Tag Archives: deq

DEQ staff spotlight on Lynda Viray, in honor of Filipino American History Month

Filipino Americans make up one of the largest ethnic groups in the United States with nearly 20,000 residing in the State of Oregon. Every October we celebrate Filipino heritage to increase awareness of the significant role Filipinos have played in American history. We had the opportunity to talk to Lynda Viray, someone who knows firstContinue reading “DEQ staff spotlight on Lynda Viray, in honor of Filipino American History Month”

The future of air quality and wildfire smoke in Oregon

“I’ll count to three this time and we’ll clap after three, ok? One. Two. Three…” Dylan Darling and Lauren Wirtis simultaneously clap into their microphones – a trick that makes it easier to align their separate recordings. You know in movies when the person says “take six!” and then snap the clapper board shut? SameContinue reading “The future of air quality and wildfire smoke in Oregon”

DEQ’s vehicle inspection program gets record high marks from customers

You might think customers grumble when they drive their car into one of DEQ’s vehicle inspection stations – it’s time out of their day, after all, and it costs money. But think again. Over the past three months, surveys show a stunning 98.8 percent customer satisfaction with the Vehicle Inspection Program.

Cottonwood Crossing Summer Institute marks eight years of outdoor learning

DEQ helped launch the program, where high school students earn college credit studying the John Day River watershed
For eight years, high school students in rural communities have earned college credits and learned about watershed science in the outdoor classroom provided by the Cottonwood Crossing Summer Institute. The program includes hands-on learning at Cottonwood Canyon State Park, Oregon’s largest at 8,000 acres.

From landfill to housing: Cleanup begins at Stevens Ranch in Bend

Meandering through the sagebrush and juniper trails at the Stevens Road Tract in southeast Bend, a hiker might never suspect they are walking over acres of buried trash. Decades-old tires, building materials containing asbestos and household trash fill in former holes and collapsed lava tubes on about 40 acres of the newly planned 382-acre mixed-useContinue reading “From landfill to housing: Cleanup begins at Stevens Ranch in Bend”

Introducing the new and improved Oregon Smoke Blog

For years, the Oregon Smoke Blog has been the go-to resource for anyone wanting to learn the latest and best information on smoke conditions during wildfire season. And now, the blog is even better. In preparation for the upcoming summer months, DEQ has revamped the blog to give it a cleaner design and make itContinue reading “Introducing the new and improved Oregon Smoke Blog”