The COTTAGE GROVE
entinel
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Wednesday, August 7, 2024
Number 29 • 135 years
Summer camp connects children with tribal traditions, heritage
JEREMY C. RUARK Cottage Grove Sentinel
Prospector’s Park in Cottage Grove was used as a culturally-sensitive location for children to connect with Native American culture.
“It is really important for the native American children and also for children who are non-native to learn about all their own cultures, and all the difference cultures of Oregon. Those cultures are here.
They have been here for a long time. It’s important to have respect and to be inclusive of cultures,” Karen Rainsong said. Rainsong, an art teacher, is also the founder and executive director of Singing
this for almost 20 years. I love working with children. It is something that I love to do. I run all kinds of programs all year long about living history. I find living history fascinating and I really like making it
trict and Fairview Peak. Lane County Public Information Officer Devon Ashbridge said the decision to step up the evacuation notifications follows fire activity and consultation with the fire service management teams. “There are no homes up there,” Ashbridge said. “It is not a residential area.” But she adds anyone in that area should leave to ensure their safety. “We want people to know if they are thinking about going up there, this is really not the time to do that,” she said. Level 2 means you must prepare to leave at a moment’s notice, and this may be the only notice that you receive. Public safety personnel cannot guarantee they will be able to notify you if conditions rapidly deteriorate. Continue to closely monitor your phone, local media and the online wildfire status
sites for information. A Level 1 Be Ready evacuation notification related to the Lane 1 Fire remained in effect at press time for areas east of Disston starting at Brice Creek Road milepost 0.7 and following Brice Creek Road south. An evacuation map is available at www.LaneCountyOR.gov/Lane1Fire. There have been two minor injuries, but no homes or structures have been damaged or lost, according to Fire service spokesperson Lela Braunsch, whio adds the current challenges are, “to maintain the current lines and the safety of our firefighters safe on the lines,” she said. Braunsch said 21 crews made up of firefighters from all over the region, nine dozers, four engines, five helicopters, and 13 water tenders were being used to fight the Lane 1 Fire. In a related incident, Bu-
Creek Educational Center, which was established 17 years ago. “We’ve been in Cottage Grove for approximately five years and we also travel all over Oregon,” she said. “I have been doing
come alive for kids.” The Earth Ways Summer Camp, held at Prospector’s Park, was conducted July 22-26. The
TRADITIONS cont. on page 4
Area wildfire danger persists, caution urged
JEREMY C. RUARK Cottage Grove Sentinel
Increasing hot, dry conditions, and rugged terrain continue to fuel wildfires south of Cottage Grove. The Clark 900, Puddin, Adam Mountain, Mineral, Quartz, and Jack Saddle fires merged last week, and are now combined as the Adam Mountain Fire, according to incident commanders. The Cottage Grove Lane 1 had spread to 2,212 acres and was seven percent contained as of Aug. 1. The fires are moving away from Cottage Grove into the Umpqua National Forest. On July 31, Lane County stepped up the evacuation notification from Level 1 to a Level 2 Be Set notification in the Bohemia Mining Dis-
reau of Land Management (BLM) investigators took a person into custody who allegedly started a small wildfire in the Willamette
National Forest at Lane County. The BLM fire investigators determined that the July 6 wildfire had been ignited by someone burning
garbage they had illegally dumped on public land.
WILDFIRES cont. on page 4
Replacing recalled city councilors triggers ‘unknown challenges’
[ ] CINDY WEELDREYER
Cottage Grove Sentinel
“This is a historical event, and with that comes an element of unknown challenges.” Candace Solesbee, Cottage Grove Mayor
Voters have recalled Cottage Grove City Councilors Alex Dreher, Mike Fleck and Chalice Savage, according to the unofficial results from the July 30 special election. “I don’t believe a recall has ever happened in our city,” Mayor Candace Solesbee said. “This is a historical event, and with that comes an element of unknown challenges. The city manager is speaking with legal counsel to clarify options for council’s net steps.”
TODAY’S EDITION
Next steps
Weather — 8 Obituaries — 4 Opinion — 5
Lane County Elections staff will now resolve any questionable ballots and certify the results on August 26. There is no adopted process to fill vacancies. The three remaining councilors and the mayor will determine how they will seek and interview applicants for the three vacant seats, according to City Recorder Mindy Roberts. According to the City’s charter, a council vacancy is filled by a majority of the remaining Council members. The appointee must be a resident of the same ward as the predecessor in office, unless the predecessor was a Councilor-At-Large. The appointee’s term of office runs from appointment until the next general election (Nov 5), at which time a candidate will be elected to serve the
Classifieds — 6-7 Sports — 8
remaining term. Reaction Recalled City Councilor Alex Dreher responded with the following statement. “The real disappointment is the division this has caused in the community. The chaos
of the recall lost us $2 million in homeless services that St. Vincent de Paul was going to bring to our city. “If you really want to move people out of homelessness and prevent people from coming here because we have entirely unmanaged
Read developing news and story updates @CGSentinel CGSentinel.com
camps, $2 million and some structured programs goes a long way. I am concerned that we will be denied other grants and state money because our own community basically turned this down. “We have complex challenges ahead. It’s clear that
the City has a long way to go to connect with residents about the homelessness issue and come up with real solutions.”
COUNCILORS cont. on page 4