Month: July 2025

Barney Lerten

SISTERS, Ore. (KTVZ) — SFF Presents is committed to reducing its environmental impact at their events, with a special focus on waste management.

After receiving considerable grants from The Environmental Center in Bend and Can’d Aid’s Crush-It Campaign, as well as support from Republic Services, the organization has extended its initiative into new areas for 2025.

In 2024, SFF Presents purchased tailored bins and other sustainability-focused infrastructure in addition to hiring a new “Zero Waste Lead” at the Big Ponderoo and Sisters Folk festivals. Under the guidance of the lead, SFFP volunteers are assigned to supervise the zero waste stations during events to ensure waste is being properly sorted by festival attendees. 

For 2025, the Community Innovation Fund grant from The Environment Center in Bend, enabled SFF Presents to add commercial-level composting, a wider recycling stream, and further dedicated staff at events. Through this aid, the organization was able to donate excess food from the artists’ greenroom to local nonprofit agencies and purchase highly efficient electric coolers for event purposes.

At the third annual Big Ponderoo Music + Art Festival on June 28 and 29, festival-goers diverted 74% of refuse away from landfill. The average for festivals across the country is just 8%. The diverted items included recyclables, redeemable cans and bottles, and compostable materials. 

“With over 5,152 attendees over the three days of the festival weekend, we’re ecstatic to have been able to increase our waste diversion by over 20% from last year,” said SFFP Logistics Coordinator, Ruth Williams, who has been leading the effort along with Ty King, SFFP’s Logistics and Facilities Manager. 

While overall event attendance at the festival went up 43%, landfill waste went down 27% with overall consumption down 22%.

“This is a huge win for our initiative towards zero waste,” said Williams.

Since 2024, SFFP has completely eliminated single-use plastic cups at their events and requested attendees bring Silipints and Steelys from previous SFFP events for beverage service. At the 2025 Big Ponderoo, 468 festival goers brought existing Silipints and received a drink voucher in lieu of a new Silipint. 

In the artists’ greenroom, organizers established a system for washing utensils and tableware, which saved a significant amount of single-use items going into the landfill, and added washable to-go containers for artists and staff.

SFF Presents has also received a grant of over $7,000 from Cand’Aid’s Crush It Campaign. This grant focuses on sustainability training, auditing, resource evaluation, best practices and forward planning.

“We would like to extend a sincere thank you to the forty-four volunteers who staffed our sorting stations and supported our zero-waste leads. These amazing results would not be possible without their contribution,” Williams concludes. 

By participating in SFF Presents’ zero waste efforts, patrons contribute directly to the environmental sustainability of Big Ponderoo, the Sisters Folk Festival, and the wider Sisters community. For more information, visit https://www.sffpresents.org/

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Barney Lerten

REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) — CASA of Central Oregon is calling on compassionate community members to step up and make a life-changing difference for children in foster care.

The nonprofit organization is launching a new accelerated volunteer training program starting Tuesday, July 15 in Redmond, offering a condensed four-week course to prepare advocates more quickly to serve children in need. 

The summer training will be held in Redmond on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Designed in response to popular demand, the schedule compresses the typical eight-week course into just one month, which allows new volunteers to begin their vital advocacy work sooner. 

Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteers are specially trained community members who speak up for the best interests of children who have experienced abuse or neglect and are navigating the child welfare system.

Working alongside attorneys, caseworkers, educators, and families, CASAs ensure that each child’s unique needs are heard in court and in the community, and that they have the best possible chance at a safe, stable, and permanent home. 

“Right now, there are 90 children in Central Oregon who don’t have a CASA volunteer to advocate for them,” said Heather Dion, Executive Director of CASA of Central Oregon. “We need more community members to step up and help close that gap, and we’re hoping this summer training makes it easier and faster to get involved.” 

Volunteers do not need a legal background, just a commitment to children and a few hours a week. All training and ongoing support are provided. 

If you’re ready to make a difference in a child’s life, apply today at casaofcentraloregon.org/volunteer. The deadline to apply for the July 15 class is Friday, July 11th. 

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About CASA of Central Oregon: 

CASA of Central Oregon is a nonprofit organization that recruits, trains, and supports volunteers who advocate for the best interests of abused and neglected children in the court system. Established in 1992 and serving Crook, Deschutes, and Jefferson Counties, CASA of Central Oregon is committed to ensuring that every child in foster care can transition into a safe and permanent home. For more information, visit casaofcentraloregon.org. 

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Barney Lerten

(Update: adding video)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — The Bend Police Department, in partnership with the Deschutes County District Attorney’s Office, said Tuesday it’s accepting applications for the Organized Retail Theft Bend Connect Integration Grant — a new opportunity for local retailers to join the fight against organized retail theft. 

Funded through the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission’s ORT Grant Program, the initiative offers 10 Bend retailers a chance to receive a FususCore Device Bundle, which will connect existing security cameras to the Bend Connect system. 

Each FususCore Core Lite Bundle includes: 

One FususCore device that will connect with up to four security cameras 

512GB of onboard storage 

One-year subscription to Bend Connect 

Software/hardware warranty 

Adding a FususCore to security cameras allows conditional access by Bend Police to integrated camera feeds during a theft, investigation or emergency near the participating retailer, increasing the ability to respond in real time and investigate effectively. 

This grant-funded effort is part of a broader regional strategy coordinated through the new Central Oregon chapter of the Organized Retail Crime Association of Oregon. The chapter hosts quarterly information-sharing meetings between law enforcement and local businesses. 

Retailers located in the City of Bend that are interested in enhancing their security and supporting regional crime prevention efforts are encouraged to apply. 

How to Apply 

Applications are due by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, August 3.

To apply, use the QR code 

or visit: https://www.cognitoforms.com/deschutescounty2/organizedretailtheftbendconnectintegrationgrantprogram 

For more information on Bend Connect, visit  https://bendconnect.org 

Questions about the grant opportunity or ORCAOR call 541-317-3175, or email DeschutesSafe@dcda.us 

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Barney Lerten

(Update: All evacuation levels lifted on UDC Fire)

WARM SPRINGS, Ore. (KTVZ) — Firefighters working through the night secured a perimeter of the UDC Fire that burned close to 1,000 acres and prompted Level 2 and 1 evacuation alerts on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation.

The Sunrise Fire was reported around 7 p.m. Monday in the area of Upper Dry Creek Road and Sunnyside Drive, Watch Duty reported.

Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Fire Management said Tuesday morning that due to progress overnight, earlier Level 2 GET SET evacuation notices were dropped to Level 1 BE READY, except for the Casino and Mill area, where the levels were completely lifted. The rest of the Level 1 areas also had them lifted at mid-afternoon.

Watch Duty said the National Interagency Fire Center reported a 950-acre estimate for the fire, while the tribes said they were working to map and update an earlier 700-acre figure.

Crews were working Tuesday on mopping up, monitoring the perimeter and addressing burning dead and down trees in the interior.

Firefighters on the reservation also were on standby for initial attack as storms moving in from the south are expected to bring more lightning Tuesday afternoon and evening, prompting the National Weather Service Red Flag warning amid continued hot weather.

Meanwhile, in southeastern Crook County, the nearly 400-acre Sunrise Fire southeast of Highway 380 prompted the BLM to issue an immediate temporary closure Tuesday of some public lands.

The Crook County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Management said Tuesday it is closely monitoring the Sunrise Fire, which is actively burning in the South Fork Wilderness Study Area in Southeastern Crook County.

“At this time, there are no evacuation notices for this fire,” the agency said. “CCSO will continue to monitor the fire alongside our fire resources that are engaged with it.”

To the west, in the Three Sisters Wilderness, the Willamette National Forest reported Tuesday that full suppression efforts continue on the 3-acre Honey Creek Fire, reported following last week’s thunderstorms.

Firefighters are building line around the perimeter, with help from helicopter water-bucket drops. Officials said smoke may still be visible from Central Oregon as work continues on the remote fire, surrounded by hazardous snags from a 2017 fire scar.

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