• KLCC public radio is seeing major changes this summer. A celebration of life was held July 1 for longtime Music Director Michael Canning who died May 14, a year after he retired. Program Director Don Hein retired June 30 after 40 years. News Director Tripp Sommer retired at the same time after 36 years, along with Development Director Cheryl Crumbley, who was with the station for six years. KLCC is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.
• Bike Friday, the company in west Eugene that specializes in building high-end folding bicycles that are sold worldwide, is celebrating its 25th anniversary this summer. A celebration open to the public is planned for 11 am to 4 pm Monday, July 10, at the factory, 3364 W. 11th Avenue.
• The nonprofit McKenzie River Trust has assisted the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians in purchasing 125 acres of “ecologically and culturally significant wetlands” on the central Oregon Coast south of Florence, according to MRT Executive Director Joe Moll. The Fivemile Creek land is upstream of Tahkenitch Lake, and is habitat for spawning Coho salmon. Last year, MRT was able to preserve two miles of riverfront on the McKenzie known as the Finn Rock Reach. This spring the organization launched the McKenzie Homewaters capital campaign with a $6 million goal.
• Corvallis environmental groups have been collaborating on increasing the amount of solar installations in the city since late 2015 and hope to more than double the amount of renewable energy generated by 2020. Data so far indicate the Harvest Sunshine team has boosted solar generation by 13 percent in the first year. Involved in the team are the Corvallis Sustainability Coalition, the Corvallis Environmental Center and Environment Oregon. See sustainablecorvallis.org.
• In pet business news, Kibble on Wheels is coming to Eugene. Meals on Wheels America has given a $1,500 grant to FOOD for Lane County to launch a pet support program for low-income elderly who struggle to pay for pet food. The program begins in August. In feline-specfic news, Springfield resident Kerry Barbero has been honored in the “Best Cat Blog” category competition at the national BlogPaws convention in South Carolina for her Noir Kitty Mews blog. Barbero writes from the perspective of Valentine, her black Persian cat.