Divers 'Loot the Deschutes' for lost treasure | Oregon Field Guide

Roughly 250,000 people float the Deschutes River through Bend in Central Oregon each summer. Many lose belongings along the way. But thanks to some dedicated local divers, some treasured items are making it home. And even trash can score a second chance in the hands of a master river looter.

---
Oregon Public Broadcasting aims to elevate and amplify the community, connect Oregon and its neighbors, and illuminate a wider world through stories. OPB Every Day. OPB Everywhere.

#OregonfieldGuide #LoottheDeschutes #DeschutesRiver #DeschutesCleanup #BendOregon #CentralOregon #OregonOutdoors #DeschutesCounty #RiverCleanup #TrashTag #EnvironmentalAction #CleanRivers #ConservationEfforts #OPB #Oregon #PacificNorthWest

[keithmiller]

I have a friend who scuba dived the rapids in Sun River. He found an M-1 Garand Rifle. He recovered the serial number and found it had been lost dr during WWII when Sun River was known as Camp Abbott. The DOD ran the serial number and determined that it had been lost by a soldier on guard duty on the bridge. A drunk Sgt almost hit him with a jeep. He went into the river with his rifle to avoid being hit. The soldier wound up in France, where he paid the ultimate price for his country.

[oregonroadwarrior]

As a long time deschutes river homeowner cleaning up everything that floats past our house, we are so happy for the help. We have been doing this for years with our only reward being full beers floating past our house

[jonnywilliamson]

Heroes of the Deschutes. I have been stoked watching this become a permanent thing in our community. Because the floaters are numerous and so equally is the trash.

[RussHall]

What a fun little group of good hearted people.

[bigrivers]

Good people doing Good things! Looks like a lot of fun.

[joecampo]

Awesome sauce when you can reunite lost items with their owners. Great story thank you for sharing.

[jordanfourtwenty]

@Oregon Public Broadcasting Another Great Video. Watching from my cabin on the Umpqua River. The part about the memorial ring for the doggo brought a tear to my eyes.

[THEMHGIII]

What a great service they do for the river, community and all who have little hope of ever recovering their lost treasures. 👍

[sullsurfer]

I used to do that on the Applegate river in the 70's before they built the dam.
You see a part of the river most people never see. And you find all kinds of fun stuff.

[markg]

What a fun video! 😊 That was worth the time to watch. Thank you

[pouncytaur]

That is awesome! I want to dive the Deschutes sometime.. So far, I have never had my snorkeling gear with me while I was in the area though. Hopefully next year.
I mainly work over Lake Of The Woods on Hwy 140 between Medford and K-Falls. If anyone lost a phone off Sunset Campground, I might have it.. it still works. :)

[jlr]

When I was a kid (back in the 80's!) my friends and I were river "looters" of the American River in Sacramento. We would put on our wetsuits and drift the river with our masks and snorkels hoping to find treasures. We would find sunglasses, watches (no longer working) fishing gear, jewelry (rarely), more masks and snorkels, trash, shopping carts, and much more. Once while drifting along the Campus Commons golf course we discovered an eddy where hundreds of golf balls had collected - an underwater oasis of white, neon pink, orange, and yellow. We had bags of golf balls that we sold to the pro shop for $10. Big score for us! Good times.

[revvyhevvy]

So cool! I wonder if there is a similar thing in Boise for the lost treasures from the tubers we have on the the Boise river?

[NS-micj]

Oh gosh, the girl flipping on the floatie is me! Do I have permission to share the clip of me on social media? Thanks!

[kel]

I live in bend and that's pretty cool and a good idea

[jonirelan]

Wonderful! Consider trying a a waterproof handheld pin-pointer metal detector. They are small and will vibrate in your hand as the point gets closer to a metal object. Useful for quick search of sand, cracks, grasses and such.

[westcoastvibes]

I grew up in Wood river village. Me and my friends floated the river and jumped the bridges long before the old mill shopping district or parks were built.

[williamlloyd]

Interesting that our local river has people cleaning the river as a hobby and returning items. Sort of like people combing the Thames for artifacts but not as historic.

[rchlletters]

I remember when it was just a lovely river meant for the wildlife and the view. Now it’s full of folks drinking, yelling and polluting. Pretty gross.

[arlajfunk]

The Depeche Mode tape us honestly probably mine. I lived upstream near by.