(Graphic | Courtesy of Deschutes Land Trust)
Nature Nights, early spring hikes, golden eagles, restoration anniversary, annual report and more!
While Mother Nature brought some recent snow flurries to Central Oregon, if you look closely, you might notice something else. A pop of golden yellow. The most delicate pale pink. That’s right, spring is starting to show its colors! The first bursts of early spring wildflowers have been spotted at Whychus Canyon Preserve. With that, we’re starting to turn towards the next season, like a wildflower turning towards the sun — slowly, in fits and starts, but yes, most assuredly moving along.
Have you seen any wildflowers starting to bloom? What about vibrant green shoots popping up in your yard or garden? Or, are you focused on embracing the mountain snow and brisk air while it’s still here?
Read on for your Land Trust news, including Nature Nights, early spring hikes, forestry work, golden eagles, our annual report, and more!
Join Us at Our Final Nature Night of the Season
We hope you’ll join us for our final Nature Night of the season:
- March 30, 7-8:30pm: American Pikas and Climate Change with Dr. Matt Shinderman. Shinderman will speak on the intriguing American pika and how they are adapting to major challenges like climate change, sharing the results of a five year study of American pikas in the Pacific Northwest that suggests that they can persist in lower elevation landscapes in our high desert. Learn more and register.
Tickets are free, but registration is required to receive the link to join the Zoom event. We hope to see you there!
Get Outside with the Land Trust!
Early spring hikes are here! The Land Trust is gearing up for the 2022 Walks + Hikes season with our full schedule releasing on April 1st! In the meantime, you can get a head start on the season with some of our early spring hikes. Highlights include:
- Find out more about the upcoming Ochoco Preserve project during a tour on Wednesday, March 30 or Saturday, April 9.
- Are you new to birding? Join us for a Beginning Bird Walk at Camp Polk Meadow Preserve on Sunday, April 3.
- Catch a peek of the earliest spring flowers during a Wildflower Hike at Whychus Canyon Preserve on Sunday, April 10.
Learn more, then find out why it’s a good idea to join a Walk + Hike waitlist.
2021 Annual Report Now Available
The Land Trust’s 2021 Annual Report is now available online.
This year’s digital report highlights the Land Trust’s work conserving land, caring for the land, connecting community, and charting the future. Read a letter from our executive director and check out the Land Trust’s vital signs. Many thanks to all our supporters who made our work possible in 2021!
Golden Eagles Nesting for 13th Consecutive Year
The Land Trust is happy to report the golden eagle nest at Aspen Hollow Preserve is active for the 13th consecutive year! Resident golden eagle couple Rocky and Petra are currently incubating their 2022 clutch, which consists of two eggs.
Aspen Hollow Preserve was protected by the Land Trust in 2015. As part of this protection, the Preserve is closed during golden eagle nesting season, allowing the large raptors to nest without human disturbance.
You can still follow along though! Check out goldeneaglecam.org, believed to be the only golden eagle camera in the United States. Learn more.
Resources from our March 2 Nature Night
Thanks to those of you who tuned in to our March 2nd Nature Night, Is Climate Anxiety Bad for the Planet? It was an educational and inspiring presentation from Dr. Sarah Jaquette Ray.
Dr. Ray shared how pervasive climate anxiety and eco-grief are in our culture, then looked at what we, as humans, need in order to be resilient. She also provided a checklist for cultivating resilience for climate justice.
Finally, Dr. Ray suggested we need to ask ourselves the following questions: what would it take to imagine thriving in a climate-changed world? What would it take to desire, rather than fear, the future? Check out the recording and resources from this Nature Night.
Stewardship Collective Awarded $6.25 Million Grant
The Deschutes Land Trust is part of a stewardship collective in Central Oregon that was recently awarded a $6.25 million grant by the Oregon Department of Forestry. The Central Oregon Shared Stewardship Landscape Resiliency Project (COSSLRP) is comprised of government agencies, nonprofits, and other large landowners. Their shared goal is to reduce wildfire danger in our forests on more than 52,000 acres of land in Central Oregon.
Thanks to this funding, small diameter juniper thinning will occur this year at four Land Trust Preserves: Aspen Hollow Preserve, Rimrock Ranch, Whychus Canyon Preserve, and Willow Springs Preserve. This forest restoration work will not only help reduce wildfire danger at our Preserves and for our nearby neighbors; it will also mimic historic forest conditions and improve habitat for wildlife. In addition, the Land Trust will be battling invasive grasses at Rimrock Ranch, specifically in fire-prone areas of the property. Read more.
Request for Proposals for DEI Accountability Project
The Deschutes Land Trust is requesting proposals to help with a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) accountability project. The Land Trust embarked on a DEI learning journey in 2018 and we continue to make strides towards building a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive organization. We are working on building our internal understanding of DEI issues and have established a foundation from which we can bring a DEI lens to policies and our work.
As we progress through DEI awareness and into implementation, we are looking for consulting support to allow us to add accountability and feedback into our ongoing DEI work. We are seeking a consultant to review organizational policies and our strategic plan to evaluate our DEI tactics and strategies and make recommendations on how we can strengthen our DEI impact.
The Restoration of Whychus Creek at Camp Polk Meadow Preserve: Ten Years Later
Can you believe that it’s already been 10 years since the Land Trust and our partners finished the Whychus Creek restoration at Camp Polk Meadow Preserve?!? It was a momentous day when Whychus Creek was moved back into the meadow, after years of planning and preparing.
“It’s been amazing to watch the meadow evolve and thrive over the past decade—to see native plants grow from tiny sprouts to heights that now tower over my head, to celebrate the return of salmon and steelhead, enjoy the chorus of birds, witness the buzzing of pollinators and industrious work of the beaver,” says the Land Trust’s stewardship director Amanda Egertson. “We learned a lot during and after the restoration at Camp Polk Meadow Preserve and we continue to grow and adapt our techniques and expand our partnerships as we implement this type of restoration on other properties. Above all, we’re happy to celebrate how coming together as a community helped nature flourish at Camp Polk Meadow Preserve.”
2021 Tribute Gifts
Every year, the Land Trust receives special gifts in honor and in memory of others. These gifts note the bonds of friendship and family, while also providing permanent stewardship to some of the most important places in Central Oregon. We thank everyone for their support of the Land Trust through these special gifts.
See the special gifts received in 2021.
Muddy Trails + Caring for the Land
Muddy trail season is here! Did you know that hiking and biking on muddy trails can be destructive to the trail and surrounding land? As we all work together to become better stewards of the land, learn what happens when you use muddy trails.
If you do head out for a hike and find yourself encountering mud on the trail:
- Please turn back. This helps keep trails happy, easy to hike in other seasons, and saves the Land Trust (and others) time and resources.
- If you encounter a small patch of mud or snow: walk through it, not around it (the better, but not great, option).
- If the mud continues beyond isolated patches: turn around and hike back to the trailhead. Trail conditions are probably going to become worse, not better!