Work to begin on Blue Mountain Scenic Byway through Great American Outdoors Act

PENDLETON, Ore–Contractors have begun prep work to chip seal 33.6 miles of the Blue Mountain Scenic Byway on the North Fork John Day Ranger District. The road is the portal to both the Umatilla and Wallowa-Whitman National Forests. This project is one of two projects on the Umatilla National Forest that was funded this year through the Great American Outdoors Act. Expect delays from August 16–30.

Umatilla National Forest seeks volunteer campground hosts for Bull Prairie Lake

PENDLETON, Ore.–The Umatilla National Forest is looking for volunteers to serve as campground host at Bull Prairie Lake campground located in Heppner, Ore., beginning now through the end of October. A campground host greets campers, provides information on the surrounding area, and generally makes campers feel at home. Hosts will visit with campers and day-use visitors, clean and maintain restrooms, restock supplies, occasionally clean up after camp, and carry out minor maintenance as needed. They keep an eye on things and set a good example for others in the campground.

Initial regular claims increased while continued claims decreased

OLYMPIA–There were 4,919 initial regular unemployment claims, up 8.0 percent from the prior week. Total claims filed by Washingtonians for all unemployment benefit categories numbered 308,266, down 0.9 percent from the prior week during the week of July 25 to 31.

Passing Thunderstorms Ignite Multiple Fires in Northeast Oregon and Southeast Washington

JOHN DAY, PENDLETON, and BAKER CITY, Ore.–Fire crews in northeast Oregon and southeast Washington are responding to multiple reports of smoke and fire following passing thunderstorms Tuesday evening. Approximately 50 incidents have been reported so far to the Blue Mountain Interagency Dispatch Center and John Day Interagency Dispatch Center.