FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2020
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Region not out of wildfire danger By David Hayes The Triplicate
While the fire danger to Gasquet and the surrounding region has reduced, officials stress the community is not out of the woods yet to the ongoing hazard. At a special meeting Tuesday, Sept. 15, the Del Norte County of Supervisors declared a local emergency. Also, at the request of Public Health Officer Dr. Warren Rehwaldt, they issued a proclamation declaring a local health emergency due to the Slater and Red Salmon Complex fires. “We included the Red Salmon Complex on the theory that it might continue to migrate into and across our borders and affect the Klamath watershed and homes and roadways, whatever
might be in its path,” Rehwaldt said at the Tuesday meeting. “By making it part of the proclamation, we hope to access funding for remediation should the fire reach us and cause more damage.” County Administrative Officer Jay Sarina told the supervisors that the primary issue regarding the Slater Fire is damage to road infrastructure on Oregon Mountain Road north of Gasquet. Sarina said that while a county staff damage assessment was sent to the State of California, a more thorough analysis would need to be conducted. He added the board’s resolution would be sent to state officials to be included in any declarations they would make. “We would then become eli-
gible if there is a federal declaration. Funding could be made available through the federal government and the State of California,” Sarina explained. On Sept. 8, the Slater Fire started near Happy Camp and grew to more than 131,000 acres and is 10 percent contained as of Wednesday morning, Sept. 16. The Devil Fire was detected on Sept. 9 just east in the Seiad Valley area and has since grown to about 4,429 acres and is 0 percent contained. Because the Slater Fire burned into an area near Oregon Mountain Road and Knopki Creek, Gasquet residents were evacuated to Crescent City Sept. 9. They were allowed to return the next day.
Please see Wildfire, Page A7
Photo by Caltrans
Poor visibility and air quality along Highway 199 has kept the route closed heading north out of Gasquet to the Oregon border.
Council supports assessment hike By David Hayes The Triplicate
Margie House photos, The Triplicate
Ruth Dixon and 4-H members from Brookings and Gold Beach strategize stall placement. Photo courtesy of Margie House.
Animal evacuation shelter is ready Linda Pinkham The Pilot
Evacuating with short notice is a nightmare at best. But what do you do when your extended family consists of horses, cattle, sheep, pigs, goats, llamas, chickens or rabbits? It might be time to call Ruth Dixon at Curry County 4-H at the OSU Extension, located at the Event Center in Gold Beach. Last week Dixon and 10 volunteers began work to make an evacuation shelter possible at the Curry County fair arena. The crew set up stalls, pens and animal crates in preparation to accept as many as 20 horses; 20 cattle; 100 sheep, goats, llamas and alpacas in combination; and 100 poultry and rabbits combined. They do not plan on taking in dogs and cats, which can be housed at local pet shelters, but that could change. In addition
Members and volunteers load panels for setting up pens. to offering shelter for evacuated animals, Dixon can help owners arrange for transport. Dixon says she’s benefitted greatly from her past experience during the 2017 Chetco Bar Fire when she set up a similar evacuation center. “Everyone will want to know why we set up before any shelter is actually needed,”
she said. “We are very prepared and proactive now because we’ve learned from the past. Us being prepared puts us at the top of the list for places to evacuate livestock.” She cites advance preparation and additional training as the key for a smoother operation this time if the shelter is
Supervisor Lori Cowan, who sits on the BCRAA board, said at the Supervisors’ Sept. 8 meeting things were getting dicey with Contour Airlines, because the current grant’s expiration date was nearing. “They had stopped taking reservations because the contracts hadn’t been signed,” Cowan said. “Everything is moving forward and that’s good news for our community.” On Sept. 11, Representatives Jared Huffman, from Califor-
nia’s Second District, and Peter DeFazio, from Oregon’s Fourth District and Chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, shared the announcement. “As is often the case, sometimes the lowest-cost alternative is not the best option for the people we serve,” Huffman said. “This decision allows communities to continue to benefit from the most reliable service they have enjoyed, and will provide four years of certainty to the
needed. In addition to being the Curry County 4-H Educational Program assistant, she is an Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN) delegate, My Youth Preparedness (My PI) coordinator in Oregon, and Gold Beach Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) director. Ever since the Chetco fires started in 2017, Dixon says she’s been working on making the animal evacuation process better. On the morning of Sept. 9, she started contacting everyone needed for approvals to set up the shelter. The Fair Board chairman Chris Brose granted permission first, along with Event Center manager Caitlyn Coleman. Next she needed a waiver from the state veterinarian to bring horses and other livestock across state lines. The closest fire currently is just over the California border in Gasquet. The Please see Shelter, Page A8
Contour retained for air services out of Del Norte County Regional Airport By David Hayes The Triplicate
Contour Airlines will continue to be the carrier of choice for round trip travel between Crescent City and Oakland. The U.S. Department of Transportation approved Border Coast Regional Airport Authority’s (BCRAA) application for the continuation of service through an Alternate Essential Air Service (AEAS) grant. Del Norte County District 2
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Please see Airport, Page A7
Please see Vote, Page A7
Del Norte, Curry counties record more virus cases
Additional active and confirmed cases have been reported in both Del Norte and Curry counties this week. The Del Norte County Public Health Branch reported 7 new positive cases of COVID-19 since Sept. 10. Six have been identified to be a close contact to a known case of COVID-19, and one was identified to be travel-related. All are self-isolating at home. County Public Health Officer Dr. Warren Rehwaldt said due to the steady trickle of cases, Del Norte County is “skating on the edge” in terms of a tier change in the state’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy. “But as of today, (Sept. 16) we are still in the Tier 3 level, orange category, and nothing has to close, or change operation at the moment,” Rehwaldt said. “Our next round of testing and data reporting may change this, and we will plead our case to the state, given the fact that so little else has
Please see Virus, Page A7
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communities and the carrier, allowing for a long-term relationship to develop and grow.” “The Border Coast Regional Airport Authority is an essential economic driver for southwest Oregon and provides, quite literally, essential air service for many in the region,” DeFazio added. “Continuing passenger service will ensure the communities of Del Norte County, California, and Curry County, Oregon, have a viable air service
Already hoping voters approve its own proposed sale tax increase, the Crescent City Council unanimously voted Aug. 7 to support the Crescent Fire Protection District’s proposed increase on property assessments. The Crescent Fire Protection District (CFPD) Board of Directors mailed ballots to its constituents the first week of September, seeking to replace a 2006 property assessment that sunsets in 2021. The CFPD is seeking the rate hike to help it implement a hybrid fire department using paid staff and volunteers. According to the CFPD, an annual rate of $74 would be assigned to single-family homes within the fire protection district for services. The proposed rate would be on top of $98 annually assessed to single-family homes in 1987. The measure would also establish a seven-member citizens oversight committee comprised of property owners within the fire protection district. City Manager Eric Wier explained four properties associ-
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