By Claire Carlson, John Upton and Kaitlyn Trudeau for The Daily Yonder.Broadcast version by Eric Tegethoff for Oregon News Service for the Public News Service/Daily Yonder Collaboration Will and Julie Volpert have led white water rafting trips on Southern Oregon’s Rogue and Klamath rivers for over a decade for their company Indigo Creek Outfitters, out of the small town of Talent, Oregon. The rafting season, which extends from May to September, is a perfect time to be out on the river where snowpack-fed cold water provides respite from the region’s hot summer. Or it would be perfect if wildfire smoke weren’t a looming concern. “We’ve been in operation here since 2011, and almost every year there’s some smoke that comes in and is noticeable on our trips,” Will Volpert said in an interview. .
Besides physical effects, wildfire smoke can create economic anxiety, isolation, and despair. In rural areas, scientists see a link between smoke and higher suicide rates.
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