Many Mt. Hood National Forest areas closed following the Labor Day windstorm that brought down thousands of trees and propelled the Riverside Fire will reopen on Saturday.  The forest suffered extensive and severe damage as a result of the storm so many areas will remain closed or are still blocked by trees.  On the west side of the forest, areas north of US Highway 26 will reopen.  The closed area includes all of Clackamas River Ranger District and a portion of Zigzag Ranger District.  The Timberline Trail, Pacific Crest Trail (Timberline to Town Trail), Top Spur Trail, Sandy River Trail (Ramona Falls), and other trails in the immediate vicinity of Mt. Hood, while not formally closed, are nearly impassable due to downed trees.  On the east side of the forest Hood River Ranger District and Barlow Ranger District will reopen except for a fire closure area surrounding the White River Fire.  All campgrounds on the forest have closed for the season, except for Lost Lake, Laurance Lake, Sherwood, Nottingham, Eightmile, Lower Eightmile, Pebble Ford, Wahtum Lake, and Knebel Springs.  Campfires are still prohibited on the entire Mt. Hood National Forest due to high fire danger and ongoing active fires.  For full details on closure, go to the Mt. Hood National Forest website.

A federal grand jury has returned a six count indictment against two men, charging them with fraud against the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs.  65-year-old Roderick Ariwite, a resident of Idaho’s Fort Hall Reservation and CEO of Warm Springs Ventures, and 48-year-old Warm Springs Reservation resident Thomas Adams, who was manager of Warm Springs Construction Enterprise, are charged with conspiring to misappropriate $93,700 of tribal funds.  Ariwite is charged in a separate indictment with interstate transportation of a $23,000 check obtained fraudulently from a board member of a tribal business entity.  The charges involve the pair creating their own construction company in October 2017 and on tribal time engaging in work projects for that company, and hiring a consulting company Ariwite operated for two projects that did not benefit the tribe.

Klickitat County has extended its burn bans to October 15 in burn ban zones 2 and 3 in the central and west part of the county, and to October 31 in the easternmost zone 1.  The dividing line for between zone 1 and 2 is the eastern Klickitat County Fire District 7 boundary.  The burn bans had been set to expire at the end of September.

Officials on the Big Hollow Fire on the Gifford Pinchot National Forest say the evacuation order for cabins located at Government Mineral Springs have been lowered to Level 2.  Occupants can return to the area but should be set for immediate evacuation.  The fire is now at 25% containment, and remains 24,995 acres in size.  Rain continued throughout Thursday, bringing moisture to the fire, and preventing further spread.  Larger fuels such as logs and stumps continue to burn in place.

The cold front that moved through the region Thursday brought rain to most of the Lionshead Fire, but the east side of the fire dried out quickly with gusty southwest winds.  Fire officials say the wind and drying fuels resulted in some increased burning in green islands well within the fire’s perimeter.  Another cold front is bringing more damp weather to the fire area today.  The combination of damp weather over most of the 204,250 acre fire resulted in containment increasing to 28%.  The evacuation levels around Detroit, Idanha, and the Elkhorn community were reduced to Level 2 this morning.  Residents will be able to return to these communities under strict safety conditions, but many hazards remain, and core services have not yet been restored.

The Riverside Fire on the Mt. Hood National Forest in Clackamas County remains at 34% containment, and is 138,029 acres in size.  Officials say while the rain has moderated fire behavior, especially in open areas where grass and brush are the primary vegetation, it will not put the fire out.  Fire will continue to smolder under the tree canopy in heavier fuels like logs and stumps.  Firefighters have been taking advantage of the weather to search out and extinguish hot spots close to the fire perimeter.  Federal and state lands in the fire area remain closed.

Eric Nisley will finish his term as Wasco County District Attorney after the Oregon Supreme Court ruled Thursday he remains the lawful holder of the office despite a 60-day suspension of his law license earlier this year.  In the Court’s ruling, Justice Meagan Flynn wrote that the panel was “persuaded the Legislature did not intend that every suspension of a district attorney’s ability to practice law would create a vacancy in the office.”  Nisley served the suspension starting February 10 when the state’s highest court upheld an Oregon State Bar charge against him.  Nisley lost his re-election bid in May to Matthew Ellis.  His term will run until January, when Ellis is sworn in as the county’s new district attorney.  A lawyer from Oregon’s Department of Justice has been running the Wasco County D.A.’s office since February.

COVID-19 numbers in Oregon have bumped upward, as the Oregon Health Authority’s daily report on Thursday added 382 new confirmed or presumed COVID-19 cases.  That’s the largest single day number since mid-July, and the second time in three days over 325.  OHA officials say it is a reminder of the importance of staying six feet apart from each other; wearing a face covering when six feet of physical distance cannot be maintained and limiting the size of gatherings.  The state reported two deaths that occurred this week, moving that total to 539.  The report listed six new cases in Wasco County, moving the County’s pandemic total number to 279, with 204 listed as recovered using as a metric 30 days from the onset of illness and in stable medical condition.  Hood River County had one additional case, putting its total at 249, with the County’s latest tabulation showing 241 as out of isolation.  Gilliam County remains at eight total cases with four listed as recovered.  Sherman County stays at 18, with 17 listed as recovered.

Showers and breezy conditions were expected to continue across the Riverside Fire area Thursday with cool temperatures and high humidity.  Gusty winds were also expected, especially at higher elevations.  The fire on the Mt. Hood National Forest in Clackamas County is listed at 34% containment, and is 138,029 acres in size.  The fire continues to smolder in areas where heavy fuels including logs, stumps, and deep layers of needles are sheltered from rain.  Firefighters are mopping up and patrolling 90 miles of completed fireline.  Fire crews and heavy equipment continue to expand and strengthen firelines where they can do so safely and effectively.

The U.S. Forest Service and Oregon State Parks have decided to re-open some recreation sites in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area that were closed due to fire danger.  Oregon State Parks is re-opening previously closed parks along the Historic Columbia River Highway from Larch Mountain to Ainsworth as well as the Angel’s Rest Trailhead and trail and Mount Defiance at Starvation Creek.  Scenic Area Manager Lynn Burditt emphasized several sites within the area will not be re-opening.  Public safety closures near Eagle Creek, Herman Creek, and several other locations remain in place and are not related to recent wildfire risks.  To plan around closures and to find open outdoor recreation areas, go online to ReadySetGOrge.com.