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Bull River at the power house

The Bull Run River is a 21.9-mile (35.2 km) tributary of the Sandy River in the U.S. state of Oregon. Beginning at the lower end of Bull Run Lake in the Cascade Range, it flows generally west through the Bull Run Watershed Management Unit, an area restricting potential sources of contamination. Native Americans living along the Columbia River as early as 10,000 years ago likely visited the watershed in search of food, and more recently created trails near the upper part of it over the Cascade Range and around Mount Hood. By the mid-19th century, pioneers used these trails to cross the mountains to reach the fertile Willamette Valley. The river, impounded by two artificial storage reservoirs as well as the lake, has been the primary source of drinking water for the city of Portland, Oregon, since 1895. Despite legal protections, about 22 percent of the protected zone was logged during the second half of the 20th century, and erosion increased, forcing Portland to shut down the water supply from the river one time in 1996. A law passed later that year prohibited most logging in or near the watershed. Trees more than 500 years old cover about half of the watershed, and more than 250 wildlife species, including the protected northern spotted owl, inhabit this forest. (Full article...)

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February 13

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A man wearing a hat

John Betjeman's writing and broadcasting career lasted from 1931 to his death in 1984. In 1931 he became the assistant editor of The Architectural Review, which reflected his deeply-held affection for buildings and their history; the same year he published his first book, Mount Zion, a collection of poems. He began radio broadcasts in 1932, initially about architecture, but widening his subjects until he appeared on panel and game shows, interviews, documentaries and poetry readings, with a whimsical, humorous and avuncular delivery. Much of his output focussed on his concern over the destruction of Victorian and Edwardian architecture to make way for depressing, often faux contemporary developments. He continued to write about architecture, and publish poetry throughout his life. In 1969 he was knighted and, in 1972, he succeeded Cecil Day-Lewis as Britain's Poet Laureate. He died in 1984, a unique figure in British poetry. (Full list...)

Today's featured picture

Dik-dik

Dik-diks are antelopes in the genus Madoqua which can be found in the bushlands of eastern and southern Africa. These herbivores, named for the females' alarm calls, are quite small, measuring only 30–40 cm (12–16 in) at the shoulder, 50–70 cm (20–28 in) in length, and 3–6 kg (7–16 lb) in weight.

Photograph: Yathin S Krishnappa

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