The Whychus Creek area is home to a wide array of wildlife. Salmon and steelhead swim in its waters, mule deer and Rocky Mountain elk graze along its banks, and golden eagles and spotted bats fly through the skies above. Thanks to Deschutes Land Trust and its supporters, an additional 58 acres of that habitat […]
Outside
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Go Here 4/15-4/22
Wildlowers
Central Oregon is so beautiful, that when looking for places to explore, I often forget to look beyond my back door. While watching reruns of OPB’s Field Guide (you have your Friday night ritual, I have mine), I was reminded of two important and remarkably lovely spots in the Northeast. It’s a six plus hour […]
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Hell on Wheels
BMX racing returns to Redmond
In the ’70s, riding dirt bikes was an informal sport, jumping Huffy bikes off mounds in backyards and tearing Schwinn Sting-Rays through hiking paths (certainly a precursor to mountain biking for thousands of kids). But even though the sport had formally arrived in America in 1969, when a group of teenagers in West LA started […]
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Go Here 4/8-4/15
These Boots Are Made for Hiking
There are so many things about spring in Central Oregon to love. Not the least of them is the unveiling of the Deschutes Land Trust free hike schedule. For over a decade, the Deschutes Land Trust has worked tirelessly to conserve thousands of acres of vitally important lands in Central Oregon. DLT lands serve as […]
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Go Here 4/1-4/8
Gold Hunting!
Last summer, I worked at Bend Park & Rec, and while putting in long hours keeping Bend’s parks beautiful, a coworker of mine, a Crook County native, spun me tales of gold in the hills near Prineville Reservoir. The stories were entertaining, and I filed them away, like pirate’s treasure maps, for later consideration. Scan […]
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Reap What You Sow
Never mind those recent snow flurries—spring has officially arrived. And as branches begin to bud, and birds to sing, it’s time to start thinking about gardening. Now, Central Oregon isn’t the Willamette Valley. One does not simply toss seeds over one’s shoulder and return a few weeks later to find verdant greens emerging from the […]
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Different Strokes
Local paddle maker stands up for environmental practices
Bend isn’t the first place that comes to mind as home-base for an outrigger canoe paddle maker—after all, the high desert is a far cry from the shores of Waikiki. But those geographic differences haven’t stopped Dave Chun from setting up shop for Bend’s only outrigger canoe club, and bringing one of the country’s largest […]
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Bring the Annihilation
Monster X Tour rolls into the County Fairgrounds
I’m the very last person you’d expect to see at a monster truck show. I didn’t learn how to drive a car until I was 22 years old and seeing a fender bender or a tow-truck on the road can throw me into a full-on panic. And, in the two years that I lived in […]
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Go Here 3/18-3/25
With Great Gifts Come Great Vacation Itineraries
Spring has officially sprung in the Cascades and it’s time to stop looking mournfully at those snowshoes and Nordic skis, dust off your hiking boots, and hit the trail. As we give thanks for seasonally appropriate activities, let’s consider for a moment how fortunate we are to live in this majestic place. Should this reflection […]
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Get The Lead Out
Time to remove lead from hunting ammo
During a recent program at McMenamin’s in Bend, U.S. Geological Survey biologist and researcher Garth Herring presented the work he’s doing on the issue of lead in the tissue of wildlife, specifically big game, ground squirrels and raptors. Herring pointed out that the USGS research, plus other federal government and state agencies and private conservation […]