It was 2013 when Kim Brannock of Bend first witnessed thousands of dying fish in a side channel of the upper Deschutes River near Lava Island. As co-founder of the Coalition for the Deschutes, she was sickened by the sight, only to find out it had been occurring for decades with seasonal irrigation water flows […]
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
Of Mountain Goats and Unicorns
On July 20 of this year, Camp Sherman resident Peter Eshrick was making his annual pilgrimage hike into the saddle above Canyon Creek Meadows with his daughter Katrina and her two kids Camila and Samuel (ages 12 and 10), when Camila suddenly shouted,”What’s that over there on the mountain side?” “What, over where?” Granddaddy Peter […]
Side Notes 8/3-8/10
“Safe” Passageway Reopens for Floaters at Bend Whitewater Park Bend river floaters might not be sure what to call the former Colorado Dam “Safe” Passage yet (Whitewater Park Passageway?), but they sure know how to take advantage of it. An estimated 5,000 visitors and locals alike negotiated the passageway channel at the Bend Whitewater Park […]
The Plight of the Western Pond Turtle
In this helter-skelter age it comes as a shock (to me) when suddenly someone says, “Hey, when was the last time you saw, this—or that—animal?” And that was the case when my herpetologist pal, Jesse Short from Central Oregon Community College, sent me photos of a western pond turtle, all excited about spotting it on […]
Sides Notes 6/22-6/29
Popular personal-finance website WalletHub recently released its 2016 Car Insurance & Credit Scores Report, shining a light on a controversial pricing policy among the automotive insurance industry: the direct use of an individual’s credit score in determining policy costs. In Oregon, WalletHub found a 68 percent fluctuation in premiums based on credit. Data also show […]
Fishing Backcountry Lakes
Though the general trout fishing season is well underway in Oregon, many of the High Cascade Lakes that sustain planted fish remain inaccessible due to snow and ice. It can be as late as mid-June or even early July before some of these lakes can be reached on foot or by horseback, but when the […]
Go Here 5/18-5/25
Kids Learn to Fish The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife will host a day of fishing for kids who want to learn how to angle May 21 at Pine Nursery Pond. ODFW will loan out fishing rods, reels, tackle and some bait on a first-come, first-serve basis between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. Kids […]
Coyote Summer Safety
Coyotes are back—or always seem to be—in the news. One tried to run off with a small dog out near the Sisters Airport a while back, but the owner's big dog changed the coyote's mind and it dropped the little dog. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) has, over the years, really tried […]
Side Notes 4/20-4/27
Saving Monarch Butterflies in Central Oregon Monarch butterflies are declining drastically with 80 percent of the population of eastern monarchs lost in the last decade. Central Oregonians can learn how to protect monarch butterflies at two upcoming events in May. May 10 ~ Tom Landis from the Southern Oregon Monarch Advocates will present “Bringing Monarchs […]
Quit Killing Badgers!
If there’s one member of Oregon’s wildlife community that has the digging ability to sink out of site on bare ground, it’s the badger, or to be respectful of His Honor: The American Badger, (Taxidea taxis). I call him, His Honor, because I watched a badger pass judgment on an annoying guy, and chase him […]

