My sister and I were on our way to a hike when we came upon a mother duck trying to get her ducklings across busy 27th Street south of Reed Market. We stopped the car and got out to shepherd the crew across to safety. We then discovered that four of her ducklings had fallen into the storm drain and were trapped. We pulled over and called the police department. Officer Jared Adams, Community Service Officer, was dispatched to help us. He lifted the drain and got the ducklings out and made a call to a wildlife rescuer who would come and pick them up.

We moved to Bend over a year ago because we think this is just about the greatest town in the U.S. and the Bend Police Department is one reason why this is so. This was obviously not a major/minor crime situation, but it is these small things that make Bend so special. A footnote to this situation: Not one of the cars that had to stop while we tried to get the ducks off the road honked or got impatient with our rescue attempt. You wouldn’t find that true in lots of other places.

Jeanne Boswell and Martha Marple

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