The Environmental Center

Professional Development for K–12 educators.
2025-01-28 16:00 - 18:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | 375 SW Powerhouse Dr Suite 100, Bend, OR, 97701, United States
Professional Development
This virtual workshop is for K–12 educators across multiple content areas. Confluence Professional Development’s purpose is to educate teachers in the pedagogy of Indigenous curriculum and lessons. It is to prepare adults, teachers, and educators with a more perceptive understanding of Native American lifeways, history, cultural traditions, and ecology that define our Native identity.
Over the two-day virtual workshop, the cohort will learn directly from Indigenous workshop facilitators/speakers and have the opportunity to think through Indigenous education concepts together using materials from Confluence Media Library, our publications, Columbia River Sites, and our work from Camp Confluence and Confluence in the Classroom. We will also show the parallels of our work at Confluence with Oregon’s Tribal History/Shared History and Washington’s Since Time Immemorial curriculums.
This cohort will meet on Zoom on Jan. 21 and Jan. 28 at 4–6pm. Our theme this month is:
Voices of the River Volume 1: Stories to Be Told – Ancestors Always Present
Register HERE

A Year in the Life: Oregon’s Desert Owls
2025-02-04 18:00 - 19:00 | 375 SW Powerhouse Dr Suite 100, Bend, OR, 97701, United States
Join Oregon Natural Desert Association as they kick off their 2025 High Desert Speaker Series with an absorbing evening all about high desert owls. Paul Bannick, acclaimed author and wildlife photographer, will take you through four seasons in the lives of these owls to give you a better appreciation of what they need to survive and thrive in each season. With stunning, intimate images, Paul will bring the stories of these adorable yet fierce predators to life and reveal their unique roles in the high desert ecosystem from its driest lands to its ponderosa pine woodlands.

SheJumps x AdventurUs Women x Between Evergreens | Speaker Series | OR
2025-02-05 18:00 - 19:30 | Embark, 2843 NW Lolo Dr., Bend, OR, 97703, United States
Wednesday, February 5th, 2025 – “Women in Wildfire” – Join the women of the US Forest Service & BLM Wildland Fire Management Service to learn what it’s like to be a woman in wildland firefighting. From working on fire lines, parachuting into dangerous terrain, handling heavy equipment, battling fires, educating the public, and developing curriculum to teach kids about forest management & fire prevention, these incredible women have seen it all. Learn more about ways you can help manage and care for our forests, and how we can all work to get more women into the traditionally male-dominated wildland firefighting career path.

Tiny Titans: Insects of the High Desert
2025-02-20 19:00 - 20:00 | 375 SW Powerhouse Dr Suite 100, Bend, OR, 97701, United States
Get ready for an exciting exploration into the crucial role insects play in Oregon’s high desert. Oregon Natural Desert Association’s High Desert Speaker Series continues with Dr. Tara Cornelisse, invertebrate zoologist, as she provides insights into the fascinating butterflies, moths and beetles residing in eastern Oregon. Tara will examine the current state of insect populations, share facts and stories about key species in the high desert, and highlight why conserving the high desert is vital for the future of insect populations and the entire ecosystem.

SheJumps | WILD SKILLS Junior Ski Patrol | Hoodoo Ski Resort, OR
2025-02-23 09:00 - 16:00 | Hoodoo Ski Area, 27400 Big Lake Road, Sisters, OR, 97759, United States
Join for the SheJumps Wild Skills Junior Ski Patrol day camp at Hoodoo Ski Resort on Sunday, February 23rd, 2025!

Trash-fashion Maker-Mentor workshop:
2025-02-28 08:00 - 17:00 | 375 SW Powerhouse Dr Suite 100, Bend, OR, 97701, United States
Rubbish Renewed presents free Trash Fashion DESIGN WORKSHOPS in collaboration with DIYcave.
• How can I create something from nothing?
• What is the value of trash beyond the landfill?
• What is its story?
Sign up for one of the first ever Rubbish Renewed free community design workshops! Rubbish Renewed is partnering with DIYcave to inspire and support new and burgeoning trash fashion designers of all ages. We created two 2-hour workshops to help jump-start your vision with an additional 1-hour free studio time gift card from DIYcave. Space is limited to 12 participants for each workshop. Several dedicated designers, material manipulators, and technical teachers will be on hand to meet you where you are in the process. Come with garment ideas, material samples, and an open mind!
Design Workshop 2: Friday, March 7th 4-6pm. Sign-up by visiting the Applications tab at rubbishrenewed.org or DIYcave.com

Kids’ Entrepreneur Spring Market
2025-03-08 13:00 - 16:00, 2025-03-09 13:00 - 16:00 | Downtown Bend Library, 601 NW Wall St., Bend, OR, 97701, United States
The Kids’ Entrepreneur Market is an entirely kid-run, eco-friendly market, for ages 7-17 to learn entrepreneurship by creating and selling their own products and services, all while considering the protection of our beloved planet.

SheJumps | Get the Girls Out! | Mt. Bachelor, OR
2025-03-09 09:00 - 14:00 | Mt Bachelor Ski Resort, 13000 Century Dr, Bend, OR, 97702, United States
Join SheJumps as they celebrate Get the Girls Out! – a nationwide campaign uniting women and girls- transgender and cisgender- as well as non-binary individuals to embrace the great outdoors while fostering a sense of adventure and camaraderie. At the start of each session they will have participants group up depending on terrain they want to ski/ride for each session. The prize drawing will include prizes from awesome sponsors and more! Each registered participant will receive one free prize drawing ticket, with the option to purchase more tickets at the event via cash or card. They need volunteers for this event! Please let Liz Sequeria (lsequeira@shejumps.org) know if you are available to volunteer. Sign-ups coming soon!

El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Children's Day/Book Day)
2025-04-25 18:00 - 20:00 | Hugh Hartman Elementary School, 2105 W Antler Ave, Redmond, OR, 97756, United States
El día de los niños/El diía de los libros (Children’s Day/Book Day), commonly known as Día, is a celebration every day of children, families, and reading that culminates yearly on April 30.
Día is a nationally recognized initiative that emphasizes the importance of literacy for all children of all linguistic and cultural backgrounds. It is a daily commitment to linking children and their families to diverse books, languages, and cultures. The common goals of all Día programming are to:

Celebrate children and connect them to the world of learning through books, stories and libraries.
Nurture cognitive and literacy development in ways that honor and embrace a child’s home language and culture.
Introduce families to community resources that provide opportunities for learning through multiple literacies.
Recognize and respect culture, heritage and language as powerful tools for strengthening families and communities.

WHAT: El Dia de los Niños, El Dia de los Libros also known as EL DIA (Childrenś Day/Book Day)
WHEN: Friday, April 25th, 2025 from 6 to 8 pm (Partners arriving from 5 pm on)
WHERE: Hugh Hartman Elementary School, Redmond, Oregon
El Dia event is organized in partnership with the Deschutes Public Library (liaison Diana Hernandez), and Hugh Hartman Elementary School part of Redmond School District. (liaison Jessica Pickens).

Earth Day Fair and Celebration
2025-04-26 11:00 - 15:00 | The Environmental Center, 16 NW Kansas Avenue, Bend, OR, 97703
The Environmental Center is thrilled to host their family-friendly Earth Day Fair and Celebration on Saturday, April 26th, from 11:00am to 3pm. This outdoor event features and celebrates our community through music and dance performances, local food vendors, businesses and nonprofits from across the region, electric cars demonstrations, an activity zone for all ages, and more!
Interested in volunteering? Sign up here!
Earth Day Fair & Celebration 2025 Schedule
11:00am | Welcoming remarks from The Environmental Center.

11:05-11:45am | Join Teafly and the Earth Guardians for a fun, interactive storytelling event celebrating Earth Day! This magical experience invites participants to become living representations of our beautiful planet. Dress up as your favorite part of the Earth—whether it’s the lush forests, the babbling rivers, the majestic mountains, or the vibrant wildlife—and step onto the runway and into the story! Bring your imagination, your costumes, and your love for nature to share in this one-of-a-kind experience!

12:00pm-1pm | Midday will feature performances by Ollin Yolliztli PDX-Traditional Aztec Dancing, accompanied by traditional Mayan drumming led by Maya T’aan Oregon.

1:15pm-1:45pm | Community Singing with Kira Seto. Join Kira Seto of Voices Rising Community Choir in a joyful celebration of our Earth with a participatory singing experience that welcomes the natural voice and unites us all. Through the simple act of singing together, we’ll connect with the gifts and preciousness of our natural world. From soulful to silly, you’ll pick up easy-to-learn songs—from simple pocket songs to polyphonic pieces—all taught by ear in a matter of minutes. Come try it and be delighted by the beautiful sound we can make together! Bring a water bottle and your authentic self. Everyone is welcome—no experience required!

2:00pm-3:00pm | Hokule’a of Central Oregon- ”From the gentle movements of the Hula from the islands of Hawaii to the rhythmic beats of Tahiti. Hokule’a brings the islands to you through dance and live drumming, sharing our history and culture with everyone.”

11:00-3:00pm | Fair featuring an activity zone, electric vehicles showcase, garden activities, free face painting, and local food and vendors.
