Watering the Oregon Desert

HERMISTON, Ore. — With its sandy soils and arid climate, Eastern Oregon’s Umatilla Basin boasts some of the most productive farmland in the world. From potatoes to onions, corn to peas, watermelons to blueberries, the region is an oasis of high-value crop production. Just add water, and crops flourish here. Water, however, is hard to … Read more

Beaverton Community Health Partnership exploring non-profit status, seeking health center site

Beaverton hopes to establish a non-profit organization to govern the city’s community health partnership as the project moves toward establishing a health center in the city. City staff laid out the Beaverton Community Health Partnership’s immediate and long-term goals in a presentation to the City Council Tuesday night…

Forest project team starts

The Oregon Solutions Project team took its first look at a draft vision for the proposed South Santiam Community Forest Corridor Monday afternoon, Jan. 7, in its inaugural meeting in Lebanon. The designation of the Oregon Solutions Team by Gov. John Kitzhaber has created a group of interested and affected parties representing federal, state and … Read more

Community Forest Solutions Team first meeting to be Jan. 7

The Oregon Solutions Project team established to create a South Santiam Community Forest Corridor between Sweet Home and Cascadia will hold its first meeting from 1 to 5 p.m. Monday, Jan. 7, at the River Center in Lebanon. The purpose of the meeting will be to develop a detailed draft vision statement with long-term goals … Read more

Santiam forest project team sets first meeting

LEBANON — The first meeting of the Oregon Solutions project team focusing on the South Santiam Community Forest Corridor will be held from 1 to 5 p.m. Monday, Jan. 7, at the River Center, 3000 South Santiam Highway. Project manager Steve Bryant said the goal is to “explore a more detailed draft vision statement with … Read more

Editorial: Idea for forest shows promise

The proposal for a community forest corridor on the east side of Sweet Home got a big boost recently when it was selected as an Oregon Solutions Team project. It’s good news for the proposal, which we think shows considerable promise…

Oregon Solutions Team takes on Community Forest project

SWEET HOME — The concept of a community forest corridor east of Sweet Home has gotten a major boost with its selection as an Oregon Solutions Team project. The concept includes designating a 12-mile stretch of timbered land along the South Santiam River and Highway 20 as a community forest. It would be a working … Read more

In The High Desert, A Sustainable Mill Targets A Thirsty Tree

FOSSIL, Ore. — When you walk into Kendall Derby’s mill, the first thing you notice is the smell. It’s sharp and evergreen, like the high desert after a rain. But Derby doesn’t notice the smell of juniper. ‘People walk in here and they say oh, I love the smell. And I don’t have a sense … Read more