The Environmental Center

Climate Action Week — October 5th to October 11th
2020-10-05 - 2020-10-11 | Deschutes Brewery Public House, 1044 NW Bond St, Bend, OR, 97701, United States
The countdown has begun, and there are only 48 days to go until election day. Time is running out for us to take action and make sure that we elect climate champions in 2020!
That’s why Oregon League of Conservation Voters is kicking things off with Climate Action Week. Help get climate candidates elected by participating in a week of climate-themed phone banks, text banks, and social media actions! Sign up here for Climate Action Week!
Climate Action Week — October 5th to October 11th

Mon 10/5: Climate Action Week kickoff day!
Tue 10/6: Phone Bank: Eileen Kiely for Senate District 27
Wed 10/7: Phone Bank: Courtney Neron for House District 26
Thu 10/8:

Phone Bank Option 1: Phil Chang for Deschutes County Commissioner
Phone Bank Option 2: Nafisa Fai for Washington County Commissioner
Phone Bank Option 3: Joel Iboa for Lane County Commissioner

Sat 10/10:

Phone Bank Option 1: Deb Patterson for Senate District 10
Phone Bank Option 2: Anna Williams for House District 52

Sun 10/11:

Phone Bank Option 1: Paul Evans for House District 20
Phone Bank Option 2: Debbie Boothe-Schmidt for House District 32
Phone Bank Option 3: Jason Kropf for House District 54

Womxn in Conservation: Striving for Work/Life Balance
2020-10-06
Enjoy several short presentations by amazing womxn in conservation sharing how they strive for a healthy work/life balance, lessons they’ve learned, struggles they’ve had, and advice for others. This will be followed by a Q&A panel with speakers.

Oregon State Legislature Candidate Forum
2020-10-07
Election season is upon us with candidates running to represent Bendites at the State Legislature in Salem.
The Bend Chamber of Commerce is hosting, in partnership with Miller Lumber and SunWest Builders, a series of forums to introduce the candidates to the community and learn more about their policy platforms.
Candidates scheduled to appear:
-Cheri Helt
-Emerson Levy
-Eileen Keilly
-Tim Knopp
-Jason Kropf
-Jack Zika
This year, the Chamber is adapting the format to allow for a virtual discussion of key issues affecting local business and the community. We hope you will join us!

Exploring Steens Facebook Live Q&A
2020-10-07
Pull up a camp chair, grab a beverage and have your questions ready!
You’ll be psyched to explore Steens Mountain when you listen in on a Facebook Live Q&A between Lace Thornberg, communications manager at ONDA and Matt Wastradowski, co-author of Pacific Northwest Hiking

BendFilm Festival 2020-A MOMENT IN THE SUN
2020-10-08
A MOMENT IN THE SUN follows the story of a four-seat, solar- powered tandem bicycle that was built at the University of Queensland, Australia in the early 1980s. Long before the Green New Deal, solar pioneers grappled with the future of our planet. This is the story of one outlandish effort to change public opinion about renewable energy. The film follows the trials and tribulations of the tandem team, the fledgling solar industry as it struggled against the dominance of fossil fuels, and a family’s life definded by the quest for renewable energy.
*This film is available October 8th at 8:00 am PDT, you’ll have 17 days to start watching. Once you begin, you’ll have 48 hours to finish watching.

‘Landscapes for People, Food and Nature’ 2012-2020: Reflections and Lessons Learned for Future Global Landscape Development
2020-10-08
Join for the next Landscape Roundtable convened by FAO and EcoAgriculture Partners to reflect upon the achievements and lessons learned from the Landscapes for People, Food and Nature (LPFN) initiative, which began in 2012 and officially closes this year. The LPFN initiative has been an international collaboration of knowledge sharing, dialogue and action to support integrated landscape management in order to achieve three simultaneous goals: improved food production, ecosystem conservation and sustainable livelihoods.
During the Roundtable, distinguished panelists representing the core partners of LPFN will reflect on the initiative and share their vision of where to go from here to further advance sustainable landscapes that fully meet the Global Goals.

Decluttering with the KonMari Method: COCC Continuing Education
2020-10-08, 2020-10-15
COCC’s Continuing Education Program is running a 5-class series with Marie Kondo’s trademarked method of decluttering expanded from her book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. One method of reducing waste and being environmentally friendly can be to minimize the amount of stuff that surrounds you. It can help your mind, your wallet, and your life.
What sparks joy for you?
Tidy Your Space. Spark Joy. Transform Your Life. The KonMari Method™ is the art of simplifying and organizing your home by choosing to keep the physical items that bring you joy and letting go of the rest with gratitude. Join Melissa Jean, a Certified Platinum KonMari Consultant, as she leads you through the philosophy, practice and practical application of tidying up your life and space using this method. This session will focus on books and students will spend time during class tidying up their own bookcases. Registration includes a 15-minute one-on-one session with Melissa after the class is over.
Focus areas with dates listed below. Classes taught online via Zoom, 9:30 am to 12:00 pm

Clothing – Oct 8
Books – Oct 15
Papers – Oct 22
Komono (Miscellaneous Items) – Oct 29
Sentimental Items & Mementos – Nov 5

Learn more about Melissa here.

Oregon Climate Action Plan Town Hall
2020-10-08
Make Your Voice Heard!
We need your help protecting the Oregon Climate Action Plan (OCAP) from the fossil fuel industry! In two weeks, join Oregon League of Conservation Voters for a virtual town hall hosted by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, and speak up in support of a strong climate action plan! Sign up here!
After Governor Brown signed the Oregon Climate Action Plan last March, state agencies have begun making plans to implement it and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. This is great—except, some of these plans are not strong enough, and polluting industries are trying to weaken them even further. The fossil fuel industry will stop at nothing to save themselves, even if it means destroying our planet and putting our communities at risk.
That’s where we come in. This is a climate crisis—a climate emergency, and we’re seeing the effects firsthand during this intense wildfire season. We have no time to waste! We need to make sure that the Oregon Climate Action Plan is as strong as possible for future generations. Please join one of the Department of Environmental Quality’s virtual town halls and drown out the voices of big polluters!
Using the form below, RSVP to (virtually!) You can attend whichever of the town halls works best for you!
Here are the dates:
Thursday, Oct. 8, 5 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 14, 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.

Bend COTA Work Events
2020-10-08
When: Thursday Aug 11, Tuesday Aug 16, Tuesday Aug 23 and Tuesday Aug 30, 5:15 to Dusk
Where: Meet at the old Ray’s parking lot, NE corner of Simpson Ave and Century Drive in Bend
Worksite: Varies
There’s only one thing better than mountain biking in Bend, OR and that’s riding in Bend, knowing that you helped build and maintain the trails you love.
Please bring a hydration pack with water and a snack.
Be sure to bring appropriate layers to accommodate whatever the weather may be.
Questions? contact@cotamtb.com
All COTA trail work events require the following safety measures:
All participants are required to have the following protective clothing and equipment:

Sturdy shoes or boots
Gloves
Eye protection with clear or light colored lens
Long pants

Due to COTA’s insurance requirements and the inherent dangers of trail work, we must implement the following policy regarding children at work events:

For anyone 14 years of age or younger, we require one parent, guardian, or responsible adult for supervision of every four kids attending any COTA trail work events.
All minors under the age of 18 must have a parent or guardian available to sign our waiver.

Anyone who arrives for a work event may be turned away if he/she cannot meet the above requirements.

20 Years of Steens Stewardship
2020-10-08
Join ONDA for a look back at milestones from 20 years of advocating for and restoring Steens Mountain, in a live-stream presentation led by Corinne Handelman, ONDA’s engagement manager, along with special guests photographer and frequent ONDA volunteer Sage Brown and ONDA’s program director Mark Salvo. With a history ranging from legal victories to backcountry stories, this event will dive deep into the complexity of a long-term conservation vision and leave you inspired to look ahead toward the next 20 years of stewarding Steens Mountain.

Mushrooms of the Lanna Kingdom
2020-10-08
Over the last year, Chef Zachary Mazi has lived, explored, and foraged for mushrooms from his base of Chiang Mai. During this virtual lecture, he’ll explore the culture of foraging and cooking with mushrooms in Northern Thailand.

Call of the Wild 2020
2020-10-09
Join Oregon Wild’s biggest event of the year – Call of the Wild – a camp-inspired virtual event that supports conservation the whole year through.
Just because the pandemic is requiring an all-virtual event doesn’t mean we can’t still bring the camp sensibilities!
Call of the Wild has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the fight to protect Oregon’s wild places over the last several years. But Call of the Wild is more than that – it’s also a chance for conservation-minded friends to gather and celebrate each other and the accomplishments that we can only achieve collectively. While we can’t gather in person this year, Oregon Wild wanted to make sure everyone still had the chance to put on their camp gear (flannel encouraged!) and gather together virtually.
Be part of the celebration by purchasing your advance ticket. We hope you’ll join us! Get your tickets today!

Ponderosa Pine Seedling Sale
2020-10-09, 2020-10-10, 2020-10-11, 2020-10-14, 2020-10-15
Fall is the perfect time to plant a Ponderosa Pine tree. Seedlings will be available in various sizes and range from one to four years old. Seedlings are cared for by local students and have been acclimated to a Central Oregon environment. Proceeds of the seedling sale benefit Project Ponderosa’s environmental education and habitat restoration programs. Detailed planting instructions with special tips to optimize success are included with all purchases. Nature Center admission is not required to purchase trees.
Learn more about Project Ponderosa and how to get involved here.

Mushroom Marketplace
2020-10-10
Stock up on all your mushroom essentials at the one-day outdoor Mushroom Marketplace. A wide variety of fresh and dried mushrooms will be available for sale along with mushroom growing kits, other mushroom food products, artwork, jewelry, books and native plants and seeds.
Entry to the marketplace is by timed ticket only and includes admission to the nature center. Reserve your tickets online today!

Nuclear Conflict–The Growing Threat and a Call to Action
2020-10-12
Hear a live talk from Dr. Ira Helfand, a two-time Nobel Peace Laureate (in 1985 on behalf of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War and in 2017 on behalf of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons).
Former Defense Secretary William Perry says that we are closer to nuclear war than we were during the Cold War. The scientific and medical community predict that even a very limited nuclear war that involves less than 1% of the world’s nuclear arsenals would cause enough climate disruption to trigger a global famine, putting 2 billion people at risk of starvation. There is growing international movement to prohibit and eliminate nuclear weapons through the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. “Back from the Brink,” a US organization, works to bring about fundamental change in U.S. nuclear policy and encourage the effort for a verifiable, enforceable, timebound agreement to dismantle the remaining 14,000 nuclear weapons around the world.

International Indigenous Peoples Day
2020-10-12

Recipes from Turtle Island
2020-10-13
Join a special celebration of World Food Day and Indigenous People’s Day as FAU launches “Recipes from Turtle Island,” a collaboration project between Slow Food Turtle Island Association, Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN, Slow Food USA, and the film “Gather.” Chefs will talk about the stories and foods behind their recipes.

Solving Bend’s Transportation Needs
2020-10-13
Measure 9-135 is focused on improving traffic flow, strengthening east/west connections, increasing safety and creating jobs.
Join us for an inside look on which projects are included, what to expect and how it will be funded. This webinar is free to attend.
Panelists:
· Katy Brooks – Bend Chamber CEO (moderator)
· Mike Riley – The Environmental Center Executive Director
· Ruth Williamson – Consultant
· Eric King – City of Bend City Manager

Oh Deer! Harmonious Living with Our Four-legged Neighbors
2020-10-13
Explore the historical and ecological context of Central Oregon’s deer populations. Sunriver Nature Center & Observatory will discuss the conflicts that arise when deer and humans overlap in their habitat and solutions to help mitigate common issues.

2020 World Food Day Commemorative Ceremony﻿
2020-10-14
Join FAO North America for the inaugural World Food Day Lecture by Homi Kharas, Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, and the announcement 2020 World Food Day Poetry Contest winners.

Oregon Climate Action Plan Town Hall
2020-10-14
Make Your Voice Heard!
We need your help protecting the Oregon Climate Action Plan (OCAP) from the fossil fuel industry! In two weeks, join Oregon League of Conservation Voters for a virtual town hall hosted by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, and speak up in support of a strong climate action plan! Sign up here!
After Governor Brown signed the Oregon Climate Action Plan last March, state agencies have begun making plans to implement it and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. This is great—except, some of these plans are not strong enough, and polluting industries are trying to weaken them even further. The fossil fuel industry will stop at nothing to save themselves, even if it means destroying our planet and putting our communities at risk.
That’s where we come in. This is a climate crisis—a climate emergency, and we’re seeing the effects firsthand during this intense wildfire season. We have no time to waste! We need to make sure that the Oregon Climate Action Plan is as strong as possible for future generations. Please join one of the Department of Environmental Quality’s virtual town halls and drown out the voices of big polluters!

Webcast: Western Oregon Mushrooms
2020-10-14
Is it raining yet? In this presentation, mushroom expert Bruce Newhouse will guide us in looking over, under, around and through western Oregon for fungi, and get to know a few and what roles they have – especially in our forests. We’ll get familiar with the words “mycorrhizal, saprobic and parasitic” and have some fun along the way. There will be some focus at the end on hunting, cooking and preserving edible fungi, since that is of such great interest to a lot of people.

Smithsonian Food History Weekend | Food Futures: Striving For Justice
2020-10-15 - 2020-10-17
The 2020 Smithsonian Food History Weekend and Gala from Home program will feature the voices of leaders involved in the myriad aspects of the food system—from agriculture, to restaurant kitchens and food banks across the country. Virtual gatherings will encourage people to share their stories of resilience in the wake of unprecedented economic, cultural, and public health pandemics. Explore models for food production and learn about grassroots efforts across the country that have responded to these crises.

Building Resilient Food Systems for Global Food Security and Nutrition
2020-10-15
Join for a World Food Prize side event co-hosted by the FAO North America and the Alliance to End Hunger to learn about the actions needed to promote more resilient and sustainable food systems.

Indigenous Perspectives on Earth and Sky, Featuring Chad Kālepa Baybayan
2020-10-15
Born and raised on Maui, Chad Kālepa Baybayan first sailed on Hōkūleʻa in 1975, a traditionally designed reconstruction of a double-hulled deep-sea oceanic voyaging canoe. He has since sailed on major voyages throughout the Pacific and in 2014 participated as captain and navigator on the Mālama Honua Worldwide voyage, a 47,000 nautical mile journey around the world that visited 26 countries and stopped at 85 ports. He currently serves as the Navigator in Residence at the ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center of Hawai‘i developing wayfinding activities, curriculum materials, and conducting outreach. In 2007, his teacher, Master Navigator Mau Piailug, on the tiny Micronesian atoll of Satawal, initiated Kālepa into the order of Pwo, a three thousand year old society of deep-sea navigators.
