The Environmental Center

Pints and Politics
2014-03-20 | Deschutes Brewery Public House, 1044 NW Bond St, Bend, OR, 97701, United States
Meet the Oregon League of Conservation Voter’s Endorsed Candidates at the Broken Top Bottle Shop and Ale Cafe!
Join OLCV, friends, volunteers, and community members to hear from local candidates who care about protecting Oregon’s natural legacy, from 7pm-9pm.
August 21st: Craig Wilhelm, for State Representative (HD 54-Bend)
September 18th: Jodie Barram, for Deschutes County Commissioner
Visit the OLCV website for more information.

Reflections on Fifty Years of Bird Banding
2014-03-20
Birder’s Night – Reflections on Fifty Years of Bird Banding
Enjoy an evening with Jim Anderson, one of the most esteemed storytellers and naturalists in Central Oregon, as he shares stories and photos of raptors he has known in his 50-years of banding birds. Jim’s stories will include how he got started with bird banding, his first encounter with a golden eagle, and insights into what causes raptor fatalities. Jim promises a lively program, with photographs and lots of time for questions and group interaction.
Anderson has worked continuously as a naturalist for over 50 years, including a life-long interest in golden eagles. He taught for many years at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry before establishing permanent residence in Sisters, where he writes a weekly nature column in The Nugget, volunteers in schools and is an active member of Friends of the Sisters Library.
The program begins at 6:30PM; A discussion covering local birding and birding events starts at 7:00 PM, with Anderson’s talk from 7:30 to 8:30.
ECAS members, friends, neighbors and Central Oregon visitors are all welcome.

Build It! Breakfast
2014-03-20
You’re invited to the 3rd Annual Fundraising Breakfast, a powerful and inspiring opportunity to find out more about Bend Area Habitat for Humanity. Guests will enjoy a free continental breakfast during the one-hour program, which includes:
• A meaningful video that will give you an understanding of how Habitat changes lives through home ownership.
• An update on Habitat’s progress and vision from Executive Director, Mark Quinlan.
• Inspiring testimonial from a family whose life has been drastically changed through Habitat for Humanity.
• Message from Guest Speaker.
Schedule:
7 a.m. – check-in, breakfast
7:30 a.m. – program
8:30 a.m. – program conclusion
Funds raised on this morning will be used in Bend and Crook Co. Bend Area Habitat for Humanity
plans to serve more than 30 families this year through homeownership, rehab, repair and
weatherization services.
Please park in Lot E at St. Charles Medical Center and enter through the main entrance.
The conference room is just off the main lobby to the east.
To RSVP, please contact the table host who invited you. If you have questions, email
Robin Cooper Engle, Community Outreach Manager.

Absolutely Incredible Kid Day
2014-03-20
How often do we stop to tell the kids and teens in our lives how incredible they are? This is why Camp Fire founded Absolutely Incredible Kid Day® in 1997—to activate millions of adults across the U.S. to write/tell a young person in their life what makes them incredible.
Join Camp Fire Central Oregon on Thursday, March 21st to celebrate the incredible kids in our lives with an afternoon of FREE ice skating at The Pavilion in Bend!
Free ice skating for all kids up to 18 years old*. Fun for the whole family – raffles, contests and tasty treats! Wear your Camp Fire t-shirt for a free raffle ticket.
*Must be accompanied by an adult and arrive by 5:30pm. Limit first 200 kids in the door.

Nature Night: Central Oregon Wildflowers
2014-03-19
March Nature Night with the Deschutes Land Trust
Central Oregon’s high desert country has diverse habitats from wet meadows to sage-steppe, ponderosa pine forests, and high elevation meadows and peaks. As a result, the area is home to a great number of species of native wildflowers, trees, and shrubs. Some are big, showy, and widespread. Others are tiny and easily overlooked.
Join photographer and field guide author Mark Turner on a colorful, armchair exploration of some of his favorite Central Oregon plants. See rare or uncommon plants along with showy favorites via Mark’s stunning photography.
This presentation is free, but you must get your ticket online: deschuteslandtrust.org/events.

Growing Vegetables Class, Advanced Level
2014-03-19
This class will go into detail how to grow the most common vegetables for the area, including tomatoes. A two hour class for the community.
A two hour class for the community. Go here for details and here to sign up.
Call 541-548-6088 for more information

Growing Vegetables Class, Introductory Level
2014-03-18
An introductory class on growing vegetables including climate, site selection, soil preparation, season extension and crop selection. A two hour class for the community.
A two hour class for the community. Go here for details and here to sign up.
Call 541-548-6088 for more information

Light Up The Night
2014-03-17, 2014-03-07
The Deschutes County Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee has teamed up with Commute Options for Central Oregon, the City of Bend, and the Road Users Safety Task Force to conduct several evening events to enhance the visibility of people walking and biking to motorists.
Each evening event will highlight the safety issue as well as provide critical gear to the community to eliminate these types of crashes.
Critical gear includes:
• front reflector
• rear reflector
• front head light
• highly visible clothing
• reflective tape
• reflective leg and arm bands
• flashing reflectors.
There are few nighttime related walking and biking crashes in Bend, however, most result in injury or death. In the five year period between 2006 and 2010 there were 19 nighttime bike riding crashes reported to the police. Ninety percent of these crashes involved a person riding on a bike while dressed completely in dark clothing on a bicycle that was completely invisible to the motorist that struck them. Similar statistics exist for nighttime walking crashes.
Through this campaign we wish to highlight the importance of night time safety habits while walking and biking in our community.

Whychus Canyon Hike
2014-03-16
Join the Deschutes Land Trust and Mary Crow for a late winter hike at Whychus Canyon Preserve. Explore ancient juniper groves and panoramic mountain views as you hike down into a canyon carved by Whychus Creek. Then, watch for birds and maybe even some early wildflowers as you hike out of this stunning rimrock canyon into the grasslands and beyond.
Registration is required and opens 1 month prior to the event. Please register here.
Rating: Moderate, ~4 mile hike.
What to Bring: Snacks/Lunch, water, sturdy hiking shoes. Dress for the weather.

KPOV’s Spring DJ Class
2014-03-15
KPOV’s Spring DJ class begins Saturday, March 15th. The three session class will prepare you for going on air or volunteering at High Desert Community Radio.
Registration is through COCC Community Learning.
For more information about the DJ classes, or about becoming a KPOV DJ, email Jill at KPOV.

FARMER & RANCHER LISTENING SESSION
2014-03-14
Listening Sessions are an excellent venue for farmers and ranchers to come together to talk about the beauty of and the barriers to farming successfully in Oregon. It is also a chance to brainstorm solutions and help define the future of agricultural policy in Oregon.
For more information click Here
RSVP

Old Mill Bird Walk
2014-03-14
Old Mill Bird Walks occur every other Friday, beginning April 1st through May 27th.
Time: 10:00 AM – 12 noon
Location: Meet at The Old Mill Ticket Kiosk. Binoculars are available for check-out.
What: A leisurely walk around the Old Mill property adjacent to the Deschutes River.
Who is invited: Walks are appropriate for all ages and interested parties, from novices to experienced avian experts.

Camp Fire Day Camp
2014-03-13
Spend March 13th & 14th–No School Days–at Westside Village School with Camp Fire! Kids kindergarten through fifth grade will explore theater, dive into science projects, make crafts, learn about nature, sing songs, play games, and get outside. Join us for just one day or both days.

Powering Up for People, Planet and Peace over Profit
2014-03-12
The Global Climate Convergence for People, Planet, and Peace over Profit is an education and direct action campaign beginning this spring, with “10 days to change course,” running from Earth Day to May Day. It provides coordinated action and collaboration across fronts of struggle and national borders to harness the transformative power we already possess as a thousand separate movements. These grassroots justice movements are sweeping the globe, rising up against the global assault on our shared economy, ecology, peace and democracy. The accelerated climate disaster, which threatens to unravel civilization as soon as 2050, intensifies all these struggles and creates new urgency for collaboration and unified action.
You are invited to a planning meeting to Power Up our community…
We will discuss ways to meet folks from other organizations to share information, ideas and strategies to increase our visibility and effectiveness as a community.
Come join us Wednesday brimming with energy, enthusiasm, ideas and TIME in these TIMES of CHAOS!
For more details call Sue Bastian at 541-389-3677 or email her runsuebike@hotmail.com

2014 Build It! Breakfast
2014-03-12
Join us for a FREE fundraising breakfast where you will hear inspiring family stories and learn about how Habitat is changing lives in Bend and Crook County.
Seating Still Available,
Please RSVP by Friday, March 14
To attend, contact Robin Cooper Engle, rcooper@bendhabitat.org.
For more infomation click HERE

Wednesday Morning Birders
2014-03-12
Join local birders every Wednesday for birding trips in Central Oregon.
Meet at Nancy P’s at designated time for each day. The group car pools, sharing expenses for gas, and taking turns driving.
Current plans for March are:
• March 12 – Millican Valley – 7 AM
• March 19 – Fort Rock, ALL DAY – 7 AM
• March 26 – Prineville Wastewater Ponds – 8 AM

Chasing Ice Film Screening
2014-03-11
Join the Juniper Group Sierra Club for a free film screening of Chasing Ice.
James Balog and his young team set out on a bold expedition to capture the receding of Iceland’s Solheim Glacier. Employing time-lapse photography over 3 years in harsh subzero Arctic conditions, we see undeniable evidence that these giants of ice are literally shrinking before our eyes. Winner of over 30 film festival awards, Chasing Ice delivers photography and adventure at its most spectacular.
6:30 pm gathering, 7:00 pm program
Free and open to the public.

Growing Vegetables Class, Advanced Level
2014-03-11
This class will go into detail how to grow the most common vegetables for the area, including tomatoes.
A two hour class for the community. Go here for details and here to sign up.
Call 541-548-6088 for more information

Camp Fire Alumni Open House
2014-03-11
Were you in Camp Fire as a kid? Come see what we’re doing at the Central Oregon council!
Drink tea, enjoy Camp Fire candies, tour the office, check out our historical books and photos, and share Camp Fire memories.
RSVP to info@campfireco.org.

Birding By Ear
2014-03-11
The East Cascades Audubon Society will be kicking off another season of Birding By Ear guided birdwalks in March. Dave Tracy will be leading walks each Tuesday thru mid-June and we look forward to seeing what migrants will be showing up over the course of the upcoming spring season.
We’ll meet at Sawyer Park along the Deschutes River starting at 8:00am.
Attendance is FREE and ALL AGES and skill levels are welcome to attend. Bring your binoculars and be prepared for chilly weather, so dress warm with gloves and appropriate footwear. Typical time and distances will vary, but generally the walk will from 1.5-3 miles long over the course of a 1.5-2 hour walk.
Our objective will be for all to have an enjoyable time and get to know our local birds better, by sight as well as by ear. We will focus early on getting to know the relatively small number of resident and wintering birds and then share the excitement as we note the arrival of neotropical migrant wrens, vireos, swallows, swifts and others. The morning chorus will fill the air with song over the next few months, and knowing the bird vocalizations adds another level of enjoyment and strengthens our connection to nature as we soak in this wonderful seasonal phenomenon.
Contact Dave Tracy for more information. Tel (541) 390-9931.
Visit the East Cascades Audubon Society’s website for more information.

Spanish version, Growing Vegetables Class
2014-03-06
An introductory class on growing vegetables including climate, site selection, soil preparation, season extension, and crop selection given in Spanish.
Go to http://extension.oregonstate.edu/deschutes/garden-classes for more information.

Growing Vegetables Class, Introductory Level
2014-03-05
An introductory class on growing vegetables including climate, site selection, soil preparation, season extension and crop selection.
A two hour class for the community.

Green Team Movie Night: Gasland
2014-03-04
The Green Team will watch “GASLAND II” which was aired on HBO last July.
In this “explosive” follow-up to his Oscar-nominated film “GASLAND,” filmmaker Josh Fox takes a broader, deeper look at the dangers of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, the controversial method of extracting natural gas and oil. The film argues that the gas industry’s portrayal of natural gas as a clean and safe alternative to oil is a myth and that tracked wells inevitably leak over time, contaminating water and air, hurting families, and endangering the earth’s climate with the potent greenhouse gas, methane. In addition the film looks at how the powerful oil and gas industries are in Fox’s words “contaminating our democracy”.

OSU Cascades Site Plan Open House
2014-02-28, 2014-02-27
Site Plan for Phase I of OSU-Cascades expansion
Public Meeting
Oregon State University – Cascades is proposing to develop a
10.44 acre parcel located at 1500 SW Chandler Avenue, Bend,
OR 97702, northwest of the intersection of SW Chandler Avenue
and SW Century Drive. The site, currently zoned (CL) Limited
Commercial, will include approximately 138,000 sf of academic,
residential, and retail development along with site development
amenities which include pathways for pedestrians and bicycles,
access roadways, parking and public plazas. These facilities are
anticipated to be completed by fall 2015 to support the current
undergraduate OSU-Cascades population plus an additional 300
students for the expansion to a four-year university.
Where: Cascades Hall, Rm. 117-118
COCC Campus
2600 NW College Way, Bend, OR
Accommodations for disabilities may be made by calling 541-322-3100.

COTA Membership Meeting
2014-02-27
COTA welcomes everyone to meet the newly elected Board of Directors. There are a number of new faces and a long list of new ideas to discuss.
Biketoberfest details will be finalized in the coming weeks and we welcome input. What is the best way to utilize 150+ volunteers?
COTA seeks Committee members – The workload is substantial and we are looking for help in several areas; website, membership software, communications, education (to name a few). Many hands make light work, and yes, the world is run by those who show up!

Alone in the Wilderness Film Screening
2014-02-27
On February 27 the Deschutes National Forest and Discover Your Forest will host another wilderness movie event to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act.
The event also will feature Forest Service trails specialist, Chris Sabo, who will discuss the use of primitive tools to maintain facilities and trails in congressionally designated Wildernesses.Alone in the Wilderness, is a documentary about Dick Proenneke who spent decades in the Alaskan backcountry.
The film is a simple account of Proenneke’s day-to-day explorations and activities in the backcountry, and the constant chain of nature’s events that kept him company. Admission is free and the room holds 80 people. Seating will be done on a first come, first serve basis and people attending the movie will not be allowed to hold seats. Groups should plan to arrive together.
This is the second event in a series of Wilderness themed movies to celebrate the historic 50th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act. As a primary sponsor of the Wilderness series, Discover Your Forest will be accepting donations to help support their programs.Discover Your Forest is a local non-profit supporting the Deschutes and Ochoco National Forests and Crooked River Grassland.
The Wilderness Act was signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson on September 3, 1964 after having passed through Congress with bipartisan support. The original Act created approximately 9 million acres of Wilderness in 13 states. Since its passing, 109,511,966 acres have been designated as Wilderness in 44 states and Puerto Rico.

Lunch with LandWatch: Off Road Vehicle Impacts
2014-02-25
Wilderness guide, ecologist, and writer, George Wuerthner, will be discussing the impacts of Off Road Vehicles on public lands. George is the author of Thrillcraft: the Environmental Consequences of Motorized Recreation.
Please RSVP here.

Telluride MountainFilm on Tour
2014-02-21 - 2014-02-22
Save The Date: Telluride MountainFilm on Tour
February 27 & 28 at The Tower Theatre
MountainFilm on Tour features the best films from the world-renowned film festival in Telluride, Colorado. MountainFilm is dedicated to educating, inspiring and motivating audiences about issues that matter, cultures worth exploring, environments worth preserving, adventures worth pursuing and conversations worth sustaining. All proceeds benefit The Environmental Center. Watch a teaser trailer!
Tickets are $20 in advance, $23 at the door (careful – this event often sells out!) and $35 for both nights. Get your tickets online now at The Tower Theatre.
Different films each night! Check out the film lineup here.
