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Preserving the earth is something that benefits us all and ensures future generations a certain quality of life. Some Central Oregonians are more dedicated and passionate on that subject, making it their career or serving as volunteers. In this week’s Earth Heroes issue, we reached out to local nonprofits for “hero” nominations.  

Earth Hero: Sakari Farms

Sakari, a word meaning “sweet” in Inupiaq, represents a loving and warm personality, which exactly describes the vibe I felt…

by Joshua Savage

Trailblazer Hero: Rick Martinson

Rick Martinson can summon the Latin name for almost any High Desert plant on a whim.   Ask for the common name,…

by Clayton Franke

Climate Hero: Graham Zimmerman 

Alpinist and climate activist Graham Zimmerman walked into the Source offices to discuss his winning of the Climate Hero award for the…

By Jesse Coronado

Teacher Hero: Joe Craig  

Joe Craig can be described using many words, but if one were to pinpoint it to just three they would be humble, generous and inspired.   These are some of…

By Jesse Coronado

Young Hero: Brennan Breen

It’s hard out there for climate justice advocate these days. Few know how quickly your eyes glaze over when the…

by Peter Madsen

Water Hero: Kevin Tanski 

Kevin Tanski is a lifelong conservationist and environmentalist, but in the past three years his attention has been laser focused…

by Nic Moye

Read the digital issue!

This article appears in the Source April 16, 2026.

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Earth Heroes of Central Oregon

by The Source Staff, The Source - Bend, Oregon
April 15, 2026

<h1>Earth Heroes of Central Oregon</h1> <p class="byline">by The Source Staff, The Source - Bend, Oregon <br />April 15, 2026</p> <p class="has-drop-cap">Preserving the earth is something that benefits us all and ensures future generations a certain quality of life. Some Central Oregonians are more dedicated and passionate on that subject, making it their career or serving as volunteers. In this week’s Earth Heroes issue, we reached out to local nonprofits for “hero” nominations. &nbsp;</p> <p class="has-text-align-center"><strong><a href="https://issuu.com/thesourceweekly/docs/the_source_april_16_2026?fr=xKAE9_zMzMw">Read the digital issue!</a></strong></p> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://issuu.com/thesourceweekly/docs/the_source_april_16_2026?fr=xKAE9_zMzMw"><img src="https://www.bendsource.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/cover-for-web-4-775x1024.png" alt="" class="wp-image-83927" /></a></figure> <p>This &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://www.bendsource.com/news/localnews/earth-heroes-of-central-oregon/&quot;&gt;article&lt;/a&gt; first appeared on &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://www.bendsource.com&quot;&gt;The Source - Bend, Oregon&lt;/a&gt; and is republished here under a &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/&quot;&gt;Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;img src=&quot;https://i0.wp.com/www.bendsource.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/cropped-Untitled-design-4.png?resize=150%2C150&amp;amp;ssl=1&quot; style=&quot;width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;&quot;&gt;</p> &lt;img id=&quot;republication-tracker-tool-source&quot; src=&quot;https://www.bendsource.com/?republication-pixel=true&amp;post=83978&quot; style=&quot;width:1px;height:1px;&quot;&gt;&lt;script&gt; PARSELY = { autotrack: false, onload: function() { PARSELY.beacon.trackPageView({ url: &quot;https://www.bendsource.com/news/localnews/earth-heroes-of-central-oregon/&quot;, urlref: window.location.href }); } } &lt;/script&gt; &lt;script id=&quot;parsely-cfg&quot; src=&quot;//cdn.parsely.com/keys/bendsource.com/p.js&quot;&gt;&lt;/script&gt;

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