In the Media

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife should recognize this truth: Two small hydroelectric projects on local irrigation canals will benefit fish, not hurt them. So why punish the irrigation districts with a burdensome and unnecessary mandate?

Last time Candace Baker went cross-country skiing, she had to drive up the Cascade Lakes Highway to the high-elevation Dutchman Flat Sno-park to find good snow.

A $1.7 million project that would create a safe floating passage and whitewater play area at the Colorado Avenue dam is back on the agenda this week for the Bend Park & Recreation District board.

The Deschutes River Conservancy has signed a contract with the Bureau of Reclamation to receive more than $3.6 million in federal stimulus funds over 24 months, according to the Bend-based organization.

A group of irrigation districts, tribes, and city and county governments that wants to boost its political clout on water issues in the Deschutes River Basin took the first step toward that goal Monday, when group members discussed their plans for future work.

Lawrence Martin remembers from his boyhood how Evans Creek flowed like an artery in the Rogue River Valley — a deep, cold stream that gave life to salmon, steelhead and other species.

The Deschutes Water Alliance, a group of regional water users, wants to avoid a growth moratorium caused by an overtaxed water supply with help from state lawmakers and Congress.

Jim Mead has set out to accomplish something monumental to help restore streamflow and improve water quality in the Deschutes River and its tributaries.

More than two dozen projects in the Whychus, Metolius and Crooked River basins are in the works to make the area more fish-friendly. The long-term goal is to eventually have about 1,000 steelhead and 1,000 chinook return each year.