New Pilot Butte weather station, Webcam honors Russell Bird

The Oregon Parks & Recreation Department is excited to announce the launch of the Russell Bird Memorial Weather Station at Pilot Butte, including a live Webcam, and is inviting the public to a special dedication ceremony on Saturday.

NewsChannel 21 weatherman Russell Bird passed away in 2016. The Bend community rallied together and raised funds for a memorial for Russell. Russell’s family and OPRD have since been working on this weather station project, which will officially go live Mother’s Day weekend.

“Russell’s family would like to thank the viewers that enjoyed his weather broadcasts and contributed to build this weather station as a tribute to him. Pilot Butte was one of his favorite places to visit in Bend, and so it seems fitting to build a memorial there. We hope you will join us at the Pilot Butte summit on Saturday, May 12, at noon to celebrate his life. Thank you, Jim and Melinda Bird”

Due to limited parking on Pilot Butte’s summit, we encourage those who are able to come at 12 p.m. on Saturday to park in the eastside parking lot and enjoy an invigorating hike to the summit to visit with Russell’s family.

OPRD and Jim & Melinda Bird would also like to thank the numerous local agencies and businesses who assisted with and donated to this project–you know who you are! The weather station can be viewed at www.oregonstateparks.org, search for Pilot Butte, and then click on “detailed conditions.”

Here’s a direct link: https://oregonstateparks.org/index.cfm?do=conditions.dsp_parkConditions&parkId=33