In the Media

When Prineville’s new wastewater treatment plant is complete, City Engineer Eric Klann believes it will not only treat the city’s waste but also help attract new businesses to the area and serve as a recreational destination for people from around the region.

A stretch of the Metolius River will be closed to the public later this month due to a habitat restoration project that will involve a helicopter placing trees in the water, according to a news release from the Deschutes National Forest.

The steelhead run on the Lower Deschutes this year will not match last year's record-setting number, but anglers should still find good fishing on the river well into November, according to fish biologists.

This year, about 100,000 chinook, sockeye and steelhead swam into the large fish collection facility at Round Butte Dam on Lake Billy Chinook.

Nobody ever regrets saving land for parks. Yet, ironically, many parks face stiff opposition before they are created. Anyone who has watched Ken Burns’ “National Parks: America’s Best Idea” has seen how many national parks faced such opposition.

This November, Oregonians will vote on Measure 76 — a ballot measure that seeks to continue Oregon’s lottery funding for clean water, healthy rivers, parks, outdoor education and economic vitality.

Bend City Councilors are poised to make a decision on whether to continue pursuing a $73 million overhaul of the Bridge Creek water system within the next several weeks.

The Bureau of Reclamation recently approved $600,000 in federal funding for water supply studies in Idaho and Oregon.

Trout Unlimited, a national conservation organization dedicated to conserving, protecting and restoring North America’s cold-water fisheries and watersheds, announced Tuesday that it has awarded its 2011 annual meeting to Bend. The meeting will be held Sept. 14-17.