hazardmap.forestry.oregonstate.edu/. You can zoom in to see how your property rates. Many Government Camp properties are in the top 10 percent of hazardous properties, which are indicated by the orange areas on the map. Properties in the purple areas fall outside the top 10 percent of hazardous areas in the state. “From a practical standpoint, in Government Camp we all have significant wildfire hazard,” Rinard said.
In other news from the CPO meeting:
The Mount Hood Cultural Center and Museum Board said the museum is still looking to hire a new executive director. For details, see employment opportunities online at mthoodmuseum.org/employment-opportunities.
Kline also formally introduced to the community four firefighter trainees enrolled in the two-year Hoodland Fire District Student Program: Natalie Hanson, Emily Dong, Gerrit “Gus” Reasor and Vincent Burnham
Clackamas County has received $850,000 to build a restroom and start planning and site development for a future park and ride public transit hub in Government Camp, according to Teresa Christopherson of Clackamas County Social Services.
Timberline Lodge representatives said they expect to finish repairing the roof damaged in the April 18 fire by Labor Day, Sept. 2. They thanked the Hoodland Fire District and Timberline staff for their quick response in limiting fire damage.