Damian Fagan

Damian Fagan is a freelance writer, outdoor enthusiast and avid birder. He is the author of several wildflower field guides including "Wildflowers of Oregon" and "Wildflowers of North America." Fagan lives in Bend with his wife, Raven, and a pollinator-friendly garden.
Posted inOutside

Return of the Vaux’s Swifts

View this nightly aerial spring spectacle as the birds come back to Bend to roost
by Damian Fagan

The Vaux’s (rhymes with foxes) swift is a 4½-inch long, fast-moving bird (it’s a swift after all) that resembles “a cigar with wings.” The smallest of all North American swifts, these aerial acrobats put on a nightly show during their annual migrations through downtown Bend. From their winter range which is the tropics of Mexico […]

Posted inNews

In 2020, Messes and Crowds Defined Many Forest Trails

National Forest use was up 40% last year in our region. This year, the planned permit system moves forward for some of the most popular trails—and hopefully, volunteer crews will return
by Damian Fagan

Many are happy to see 2020 in the rearview mirror. With a raging coronavirus pandemic, a contentious election, devastating wildfires, a crashing economy and stay-at-home orders, it was a no-brainer that when the light turned green, explosive recreational use would follow. Recreating and being out in nature was about the only game in town, so […]

Posted inSpecial Issues & Guides

Neighborhoods: Southwest Bend and Southern Crossing

Neighborhoods connect to the heart of Bend
by Damian Fagan

Howdy, Neighbor! If I was to define the Southwest Bend neighborhood, I’d have to say that it’s a friendly place to be. Why? Bounded by the Deschutes River, Highway 97, Deschutes River Woods and the Old Mill District, Southwest Bend is known for its beautiful homes, quiet nature and plethora of parks. Predominantly a residential […]

Posted inOutside

A Midwinter Retreat to Anthony Lakes

Ski, snowshoe, and soak in the tranquil beauty of Eastern Oregon
by Damian Fagan

“The mountains are calling and I must go” is one of my favorite John Muir quotes. Written in a letter to his sister in 1873, his words echoed in my mind during a recent visit to the Anthony Lakes Mountain Resort outside of Baker City, named for William “Doc” Anthony, a farmer and doctor, who […]

Posted inOutside

Exploring Oregon’s Outback One Step at a Time

The Oregon Desert Trail connects people to place
by Damian Fagan

The Oregon Desert Trail, better known as the ODT, is a 751.7-route that traverses eastern Oregon, connecting the Badlands Wilderness to Lake Owyhee State Park. The trail slips through dense sagebrush steppe and ancient juniper forests, across lava flows and through canyons incised deep into an old land. There’s wild and wilderness and plenty of […]

Posted inOutside

Conservationists Howling Mad After Gray Wolf ESA Delisting

Controversial action by the USFWS has conservation groups going to court
Damian Fagan

The return of gray wolves to their ancestral haunts is one of the great American conservation success stories. These ancestors of the domestic dog were extirpated over much of their range in the last 100 years. Only isolated populations existed in the Western Great Lakes region, Canada, and Alaska as these apex predators were hunted, […]

Posted inOutside

Rolling Back Environmental Protections: A Laundry List of the Past Four Years

Over 100 legislative or administrative rollbacks targeted during the outgoing administration
by Damian Fagan

As its time in office comes to a close and we look ahead to 2021, the Trump Administration will be remembered for many things—but conservation will not be one of them. During his time in office, his administration has led an assault on the environment: reversing, revoking, or rolling back nearly 100 rules and regulations […]

Posted inOutside

Geoff Babb and the AdvenChair are Ready to Roll

Locally produced all-terrain wheelchair provides opportunity for those with limited mobility to explore the outdoors—and it’s finally available to buy
by Damian Fagan

On Nov. 10, 2005, Geoff Babb, a retired Bureau of Land Management fire ecologist and avid outdoor recreationalist who loved to ski and mountain bike, was rushed to the hospital after having a brain stem stroke. The near-fatal stroke left Babb with limited mobility. His recovery, aided by his wife, Yvonne, and then twin 12-year-old […]

Posted inOutside

Winter Raptors

Birds of prey flock to Central Oregon to dine “al Rodentia” in winter
by Damian Fagan

Driving through Central Oregon in winter, past agricultural fields or open sagebrush flats dotted with juniper, one is bound to notice hawks or eagles perched on powerline poles, fence posts, irrigation wheel lines—or perhaps soaring overhead. Birds of prey concentrate in the region due to an abundance of prey, including waterfowl, songbirds, rodents, carrion and […]

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