BEND, Ore. (AP) — An Oregon State University graduate student is climbing high in the Cascade Range this week to study the largest glacier in the state, which is slowly shrinking.
The Bulletin newspaper in Bend reports that 28-year-old Cory Beedlow is trying to found out why Collier Glacier has been getting smaller.
The glacier is nestled between North Sister and South Sister near Bend, and photos taken by climbers over the years have shown it receding over the last 100 years.
But the reasons tend to be complicated — and the answers could help Beedlow develop a formula that can predict the advance and retreat of glaciers that feed streams and irrigation systems.
