Bend city councilors agreed Wednesday evening to hold a work session in coming months and discuss whether to impose a ban on feeding wildlife — deer and elk, to be specific — due to the problems that arise, including negative impacts for the animals. Police and code enforcement would be part of those talks. The
Continue Reading
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — A major Western U.S. utility is speeding up plans to use less coal-fired power over the next decade. Portland, Oregon-based PacifiCorp, the parent corporation of Pacific Power, said Thursday it plans to reduce coal-fired generation by two-thirds by 2030. The utility intends to implement a big buildout of wind and solar
Continue Reading
The North Unit Irrigation District and project partners will hold a public meeting later this month on their canal-piping proposal to modernize aging infrastructure to conserve water, reduce energy use, improve operational efficiencies, improve water quality and enhance fish and wildlife habitat in the Deschutes and Crooked rivers, federal regulators said Wednesday. By converting open-ditch
Continue Reading
Habitat created just for the threatened streaked horned larks on the Herbert Farm and Natural Area south of Corvallis has successfully produced its first juvenile larks, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife said Tuesday. Three eggs were laid in early June with chicks hatching in mid-July. Biologists banded the chicks which fledged their nest
Continue Reading
A Portland-area woman has been charged with the illegal selling of shark fins, Oregon State Police said Monday. In mid-September, members of the OSP Fish and Wildlife Division, assisted by agents from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, completed an investigation into the unlawful selling of shark fins, troopers said. Agnes Yu, 52, of Happy
Continue Reading
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Starting Tuesday, businesses in Portland will not be allowed to give customers single-use plastic items, unless they ask for them KOIN reports the new policy includes plastic straws, stirrers, utensils and individually packaged condiments. It applies for dining in, take-out and delivery at restaurants, food carts, hotels, grocery stores, coffee shops,
Continue Reading
Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., announced Wednesday that the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on which he serves, has passed his bipartisan Rescuing Animals With Rewards (RAWR) Act . The RAWR Act , co-led by Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), would help save endangered animals by combating wildlife trafficking and poaching. Specifically, the legislation would authorize the State
Continue Reading
MADRAS, Ore. (KTVZ) – Jefferson County commissioners on Wednesday declared a local drought disaster and began the process of seeking a state drought emergency declaration for the fifth straight year, noting continued serious water supply issues for farmers and others, despite some improvements seen from a late winter. Wickiup Reservoir, for example, stands at 152,504
Continue Reading
La Pine residents expressing concern or simply wondering about the “milky” appearance and taste of their tap water were told by the city Monday that it was due to a lot of extra air in the system from two newly installed water lines.
Continue Reading
Much of Central Oregon was cloaked in a murk of smoke from the Cedar Creek Fire on Monday morning, sending air quality readings soaring into the “unhealthy” or even “hazardous” category for much of the region and curtailing activities and operations for several organizations.
Continue Reading
Starting next Wednesday, water releases from Prineville Reservoir will be decreased from the current flow rate of about 180 cubic feet per second down to only about 10 cfs as downstream irrigation demands decrease, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation said Friday.
Continue Reading
A fast-growing new wildfire in rugged, hard-to-access terrain on the Willamette National Forest 18 miles east of Oakridge was growing fast — 500 acres at last report — and sending smoke over the mountains and into the Bend area Wednesday afternoon, Central Oregon fire officials confirmed.
Continue Reading
The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission adopted new rules Friday that reduce some of the state’s trap check times, which an environmental group said will make it “less likely that animals will suffer for extended periods of time and more likely that non-target wildlife can be safely released.”
Continue Reading
The Sisters Ranger District is releasing a draft decision notice and final environmental assessment Tuesday on a large-scale, nearly 20,000-acre vegetation treatment project covering the Green Ridge area, including thinning, prescribed burns and 55 miles of road closures and decommissioning (removals).
Continue Reading
NewsChannel 21’s Katie Zuniga has a special report on how Warm Springs is the first place in Oregon to use atmospheric water harvesting, a special process using hydropanels to draw pure, drinkable water — right out of the air.
Continue ReadingSEATTLE (AP) — Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said his state will follow California and prohibit the sale of new gas-powered vehicles by 2035. The specific regulations for Washington state are yet to be created and the public will have the chance to weigh in, The Seattle Times reported. “This is a critical milestone in our
Continue Reading
Once again, four leading Oregon craft beverage producers are teaming up with Oregon Parks Forever to raise funds to replant 25,000 trees in Oregon’s parks and forests.
Continue Reading
Eight Democratic U.S. lawmakers are calling for an investigation into “potential scientific meddling” by the Trump administration in its rule to remove critical habitat protections for the imperiled northern spotted owl in the Pacific Northwest.
Continue Reading
There are still many irrigation canals running through Central Oregon, but many are being replaced by pipes — for the best of reasons, supporters say.
Continue Reading
The Deschutes Youth Climate Congress, along with Indivisible Bend and Vocal Seniority, have replaced their physical Earth Day climate change rally with a three-day movement on social media
Continue Reading