Month: April 2025

Barney Lerten

NEWELL, Calif. (KTVZ) — Modoc County, California authorities shared some photos with the public this week, warning of a wolf that was spotted in the area, south of the Oregon-California border. that’s apparently not fearful of people.

The wolf was seen Tuesday morning off Highway 139, north of the Dry Lake Fire Station, sheriff’s deputies said in a Facebook post.

“The person that took the photos said that wolf was not threatened by his presence as he stopped along the road to take pictures,” deputies said, adding: “We are working with livestock producers in the area to spread the word.”

Modoc County is about four hours south of Bend, along the Oregon-Nevada border

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Jillian Fortner

(Update: adding video, comments from Deschutes County Health Services and Bend father)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – According to Deschutes County Health Services, dog attack reports have increased from the previous year.

The majority of reported animal bites occurred in the city of Bend.

“Dogs are the No. 1 one (bite reports) around the area. They represent about 95 percent” of the total, Environmental Health Specialist Brody Hodges told KTVZ News.

Most attacks happen in the spring and summer, with May usually being the peak month. They are reported from inside the home, as well as at dog parks and by those who are walking or running on area trails.

Bend resident John Heylin tells us his daughter was bitten by a dog at a garage sale in Bend. He says the bite tore out a part of his 8-year-old’s lip, and she has needed multiple surgeries.

“She has a permanent scar on her face and has changed from a kid who loved dogs to one that I have to pick up whenever a dog comes near her,” Heylin said Thursday.

Heylin said he enjoys walking on the trail behind his house with his daughter, but worries about the increase he sees in off-leash dogs.

“I see dogs off-leash back here all the time, and they shouldn’t be,” he said.

In Bend, dogs should be leashed unless they’re in one of the nine designated off-leash areas.

“Feels like there’s a crescendo of issues with dogs off-leash, especially in the last year,” Heylin said. “If you go on Reddit, if you go on Nextdoor, if you go on Facebook, people complain about it, but nothing’s really being done.”

After this experience, Heylin is pushing for tougher leash laws across the city.

He’s still frustrated by the lack of consequences for the dog who hurt his daughter. His family is consulting with a lawyer to explore seeking damages for his daughter’s surgery expenses.

“As far as what’s going on with my daughter and I, I mean, the homeowner’s insurance doesn’t cover that breed of dog, so we’re kind of (stuck) with what we can do at this point,” Heylin said.

Deschutes County Health Service says if you report a dog bite, the dog is required to be quarantined for 10 days. You can learn more about animal bites at a Deschutes County web page here.

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Kelsey Merison

REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) — The City of Redmond has set a goal to reduce water usage by 10% this summer, with the community’s help.

According to the city, Redmond’s water usage typically increases during the summer months, from 2.6 million gallons to more than 14 million gallons per day.

The goal is all a part of a nationwide challenge to be both proactive and reactive.

“Every year, nationwide, there’s a Mayor’s Water Challenge to try and reduce your use of water by about 10%, (that) would be the ideal goal. But anything is great,” Redmond Mayor Ed Fitch told KTVZ News. “We’ve been doing it every year, and it makes a difference. If we’re successful, the winning person by lottery would probably get a lot of prizes, non-cash prizes from the Wyland Foundation.”

Fitch has a few tips and incentives for reducing water usage.

“If you can irrigate a little better, if you can use your water more wisely, there’s a lot of opportunities to conserve. And on the city website, there’s opportunities to get rebates for better irrigation systems, better irrigation controls, nozzles inside your home to reduce the intake of water,” Fitch said.

The Mayor says the city will be working with the Legislature and the state Water Resources Department to come up with more ways to reduce its water usage for years to come.

“Obviously, we live in a high desert. With climate change, there’s been less precipitation, hotter temperatures. We’re also seeing a huge population growth. So there’s a lot of concern at the state level that they cannot allocate any more water because it’s been overused in our aquifer,” Fitch said.

“We also had a slight reduction in the level of the aquifer over the past 10 or 15 years.. Access to future water is going to depend upon better conservation, more stewardship of the water that we have.”

Click here to view the city’s water conservation rebates page on its website.

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Here’s the city’s news release on the effort:

Redmond Joins National Mayor’s Challenge for Water Conservation, April 1-30 – Residents Encouraged to Submit their Conservation Efforts at mywaterpledge.com 

REDMOND, OREGON – This April, City of Redmond Mayor Ed Fitch joins mayors across the nation in challenging residents to make a long-term commitment to conserve water, reduce pollution, and manage natural resources more efficiently. By participating in the National Mayor’s Challenge for Water Conservation, residents of Redmond can contribute to their city’s water conservation goals while competing to win over $50,000 in eco-friendly prizes, including $3,000 toward home utility bills, water-saving fixtures, and more. 

“Decreasing water availability is a reality that requires us all to rethink our stewardship of this natural resource.  Last summer the city crews shortened water schedules in parks, fixed leaks, and updated sprinkler heads, successfully reducing water use by 12% (7,273,862 gallons) from the prior year,” states Mayor Ed Fitch. “I encourage residents to take the pledge, no matter how small, and learn first-hand the impact they can have when we work together.” 

Residents can participate in the challenge by visiting www.mywaterpledge.com between April 1-30 to make a series of simple, online pledges to conserve water, reduce pollution, and save energy. The initiative, started over a decade ago, was conceived by a group of mayors looking for innovative ways to engage their communities in addressing water challenges across the United States. Each year, residents from over 2,000 cities across the nation pledge to reduce their freshwater consumption by billions of gallons, cut millions of pounds of waste sent to landfills, and prevent thousands of pounds of hazardous waste from entering local watersheds. 

This year, the challenge introduces new features, such as an AI-driven impact insight tool that helps residents see how their pledges address local water issues, reduce utility costs, and enhance community health. Residents can also participate in the MyVolunteer Water Project, a year-round platform that offers hands-on opportunities to support sustainability through home, community, and workplace projects.  

The National Mayor’s Challenge for Water Conservation is presented by the Wyland Foundation, with support from the U.S. EPA WaterSense, The Toro Company, Zenni Optical, and the National League of Cities. 

About the Wyland Foundation 

Founded in 1993 by environmental artist Wyland, the Wyland Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting, protecting, and preserving the world’s oceans, waterways, and marine life. Through community events, education programs, and public art initiatives, the foundation inspires environmental stewardship across the globe. Learn more at www.wylandfoundation.org. 

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