Salt Creek Falls has reopened along Highway 58 after months of construction. New safety railings, a rebuilt restroom, and other improvements give travelers and hikers a safer, more reliable way to experience Oregon’s second-highest single-drop waterfall.

Albacore fishing is strong out of Gold Beach and Brookings, while Lost Creek, Applegate, and Howard Prairie remain productive inland. This week’s report also covers Klamath redband restrictions, low water access, algae concerns, and wildlife viewing.

Surveillance footage shows missing Grants Pass man David Wright buying water in Murphy before riding his white bicycle outbound on Highway 238 toward Hidden Valley Market. Detectives, search crews, and community members have searched surrounding areas, but his whereabouts remain unknown.

Thousands of migratory birds have died at Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge as avian botulism spreads through warm, stagnant wetlands. Bird Alliance of Oregon is seeking emergency water, while local leaders, irrigators, and the Klamath Tribes debate how to respond without worsening risks elsewhere in the Basin.

Oregon Republican leaders are proposing a constitutional amendment protecting the right to hunt, fish, gather wild foods, and raise animals or crops. If lawmakers approve the proposal during the 2027 session, it could go before Oregon voters in November 2028.

A Grants Pass man was killed and his passenger seriously injured after their car struck a cow elk on Highway 234 near Antioch Road early Saturday. The vehicle continued off the roadway and hit a tree.

A driver leaving Emigrant Lake Park struck and destroyed the entrance booth at high speed on July 30, then fled before deputies tracked them down. With the booth gone, Jackson County Parks is asking visitors to use the Pay by Phone system or buy an annual pass.