Author: KTVZ

KTVZ

SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) – Two loggers – one from Bend – and a forest road builder have been chosen as Operators of The Year for their respective region of Oregon.

Three regional advisory committees to the Oregon Board of Forestry selected the trio earlier this fall. The recipients will be recognized in Salem at the January meeting of the Board.

The honorees are: 

Eastern Oregon—Boulder Ridge, LLC, headquartered in Bend

Southwest Oregon—Roseburg-based Weber Logging and Construction, Inc. 

Northwest Oregon—Quality Excavation, Inc., out of Seaside  

The award recognizes forest operators who, while harvesting timber or doing other forestry work, protect natural resources at a level that consistently meets or exceeds requirements of the Oregon Forest Practices Act . That law requires people to manage forests responsibly and protect streams and water quality, protect and enhance habitat, and reduce landslide risks. The law also requires landowners to replant forests after harvesting.  

Videos about each of the three Operators of the Year and five Merit Award winners, including Jeff Maben in Grant County and Staton Forestry for work done on the Gilchrist State Forest, can be viewed on the ODF website at https://www.oregon.gov/odf/Working/Pages/default.aspx 

Eastern Oregon 

Landowner Shanda Asset Management nominated for Operator of the Year Boulder Ridge’s work thinning nearly 2,000 acres of overcrowded ponderosa pine and white fir on the eastern slopes of the Cascades. The selection committee agreed the work was exemplary and chose the firm as this year’s top operator for Eastern Oregon.

“This harvest was a challenge because there wasn’t capacity at the one local mill to take all the harvested logs, so Boulder had to schedule 14 different trucks heading to Gilchrist, Sisters, Culver, Christmas Valley, and as far away as Roseburg,” said Aidan Myers, Director of Timber Operations for Shanda.

Besides reducing risk of catastrophic wildfire by reducing overcrowding, Myers also cited Boulder’s improving the health of the forest by carefully removing trees infested with dwarf mistletoe, which can kill or weaken trees, and which spreads more easily in crowded stands.

View a video of the company’s work at Eastern Oregon Operator of the Year for 2025, Winner – Boulder Ridge LLC – YouTube

Southwest Oregon 

Austin Weber and his company Weber Logging and Construction were chosen as Operator of the Year for the Southwest Oregon Region for successfully working under new Forest Practices Act rules requiring him to protect a half dozen stands of trees in especially steep areas at risk of landslides. Leaving trees in those stands served various purposes, including protecting soils from erosion and downstream water from sediments. Trees left standing would also be available when they eventually fell over to deliver woody debris for future fish habitat. To do so, Weber had to set up multiple yarding sites and haul logs up to landings on the side of the road above the harvest unit.

Michael Williams of Roseburg Forest Products, who nominated Weber, said he also protected a fish-bearing stream in the unit, avoiding damage to trees in the stream buffer. Williams noted that Weber has for almost 20 years consistently excelled at protecting natural resources while harvesting in some of the most challenging situations in the region.

View video about Weber’s work at Southwest Oregon Operator of the Year for 2025, Winner – Weber Logging and Construction

Northwest Oregon 

ODF Stewardship Foresters Craig Sorter and Bryce Rodgers co-nominated Quality Excavation for Operator of the Year for the Northwest Oregon Region. Sorter said, “Small culverts installed in the first half of the 20th century before current rules were in place often blocked fish passage, preventing fish from spawning in upstream habitat. When landowner Lewis and Clark Timberlands wanted to log a parcel in the Coast Range, they knew they would need to upgrade the road to allow hauling and replace the old culvert beneath it. So their timber management company Nuveen called on the highly experienced firm of Quality Excavation.” 

With an eye toward the future of the company, Quality Excavation’s founder Jay Bergeson entrusted the work of replacing the failing culvert on the North Fork of the Necanicum River in the Coast Range to his 28-year-old son Cole. Cole, who had been learning the business alongside his father from a young age, and a Quality Excavation crew, replaced the culvert with a massive new one. They then rebuilt the logging road over it to allow the landowner to harvest trees beyond that point.

Sorter said Quality Excavation had to divert the stream during the project through hundreds of yards of pipe, then dig out the old culvert, including old-growth logs that it had been placed atop. Cole then had to dig a new bed and place the larger, extra-long new culvert at an angle and level that would allow stream flow and fish passage through it. Then he anchored it in place with stone quarried on site, building the haul road back up to grade.

“Quality Excavation did an excellent job, even hiring a bobcat to lay a natural bed of rock in the pipe to make fish passage easier,” Sorter said. “No sediment got in the stream during the work and now fish are able to get to habitat upstream that was previously blocked.”

Watch a video about the company’s work at Northwest Oregon Operator of the Year for 2025, Winner – Quality Excavation, Inc. 

ODF Forest Resources Division Chief Josh Barnard said, “the selection committees worked very hard this year when choosing these honors, given the high quality of the nominees.” 

Barnard said nominees showed they could meet the challenge of working under new rules that came into effect this year. The updated Oregon Forest Practices Act rules provide more protection for forest resources, such as protecting trees and soil in especially steep areas at risk of sliding.  

“Many of the harvest sites this year had quite challenging terrain,” said Barnard. “The Operators of the Year showed extraordinary care and diligence to protect slopes and streams, reduce risk of catastrophic wildfire, and improve forest health to meet landowner objectives. We’re proud to recognize those efforts.” 

Merit Awards

Merit Awards were also given to five other companies. 

Eastern Oregon 

Forestry consultant Jeff Maben earned the Merit Award for his work with private landowners in and around Grant County, helping them improve forest health through removal of encroaching juniper and thinning of overcrowded ponderosa pine stands. His work increased water flow in local creeks, rejuvenated aspen groves, and reduced shade on mountain mahogany, an important source of winter browse for elk. It also reduced the risk of catastrophic wildfire.

Staton Forestry received the Merit Award for a thinning operation on the Gilchrist State Forest that included removing overcrowded lodgepole and ponderosa pine trees and brush to improve forest health by reducing drought stress among remaining trees while improving habitat for deer and elk. It also protected neighboring communities by lowering the risk of catastrophic wildfire.

Southwest Oregon 

Dave Wilkerson Logging, LLC, based in Eagle Point, Ore. won the Merit Award for stopping work a number of times during an especially wet spring to avoid rutting and soil damage. He was also commended for doing an excellent job of protecting young trees in the mixed-aged stand on the western slopes of the Cascades. He also fully protected a fish-bearing stream bordering the harvest unit.

Northwest Oregon 

Emerald Valley Thinning based in Philomath, Ore., earned the Merit Award for harvesting extremely steep slopes in the Coast Range using tethered logging and hand cutting to protect buffer trees along the Siuslaw River. They also succeeded in following new Forest Practice Act rules protecting trees in the harvest unit located in steep slope areas at risk of sliding.

Rick Dennis of RDL Northwest, headquartered in Lebanon, Ore., received the Merit Award for his careful planning of units to be harvested. Nominators cited how he employs multiple logging methods and different types of machinery on steep units and consistently protects stream buffers and soils from disturbance.

Oregon enacted the Forest Practices Act in 1971 as a national model for forest management laws. The law focuses on ensuring responsible forest operations and protecting natural resources in forestland. The Act has been updated many times based on new scientific information and values to create a balanced approach to natural resource management. 

Click here to follow the original article.

Tyson Beauchemin

POWELL BUTTE, Ore. (KTVZ) — An Air Link helicopter touched down in the field outside Powell Butte Community Charter School on Tuesday. But this wasn’t a medical emergency – it was a reward.

The school won a Grand Prize Assembly for the Firebusters Program. The Central Oregon Fire Prevention Cooperative partnered with KTVZ to make an educational program for schools.

This year, the program ran October 6-10. Almost 12,000 worksheets were distributed to 45 elementary schools throughout Central Oregon. Schools with over 50% participation are entered into a drawing and Powell Butte won.

The principal arrived via AirLink helicopter and greeted the school student s and staff. Afterwards, students got to meet with Crook County Fire firefighters, the Forest Service and even a smoke jumper. Smoky Bear and Sparky the Fire Dog were there, too.

While the cameras rolled on the kids enjoying the reward, many of them wanted to share what they’d learned with KTVZ News. First-graders chimed in with comments like, “Make sure to put out fires.” And “Make sure to call 911.”

Students also received a prize bag full of goodies, including a voucher for a free burger from McDonald’s.

Powell Butte Community Charter School will now host the Firebusters plaque for this year.

Click here to follow the original article.

Kelsey Merison

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) —  On Tuesday, the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office kicked off it’s 25th annual Shop with a Cop event, happening through Thursday.

Shop with a Cop is a long-standing national tradition that pairs local law enforcement officers with children in need of a special holiday shopping experience.

Kids are nominated through local schools and community organizations. Together, they shop for warm clothing, school supplies, basic necessities, and a few holiday gifts.

The program is entirely funded by donations—no tax dollars are used.

This year, DCSO had a goal to raise $50,000 for the event.

“Although Shop with a Cop occurs in December, donations are welcome throughout the year. Every dollar helps provide essentials and holiday joy to children and families in Deschutes County. The Sheriff’s Office would greatly appreciate your help making the 25th Anniversary of Shop with a Cop the most impactful yet. Your support can brighten a child’s holiday and make a lasting difference,” Public Information Officer Jason Carr wrote in a November press release.

You can donate year-round online, by mail, or in person.

Click here to learn more.

Click here to follow the original article.

Tracee Tuesday

ALFALFA, Ore. [KTVZ] — Firefighters in Alfalfa faced a challenging and dangerous scene Monday afternoon when a home on Deer Lane went up in flames, sending fireworks and ammunition exploding into the air.

Crews with the Alfalfa Fire District were called out around 3:25 p.m. to a reported flue fire that quickly escalated into a full structure blaze. Fire Chief Chad Lavalee said firefighters arrived to find thick smoke and flames pouring from the roof and eaves of the single-story home.

Everyone inside was accounted for and no injuries were reported. Crews conducted an interior search to confirm the home was clear before focusing on containing the flames, which were concentrated in the attic. Firefighters also helped the homeowner move vehicles out of the garage to prevent further loss.

Lavalee said the lack of nearby hydrants made the effort especially difficult. Two Alfalfa water tenders and another from Bend Fire & Rescue were used to shuttle water from the nearest fill site, requiring a 35- to 40-minute round trip each time.

“The conditions were dangerous,” Lavalee said. “There were fireworks going off, as well as several hundred rounds of ammunition.”

The home was declared a total loss. Fire investigators are working to determine the cause, and no damage estimate has been released. Crews remained on scene until about 3 a.m. Tuesday.

The fire district thanked the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, Bend Fire & Rescue, and the State Fire Marshal’s Office for their assistance.

Click here to follow the original article.

KTVZ – News Team

BEND, Ore. [KTVZ] — KTVZ confirms a white four-door SUV crashed into Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream at 61165 S. Highway 97 in Bend Tuesday evening.

911 dispatch received multiple calls about the collision. Police describe it as an accident with no injuries reported from inside the shop or the vehicle.​

Authorities on scene quickly secured the area around the storefront, which sustained visible damage from the impact. No further information has been released on the cause, such as driver error or mechanical issues.

KTVZ reporters are monitoring for updates from Bend Police as the investigation continues.​

​

Click here to follow the original article.

Spencer Sacks

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — The time between Thanksgiving and Christmas is shorter this year. The holiday season is upon us.

Now, parking lots are filled with Christmas trees.

All across Bend and Deschutes County sit these parking lot pop up lots full of firs.

Oregon is the number 1 producer of Christmas trees in the country, but Christmas trees are not something to wait to buy.

Luke Burger of the family owned Candy Cane Christmas Trees in Bend says shoppers are pine-ing for more!    

Burger told KTVZ, “Now would be the best time to buy a Christmas tree. We had our busiest week just this last weekend. It feels like Christmas is coming early this year, so now is the best time.”

Luke Burger told KTVZ they have not had many problems getting their trees, but people have been buying them since before thanksgiving. he also said prices have not risen since last year.

Click here to follow the original article.

Spencer Sacks

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — ODOT and the City of Bend continued their tour, informing the public about the upcoming Hawthorne Bridge project.

Earlier Tuesday evening, they held an open house with officials from ODOT and the City there to answer the public’s questions.

As a reminder, the long-awaited pedestrian bridge at the Midtown Crossing will make it easier for pedestrians and cyclists to cross Highway 97. Events like these allow you to be part of the process.

Ryan Oster, the director of the Engineering Department, spoke with KTVZ.

Oster told KTVZ, “We do want the public to be informed and aware of all the decisions that are being made and be a part of that process. We’ve got multiple different design considerations for how the bridge is going to land and how it’s going to interact with the surrounding community. We’d love to hear from people who are going to be using this and who live nearby, to get a good feel for what would work well in the environment.”

The design that’s been chosen is called a “broken top truss” bridge, inspired by the Cascade Mountain Range.

The more than $30 million project passed the City Council. Work on the project is expected to start next year, with the goal of finishing it by 2027.

The $30 million project is being funded mostly by grants from the federal government and the state of Oregon.

Only $1 million—just a fraction of the bridge’s cost—is being funded by taxpayers through a city bond.

If you missed tonight’s open house, the plans are available on the City’s website.

Click here to follow the original article.

KTVZ

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — For millions of years, volcanoes have been the most powerful force in nature. And for many in the West, the impact of volcanoes is forever tied to the May 18, 1980, eruption of Washington’s Mount St. Helens.

The science, spectacle, and significance behind these massive peaks will soon be at the center of an immersive new exhibition, “Under Pressure: A Volcanic Exploration,” which will run from Feb. 7, 2026, through Jan. 3, 2027, at the 2021 National Medal for Museum and Library Service recipient High Desert Museum in Bend, which announced the details on Tuesday: 

On the heels of the Museum’s recent “Sensing Sasquatch” exhibition – which won the Western History Association’s prestigious 2025 Autry Public History Prize and earned national praise for exploring the Indigenous perspectives of what many call Bigfoot – comes the latest groundbreaking exhibition from the High Desert Museum.

Under Pressure will take visitors on an educational, insightful, and thought-provoking journey into the forces that make volcanoes among the most majestic and often misunderstood natural wonders of the world, while exploring their individual stories and temperaments.  

“From cultural and historical significance to the 1980 eruption of Mount Saint Helens, the Pacific Northwest and High Desert have a particularly long, complex, and symbiotic relationship with volcanoes,” says Dana Whitelaw, Ph.D., High Desert Museum executive director.

“We live in their shadows, recreate on their slopes, and admire their beauty, but it’s the volcanoes’ ability to simultaneously cause destruction and creation that evokes feelings of awe. Under Pressure will provide an immersive and deep exploration.” 

WHAT: Under Pressure: A Volcanic Exploration, a groundbreaking new exhibition from Oregon’s High Desert Museum. 

WHEN: Feb. 7, 2026, through Jan. 3, 2027 

WHERE: High Desert Museum (Spirit of the West Gallery) 

59800 US-97, Bend, OR 97702 (map HERE) 

COST: Free with Museum admission or membership 

Active U.S. military and their families, as well as Tribal members, are FREE with ID 

Among the highlights that visitors to Under Pressure can expect to encounter include: 

Engage the senses through interactive displays and exhibits, including volcanic rocks and a volcanic hazard map, to learn about cutting-edge volcano research. 

Hear stories and learn the significance of volcanoes to the people of the High Desert region. 

Get to know 4-6 individual volcanoes through biographies that explain the similarities and differences between them. 

Learn about present-day volcano hazards and how lava flows. 

Understand the technologies that scientists use to detect volcanic activity, which allow us to live among volcanoes while also enjoying their many benefits. 

“These geologic giants exist all around us, come in all shapes and sizes, and tell a story of our past, present, and future,” says Whitelaw. “With 350 million people living in the ‘danger range’ of an active volcano worldwide, the more we understand about volcanoes, the better we can exist alongside them. ” 

Under Pressure: A Volcanic Exploration opens to the public on Feb. 7, 2026, and runs through Jan. 3, 2027, in the High Desert Museum’s Spirit of the West Gallery. For additional information on exhibitions or to start planning your experience, visit highdesertmuseum.org.  

About The High Desert Museum 

The High Desert Museum opened in Bend, Oregon, in 1982. It brings together wildlife, cultures, art, history, and the natural world to convey the wonder of North America’s High Desert region. The Museum is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization accredited by the American Alliance of Museums and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, is a Smithsonian Affiliate, was the 2019 recipient of the Western Museums Association’s Charles Redd Award for Exhibition Excellence, and was a 2021 recipient of the National Medal for Museum and Library Service. To learn more, visit highdesertmuseum.org and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. 

Click here to follow the original article.

KTVZ

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Deschutes County Solid Waste is expanding options for residents to recycle items that can’t be placed in curbside recycling bins. Starting Tuesday, more recycling containers will be available at county transfer stations and at Knott Landfill for:

Plastic bags

Plastic lids from items like yogurt and sour cream tubs

Shredded paper in paper bags

Aluminum foil & trays

Rigid product buckets and pails from items like cat litter or laundry detergent

Rigid plastic package handles such as six-pack carriers

Residents can drop off of these items — along with all previously accepted recyclables — at the Negus, Southwest and Northwest transfer stations, and at Deschutes Recycling at the Knott Landfill.

“Residents now have additional recycling options for some of those hard to recycle items and can drop them off at our county transfer stations for free,” said Solid Waste Director Tim Brownell. “These changes allow us to keep valuable materials out of our landfills and put them back into use as new materials.”

This expansion is part of Oregon’s Plastic Pollution and Recycling Modernization Act, which took effect in July. The RMA is making recycling simpler and adding more convenient drop-off locations across the state. Producers of packaging and paper products help fund these expanded programs.

For more information about what items can be recycled, as well as drop-off locations and hours, you can visit the Deschutes County Solid Waste website.

For more information about the Recycling Modernization Act, visit the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality website.

Click here to follow the original article.

KTVZ

BURNS, Ore. (KTVZ) — A Prineville man who refused to stop for police and hit speeds over 100 mph in a pursuit was arrested several hours later, nearly 200 miles away in Harney County, with illegal drugs in his possession, authorities said Tuesday.

Prineville Police tried to pull over a white Nissan Altima around 8:30 a.m. on Sunday on SE Combs Flat Road east of Prineville. The driver, Clay Jamison, 46, is believed to be connected to a drug investigation over the past month, Detective Sergeant Jordan Zamora said.

Jamison refused to stop for officers, sparking a pursuit during which Jamison allegedly drove recklessly after reaching speeds of over 100 mph.

Zamora told KTVZ News that Jamison reached NE Third Street, which becomes Highway 26 (the Ochoco Highway) but failed to yield to them as he headed east from Prineville.

“The pursuit was terminated due to public safety concerns,” Zamora said in a news release.

Because of his direction of travel, Prineville Police notified the sheriff’s offices in Wheeler, Grant and Harney counties, as well as Oregon State Police, to be on the lookout for Jamison.

Zamora said he was found in Harney County several hours later and taken into custody by OSP without further incident.

Burns Police said the wanted fugitive was apprehended around 1:15 p.m. Sunday by officers from all agencies in that area, including Burns and Hines police, Harney County sheriff’s deputies and OSP troopers.

Jamison also was found in possession of felony amounts of cocaine and methamphetamine, the Prineville detective said.

Jamison was taken to the Harney County Jail and faces new Crook County charges of felony attempt to elude law enforcement and reckless driving.

“Prineville Police would like to thank the Wheeler County Sheriff’s Office, Grant County Sheriff’s Office, Oregon State Police, Harney County Sheriff’s Office, Burns Police Department, Hines Police Department, Crook County 911, Frontier Dispatch, Oregon State Police Dispatch and Grant County Dispatch,” Zamora said in a news release.

“The Prineville Police Department appreciates the rapid response and assistance from all agencies involved. Their support played a key role in safely bringing this incident to a close,” the detective added.

Burns Police offered similar thanks in a Facebook post about the arrest: “A big thank-you to all agencies involved for their teamwork and dedication to keeping our community safe.”

Click here to follow the original article.