Side Notes 5/20-5/27

In the growing trend of big water users giving back to water-related causes, Deschutes Brewery and Columbia Distributing recently donated $16,600 from last month’s Beer Machines Party in Portland to Salmon-Safe, a nonprofit focused on restoring salmon watersheds in the Pacific Northwest. But it’s not the first time Deschutes has shown up for salmon. It was the first brewer to use hops that are Salmon-Safe certified, meaning that the hops were grown on a farm certified by the nonprofit as using organic practices and biologically-based pest management—and therefore, better for salmon habitats. The donation should help more hop growers transition to salmon-friendly operations.

Two seats are opening up on the Deschutes County Planning Commission this July, one in Bend and one at-large, and the County’s interview committee—Deschutes County Commission Chair Tony DeBone, Planning Commissioner Christen Brown, and Community Development Director Nick Lelack—is currently reviewing applications and conducting interviews. The applicants include: Jared Black (Bend Area or At-Large), James Burton (At-Large), Mark Capell (Bend-Area or At-Large), Sherman Dale Crawford (At-Large), Lindsey Hopper (Bend Area or At-Large), Dr. Leslie Hudson (At-Large), Jerry Johnson (At-Large), Maggie Kirby (At-Large or Bend Area), Gary Meyer (At-Large), Jeff Perrault (Bend Area or At-Large), Kenna Sneed (At-Large), Broc Stenman (Bend Area or At-Large), and Richard Zabel (At-Large). Lelack says he expects the committee to make a recommendation to the Board by the first week of June, with appointments to follow in early to mid-June.

With only one out of ten registered voters in Bend submitting ballots, it hardly seems like an overwhelming mandate; yet within those voters, the number favoring change at Bend Park and Recreation board was quite strong, with nearly 50 percent favoring challenger Brady Fuller, and unseating current member Dan Fishkin, who only pulled one-quarter of voters. Also at presstime, the race for COCC Director Zone 5 was separated by only 135 votes, with John Mundy leading. Seriously, only 9.75 percent of you voted?