It’s About Time

September is the month that hikers in western Oregon look forward to more than any month. Rainless days are almost guaranteed, mosquito levels drop off quickly and tourists thin out after Labor Day. This year there are a few qualifications to what is typically our best month for backpacking. Mosquito levels may be slow to disappear in the high country because there haven’t been enough freezing nights.

The unusually warm and dry weather has led to extremely high fire danger. This might be the year to try hiking like John Muir: no fires or stoves at all, just nuts and dried fruits. And, to be contemporary, corn chips, energy bars and cookies. It means traveling very light, as no pots, pans or kettles are needed.

Warm weather brings on flushes of toxic bacteria in lakes and slow moving rivers; erroneously called algae or bluegreen algae, they are actually photosynthetic bacteria called cyanobacteria. The really bad population explosions look like someone has poured turquoise-tinted white latex paint in the water. This stuff is not good to drink, wash or even swim in. Watch for state notifications.

Reptiles are at their time of most rapid growth. With body temperature controlled by the environment, high activity in warm weather allows fattening up for the cool winter months to follow. Two species of native snakes are different from most reptiles in that their eggs are incubated and hatched inside the mother’s bodies so that live young are born: rubber boas and garter snakes.

A Note From the Publisher

Dear Readers,

The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.

That’s because of you!

Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.

Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.

We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.

And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.

None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.

As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.

Thank you for standing with us!