September 6, 2008 – Bend Bulletin Celebrate The Deschutes

This article was published on: 09/8/08 12:00 AM

Celebrate the Deschutes Sept. 13
By Jim Witty / The Bulletin
Published: September 06. 2008 4:00AM PST

That’s the Deschutes River, all 252.2 miles of it. The event, scheduled from 1 to 5 p.m. in McKay Park beside the Colorado Street Bridge, will celebrate clean water, healthy wildlife, fish, vegetation and the beauty that is this region’s life blood.

And admission is free.

On tap at the park are an Alder Creek Kayak & Canoe demo, bluegrass music, kids’ activities, fly-casting lessons by Fly & Field, a Deschutes Brewery beer garden (with proceeds going to help the river), food vendors and river-related booths.

According to organizer Bea Armstrong of the Deschutes River Conservancy, Fireside Red in the Old Mill District will donate 10 percent of all lunch and dinner sales to the DRC.

Education is a big part of the second annual event, as are hands-on activities.

Preregistration is required for several events, including a free birding hike along the Upper Deschutes at 8:30 a.m. To register, call 541-382-4077, ext. 10.

Sun Country Tours will once again offer its Big Eddy Thriller raft trip at a discount, $25 per person, at 1:15 p.m. To register, call 541-382-6277. The Bend company is also offering an all-day whitewater rafting adventure on the Lower Deschutes from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Cost is $65 (usually $111). To register, call 541-382-6277.

Alder Creek Kayak & Canoe will also conduct basic skills lessons at McKay Park. Cost is $20, discounted from $65. The kayaking course runs from 2 to 3 p.m., canoeing is 3 to 4 p.m. and kayaking runs from 4 to 5 p.m. To register, call 541-317-9407.

Wanderlust Tours will conduct a guided canoe trip from Dillon Falls to Slough Camp on the Upper Deschutes from 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. Cost is $20, discounted from $47. To register, call 541-389-8359.

The Deschutes River Conservancy disseminates pertinent riverine information, raises funds and uses the money to improve the Deschutes River watershed.

Since the late 1990s, DRC has put water back into the river by reducing canal seepage, increasing on-farm efficiency, transferring in-stream water rights and establishing a water-leasing program. The collaborative organization’s habitat restoration projects have restored nearly 100 miles of stream and created new wetlands.

The DRC board includes environmentalists, members of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, and representatives of timber interests, real estate, agriculture, hydropower and tourism.

Contact: 541-382-4077 or www .deschutesriver.org.

Jim Witty can be reached at 541-617-7828 or jwitty@bendbulletin.com.

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Published Daily in Bend Oregon by Western Communications, Inc. © 2008

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