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MyEagleNews.com
Wednesday, May 11, 2022
Teen surfer dies at water park
By MICHAEL KOHN
The Bulletin
BEND — The surfer who
died after he was trapped under-
water for several minutes at the
Bend Whitewater Park on Satur-
day was 17-year-old Ben Mur-
phy of Bend, according to a fam-
ily statement posted on social
media.
Murphy spent six minutes
underwater at the standing wave
as friends and other surfers fl ung
themselves into the water in an
attempt to free him from the
underwater panels that make the
wave.
Murphy was pulled from the
water downstream, given CPR
and rushed to St. Charles Bend,
where he died, according to the
statement posted on Facebook.
“I want to thank everyone for
their prayers and support over
the last two days. Knowing that
we were covered in prayer gave
us great peace and comfort as
we navigated what no parent is
equipped for,” according to the
statement posted by the youth’s
father, Patrick Murphy.
The Whitewater Park is
manipulated in real time by
adjusting 26 air bladders which
are permanently affi xed to the
riverbed. The park, operated by
Bend Park & Recreation Dis-
trict, has been closed to surfers
since the accident.
In his post, Patrick Murphy
said his son was pronounced
dead by hospital staff after one
hour of CPR and cardiac shock
treatment. After a faint heart-
beat was detected, Ben Murphy
was moved to the intensive care
unit for treatment.
“The St. Charles staff was
more than amazing and worked
to keep Ben comfortable and his
vitals slowly improved for the
fi rst eight hours,” Patrick Mur-
phy stated in the post. “He was
Brenna Visser/The Bulletin
Flowers and candles sit on the rocks and a bench at the Bend
Whitewater Park, where 17-year-old Ben Murphy was trapped
underwater Saturday, April 30, 2022. He was later pronounced
dead at St. Charles Bend.
on oxygen, tons of medication
and was sedated to keep him
comfortable.”
Patrick Murphy said despite
considerable eff ort by doctors to
keep the his son alive, his son’s
organs eventually started to fail
and he was pronounced dead by
St. Charles staff .
The park felt eerily still on
Monday, aside from the inter-
mittent chirps from birds and
the white noise of the water. On
the rocky steps leading to the
wave sat bouquets of sunfl ow-
ers, baby’s breath and carna-
tions as a memorial. On a bench
that sits on a strip of land in the
middle of river, a note secured
by a small rock, fl apped in the
wind.
Candles were delicately
placed on top of some of the
rocks close to shore.
Stetson Talley, a 21-year-old
Bend resident, was one of the
many surfers who tried to save
Ben Murphy. Talley said he was
at the front of the line when he
saw Murphy fall and get his foot
stuck in a gate that helps operate
the wave.
He recalls everyone at the
park panicking, trying to fi g-
ure out how to respond. After
a minute, Talley saw Murphy
come back up to take a breath
of air before going back down
into the water.
“It was pretty obvious to me
and everyone else there that he
was unable to help himself,”
said Talley.
At that point, other surfers
began jumping in to try to help
Murphy, he said. Talley, who
has worked as a lifeguard for
four years, said he jumped in
six or seven times in an attempt
to save Murphy. Many others
did, too.
Video of the events showed
surfers at one point trying to
form a human link to walk
and swim into the river to save
him. Others dove in with their
surfboards as a way to reach
Murphy.
At one point, Talley recalled
holding Murphy’s board and
leash, which was still attached
to Murphy’s leg.
Eventually the wave was
shut off and Talley helped pull
Murphy out of the river down-
stream so others could begin
CPR.
“There was nothing we
SHOOTING THE BREEZE
Double the barrels
and double the fun
could do and it was a help-
less situation,” he said. “It was
terrifying.”
Talley, who said he has been
surfi ng on and off at the wave
for the last three years, said
he and other surfers he knows
have also caught their feet in
the crack between the gates that
operate the wave. When those
incidents occurred he was been
able to dislodge his foot in time
before getting sucked under.
Talley said he doesn’t
believe it is anyone’s fault and
that this event could not have
been foreseen, but said the park
district should add more safety
measures before the wave
opens again.
Bend Police Department
communications manager Sheila
Miller said there is no evidence
of a crime and the incident is not
under investigation.
District spokesperson Julie
Brown said safety features to
prevent drownings have been
“discussed in the past” and will
be revisited as part of an imme-
diate evaluation of the park’s
bladder and gate system. Safety
features could include an emer-
gency shut-off and equipment
such as rings and ropes, she said.
There were no river condi-
tions on Saturday that would
have heightened risk, according
to a statement from the district.
The incident is the fi rst fatal-
ity at the Bend Whitewater Park,
which opened in 2015. At least
six fatalities have been reported
at standing wave features on
other rivers in the U.S. and Can-
ada in recent years, according
to data compiled by Surf Any-
where, a fi rm that designs river
waves.
Cubicle Surf, which makes
river surfboards in Bend, is
accepting gifts, fl owers and
cards on behalf of the Murphy
family.
O
ver and under or side brought down with these
by side, double-bar-
impressive loads.
reled guns are sim-
Who, when conjuring
ply just fun.
images of Hemingway, Roo-
One of my fi rst expe-
sevelt or any of another score
of celebrated African hunters,
riences, mentioned here
could overlook the fi ne
in an older col-
craftsmanship of the
umn, involved a
double rifl es they car-
Stevens side-by-
ried? Especially in the
side 20 gauge and
application of hunt-
two grouse, taken
ing dangerous game,
each with a single
a fast-handling dou-
round. On my fi rst
ble rifl e chambered in
outing of shoot-
Dale Valade
some ponderous Nitro
ing clay pigeons,
Express round off ers two
the shotguns we had were a
shots as quickly as one can
single-shot .410, which was
pull the triggers.
missing the bead, and a well-
I have even felt that such
used side-by-side 16 gauge.
a gun chambered in some-
I shot well for a young fi rst-
thing a bit less earth-shaking
timer and have enjoyed dou-
— like a .45-70, for example
ble guns ever since.
— could be just as useful in
One of the most enjoy-
thick brush such as one might
able shooting events you
encounter in Western Oregon.
could ever engage in is cow-
Even today, double rifl es
boy action shooting. The nec-
and combination guns are
essary hardware typically
still very common in Europe.
consists of two sixguns, a
Many countries do not allow
lever-action repeater and a
the luxury of owning multiple
period-correct shotgun. Of
fi rearms we are aff orded here
course, you can use an 1897
in the land of the free, home of
Winchester pump-action but
you’re limited to two shells to the brave. A combination gun
could have two, three or even
keep the playing fi eld level,
four barrels of various calibers
so you’d just as well go with
and gauges to provide such
a double-barreled shotgun!
a necessarily utilitarian fi re-
Ringing steel is music
arm for our European brethren
to the ears no matter what
thusly restricted.
you’re shooting, but doing
If your current collection
so with a side-by-side dou-
remains bereft of some sort of
ble-barreled shotgun is espe-
double gun, I, as your friendly
cially ticklish. Don’t get so
gun mentor, suggest you rem-
into it that you give the target
edy that forthwith. While you
both barrels simultaneously,
could probably get by in life
however — that experience
just fi ne without one, why
is not a tickle. Don’t ask me
rob yourself of the fun and
how I know.
enjoyment of carrying and,
In the gentlemanly sport
of course, shooting a double
of wingshooting, especially
gun? They simply are that
so among upland game bird
much fun!
hunters, the double-barreled
Are you into double-bar-
shotgun is more and more
reled fi rearms? Write to us
frequently seen. Thanks to
improvements in ammunition at shootingthebreezebme@
gmail.com and check us out
with bismuth and tungsten
on Facebook!
core shot, traditionally small-
Dale Valade is a local
bore shotguns like the 20 and
country gent with a love for
28 gauge are more useful
the outdoors, handloading,
than ever. Even larger birds
hunting and shooting.
like turkeys are increasingly
Bark beetles expected to be busy this year
By MATTHEW WEAVER
Capital Press
SALEM — Drought last
year means more bark beetle
activity this year.
More tree mortalities are
expected due to Western pine
beetle, Douglas fi r beetle and
ips, or pine engraver beetle.
“It stems from a lot of our
forests being overstocked to
begin with, which leads to
moisture stress among trees,”
said Chris Schnepf, Univer-
sity of Idaho Extension for-
estry educator. “Drought cer-
tainly exacerbates that, and
the beetles are just taking
advantage of that.”
Many Douglas fi r trees fell
during the winter of 2020-
2021, making easy pickings
for beetles. Douglas fi r bee-
tles are also attacking standing
groups of trees, Schnepf said.
Root diseases make trees
more likely to fall in winter
storms, Schnepf said. Fallen,
large, green Douglas fi rs cre-
ate the breeding ground for
the beetles.
Pine engraver beetles
tend to attack smaller trees.
Roughly 90% of beetles
breeding in forest slash, or
debris, are pine engraver bee-
tles, Schnepf said.
“Historically, we have
had two generations per year
in North Idaho,” he said. “In
recent years, increasingly,
we’re seeing three generations
a year because of the longer
growing season.”
All the beetles are native to
the region.
“When conditions are
right, their populations can
explode and you start seeing
more tree mortality,” Schnepf
said.
He’s seeing the worst
pine beetle activity on stands
south of Coeur d’Alene. He
expects more Douglas fi r bee-
tle activity in spring and sum-
mer throughout the Idaho
panhandle.
Moisture can strengthen
the trees against the beetles.
Rain, cooler conditions and
longer snow periods are pos-
itives this year, Schnepf said.
“But it depends — last year
we had a really good snow-
pack in the winter, but then the
faucet just got turned off in the
fi rst part of the summer,” he
said. “We didn’t get any pre-
cip until fall.”
However, when bee-
tle populations are high, the
insect pests can attack forests
even in relatively moist con-
ditions, especially if trees are
overstocked.
Schnepf recommends for-
Video leads to arrest for animal abuse
By GARRETT ANDREWS
The Bulletin
SISTERS — A Sis-
ters man accused of inten-
tionally driving into an
injured deer was caught
after posting a video of it to
Snapchat.
Jaden Harvey Wiles, 18,
is charged in Deschutes
County Circuit Court with
first-degree animal abuse
and failing to perform the
duties of a driver, in addi-
tion to two wildlife viola-
tions for an incident that
allegedly took place Feb. 2
in Sisters.
Deschutes County Dis-
trict Attorney John Hummel
said Wiles was caught after
someone reported viewing
a disturbing video filmed
and posted by Wiles.
The clip in question
reportedly shows Wiles
driving on N. Locust Street
as a deer limped in the road.
“Are you struggling?”
he reportedly said. “Here
let me help ... you look like
you’re struggling. Let me
help you out.”
Wiles then ran over the
deer in the road and said,
“You ain’t f-----g strug-
gling anymore.”
He posted this video to
Snapchat and shared it with
a friend, Hummel said.
He was cited by the Ore-
gon State Police and charged
last week in Circuit Court.
A voicemail left for
Wiles was not returned. He
is not currently represented
by an attorney, according to
court records.
He’s scheduled to be
arraigned May 25.
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A11
est owners monitor their land
to see if they are developing
any problems. They should
reduce density, favoring the
best trees for a given site.
Lake Creek Youth Camp would like to thank
all our Donors and supporters from this
year’s Gala Fundraiser and making it such
a great success. With your support we can
continue to provide amazing experiences
that will last a lifetime.
Many Thanks To:
Juniper Arts Council • Grant County Chamber-Transient Room Tax Grant
Grant County Economic Development • Gray Family Foundation
Thank You To Our Amazing
Gala Volunteers
Gala Master of Ceremony
Jamie Yraguen, VP Basco
Lodging
Tri-Tip Dinner Preparation
Lenny & Sherry Dowdy
Food Servers
Boy Scout Troop 800
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All Around Assistance
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Hop Thief Taproom - Red
Monkey
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Mobile Glass
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