Tracker app logo

Download the Tracker app!

Download the Tracker app to stay connected with Roseburg Tracker.

GET
NEW

UCC Foundation Scholarships Open for Applications

11:41 PM · Feb 1, 2023

The Umpqua Community College Foundation Scholarship opened today. All current and new UCC students are encouraged to apply by the March 15 deadline. The foundation scholarship aims to make an impact on student success in their college careers. UCC awards thousands of dollars in scholarships each year to students. Find out what you qualify for and apply for foundation scholarships at https://umpqua.edu/scholarships. Applications completed by Feb. 22 will automatically enter the applicant into the early-bird drawing to win a $1000 scholarship. There are scholarship walk-up workshops to get help with filling out the applications will happen on Wednesdays between Feb. 8 and March 15 for one hour at 1 p.m. at the UCC Student Center. A Zoom option will be available on Feb. 22 at 6 p.m. See the website for details. For students hoping to apply for additional scholarships, UCC has additional scholarships listed on the website as well. There is also a link to schedule an appointment with the Scholarship & Donor Relations Coordination for more information and questions not answered on the website.

Subscribe to newsletter

Receive the latest updates from Roseburg Tracker to your inbox!

Stewart Park Natural Area Receives Major Cleanup

Stewart Park Natural Area Receives Major Cleanup

We had a great time this morning cleaning up the Stewart Park Natural Area along Newton Creek. We removed an enormous amount of trash out of the creek and from along the banks of the creek. Big thank you to all our volunteers that came out, as well as an awesome group of Umpqua Community College Athletes as well as a few members of the UCC nursing program. Big shoutout to Julie Lowe and Umpqua Watersheds for sending volunteers over, and Hailey Malone and the City of Roseburg Parks Department for your help as well. For those who would like to know about our next cleanup in the Stewart Park Natural Area, you can sign up to the the Tracker Foundation email list here: https://www.trackerfoundation.com/newsletter

Ryan Finlay · 10h

Playful River Otters Up Close at Ford's Pond in Sutherlin

Playful River Otters Up Close at Ford's Pond in Sutherlin

I had a pretty amazing encounter up close with several river otters at Ford’s Pond in Sutherlin recently. These river otters are fascinating animals, very curious, and playful. They reminded me of a dog’s playfulness. More than once, they swam up close to check out my brother and I. They seemed amused. When the otters were hunting for fish, we noticed something interesting. Together they were all swimming around the fish and forcing them to the surface. When all the fish had nowhere to go, they jumped around at the surface. This made catching them much easier. After a catch, the otters would bring the fish over and eat them on the log right in front of us. Sometimes they would have a little fun with a fish - an otter would catch one, bring it to the log, set it down, and wait for it to flop off. Then race after it, haha. Almost like they were hunting for sport as well as for food. It was such a cool experience!

Elijah Finlay · 2d

What Can Be Done to Prevent These Catastrophic Wildfires

What Can Be Done to Prevent These Catastrophic Wildfires

"Indigenous people didn’t have water bombing helicopters, so they burned the land on calm, cool winter days, in coordination with neighboring tribes, in small rotating patchworks to prevent catastrophic growth and spread. Bad fires could and did still occur, but people everywhere did whatever they could to prevent them and the fossil and historical record shows they were mostly successful. Everywhere except in the contemporary West, where we imagine that our technological mastery excuses us from wild land curation and management. Even today, burning off the undergrowth every few years is a much more manageable approach to hazard reduction than, eg, the impractical army of laborers required to manually clear scrub on often extremely difficult terrain." Casey Handmer does an excellent job dissecting a large list of things that need to change when it comes to wisely stewarding the lands near our communities to prevent more catastrophic fires from happening in the future. https://caseyhandmer.wordpress.com/2025/01/17/the-los-angeles-wildfires-are-self-inflicted/

Ryan Finlay · 2d

Join Our Stewart Park Natural Area Cleanup Effort on January 20th

Join Our Stewart Park Natural Area Cleanup Effort on January 20th

We are going to be doing a trash cleanup in the Stewart Park Natural Area on Monday, January 20th at 9am. The boys and I will be leading a cleanup of the trash along Newton Creek from the corner of Garden Valley Blvd into the Natural Area. The recent high water event washed a significant amount of trash down Newton Creek and fortunately some of it was deposited along the banks of the creek and didn't make it all the way to the South Umpqua River. Now we have an opportunity to pick up that trash before the next high water event. Anyone who would like to join us, bring gloves and if you have boots those can be helpful as well. There is some parking in the area we are going to be working as seen above in the area circled in blue. The entrance is across the street from the Starbucks on Garden Valley blvd. There is other parking nearby or you can park at the Duck Pond and walk over to where we are working. Also, for those who would like to work in a different area of our parks, Umpqua Watersheds and Thrive Umpqua is having a MLK Parks and River Cleanup event and they will be meeting at 9am at the Stewart Park Pavilion. They will be sending crews out to several other locations in Stewart Park and along the river.

Ryan Finlay · 3d

Douglas County Firefighters Rescue Injured Seniors After Palisades Fire

Douglas County Firefighters Rescue Injured Seniors After Palisades Fire

Douglas County strike team leaders discovered two stranded elderly residents while checking for fire hotspots in an area ravaged by Southern California's Palisades Fire. Here is the full announcement from the Oregon State Fire Marshal: "Last Saturday, the Douglas County strike team leader and assistant strike team leader were looking for hots spots in an area inaccessible for fire engines and damaged by the Palisades Fire in Southern California. They heard people in a home. When they went to check, the firefighters found two older adults who had been injured and without food, water, or communication for several days. The two firefighters coordinated an ambulance and worked with another strike team in the area to get the pair down to the waiting ambulance. If that wasn't enough, our firefighters called the pair's family to let them know they were safe and stayed at the home to put out hotspots nearby. WAY TO GO!" Courtesy of the Oregon State Fire Marshal More information to come as it becomes available.

Ryan Finlay · 4d

Douglas County Firefighters Build Lines at the Palisades Wildfire in California

Douglas County Firefighters Build Lines at the Palisades Wildfire in California

Several fire crews from around Douglas County have traveled to California to help fight the destructive wildfires impacting the Los Angeles area. Here is the latest update from DFPA from Wednesday, Jan 15th. "Here's a quick update about our DFPA firefighters deployed to California. Most of our strike team has been assigned to the Palisades Fire and is building contingency lines in the Topanga Canyon area. They want everyone to know they are safe, showering, and eating well. They thank you for your kind words of gratitude and prayers for safety." Photo via DFPA

Ryan Finlay · 6d

Promoted

BL Performance

$50 off your first car repair. Coupon valid for new customers only. Excludes oil changes, alignments, and diagnosis.