Oregon’s Senator Merkley won support in the Senate agriculture funding legislation for family farms, rural housing, habitat restoration, and wildfire smoke recovery. This includes $750K for DRC’s McKay Creek Project and $4.8M for projects benefiting Crooked River flow restoration.
Jacob is our new Project Manager. Prior to joining the DRC, Jacob earned a BS in Environmental and Natural Resource Economics along with a BA in Economics from Colorado State University in 2016. Jacob also earned a JD from Lewis & Clark Law school in 2021 with a certificate in Environmental and Natural Resource Law.
Dani joins the DRC as our Programs Director. For the past 10 years, Dani has been working independently, conducting restoration projects, performing watershed assessments, leading trainings for professionals, guiding municipalities and non-profits through water quality challenges, and generally trying to spend as much time on the rivers as possible!
“We’ll miss Natasha dearly. She has been an invaluable part of this organization. We look forward to continuing to work with her in her leadership role at the land trust.,” said Kate Fitzpatrick, DRC Executive Director.
After 45 years, salmon and steelhead have finally returned to the Deschutes Basin. When the Round Butte Dam was built in the 1960’s, passage for migrating fish failed. Since then, the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs and PGE have partnered to bring them back into the basin.
Kate Fitzpatrick, catches up with Western Water Market podcast host, Kristina Ribellia, to unpack Central Oregon’s drought situation, including efforts to prepare for and respond to unprecedented years like this.
Oregon Water Resources Commission has recently awarded $908,127 for feasibility studies across the state. The Deschutes River Conservancy was the recipient of two such grants. Never has there been a better time for government investment in our local infrastructure.
Hello, my name is Tai’Anne Smith and I am the communications intern for the Deschutes River Conservancy. Project Zero and my internship with the DRC is giving me the opportunity to get paid, on-the job training in areas I’m passionate about while working remotely in my own community.
For the last 70 years, altered flows in the Deschutes River upstream of Bend made habitat restoration efforts ineffective. With the flow restoration measures agreed upon in the recently-completed Habitat Conservation Plan, meaningful habitat restoration is finally on the horizon.