The River

 

The Santiam river is very low at the park right now.  I think I could walk halfway across it without going up to my waist.  

Foster Reservoir is still full, up above the park, but Green Peter, the reservoir that feeds Foster, is very low, so low at least one of the two boat ramps will close next week.  I figure they'll have to release more water from Foster to keep the river up a little but I also figure they'll wait til after the country music festival going on in Sweet Home next weekend is over, before they do that.

The two reservoirs in our part of Oregon get water from rainfall run off, that feeds creeks and rivers and runs into the reservoirs.  But the Corp of Engineers wait to fill the reservoirs for spring rains and we didn't have much rain this spring.

These mergansers were all in a group then fanned out and began to dive, like they were doing an organized grid search for food.

Fledgling does its best to survive

California Ground Squirrel--they live in large numbers at the park, along with Douglas Squirrels.

Shallow but clear waters of the Santiam

Scarred tree.  Many of the park trees look in bad shape, after last years wind then ice storms.

It will be interesting to see how our water situation plays out the rest of the summer.  No rain in the forecast as of yet and low 90's predicted for the next week or so starting tomorrow.  Forest fire crews are pleading with the public to stop starting fires by being stupid.   Like that will happen.  Careless smoking, driving vehicles over grass, illegal campfires, you name it, we, the public, do it, no matter the danger.