Document text
Rec sites reopen as Rum Creek Fire cools By Nick Morgan Updated: Sep 14, 2022 04:58 PM A A Fire in Josephine County now 81% contained Hikers venture onto the Rogue River National Recreation Trail earlier this summer. The trail remains closed due to the Rum Creek Fire but is expected to reopen. The Rainie Falls Trail on the opposite side of the river is unlikely to reopen this year, officials say. [Jamie Lusch / Mail Tribune] Three Merlin area recreation sites along the lower Rogue River are reopening thanks to continued progress containing the Rum Creek Fire, but two popular trails along the river remain closed — and one likely won’t open this year. Hog Creek County Park and boat ramp, Indian Mary Park and campground and Ennis Riffle County Park reopened Wednesday as cooler, more humid weather this week helped give crews working the Rum Creek Fire the upper hand. The Rogue River National Recreation Trail, which stretches 40 miles along the north bank of the river from Grave Creek to Agness, and the Rainie Falls Trail, which travels about two miles from Grave Creek along the south side of the river, remain closed. Sullivan said there’s a good chance the Rainie Falls Trail won’t be safe to reopen this season due to concerns of falling debris and other significant safety concerns. The fire burned on the same side of the river as the Rainie Falls Trail, a popular hiking destination that offers a chance to see chinook salmon and steelhead leaping the falls on their upstream migrations in spring and fall. “Essentially the whole trail segment is impacted,” Sullivan said. “I do believe it’ll be a while before the Rainie Falls Trail reopens.” Because the Lower Rogue River Trail was not actively impacted by fire, Sullivan said he believed that trail could reopen “on the sooner side of things.” Crews still need to inspect the public lands before reopening them, but the area “wasn’t burned over.” Access for inspections remained the concern behind the continued closures of other recreation sites along the river near Galice, including Rocky Bar, Robert Dean, Chair, Rand, Smullin Visitor Center and Argo. “I think Argo is probably going to take the longest to reopen,” Sullivan said, adding that they’re still looking at safety issues. Galice Road remained closed past Bear Camp Road as of Wednesday, and there’s no public access to Galice, according to Sullivan. Other reopened roadways include the Reuben Mountain Road between Lower Grave Creek and Dutch Henry Roads, but motorists are asked to avoid the area until repair work and grading operations along the roadway are complete. Recreational boaters heading downstream must take out at Ennis Riffle, and motorists are asked to drive carefully on roads near the fire zone, watch for heavy firefighter traffic and, if possible, avoid the area. After a fire, BLM works with the incident management team to conduct safety inspections. Together they consider hazards in the area, such as debris that could fall, firefighting traffic and equipment in the area. “Those are the main hazards that we look at,” Sullivan said. For some areas BLM officials may need to create a burned area rehabilitation plan, or they may need to shore up infrastructure such as bridges to ensure it’s safe for vehicles or people, according to Sullivan. Around Almeda County Park, for instance, Sullivan said there’s still risks of debris falling and landslides. “There’s some stabilization work that needs to be done,” Sullivan said. Fire lines along the lightning-caused Rum Creek Fire are holding and grew Wednesday to 81% containment with a footprint of 21,347 acres, according to an update issued by Northern Rockies Team 6, which took command of the conflagration Friday. Crews saw one flare-up on within the fire zone Tuesday that required a helicopter water drop, but fire behavior is moderate thanks to the cool, humid conditions, officials said. At one point Tuesday morning, a weather system brought low clouds and 85%-100% humidity to portions of the fire zone. Near-normal temps, moderate daytime humidity and breezy northwest winds are expected to continue for at least the next few days. As of Wednesday, 779 personnel were working the fire. Extra personnel on the fire lines are either being reassigned or sent home, officials said. Reach web editor Nick Morgan at 541-776-4471 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @MTwebeditor.