Caregivers: Returning orca Lolita to Northwest is risky
By GENE JOHNSON Associated Press SEATTLE (AP) — A plan announced last week to return Lolita, a killer whale held captive for more than a…
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Oregon Water Resources Dept. seeks public input on rule changes for ‘critical groundwater areas’
When groundwater levels are low, the state of Oregon can declare critical groundwater areas to help preserve and protect water.…
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PacifiCorp files 2023 plan advancing path to a net-zero future
PORTLAND, Ore. (KTVZ) — PacifiCorp filed Friday its 2023 Integrated Resource Plan with the six state utility commissions in the company’s service…
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EPA, Dept. of Energy honor GreenSavers of Bend as Energy Star partner of the year
 The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy are honoring GreenSavers of Bend as an ENERGY STAR® partner of the…
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City of Bend places methane warning signs at sewer stations around town after fire last year
Several signs warning of methane gas have been put up around Bend. They were installed in response to a fire last year at the west Bend sewer lift…
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Merkley, Bonamici introduce legislation to ban asbestos
WASHINGTON (KTVZ) — Sen Jeff Merkley and Rep.Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) teamed up to introduce the Alan Reinstein Ban Asbestos Now Act of 2023,…
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Crook County mine neighbors say operation contaminated water; Knife River, state agency dispute claims
Two-dozen neighbors of a mine northwest of Prineville, and their attorney claim mining operations have contaminated the their water. But a state…
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Juvenile black rockfish affected by marine heat wave – but not always for the worse, OSU study says
Larvae produced by black rockfish, a linchpin of the West Coast commercial fishing industry for the past eight decades, fared better during two…
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Oregon state forester proclaims April as Arbor Month, a great time to plant trees
State Forester Calvin Mukumoto has proclaimed all of April as Oregon Arbor Month, allowing lots of time for commemorative plantings and other…
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Woodpecker that likes burned forest can breed in unburned woods too, OSU-led study shows
A species of woodpecker once thought to limit itself to recently burned areas can breed successfully in the unburned parts of fire-prone landscapes…
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Project Ponderosa combines nature, art — and coffee
Bend’s Strictly Organic Coffee is featuring artworks by local artist and environmentalist Lee Stevenson, who in 2006 founded Project Ponderosa, a…
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With fewer salmon to eat, Southern Resident killer whales are spending less time in the San Juan Islands
As a key food supply — salmon — declines, the endangered population of Southern Resident killer whales, known to frequent the Salish Sea off the…
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OSU researcher leads development of electrolyte to boost efficiency of safe, sustainable zinc batteries
Scientists led by an Oregon State University researcher have developed a new electrolyte that raises the efficiency of the zinc metal anode in zinc…
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Gov. Kotek issues drought declaration for Deschutes, Grant counties, directs state help
Gov. Tina Kotek announced Friday that she has declared a drought in Deschutes and Grant counties through Executive Order 23-08, and directed state…
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Town of Talent rises from wildfire’s ashes to become Oregon’s Tree City of the Year
TALENT, Ore. (KTVZ) – The Oregon Department of Forestry has selected the southern Oregon town of Talent, which has battled back from a 2020…
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Rare blue whale skeleton heads to Canada for final cleaning, preservation; will go on display in Newport
The skeleton of a rare 70-foot blue whale that washed up on the Oregon coast several years ago will journey to Alberta, Canada later this week so a…
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Water contamination in Oregon could prompt EPA to step in
BOARDMAN, Ore. (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency is urging Oregon to clean up water contamination from nitrates in the eastern part of the…
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Rare, threatened wolverine spotted by anglers along Columbia River near Portland
A wolverine, rare and listed as threatened in Oregon, was spotted by two people who were fishing on the Columbia River near Portland on Monday…
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Wyden, Merkley: $38 million coming to ODFW for fish and wildlife conservation, outdoor access
WASHINGTON (KTVZ) – Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will be awarding the Oregon Department of…
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Douglas fir trees in Klamath Mountains are in ‘decline spiral,’ OSU research shows
Increases in mortality among Douglas firs in the Klamath Mountains are the result of multiple factors that have the iconic tree in a “decline…
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