THURSDAY • June 10, 2021
Serving Central Oregon since 1903 • $3
SUNNY OUTLOOK
Summer concert series lineup
Theater companies come back
Backyard barbecue recipes
INSIDE
SPORTS PULLOUT, A5-8
Citizen scientists help study
local bats for OSU-Cascades
Volunteers listened for
the elusive spotted bat
BY MICHAEL KOHN
The Bulletin
By harnessing the power of
“citizen scientists,” researchers
from Oregon State Universi-
ty-Cascades completed a study of
an elusive species of bat.
OSU-Cascades worked with 12
volunteers over the past two years
on the project, which focused its
efforts on the spotted bat. The
team completed 61 surveys, iden-
tifying the bat 25 times.
Spotted bats are rarely seen but
remain an important species in
Central Oregon. They help con-
trol insect populations by con-
suming large amounts of mosqui-
toes and other agricultural pests.
They are notable for their large
ears and distinctive white spots
on their black backs. Their ears
are believed to be the largest of
any bat species in North Amer-
ica.
“Spotted bats are high-flying,
hard-charging lions of the sky,
trying to catch the big moths,”
said Tom Rodhouse, the proj-
ect leader and a courtesy faculty
member at OSU-Cascades.
See Bats / A13
LAST BURN
OF SPRING
HOMELESSNESS BILL
Tom Rodhouse/Submitted photo
Tom Rodhouse, an ecologist with the Na-
tional Park Service and a courtesy faculty
member at OSU-Cascades, holds a spotted
bat in Clarno in 2003.
Oregon
allowing
tents on
public
property
Communities must put local
rules in sync with legislation
now headed for governor’s desk
Prescribed fire
outside La Pine
finishes the season
in the Deschutes
National Forest
BY NICOLE HAYDEN
The Oregonian
Oregon communities must rewrite local
rules to allow Oregonians to sit, lie, sleep
and keep warm and dry on public property
in most circumstances.
House Bill 3115, which passed the Senate
on Wednesday afternoon
MORE BILLS
and is en route to Gov. Kate
Brown’s desk, is a response to HEADED FOR
GOV. BROWN
a 2018 landmark homeless-
ness case that impacted most • Prosecutors,
Western states with an intent
prisoners
can ask for
to better support individuals
reviews of
experiencing homelessness.
convictions
While local governments
should already be following • Affordable
housing
rules set forth by the case
expanded
known as Martin v. Boise,
the bill, written at the be-
• Lyrics for
hest of House Speaker Tina
state song
changed
Kotek, forces cities to offi-
cially change any ordinance Stories on A2
language still on the books
to be in line with the court decision.
In its ruling, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of
Appeals said governments cannot criminalize
conduct that is unavoidable as a result of ex-
periencing homelessness. To punish a home-
less individual for sleeping outside when there
aren’t enough shelter beds would be compa-
rable to punishing that individual for the fact
that they are homeless, a consequence the
court described as cruel and unusual.
See Homeless / A4
COVID-19
BY MICHAEL KOHN • The Bulletin
Jack Abendroth and
Gillian Moore clear a
containment line around
a burning log while
working a prescribed
burn along Forest Road
21 near La Pine on
Wednesday.
Ryan Brennecke/The Bulletin
INSIDE
Early start to the
2021 fire season:
Northeast Oregon
burns, and the
region’s snowpack
dries up, A4
T
he Deschutes National Forest
conducted its final prescribed burn
for spring Wednesday, with a burn
northeast of La Pine that served
as part of a training program for
firefighters.
Fuels specialists and fire crews burned small
trees and brush on the ground in approximately
20 to 50 acres along Forest Road 21, northeast
of La Pine and east of U.S. Highway 97. Ignitions
were completed in one day.
The primary purpose of the burn was to train
firefighters within a controlled environment,
but the burn also met ecosystem objectives. Pre-
scribed fires are conducted to reduce fuel loads
that if left untreated can burn out of control
during a wildfire.
Smoke from the burn may linger in the area
for up to a week, but the smoke impact is ex-
pected to be minimal to nearby communities.
The burn wrapped up a busy season for local
fuels specialists. In total, prescribed burns were
applied to 4,478 acres of the forest in 37 sepa-
rate locations, according to Jean Nelson-Dean, a
spokesperson for the Deschutes National Forest.
Of this area, 332 acres were on non-Forest Ser-
vice lands.
Nelson-Dean said the prescribed burns will
help to fight potential wildfire, and protect homes
and community infrastructure. The prescribed
burns also help forests recover more quickly if a
wildfire does pass through.
With the prescribed fire season over, does
smoke indicate an actual wildfire is active? Not
necessarily, said Nelson-Dean. Smoke could in-
dicate field burning. People interested in updates
on prescribed burns and wildfires in Deschutes
County can text “COFIRE” to 888-777.
When wildfire does occur, it is simply part of a
natural cycle for Central Oregon forests.
“Central Oregon has a fire-adapted ecosys-
tem, which means that fire and smoke are a part
of maintaining a healthy forest here,” said Nel-
son-Dean. “Just like Western Oregon forests re-
quire rain to be healthy, Central Oregon forests
require fire, which we do our best to use in a
controlled manner under the best conditions to
move smoke up and out of the area.”
Reporter: 541-617-7818, mkohn@bendbulletin.com
State might
revamp lottery
to spur more
vaccinations
BY AIMEE GREEN
The Oregonian
The number of Oregonians getting vac-
cinated against COVID-19 has nose-dived
since Gov. Kate Brown announced a $1 mil-
lion lottery for vaccinated residents a few
weeks ago.
The state says it’s now looking at ways to
spark more enthusiasm — and inoculations
among those still unvaccinated — in the
three weeks left before the drawing is held.
Charles Boyle, a governor’s spokesman,
said in an email that the governor’s office is
“exploring options for drawings earlier in
the month to continue to generate excite-
ment throughout the next several weeks.”
Brown also hinted at a news conference
Friday that more prizes may be added to the
offerings in coming days, though she hasn’t
yet shared any details.
TODAY’S
WEATHER
Mostly cloudy
High 66, Low 44
Page A12
INDEX
Business
Classifieds
Comics
A11-12
A14
A9-10
Dear Abby
Editorial
Events
A7
A8
GO!
Horoscope
Local/State
Lottery
A7
A2,4
A6
Obituaries
Puzzles
Sports
A4
A10
A5-7
The Bulletin
An Independent Newspaper
We use
recycled
newsprint
Vol. 117, No. 329, 38 pages, 2 sections
SUN/THU
See Lottery / A13
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