Tod Heisler might as well have river water running through his veins. He was recently hired as the director of the Rivers Conservation Program within Central Oregon LandWatch, and before that he led the Deschutes River Conservancy for 15 years. His 30 years of conservation experience began with the World Wildlife Fund in Washington, D.C., […]
Deschutes River Conservancy
Posted inOpinion
Things are changing for the river and for canals. Here’s why.
Last month, the Source Weekly published a story illustrating community concerns about the effects of irrigation improvements on groundwater levels and private wells. Piping canals has been a controversial topic in Central Oregon over the past several years. For many decades, these canals have been part of the landscape, winding their way through our dry […]
Posted inOutside
River Talk
A three-year-long study of the Upper Deschutes is nearing completion. Here’s what two local river advocates think so far
Like a Central Oregonian impatiently waiting to go for a swim on a hot high desert day, Natasha Bellis and Gail Snyder jumped right into the hyped Upper Deschutes River Basin Study. After rolling up their sleeves and getting their hands wet, Bellis, program manager for the Deschutes River Conservancy and Snyder, co-founder and executive […]
Posted inSpecial Issues & Guides
Bridge Over Troubled Water
Bea Armstrong provides a voice for the Deschutes River
Water in the arid American West is a valuable commodity; increasingly so. As cities expand and demand increases, communities are scrambling to figure out how to fairly and responsibly allocate their precious supply. That means appeasing diverse interests—from farmers who thirst for water for their fields, to environmentalists looking to keep fish happy, to kayakers […]