The USDA Forest Service is hiring for wildland firefighter positions on the Siuslaw National Forest.

Jobs include fire engine operators, assistant fire management officer, and entry-level firefighter positions. Applications are open Aug. 24 through Sept. 22, 2026

Click to see the job postings…

Compost bins are a potential fire risk for homeowners. The enclosed space can’t easily dissipate the heat generated by composting, Mike Caven, Chief of Eugene Springfield Fire, said to KLCC.

Fires have erupted in gardens, hay trucks, and grain silos, sometimes explosively if pressure and heat exacerbated significantly. Caven said monitoring for moisture and tilling can help prevent such build-up.

Read more…

Matsutake mushroom commercial permits will be available starting September 8, 2026, for use within the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area and the Central Coast Ranger District. The Siuslaw National Forest announced.

Permits can be purchased in person at the Reedsport office starting on September 8 and then at the Waldport office as well, on a first-come basis. 100 commercial use permits will be available.

The permits cost $200. No permit is required for non-commercial use, up to six mushrooms per day,

Similarly looking, poisonous mushrooms exist in the same areas as the matsutake, the Forest Service warns.

Click for more information…

Lane Community College has received a warning from the body that oversees community college accreditation over concerns about its governance.

In a college-wide message Wednesday, LCC President Stephanie Bulger and LCC Board of Education Chair Jesse Maldonado said the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities found the college was out of compliance in a few areas.

Read More…

The Carl G. Washburne State Park campground along U.S. Highway 101 between Yachats and Florence is closed for at least a month so a contractor can replace two culverts damaged by a heavy rainfall in December 2023, the Lincoln Chronicle reported.

Take care if you’re traveling towards Eugene over the next few days.

The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning for the southern Willamette Valley for Monday from 1 p.m. until 8 p.m. The warning area includes Eugene, Albany, Springfield and Cottage Grove.

The agency said the smoke should arrive by Monday afternoon and linger in the area through at least Wednesday.

The lighthouse is back online after five months of repairs, according to this story from the Lincoln Chronicle. A $35,000 project replaced and repaired part of the mechanism that rotates the 10-foot-tall lens.

“Everything is fully restored and it all looks beautiful,” said Hylah Furnish, park manager for the state-managed property that includes the 132-year-old lighthouse. “We’re all really excited.”

The Lane County Fair opens July 22 and runs through the 26th.

As KLCC reports, the fair has new attractions and events, including “Canine Stars” and a BMX bike and acrobatics show. The fair runs Wednesday through Sunday, July 22 at the Lane Events Center, 796 W. 13th Ave In Eugene.

For tickets and information, go to atthefair.com.

The 57th annual Oregon Country Fair runs from July 10 through July 12 on the Long Tom River in Veneta. An adult one-day pass is $60, a three-day pass costs $150. Tickets must be purchased in advance and are not sold on the fair grounds.

Ticks are spreading north, including into Oregon, where they can carry diseases such as Lyme disease. Preventing infection includes checking for ticks after being outdoors and carefully removing any tick within the first 24 hours of being bitten.