By CLAIRE RUSH Associated Press PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A severe lack of affordable housing has prompted Oregon lawmakers to consider chipping away at a 1970s law that made the state a national leader in leveraging land use policy to prevent suburban sprawl and conserve nature and agriculture. The so-called urban growth boundary, a sacred
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(Update: Adding video, interview with professor) NEWPORT, Ore. (KTVZ) — Fish exposed to some pesticides at extremely low concentrations for a brief period of time can demonstrate lasting behavioral changes, with the impact extending to offspring that were never exposed firsthand, a recent study found. The findings raise concerns not just for fish, but for
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By MATTHEW DALY Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration, leaders of four Columbia River Basin tribes and the governors of Oregon and Washington celebrated on Friday as they signed papers formally launching a $1 billion plan to help recover depleted salmon populations in the Pacific Northwest. The plan, announced in December, stopped short
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CORVALLIS, Ore. (KTVZ) – Forests in the coolest, wettest parts of the western Pacific Northwest are likely to see the biggest increases in burn probability, fire size and number of blazes as the climate continues to get warmer and drier, according to new modeling led by an Oregon State University scientist. Understanding how fire regimes
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OSU–Cascades is seeking $24 million from the Oregon Legislature to expedite the next phase of its land remediation, which will provide space over the next decade to serve the growing campus’s academic, research and student housing needs.
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Pacific Power has awarded more than $2 million to 22 organizations in Oregon, six on the High Desert, for projects that will expand electric mobility and connect people across the state to the cost-saving, clean-air benefits of electric vehicles.
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HILLSBORO, Ore. (KTVZ) — The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission voted unanimously Friday to list Southern Resident orcas as endangered under Oregon’s Endangered Species Act. Southern Resident orcas now number just 75 whales in three pods and have been listed as endangered under federal law since 2005. Their reproductive potential is in danger of failure
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PORTLAND, Ore. (KTVZ) — A rapidly warming Arctic is taking a toll on polar bears, according to a new study using technology beta-tested at the Oregon Zoo. The study — published this week in the science journal Nature Communications— set out to learn how wild bears are coping as the sea ice they depend on disappears for
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By JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER Associated Press It’s not yet known what killed an endangered fin whale, but people can marvel at the large marine mammal as it decomposes on an Oregon beach. “While it’s sad, it’s also super educational,” Tiffany Boothe, assistant manager of the Seaside Aquarium, said Thursday of the rare sight, which she
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BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — The Deschutes National Forest said Thursday it plans to update temporary trail closures within the trails network west of Bend due to operations to reduce wildfire risk and restore forest resiliency in the wildland-urban interface. Beginning Monday, February 19, the following trail segment will be closed: COD – Closed Monday through
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SISTERS, Ore. (KTVZ) — The Sisters Ranger District is implementing about 213 acres of mastication operations within the Sisters Area Fuels Reduction Project Area, including 74 acres just south of Sisters Cow Camp and adjacent to the Metolius-Windigo Trail approximately two and a half miles southwest of Sisters. Contractors started work this week and will
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The federal government has finalized two areas for floating offshore wind farms along the Oregon coast, authorities announced Tuesday, bringing the state closer to commercially developing and producing a renewable energy source that’s part of the fight against climate change.
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The long-debated, nearly 2,000-acre Thornburgh Resort at Cline Buttes west of Redmond is gearing up for more construction, despite lingering land-use battles over groundwater, wildlife and other impacts that have gone on for nearly two decades.
Continue ReadingCORVALLIS, Ore. (KTVZ) – A chemical element so visually striking it was named for a goddess shows a “Goldilocks” level of reactivity – neither too much nor too little – that makes it a strong candidate as a carbon-scrubbing tool. The element is vanadium, and research by Oregon State University scientists has demonstrated the ability
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BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Deschutes County Environmental Health said Friday it has received multiple reports from community members who have received spam phone calls that appear to come from the county. Callers appear to be “spoofing,” or faking, the Health Services’ Environmental Health main phone number, so the call appears to be coming from Deschutes
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The Bureau of Land Management opened a 30-day public scoping period Friday to seek input on the Horse Ridge Recreational Area Non-Motorized Project, an effort to establish an official trail system at the popular mountain biking area, about 13 miles southeast of Bend.
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By SCOTT SONNER Associated Press RENO, Nev. (AP) — Federal wildlife officials have agreed to conduct a full, year-long review to determine whether a tiny snail found only in high-desert springs near a huge lithium mine being built along the Nevada-Oregon line should be listed as a threatened or endangered species. The U.S. Fish and
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PORTLAND, Ore. (KTVZ) — The Center for Biological Diversity petitioned Thursday for federal protection of Sierra Nevada red foxes in the Oregon and California Cascades, from Lassen Peak to Mount Hood. The petition (see below) asks that the fox be listed as a threatened or endangered species under the Endangered Species Act. “These precious mountain foxes need
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PORTLAND, Ore. (KTVZ) — The tiniest rhinoceros at the Oregon Zoo turned 2 months old this week, and veterinary staff confirmed that he’s a boy. Born Dec. 4 at around 100 pounds, the youngster now weighs around 225 and is beginning to venture outside for short periods of time. “We’re giving Jozi and her calf plenty
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SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) — On Tuesday, Treasurer Read presented to the Oregon Investment Council details regarding Treasury’s plan to transition the Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund to a net zero carbon emissions portfolio by no later than 2050. The Net Zero Plan lays out specific actions Treasury will take in the short- and long-term to
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