Special Places May 28, 2010 Crater Lake. Crown Point. Smith Rock. Steens Mountain. Oregon is awash in special places, landscapes loved as state treasures, pearls that many people work hard to protect. But what about all those other remarkable places, the little-known jewels? Who will step up to care for them? Enter ODS. In the cathedral of splendor that is Central Oregon, a couple of signature creeks tumble from the Cascades to wind their way toward the Deschutes. One, the celebrated Metolius, appears as if by magic, bursting full-bore from an underground spring. Its neighbor, the Wychuss, is much less well-known. That's likely because much of its flow has been diverted for irrigation; it dries up before even reaching Sisters. Now, at last, an effort is underway to restore both to their full meandering glory. Working closely with local conservationists, The National Forest Foundation (http://www.nationalforests.org) recently launched a project it calls Treasured Landscapes, and then issued a call for help. Up stepped ODS, and its longtime partner, Cycle Oregon. And so it came to pass, one recent weekend, that more than 100 bicyclists including a team from ODS showed up to "Ride for Two Rivers" and draw attention to the cause. In the process, they raised more than $30,000 for the restoration effort. In coming months, that money will be put to work rejuvenating fish habitat, treating noxious weeds, husbanding native plants and reducing the risk of wildfire. And the best news of all? A new fish passage on a downstream dam will allow steelhead to return to these headwaters for the first time in years. That's when we'll know the Wychuss will be safely back on the list as a special place and beloved Oregon landscape once more. We have been heavily involved in a host of enviromental issues that I am very proud of.
I hope not. I know our CEO is a cyclist and avid fisherman and I think he has a strong concern for rivers & streams.
