The latest news stories and stories of interest in the Willamette Valley from the digital home of Southern Oregon, from Wynne Broadcasting’s WillametteValleyMagazine.com
Wednesday, July 19, 2023
Willamette Valley Weather
Wildfire South of Veneta
The Oregon Department of Emergency Management (OEM) is confirming a wildfire called the Haight Creek Fire, southwest of Veneta, and nearby Camp Alma Veterans Legacy Camp. This is a developing story we will bring you more information as it becomes available.
Focus on Four People Missing in Blue River/Vida Area
Mekenna Reiley is one of four people who have recently gone missing in the Blue River/Vida area. Partial remains of Shane Sprenger were found last month. Sprenger had been missing since November 2021. His remains were found off Quartz Creek Road.
That’s where Chase Roberson‘s car was found in April 2020. Robertson is still missing.
There’s also Eric Ray Brazil. He was last seen in Springfield, but his car was found abandoned in Vida with his cell phone nearby. Brazil has not been found.
Last week our newsroom asked LCSO if these four people could be connected.
“The best I could do to put any minds at ease on that is to say we have not discovered any evidence that leads us to believe that they are linked or related or that there is a serial killer,” LCSO Public Information Officer Sgt. Tom Speldrich explained. “Certainly if we’re able to uncover any information that would lead us to believe that, we would be letting the public know for safety reasons, but we have nothing that tells us that that’s the case right here. It’s a wooded, wilderness, rural area. It’s tough terrain. It can be hard to find people if they go missing in those areas so while I can’t say definitively that there’s not a link, we have nothing that makes us think that there is at this point.”
The investigation into Reiley’s disappearance is ongoing. (SOURCE) Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/991331045333028
For FAIR Information: https://www.atthefair.com/
The Scandinavian Festival is warning potential visitors of a scam trying to charge people for admission fees, vendor spaces and entertainment tickets.
There are fraudulent sales happening. Vendor spaces and admission/entertainment tickets are being advertised as available. We do not have admission fees or entertainment fees, this is fraudulent. We are no longer accepting vendors for this year. All communication via email will come from an official address (@junctioncityscandia.org) or direct from our social accounts. https://www.facebook.com/JunctionCityScandinavianFestival
LCSO CASE #23-3754 — Fatal Traffic Crash on Row River Rd.
Lane County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a multi-vehicle traffic crash in the 37500blk of Row River Rd. on Saturday shortly after 11:00am. Initial investigation reveals that a white Honda Accord had been traveling westbound on Row River Rd. when it failed to negotiate a right hand curve and struck an oncoming gray Dodge Avenger.
A passenger in the Dodge Avenger was killed in the crash. Additional details will be released as they become available.
This crash is still under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Lane County Sheriff’s Office at 541-682-4150 opt. 1.
Emergency Responses to “Blue Pool” Increasing, Exhausting Local Resources
As the temperatures heat up, visitors to Tamolitch Falls, a local recreation area known as Blue Pool, are increasingly utilizing first response resources. Sweet Home Fire, along with Linn County Search and Rescue, LCSO, and Upper Mckenzie Fire responded to the hiking area for treatment and/or extrication of three separate individuals today. This on the heels of their responses for two separate patients just two days ago. Most of these patients had to be placed in a stokes basket and walked out by rescuers.
This requires a significant number of rescuers to accomplish, and represents a staggering number of man hours. For Sweet Home Fire, the average response to Blue Pool takes around seven hours from the time a unit goes en route to the call, until they return to the station. For Linn County SAR, the hours can be even longer as they respond out of Albany. Most calls bring around 20 responders from multiple different agencies. Emergencies range from minor injuries to heat-related emergencies or dehydration, to critical injuries that often result from jumping or falling into the pool. As recently as July 2nd, yet another patient was airlifted off of the trail via longline by a Coast Guard helicopter. Due to the site’s remote location, it can take 1.5-2 hours for medics to reach the patient. Communications between those needing help and dispatch centers are challenging, as are radio communications between responding agencies.
Potential visitors to the hiking area should be aware of the dangers, and of the lengthy response times for rescue. Sweet Home Fire would like to encourage anyone wanting to hike the area to ensure that your fitness level will allow it, you are well-hydrated and prepared, and that you use the appropriate caution in accessing the pool. Our resources, like many first response agencies are extremely limited and in especially high demand this time of year. It is our goal to ensure that everyone in our District has access to emergency resources when they need them. We need your help to ensure that our resources are not depleted by excessive responses to one location.
Eugene Police Department — Become a 911 Dispatcher and be the Lifeline for our Community!
If you have strong communication skills, the ability to stay calm under pressure, and a passion for helping others, this could be the perfect opportunity for you. As a 911 Dispatcher, you’ll be the first point of contact in emergencies, providing essential assistance, gathering information, and dispatching the appropriate response teams. Your calm voice and quick thinking will make a real difference when every second counts.
Want to learn more? Visit https://www.eugene-or.gov/917/Central-Lane-9-1-1 to find detailed information about the role of a 911 Dispatcher and the application process.
UPDATE: Flat Fire stands at 12,756 acres, night crew continues to build fireline
The Flat Fire burning near Agness was human-caused, Curry County Sheriff John Ward confirmed Monday. No arrests have been made, and the investigation has been turned over to federal authorities, Ward said.
Federal fire authorities could not immediately be reached for comment.
The Flat Fire has spread toward Wild Horse Ridge and up Lawson Creek on the west side. Dry vegetation and winds have been the primary driver of this fire growth. Northeast winds have helped prevent the fire from being able to grow to the north.
Wind direction and control lines created by firefighters have enabled crews to keep the fire from moving toward the community of Agness. Heavy smoke will continue to affect nearby communities.
On Tuesday night firefighters had successful burnout operations in the northwest section and these will continue today if conditions allow. On the northeast section of the fire, crews are working to improve roads to increase access around the fire.
The Flat Fire is currently estimated at 12,756 acres in size.
516 total personnel are currently battling the fire, with 17 crews, 7 helicopters, 10 engines, 4 bull dozers, 2 water tenders, and 6 masticators.
Please monitor the Curry and Josephine County Sheriff’s Offices for official evacuation notices at: www.co.curry.or.us/government/county_sheriff/index.php and www.josephinecounty.gov/government/sheriff/index.php.
The Flat Fire is currently estimated at 12,756 acres in size.
516 total personnel are currently battling the fire, with 17 crews, 7 helicopters, 10 engines, 4 bull dozers, 2 water tenders, and 6 masticators.
Please monitor the Curry and Josephine County Sheriff’s Offices for official evacuation notices at: www.co.curry.or.us/government/county_sheriff/index.php and www.josephinecounty.gov/government/sheriff/index.php.
3d Printed Housing Community Going Up in Southern Oregon to House People Affected by Almeda Fire
In September 2020, the Almeda fire swept across Oregon’s Rogue Valley, destroying more than 2,600 homes. It was the most destructive wildfire in the state’s history, and almost three years later hundreds of displaced families are still living in temporary accommodations like FEMA trailers or hotels. But a new community of 3D printed homes is being built to house people affected by the fire.
The community is called New Spirit Village, and it’s located in the southwest Oregon town of Medford, which was right in the wildfire’s path. Its 87 one, two, and three-bedroom houses are being built on a six-acre plot of land. Planning and permitting for the project took a year and a half, and construction just started earlier this summer.
Thanks to state wildfire funding, the families moving into the homes won’t have to give a down payment. They’ll have to make their own mortgage payments, but the houses will be very affordable compared to other homes in the area; one-bedroom units will be priced at $185,000 and three-bedrooms at $235,000, while the average home price in Medford is $463,000. The development’s land trust model dictates that if residents sell their house, it has to be for an agreed-upon affordable price.
The project is also partially funded by the Thalden Foundation, a philanthropic non-profit based in Ashland, Oregon. Retired architects Barry and Kathryn Thalden are the community’s developers. “This is a radically innovative, unique pilot project that we hope can be duplicated by others all over the world,” Barry Thalden said.
Thalden mentions in a podcast interview that he and his wife traveled to Austin, Texas to see House Zero, ICON’s 3D printed model house. The pair likely chose to 3D print the New Spirit Village homes rather than using conventional construction methods because of the technology’s potential to cut costs and move quickly (and, crucially, since the houses will be made of concrete they’ll be more fire-resistant than wood-frame homes).
But there’s been some debate about whether 3D printing is truly as low-cost as the hype implies, and its scalability and cost-effectiveness haven’t been fully proven yet. There are a few communities of 3D printed homes already underway—including in California, Virginia, Texas, and Kenya—but none of them are selling houses at significant discount below market value.
One house on Long Island listed for below market value in 2021, and Habitat for Humanity completed its first 3D printed home at the end of that same year. But these one-off examples are a far cry from the silver bullet housing solution that 3D printed has often been touted as. Besides homes being available to buyers at lower prices, their builders still have to make a profit too.
ICON seems aware that there’s a way to go with cost-cutting, because this spring it launched a contest called Initiative 99 challenging entrants to submit 3D printed home designs that can be built for under $99,000. Entrants should consider how their design could be scaled for communities of 20-plus homes, and should take climate and sustainability into account.
Though it could use some solid real-world proofs of concept to further validate it, 3D printing construction must be a step in the right direction, otherwise developers wouldn’t continue to choose it. Let’s hope New Spirit Village ends up being one of those proofs of concept, and does indeed inspire others to duplicate it.
The community’s first seven homes will be move-in ready by the end of this year, with the remaining 80 homes set to be completed in 2024. MORE INFO: http://newspiritvillage.org (SOURCE)
Portland Fire & Rescue said Wednesday morning that crews saw “heavy fire” at the abandoned building near Northeast 122nd and Northeast Sandy Boulevard.
Firefighters are responding to a large fire at an old Kmart building in Northeast Portland Wednesday morning.
Around 6:30 a.m., Portland Fire & Rescue tweeted that crews saw “heavy fire” at the abandoned building near the intersection of Northeast 122nd Avenue and Northeast Sandy Boulevard. A massive plume of smoke could be seen from around the neighborhood.
Portland Fire & Rescue said that hydrants in the area are limited and that the former store’s large parking lot was allowing them to set up aerial operations to knock down the fire.
The agency also said on Twitter that there are concerns over embers possibly landing in the neighborhood and starting additional fires. Portland Fire & Rescue has not yet released any information about the cause of the fire or whether there are any reported injuries.
Evacuations Lifted After Wildfire in Molalla
Evacuations orders have been lifted following a wildfire in the Clackamas County town of Molalla on Tuesday afternoon, according to county officials.
Firefighters responded just after 3:30 p.m. to reports of a wind-driven brush fire near Kennel Avenue. The Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office ordered Level 3 “Go Now” evacuations for the Twin Fir Mobile Home Park, 300 Kennel Avenue, 310 Kennel Avenue and 250 Kennel Avenue. Residents at Bear Creek Memory Care were also evacuated.
Fire crews were able to get the fire under control in relatively short order, and evacuations were rescinded by 7 p.m. The fire burned an estimated 3 acres.
There are no reported injuries to civilians or firefighters and no homes were burned, according to fire officials. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. (SOURCE)
UPDATE – Connected Deaths of Women Around Portland
A timeline of what we know about the connected deaths of 4 women around Portland — Investigators and prosecutors have connected the deaths of four women in the greater Portland area, identifying “at least one person of interest” in the cases.
News outlets named Jesse Lee Calhoun as the person suspected in the killings, with Willamette Week the first to identify Calhoun as a suspected “serial killer,” citing law enforcement sources.
Calhoun, 38, is currently in custody. He was arrested in June on parole violations. At this time, no charges have been filed in connection with the deaths of Kristin Smith, Charity Perry, Bridget Webster and Ashley Real.
On Tuesday, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek’s office confirmed that it revoked the commutation of Calhoun’s prior criminal sentence earlier this month, following a request from the Multnomah County District Attorney’s office.
Here’s a timeline of what we know, as it stands:
June 23, 2021 – Oregon Governor Kate Brown commuted sentences for inmates who helped fight wildfires in 2020, including that of Jesse Lee Calhoun. He was serving time for burglary, car theft, and assaulting a public safety officer and police dog. The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office said it “did not take a position” on Calhoun’s commutation at the time as the Governor’s wildfire commutation did not align with traditional procedures for clemency applications.
July 22, 2021 – Calhoun is released, about 11 months earlier than his sentence end date.
Dec. 22, 2022 – Gresham Police Department receives a missing person report for Kristin Smith, 22.
Feb. 19, 2023 – Kristin Smith found dead in Portland.
April 4, 2023 – Portland Police Bureau receives a missing person report for Ashley Real, 22.
April 24, 2023 – Charity Perry, 24, found dead in east Multnomah County.
April 30, 2023 – Bridget Leann (Ramsay) Webster, 31, found dead in Polk County.
May 7, 2023 – Ashley Real found dead in Clackamas County.
June 1, 2023 – KGW shared a report on the disappearances and deaths of women in greater Portland area, which covered the deaths of six women. A family member of one of the women, Joanna Speaks, said “there are women dying at awful numbers.” Law enforcement agencies said they’re investigating the cases and communicating with each other.
June 4, 2023 – Portland Police Bureau released a statement in response to “widespread questions and concerns” about death investigations of women throughout the region. PPB said it had “no reason to believe these 6 cases are connected” and added that speculation of connection between these cases is “not supported by the facts available at this point.” PPB also said it was “in contact with our law enforcement partners” to “consider possible connections.”
June 6, 2023 – Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office arrested Jesse Lee Calhoun for active parole board warrants in Milwaukie.
June 7, 2023 – Calhoun was transported to Multnomah County due to the jurisdiction of the warrants, according to the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office.
June 30, 2023 – Multnomah County DA Mike Schmidt sent a letter to Governor Kotek’s office, requesting that Kotek revoke Calhoun’s commutation due to involvement in “criminal activity.”
July 3, 2023 – Governor Tina Kotek’s office revoked Calhoun’s commutation status.
July 6, 2023 – Calhoun was transported from the Multnomah County Detention Center to the Snake River Correctional Institution due to the revocation of his commutation. His earliest release date is now listed as June 9, 2024.
July 17, 2023 – The Multnomah County District Attorney’s office said investigators have found “links” between the four deaths of Smith, Perry, Webster and Real. Through a joint release with PPB, the DA’s office acknowledged a “person of interest” and said there is no active danger to the community at this time.
July 17, 2023 – Willamette Week published a story identifying Calhoun as the potential “serial killer” and suspect in the killings of at least four women.
July 17, 2023 – The Clark County Sheriff’s office acknowledged that it is in communication with detectives from the other involved law enforcement agencies and is investigating whether the murder of Joanna Speaks could be connected. At the time, the agency said it had no evidence to confirm a connection but was still investigating.
As of July 18, there are still many unknowns in this case.
At this time, no charges have been filed against Calhoun in connection to the death investigations. The DA’s office has not explained what links may connect the deaths of the four women. The Portland Police Bureau referred any questions to the DA’s office, including questions about why PPB shared its June 4 statement.
If you have any tips or information about these death investigations, Calhoun, or related information, contact newstips@kgw.com. (SOURCE)
Latest Monthly Data Shows Over 3 out of 4 of Oregonians are Keeping Medical Benefits as State Reviews Eligibility
The latest renewal data shows that more than 3 out of 4 Oregonians whose Oregon Health Plan (OHP) came up for renewal in recent months have kept their health coverage. Fewer than 1 in 13 people’s benefits ended. In the remaining 13% of cases that have come up for renewal so far but have not yet been resolved, state workers are seeking more information or reviewing members’ responses. Many of those OHP members are likely to retain their coverage once they respond.
The renewed eligibility figures include people whose cases were determined to be eligible through automated reviews of income and other factors, as well as responses from people who were required to review and sign their renewal applications or respond to requests for information.
OHP Renewals
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government allowed states to keep people on Medicaid once they became eligible and did not require annual eligibility renewals. This flexibility ended when the public health emergency ended, and Oregon is currently going through the process of making sure everyone on OHP is still eligible.
Everyone who has OHP or other Medicaid-funded services and supports will receive a renewal notice by mid-2024. The notice will explain whether the member needs to provide additional information or take action to keep their coverage.
Oregon can process many renewals automatically. Some members need to provide additional information so that we can determine if they are still eligible. Additional information requested from members may include documents such as paystubs or a renewal packet they are asked to review, sign and return.
July OHP Renewals
As of July, 543123 people have come up for renewal since April, representing 37% of OHP and Medicaid members. For the first time, we also have data on members who responded to requests for information in previous months.
- 419,663 people (77.3%) were fully renewed.
- 39,610 individuals, (7.3%) were found ineligible and received 60-day notices of termination. The first losses of coverage began to occur at the end of June.
- 11,027 members (2%) had a reduction in benefits. Most of these members lost full OHP but were able to move to our Medicare Savings Programs that help pay their Medicare costs.
- We are currently awaiting responses from 23,994 members (4.4%).
- 48,859 members (9%) have responded to their renewals, which the state is currently processing.
Are you or someone you know losing OHP?
- First, review the case summary in your letter to make sure the information we used to make the decision was correct. If that information has changed, contact the ONE Customer Service Center at 800-699-9075 (toll-free, all relay calls accepted) and let us know. If the information on file for you is correct and you disagree with the decision, you can request a hearing. Learn more about hearings here.
- Explore options through an employer. If you, your spouse, or a parent are working, you may be eligible for health coverage through that employer. Talk to your manager or Human Resources department to see if you qualify. You will have a special enrollment period to enroll mid-year due to loss of OHP benefits.
- If you have or are eligible for Medicare: For help understanding Medicare options, go to OregonHealthCare.gov/GetHelp to find an insurance agent or a counselor at the Senior Health Insurance Benefits Assistance Program (SHIBA), or call SHIBA at 800-722-4134. SHIBA can help you choose the right Medicare options. If you need to sign up for Medicare for the first time, contact the Social Security Administration (SSA) at 800-772-1213 to enroll by phone or find a local office. You can also enroll in Medicare online at ssa.gov/medicare/sign-up
- Nearly 80 percent of Oregonians qualify for financial help through the Health Insurance Marketplace. Visit OregonHealthCare.gov/WindowShop to answer a few quick questions and find out how much you can save and how much coverage may cost you. You can also call the Marketplace Transition Help Center at 833-699-6850 (toll-free, all relay calls accepted).
- Need free local help figuring any of this out? Visit OregonHealthCare.gov/GetHelp to find professional help near you.
Keep Covered Oregon
There are now free materials available for partners to order on KeepCovered.Oregon.gov.
The online library of materials can help our partners reach OHP members and other Medicaid recipients. The following are now available for downloads and free orders: poster, table tent, flyer, and fact sheet, FAQs and toolkits available in Arabic, English, Korean, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Somali, Spanish, Tagalog, Traditional Chinese, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese. Coming next: Chuukese, Hmong, and Marshallese. There are also short videos and audio messages as well as a downloadable art for a popup banner.
Finding help
- Learn more about how to renew your Oregon Health Plan medical coverage.
- Call the ONE Customer Service Center: 800-699-9075 (all relay calls are accepted, and help is available in multiple languages).
- Stop by or call a local office. People can find their local office at: https://www.oregon.gov/odhs/Pages/office-finder.aspx
- Visit a community partner for free, in-person help. To find one near you visit OregonHealthCare.gov/GetHelp (English) or orhim.info/ayuda (Spanish).
Get help finding other health coverage at OregonHealthCare.gov/GetHelp.
The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) and Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) are committed to transparency and will continue to send monthly information about medical coverage among Oregonians as the agencies continue to track the state’s progress in renewing eligibility for medical programs.
- To learn more about the marketplace, visit http://oregonhealthcare.gov/ or call 833-699-6850 (toll-free, all relay calls accepted).
- To sign up for Medicare, call the Social Security Administration at 800-772-1213 or go to ssa.gov/medicare/sign-up
Please note: Next month’s release will be distributed one week later than the usual cadence (on Tuesday, August 22) as a result of monthly data timing.
Governor Signs BM 110 Fix Bill
Oregon Governor Tina Kotek has signed a bill that changes Ballot Measure 110. It’s the bill that decriminalized possession of small amounts of illegal drugs and required addiction treatment facilities around the state.
HB 2513 fixes several aspects of the voter approved law that’s drawn criticism for not working. It simplifies access to treatment services, adds staff, creates a hotline to access services, and improves data collection to monitor the programs.
The Governor has not signed HB 2645 that would create a misdemeanor penalty for fentanyl possession. Kotek has until July 25th to sign or veto bills from the Legislature.
OHA, OSU thank wastewater utilities for help tracking COVID-19
Wastewater Utility Appreciation Week honors water quality professionals who collected samples that were analyzed to determine community transmission
PORTLAND, Ore. – In September 2020, a network of wastewater utilities around the state began collecting samples of influent – the water that enters a wastewater facility before it’s treated – and sending them to Oregon State University for testing and analysis.
It’s unassuming work – water sample collection is one of the many daily tasks that local and Tribal wastewater treatment facility staff perform to provide clean water to their communities. But this sample collection undertaking would play a significant role in the state’s ability to track transmission of COVID-19 during the pandemic and help public health epidemiologists and local leaders prepare communities to respond.
Oregon Health Authority (OHA) and OSU are teaming up on promoting Wastewater Utility Appreciation Week, July 17-21, to recognize the work of more than 40 wastewater treatment utilities who contributed to the success of Oregon’s SARS-CoV-2 Wastewater Monitoring Program. Their sample collection effort helped state, local and Tribal agencies inform communities, develop public health recommendations, direct health care resources, and prepare the health care system for increases in COVID-19 cases.
“I am honoring water quality professionals – operators, maintenance personnel, laboratory workers, sewer maintenance workers, biosolids workers, industrial waste pre-treatment workers, engineers and administrators – who, beginning in September 2020, collected and mailed influent samples to OSU for testing and analysis, which later became critically important data posted on OHA’s COVID-19 data dashboard,” OHA Interim Director David Baden wrote in a July 14 letter to utilities.
“That data helped participating city administrators, Tribal administrators, wastewater facility staff, environmental compliance staff, and public health professionals know their communities’ wastewater SARS-CoV-2 concentration, and measure community prevalence and transmission of COVID-19,” Baden said.
“OHA and local and Tribal wastewater treatment facility staff have been fantastic partners in delivering reliable, high-quality samples that our researchers depend on to perform their analyses,” said Scott Ashford, Kearney Dean of Engineering at Oregon State. “The College of Engineering has appreciated the opportunity to participate in this program benefitting the public health of Oregonians.”
Participating utilities’ water quality professionals have collected more than 15,000 influent samples over the course of the wastewater surveillance program. The state will keep the program going to track COVID-19 activity in communities, and it has been successfully tested and piloted to do the same for influenza, RSV and Cryptosporidium.
The monitoring operation involves wastewater facilities taking twice-weekly samples of influent using a device called a composite sampler, which collects small volumes of water on a regular basis – about once an hour – over a 24-hour period. Facilities then filter a 30-milliliter sample of the collected wastewater and place the filter into a tube containing a stabilizing agent. This maintains the integrity of the samples, ensuring they are uncompromised while they are mailed to OSU.
After the samples arrive at OSU, they are tested for SARS-CoV-2. If they test positive, OSU scientists sequence them to identify the COVID-19 variants or subvariants present within the samples, and consequently, within the community. The data are then sent to epidemiologists at OHA’s Public Health Division, who publish them to Oregon’s SARS-CoV-2 Wastewater Monitoring dashboard. Local and Tribal leaders are notified of their communities’ wastewater SARS-CoV-2 concentrations and whether levels are low, medium or high relative to other time periods and locations.
“Working with OHA and the wastewater monitoring and testing community has been an incredibly rewarding experience,” said Christine Kelly, a professor of environmental engineering and one of the directors of the wastewater testing program. “My colleagues at Oregon State and I very much appreciate the dedication and expertise of these professionals and look forward to collaborating with them in the years to come.”
Win the Opportunity to Name the High Desert Museum Bobcat (Photo)
High Desert Museum – 07/18/23 9:30 AM2023-07/6924/164893/Bobcat_June_2023_by_Abbott_Schindler.jpg
BEND, OR — The High Desert Museum is offering up the perfect gift opportunity—the chance to name the now-juvenile bobcat in the Museum’s care.
The Museum will raffle the naming of the new bobcat, with tickets on sale now in person at the Museum and at highdesertmuseum.org/bobcat-raffle. Proceeds will go toward supporting the Museum’s wildlife, exhibitions and programs.
High Desert Museum staff will be available for interviews from 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm on Tuesday, July 18. Please contact Heidi Hagemeier to schedule. Please also contact Heidi for video footage.
The male bobcat kitten arrived at the Museum in October weighing less than 3 pounds. By April, he had matured enough to begin making appearances in an atrium habitat across from the permanent Spirit of the West exhibition. Gert the gray fox, who previously inhabited the space, now appears nearly daily in the popular 3:00 pm Museum talk, Desert Dwellers.
The bobcat is now considered a juvenile—he weighs about 19 pounds, and visitors regularly spy him playing, napping and engaging in other typical feline behaviors in the space.
“The bobcat quickly became a visitor favorite at the Museum,” says Museum Executive Director Dana Whitelaw, Ph.D. “While bobcats are well-established in the region, it’s rare to see one, especially so close. So this bobcat presents a unique opportunity for visitors to connect with an important predator of the High Desert.”
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife placed the bobcat at the Museum after he was found in the Portland area separated from his mother. State wildlife officials initially returned the bobcat back where he was found in the hope that his mother would come back, but the kitten soon gravitated toward people again. Since the bobcat was habituated to humans, he wasn’t suitable for release into the wild.
The Museum’s wildlife team has expertise in caring for feline predators, and staff are presently training him to voluntarily crate and to participate in husbandry and veterinary care.
It will take nearly another year for the bobcat to reach a full size of 20-25 pounds. Wild bobcats eat a wide range of prey including birds and small mammals.
“The Museum wildlife team does its best to mimic a wild diet for the animals in its care, and the bobcat enjoys meals that include rats, mice, rabbit, quail and other whole-animal foods,” says Curator of Wildlife Jon Nelson. “He has done well so far and is a smart animal who has taken quickly to training and working with wildlife staff.”
The Museum cares for more than 130 animals, from otters to raptors. All the animals are nonreleasable, either due to injuries or because they became too familiar with humans. At the Museum, they serve as ambassadors who educate visitors about the conservation of High Desert species and landscapes.
Raffle tickets for the bobcat naming will cost $50 each. The drawing will take place at approximately 7:30 pm during the Museum’s largest fundraising gala of the year, the High Desert Rendezvous. Ticket purchasers need not be present at Rendezvous to win. The raffle does place parameters on appropriate names for the bobcat.
Tickets for High Desert Rendezvous remain available at highdesertmuseum.org/hdr. An individual ticket for Rendezvous is $150 for members and $200 for nonmembers, and for a couple the event costs $300 for members and $350 for nonmembers. Sponsorship tables are available for parties of eight or 10.
This year’s High Desert Rendezvous silent auction—always packed with luxurious items and one-of-a-kind experiences—will take place online at highdesertmuseum.org/hdr. Bidding will open Friday, August 18 and end on Monday, August 28.
High Desert Rendezvous is presented by First Interstate Bank.
ABOUT THE 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. The Museum is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, 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.
