Deschutes County

Starting Monday, the Oregon Department of Forestry is adding fire precautions to the Central Oregon District.  The goal is to reduce human caused fires in the hot, dry conditions.  ODF said smoking while traveling will have to be inside of a vehicle and open fires will be prohibited.  That includes cam...

A west coast effort to end vote by mail is gaining support in Oregon.  A bill introduced in Oregon’s Senate proposes a ballot measure to make in-person voting on one day the standard, along with requiring voter ID.  Deschutes Republicans support the group.  Vice Chair Conne Welche...

BLM is asking for the public's help regarding a fence that was vandalized on public lands in Central Oregon west of Redmond.  The fence served to mark the boundary between public and private land along Kingwood Avenue.   BLM said in September, vandals cut all four strands of the fence for almost a mile.  The fence no...

Odds are your jack-o-lanterns won’t be around long after Halloween this Thursday.  But, before you pitch that pumpkin, Susan Baker, Deschutes County Waste Diversion Manager, said you don’t want to put it in the trash.   “There is a way for folks to go ahead and compost their leftover pumpkins after Halloween. Also, remembering that if you h...

On Friday, Oregon senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced funding they say will boost habitat restoration in the eastern portion of the state.  The $679,690 from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will go to five projects, supporting management of invasive grasses, reducing wildfire risks, and restoring sagebrush habitat.   “Rest...

Wildfires have forced evacuations across Oregon this summer.  And now, the state is making new software available that alerts residents to changes in evacuation levels.  Ed Flick, director of the Oregon Office of Resilience and Emergency Management, says the software makes it easy to develop an evacuation map.   "The Genas...

Governor Tina Kotek has issued two more drought declarations in Central Oregon.  The emergency declarations for Deschutes and Grant counties clear the way for state coordination of resources in an area now in its fourth year of drought.  ...

Oregon Governor Tina Kotek has declared drought emergencies for Crook and Jefferson counties in the central portion of the state. That now directs agencies to prioritize assistance to the region. Both counties requested the declaration in January...

In central Oregon, planning is underway for a new Deschutes County Committee, to address potential conflicts between wolves and livestock.  County Commissioner Phil Chang said other counties have had Wolf Depredation Committees for years, but only recently was Deschutes County declared “an area of known wolf activity” or AKA.   “We’ve had w...

University of Oregon researchers are studying community smoke management plans and how local governments can better prepare the public for fire season.  Student researcher Stuart Warren said management plans can allow communities to get exemptions from current prescribed fire rules.   “...