Smokejumper Stories Smokejumpers conduct the initial attack on forest fires by parachuting into the site of the fire, often in remote terrain. The first fire jump was made in 1940 and today there are over 240 smokejumpers working for the Forest Service. The High Desert Museum is offering people a chance to listen to retired […]
outdoors
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Fight for the Ochocos
Objections arise as new trail system is proposed
Northeast of the city of Prineville lies the Ochoco National Forest—a much-loved area more than 845,000 acres in size. Inside its borders are three Congressionally-designated wilderness areas, more than 375 species of wildlife and countless firs and pines. Then there's the current controversy about who can use the lands and when. Last month, the U.S. […]
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Camping at the Airport
A traveler trades fir trees for flight towers
If there’s one thing I’ve learned writing for this section over the last few months, it’s that there’s no shortage of places to see and things to do in Central Oregon. But I’ve also realized that there are some things the West Coast can’t offer me. I’m originally from Ohio, and despite popular belief, the […]
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Bigfoot and the Late Great Chief Lelooska
The mystery of the Big Men of the Mountains
My old pal and fellow eagle researcher, Frank Isaacs, recently sent me a Bigfoot news release that reminded me of that fabled beast of mountains and forest, and an experience worth sharing. Back in the '60s my young family and I often were a presence in the life and home of Chief Lelooska, a man […]
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Aviation and Avian Creatures Can be Friends Again
Local technology helps protect wildlife in the sky
The hit movie “Sully” starring Tom Hanks and directed by Clint Eastwood is reaping strong box office revenue–but it’s also having a major impact on a Bend aviation company that specializes in the manufacture of equipment for a global aviation market. Precise Flight CEO Doug La Placa tells the Source Weekly, “Everybody in this company […]
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Eagle, Eagles, Everywhere
There is nothing to relieve the boredom of the straight paved freeway coming at you like an eagle, or better yet, many, many eagles. I went on a family and business journey to Minneapolis, Minn., recently, and the return trip home was eagle after eagle. Eagles have been a love of my life from the […]
Posted inNews
Swarming Smith Rock
Finding solutions to the growing number of park visitors
If Central Oregonians were to compile a list of complaints about living here, it’d probably be a short list. But it’s a safe guess what the number one problem would be: too many people are coming here. Nowhere is this more apparent than at the state parks around the area—and the park hit the hardest […]
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Go Here 10/5-10/12
Oregon Cancer Bike Out Now in its fourth year, the Oregon Cancer Bike Out is a full day of mountain biking fun with six hours of shuttled mountain bike rides from Wanoga Sno-Park. The goal of the event is to provide inspiration for those battling, honor those who lost their battle and raise funds to […]
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Strange Job Title: Fish Watcher
Lee Spencer has one of the most unusual job titles in Oregon—Fish Watcher. For the past 18 years Spencer has kept watch over thousands of returning summer steelhead in Steamboat Creek, a tributary of the upper Umpqua River System. Every May Spencer returns to his trailer headquarters along the banks of the Steamboat. He has […]
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Go Here 9/28-10/5
Bend Rugby Men’s Calendar Release Party Ladies and gentlemen, the Bend Rugby Men’s team presents its inaugural calendar for 2017, featuring the fit men of the Bend Rugby team. Not only will buyers get to view team members participating every month in a different activity that Bend is known for, but 10 percent of the […]