Farmers, ODA clear the air for eclipse viewers
With hundreds of thousands of eclipse watchers converging on Oregon’s Willamette Valley on Aug. 21, grass seed growers and the state Department of Agriculture have agreed to do their part in keeping the air clear.
To keep from obscuring the view of the rare phenomenon and avoid possible impacts on traffic, farmers have agreed not to burn their fields either the weekend before the eclipse or on Monday, Aug. 21, said John Byers, manager of the Oregon Department of Agriculture Smoke Management Program.
Burning is also “not expected to be occurring on Tuesday, Aug. 22,” Byers said in an email.
“We will monitor burning conditions on the 22nd; it will be an option, but monitored closely to make sure any traffic issues won’t be a problem,” said Roger Beyer, executive director of Oregon Seed Council.
The decision was reached at the most recent meeting between the Seed Council and ODA smoke management officials.
According to Beyer, there was unanimous agreement between the growers and ODA not to burn.
Field burning helps farmers rid their fields of weeds, pests and debris without using chemicals. It is allowed only in certain parts of the valley, mainly in the eastern hills of Marion County. Some is also allowed in Clackamas and Linn counties, according to a state Department of Environmental Quality fact sheet. Farmers must obtain a permit from ODA to burn their fields.
The no-burn decision is good news for Daniel Adamo, an Oregon astrodynamics consultant who initially had concerns about how the field burning might obscure the view of the eclipse from the valley.
“Although the sun will be about 40 degrees above the east-southeast horizon during total eclipse, its extended atmosphere can easily be masked from view by thin clouds, smoke from forest fires or agricultural activity,” Adamo said. “Particularly at risk from smoke obscuration are lower elevations such as the Willamette Valley floor.”
Oregonians will have the first opportunity to witness the event because the path of the eclipse is expected to run from west to east and about 62 miles wide through Salem and Albany.
A total eclipse won’t happen again in this region for 601 years.
According to Adamo, the eclipse will start at 10:17 a.m. Pacific time at the Oregon Coast. Its path will cross a huge swath of the continental U.S.
The eclipse will attract groups from Japan, Germany and Australia in addition to watchers from neighboring states, according to Maricela Guerrero, Travel Salem destination development manager. Hotels are at 95 percent capacity for the weekend, she said.
While the exact number of people expected to visit for the eclipse is unknown, Guerrero said that the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry is estimating about 1 million statewide, increasing the state’s population by about 25 percent.