Unseasonably warm temperatures and minimal precipitation this spring have left the landscape parched pretty much statewide, setting up what’s almost certain to be the worst drought in decades and perhaps a century.
Rolling into spring, many locals (river rafters included) are wondering how the predicted La Niña winter panned out, and how it would affect wildfire potential for their prized summer outdoor recreation season.
As the desert heats up and you start preemptively ordering your floaties (better get on that, i.e. COVID goods delays, Suez Canal blockage, general shortage of floaties in Bend over the summer) keep these safety and stewardship tips in mind from Bend Park and Recreation District and the Upper Deschutes Watershed Council.
For this week’s episode of “Bend Don’t Break” we talk with Kate Fitzpatrick, the executive director of the Deschutes River Conservancy.
Boating on the Lower Deschutes River has plenty of fans. The fees charged for it? Not so much. But the Bureau of Land Management’s rationale for new fees for boating and camping is simple. Its costs for upkeep are rising. Its revenues aren’t keeping up.
The story goes that Sisters had a river once, then we lost it, but then we found it again. This is a tale distilled from science but fueled by community passion. It reminds us that we can overcome huge challenges with the work of a village of willing souls.
Outdoor recreation on the Deschutes River continues to be fun and very popular, but increased use has chewed away at the riverbanks. The Bend park district has proposed a cleanup plan.
Oregon is gorgeous and people travel to the state from across the country to whitewater raft, canoe, fish, kayak, and camp along its many rivers and streams. But surprisingly few of the state’s roughly 110,000 river miles are protected as “Wild and Scenic.” That can change!
The Central Oregon Irrigation District said Friday it has received final approval from the Oregon Water Resources Department for the West-F project that piped 2,210 feet of a leaky lateral canal north of Redmond.
