New Issue: May 16th, 2013

In this week’s Corvallis Advocate… Tiny Nematode, Big Losses to Eastern Oregon’s Wheat 50th Anniversary of Legendary OSU Professor’s Everest Ascent Hate Weeds? Learn More About the Enemy at This May 18 Tutorial Corvallis Hikes: A Few Places to Plant Your Feet Limited EU Ban on Pesticides: But Will It Matter? Mazama Brewing Set to ...

Tiny Nematode, Big Losses to Eastern Oregon’s Wheat

Researchers at Oregon State University have discovered the cause behind $51 million annual losses in the Northwest’s wheat industry. Five times smaller in diameter than a human hair and half a millimeter long, the root-lesion nematode has been found in 90 percent of fields. In 60 percent of fields in Oregon and Washington, it exists ...

50th Anniversary of Legendary OSU Professor’s Everest Ascent

Next Wednesday, May 22, is the 50th anniversary of OSU Professor Willie Unsoeld’s legendary ascent of Mount Everest. As part of the first team of Americans to reach the summit from the more difficult West Ridge, 36-year-old Unsoeld became just the 14th human to stand atop the world’s highest peak. As a result of the endeavor, he ...

Hate Weeds? Learn More About the Enemy at This May 18 Tutorial

Want to become an anti-weed warrior? Join Benton Soil and Water Conservation District (BSWCD) to help tame the threat from local weeds. No, BSWCD isn’t joining the marijuana debate; they take on invasive plant species that push out native plants and cost tax payers a head-spinning amount of money. BSWCD has been providing the Weed ...

Corvallis Hikes: A Few Places to Plant Your Feet

The weather is finally nice again, and Corvallis is ready to show off its spring and summer beauty. There are quite a few hiking areas right in town, and even more in the surrounding areas.  Whether you’re a veteran traveler of these trails and have already begun your warm-weather hikes, or you’re a beginner and ...

Limited EU Ban on Pesticides: But Will It Matter?

It is no secret that over the past fifteen years bee populations across the world have dramatically declined. Hive populations are at fifty year lows in North America alone.  Entomologists and beekeepers have taken to calling this decline, “Colony collapse disorder” (CCD). Everything from errant cell phone signals, pulsing power lines, and stress from factory ...

Mazama Brewing Set to Erupt: Taproom Opens on May 31st

The eruption of Mount Mazama 9,000 years ago left us with the caldera that currently holds Crater Lake. A fitting name then, for the newest brewery in Corvallis’ craft beer explosion. Owner and brewer Jeff Tobin has an affinity for mountains and volcanoes as well as the Belgian-style ales he has been brewing since the ...

Co-ops: Form, Function, and the Triple Bottom Line

At its most simplistic, a cooperative is a collection of people with a common goal, who unite in an effort to achieve stronger economic clout or effectiveness than if each person acted alone. The group focuses less on profit and more on realizing their shared vision. Co-ops in town include First Alternative Natural Foods Co-op; ...

Being Black in Corvallis

Irregardless of how far we’ve evolved as a nation, there’s still an issue that—despite being a crucial thread in the fabric of our lives—is almost universally taboo to discuss. On March 28, Doug Gottlieb, a Caucasian sports analyst for CBS, during a panel discussion with four black colleagues, made the wisecrack: “I’m just here to ...

Heartland Humane Society: 7 Years of Progress, More Saved Animals

“Not to hurt our humble brethren the animals is our first duty to them, but to stop there is not enough. We have a higher mission—to be of service to them whenever they require it.” -Saint Francis of Assisi A town’s Humane Society can tell a person a lot about the town itself. It can ...

2013 Willamette Angel Conference Roundup: Willamette Business Startups, The Envelopes Please…

The 2013 Willamette Angel Conference (WAC), held May 9 at the OSU CH2M Hill Alumni Center, exceeded all expectations, morphing into what organizers dubbed “the biggest Angel Venture conference in Oregon history.” Over $465,000 in prize money was divvied up amongst the top four companies selected in the competition, which began months ago with a ...

Take a Hike and Benefit Greenbelt!

Buy some shoes and then visit one of the places your purchase will help protect. For every pair of Patagonia shoes purchased at Footwise from Saturday, May 18 to Saturday, June 1, $10 will go to the Greenbelt Land Trust. The donation, made by Patagonia, is part of its Advocate Weeks program. This is the ...

Culture Fail: 2nd St. Circus… bipeds, tires, tunnel vision, oh my!

You know you’re in a great place when you’re hard pressed to find things that piss you off. I love you, Corvallis. Still, there is room for improvement, and I think that the community would do well to toss 2nd street on the slab for a minute. It’s no Monroe during the lunch rush, but ...

E Pluribus Nada by Jack Compere

Calendar Picks of the Week!

Bicycle Extravaganza. OSU MU Quad and Brick Mall, 2500 SW Jefferson Way, Corvallis. 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. May 16th. An incredibly cool and valuable service for a city of so many cyclists, The Corvallis Bicycle Collective has committed to provide mechanics with tools to show people how to perform minor repairs on their bikes.   ...

New Issue: May 9th, 2013

In this week’s Corvallis Advocate… OSU Celebrates Barley Days: Celebration Slated for May 17 Willamette Valley Canola: Part 2… Proposed Ban Hits Oregon Legislature More Delays on Wastewater Decision Oregon’s New Coordinated Care: City Club Meeting May 13 Big Win for Oregon’s Undocumented Immigrants Researchers Successfully Develop Tools to Identify Pedophilia Motherhood… A Contact Sport? ...

OSU Celebrates Barley Days: Celebration Slated for May 17

On Friday, May 17, Oregon State University invites the community to the fifth annual Barley Days to celebrate and learn about one of the world’s oldest grains. Crop and soil science professor Dr. Patrick Hayes is the principal investigator and head of the barley project at OSU. He organizes the event with the help of ...

Willamette Valley Canola: Part 2… Proposed Ban Hits Oregon Legislature

Despite objection from local growers of specialty seeds, the Oregon Department of Agriculture earlier this year decided to permit the planting of canola in the Willamette Valley. Now, the Oregon legislature has introduced House Bill 2427, a bill that would ban canola from the valley for three years. During that time, researchers at Oregon State ...

More Delays on Wastewater Decision

During the summer months, something must be done to cool Corvallis’ wastewater before it ends up in the Willamette. Currently, it does not meet Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards set to protect endangered salmon. But now, the EPA has been forced to set more stringent regulations, slowing down a decision-making process underway in Corvallis since ...

Oregon’s New Coordinated Care: City Club Meeting May 13

Coordinated care organizations are the new health care model for participants in the Oregon Health Plan, also known as Medicaid. The organizations combine physical, mental, and eventually dental care to lower costs while improving quality. Oregon legislators passed a bill just over a year ago to transform Oregon’s health care delivery system to coordinated care. ...