COBKA Bee School
2018-02-10 | Deschutes Brewery Public House, 1044 NW Bond St, Bend, OR, 97701, United States
This annual event is structured to provide attendees with all the information needed to begin beekeeping in Central Oregon. Our event booklet will include the information discussed during the event as well as handy local supplier contacts, advice on local plant varieties to encourage pollinators and more.
There will be breaks between lectures to visit with mentors and see different types of hives and beekeeping supplies. There will be a lunch break with some snacks provided – please bring a sack lunch if you choose.
To reduce waste created by events: Please bring a water bottle and/or your beverage of choice as we will not be providing beverages in disposable packaging.
Registration is for our 2018 Bee School is $35 for non-members and $15 for current COBKA members.
Non-member registration includes one year of COBKA membership.

Clean Energy Jobs Lobby Day
2018-02-12 | Deschutes Brewery Public House, 1044 NW Bond St, Bend, OR, 97701, United States
Lobby days give you the chance to meet with your legislators and make a lasting impact on them; an opportunity to tell your story, and to urge them to make the environment a priority during the legislative session.
Clean Energy Jobs Lobby Day – February 6th (Focusing only on this climate bill)
The day includes best practices for meeting with your legislators, lunch, a march and rally on the Capitol steps, and then meetings with your legislators.
Register here.
Carpools will leave from several locations throughout the state. OLCV will be sending out all the information via email so you can catch a ride to Salem. Can you drive others? Register as a carpool driver. Can’t drive and need a ride down to Salem? Sign up to join a carpool near you.

High Desert Speaker Series
2018-02-13 | Deschutes Brewery Public House, 1044 NW Bond St, Bend, OR, 97701, United States
In this High Desert Speaker Series event, LeeAnn Kriegh, author of The Nature of Bend, shares little secrets and intriguing facts about the plants and animals of Central Oregon. (Did you know sagebrush is more closely related to tarragon than it is to the sage we cook with?) What better way to celebrate the romance of Valentine’s Day than by learning about the mating rituals and reproductive strategies of local flora and fauna? Kriegh writes about everything from junipers to porcupines in a conversational, even conspiratorial tone, and this fun talk will offer more of the same. You’ll laugh and learn and come away with an even greater appreciation for high desert plants and animals.
About the speaker: Bend-based writer and amateur naturalist LeeAnn Kriegh is the author of The Nature of Bend, a friendly and convenient guide to the most common plants and animals in Central Oregon. As a journalist, LeeAnn has written for a variety of magazines and newspapers, including The Oregonian. She currently runs a writing and editing business serving businesses and nonprofits nationwide. She has been a nature lover since her earliest days wandering beneath her mom’s towering rows of U-pick blueberry bushes.
Free and open to the public, but space is limited and registration is required. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. with the speaker beginning at 7 p.m.

Bend COTA Work Events
2018-02-15, 2018-02-22, 2018-03-01, 2018-03-08, 2018-03-15, 2018-03-22 | Deschutes Brewery Public House, 1044 NW Bond St, Bend, OR, 97701, United States
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.

Monumental Threat - Defending Oregon's Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument.
2018-02-21 | Deschutes Brewery Public House, 1044 NW Bond St, Bend, OR, 97701, United States
President Trump and Congress, with the help of Representative Walden, are attempting to shrink the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, opening up these protected public lands to aggressive logging. The president’s recent orders to shrink America’s Monuments constitute the largest elimination of protected public land in our country’s history, which means now is the time to get educated and get organized!
Join the Oregon Natural Desert Association, Oregon Wild, Great Old Broads for Wilderness- Bitterbrush Broads, Juniper Group-Sierra Club and the Vocal Seniority for a community forum about the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument and other threats posed to public lands.
Our program will include a presentation by long-time advocate for the Cascade-Siskiyou and chair of the Soda Mountain Wilderness Council, Dave Willis, on the history of the Monument, it’s unique ecology, and why it’s worth protecting. We’ll hear about the wider fight over public lands across the west, followed by a short overview on how you can get involved on the grassroots level.
In the face of unprecedented threats to our public places, defenders of public lands need to band together, so come join us for an evening of thoughtful discussion and next steps!

Juniper Group Program Night
2018-02-21 | Deschutes Brewery Public House, 1044 NW Bond St, Bend, OR, 97701, United States
Social 6:30, Program 7:00
An informative program about environmental issues, every third Wednesday of the month.

Candlelight Dinner
2018-02-23 | Deschutes Brewery Public House, 1044 NW Bond St, Bend, OR, 97701, United States
Learn how to reduce your utility bills, light up your home all winter long with LEDs, and win FREE raffle prizes! Dine as normal – talk to the experts.
Join us at our partner restaurant, Sisters Saloon. For more information,

Mountainfilm on Tour - A Fundraiser
2018-02-23, 2018-02-24 | Deschutes Brewery Public House, 1044 NW Bond St, Bend, OR, 97701, United States
Mountainfilm on Tour brings a selection of culturally rich, adventure-packed documentary films curated from the Mountainfilm festival held every Memorial Day weekend in Telluride, Colorado.
We’re hosting two nights of films that will inspire you to create a better world, with different playlists each evening. (View the films when you purchase tickets.) Intermission features a great raffle with grand prize packages from local gear & bike shops. And remember – this is our big fundraiser for the year – so buy those raffle tickets and become a member that weekend to receive some bonus tickets.
Tickets
$22/night in advance | $25 at door | $40 in advance for both nights
Purchase tickets online or at the Tower Theatre box office
Doors 6 p.m. and films 7 p.m.
This event will sell out!

High Desert Revue
2018-02-24 | Deschutes Brewery Public House, 1044 NW Bond St, Bend, OR, 97701, United States
Formerly the High Desert Home Companion that played to an enthusiastic audience in November, the High Desert Revue is an entertaining, engaging, and funny showcase of Central Oregon’s talented musicians and performers. The High Desert Revue is a benefit for KPOV.
Featuring music, old time radio skits, story-telling, comedy, and hilarious mock ads, the High Desert Revue will satisfy all of your entertainment needs in one night in the intimate setting of the Cascades Theatre!
Warm up a cold winter night with the second edition of the live radio variety program that features the performing whizzes of Central Oregon.
The High Desert Revue benefits KPOV, Central Oregon’s High Desert community radio station. The High Desert Revue will feature live music, an old time radio show, sketches, mock ads and storytelling. After last fall’s highly successful debut, the show’s creators have incorporated constructive audience feedback to make this winter’s show even better and more entertaining.
Acts scheduled to appear include: Bill Powers of Honey Don’t, Matthew Gwinup, and Jumpin’ Joyce Respess, who will also serve as musical director. Storyteller Pat Kruis will offer a heartwarming tale. Further, the Around the Bend Players, featuring Brad Thompson, Judi Van Houweling, Barb Largent and Thomas T – leader of the Abluestics – will satirize Bend and beyond.
Tickets:
In advance: $12 ($10 KPOV members)
At the door: $15 for all.
Stay tuned to kpov.org for ticket purchase details or call KPOV at 541-322-0863.

Taking the River's Temperature: It's Not Just Another Number
2018-02-25 | Deschutes Brewery Public House, 1044 NW Bond St, Bend, OR, 97701, United States
Dr. E. Ashley Steel, Ph.D. is a quantitative ecologist and statistician with the Pacific Northwest Research Station of the U.S. Forest Service.
Dr. Steel’s research investigates the role of variability in ecological systems. Currently she’s measuring, modeling, and predicting water temperature on river networks. Her work can inform policies and actions for protecting and restoring the health of rivers like the Deschutes.
She will present recent work on:

understanding and visualizing the complexity of water temperature patterns in rivers;
capturing the facets of the thermal regime that matter to the fish;
experiments and cool math to explain why fish and other aquatic organisms might care about whether the water temperature is stable or fluctuating;
how humans may be altering aspects of river thermal regimes in ways we don’t understand;
linking experimental evidence, models, and data collected in rivers to prepare for a changing climate.

Admission is free; we will gladly accept donations at the door.

Fossil Free Fast: Volunteer Meeting
2018-02-26 | Deschutes Brewery Public House, 1044 NW Bond St, Bend, OR, 97701, United States
Concerned about climate change, fracked gas and proposed fossil fuel projects in our region? Join 350Deschutes and keep the momentum going to fight the Pacific Connector Pipeline and Jordan Cove LNG projects and new proposed pipeline projects in the Cascades Range. We need your help with assisting local government make a just transition our region to a clean energy economy.
Watch clips of powerful movement leaders that we missed on the January 31st Livestream. Hear motivating stories on the urgency of the current political and climate crises, to light our path ahead on how local resistance is the key to winning against the Trump Administration’s ongoing attacks We are working with groups locally and across the nation to secure the lasting change we need.

Upper Deschutes Basin Study: Public Open House (Sunriver)
2018-03-05 | Deschutes Brewery Public House, 1044 NW Bond St, Bend, OR, 97701, United States
Come learn more about how to meet water needs into the future.
The Upper Deschutes River Basin Study is a 3-year planning study focused on meeting water needs for rivers, irrigated agriculture and growing communities in the Deschutes Basin over the next 50 years. It is focused on strategies to reduce the approximately 230,000 acre-foot shortfall that has been identified. The Study is funded by the Bureau of Reclamation and the State of Oregon Water Resources Department, and is co-managed by a diverse group of basin stakeholders. The Basin Study Work Group invite you to attend public houses to learn more about the available strategies to restore rivers and meet community needs into the future. Study leaders will present preliminary Basin Study findings, and there will be stations set up with experts to answer questions and discuss the findings.
To learn more, visit the study website.
Open House Dates and Locations
March 5th, 1:00-3:00 PM
in Sunriver
Sunriver SHARC
57250 Overlook Road
Sunriver, OR 97701
Hosted by the Sunriver Anglers
March 5th, 5:30-7:30 PM
in Bend
Bend Parks and Recreation
District Office
799 SW Columbia Street
Bend, OR 97702
March 6th, 5:30-7:30 PM
in Madras
The Inn at Cross Keys Station
66 NW Cedar Street
Madras, OR 97741

Upper Deschutes Basin Study: Public Open House (Bend)
2018-03-05 | Deschutes Brewery Public House, 1044 NW Bond St, Bend, OR, 97701, United States

Upper Deschutes Basin Study: Public Open House (Madras)
2018-03-06 | Deschutes Brewery Public House, 1044 NW Bond St, Bend, OR, 97701, United States

Wildflowers of Deschutes Canyon Area
2018-03-06 | Deschutes Brewery Public House, 1044 NW Bond St, Bend, OR, 97701, United States
The middle Deschutes River Canyon provides a variety of native plant communities associated with the Sagebrush steppe. Wildflowers are blooming from February to October on rocky slopes, canyon rims, amongst bunchgrasses and along the river.
Photos of the most common of these native plants have been captured in a new pocket guide published by the Friends and Neighbors of the Deschutes Canyon Area (FANs). The author will present a slide show on the canyon and its plant communities. The guide will be for sale for $12. All proceeds are donated to FANs.
Marilynne Keyser, President of Friends and Neighbors of the Deschutes Canyon Area (FANS), is a retired CPA who also worked on Governor Barbara Robert’s policy staff during the early 1990s. She is an avid birder, hiker and canoeist, and an amateur native plant specialist. Marilynne heads up FANs’ Native Plant and Invasive Weed efforts.
Admission is free; donations accepted at the door.
Join the Coalition for the Deschutes at this event and receive a free book!
NOTE: You do not need to print tickets for this event; we will have a sign-in sheet at the door.

Green Drinks: All About ADUs
2018-03-08 | Deschutes Brewery Public House, 1044 NW Bond St, Bend, OR, 97701, United States
Please RSVP here.
Join us at Green Drinks to hear from special guest, renowned ADU expert, Kol Peterson from Accessory Dwelling Strategies. He will provide a brief introduction to ADUs and give an overview of his new book: Backdoor Revolution: The Definitive Guide to ADU Development.
Kol will be joined by Al Tozer of Tozer Design and Josh Wilhite of Copperline Homes to showcase recent projects right here in Central Oregon. If you’re starting to think about building an ADU, this panel of experts is for you!
Backdoor Revolution was written to guide homeowners aspiring to build ADUs and to assist municipalities that wish to foster their development. Through case studies, expert interviews, first-hand anecdotes, images, and data analysis, it reveals the opportunities, challenges and best practices of ADU development including costs, financing, design, zoning barriers, and regulatory loopholes.
Green Drinks is an international concept and is an enjoyable way to network, learn about local businesses and their sustainability efforts, and enjoy a drink or two. As always, please bring your own cup and consider carpooling, biking, or walking (there is very limited parking available at this venue so we’ll have three prizes to give away for those who don’t arrive in a car!). Please follow posted parking sides and only park on the designated side of the road.
Thank you to our event partners

Living on a Few Acres Conference
2018-03-10 08:00 - 17:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Deschutes County Fair & Expo, 3800 SW Airport Way, Redmond, OR, 97756, United States
Plan to attend this informative annual conference held on March 10, 2018 at the Deschutes County Fair & Expo Center in Redmond. Improve your knowledge and acquire new skills by taking courses taught by experts in a variety of subjects. There is something for everyone, from urban gardeners and hobby farmers to ranch and farm business owners.
This educational experience, presented by the Oregon State University Extension Service, is a successful collaboration of many Central Oregon agencies, sponsors, vendors and volunteers.
Learn more about the following topics: Food safety from garden to kitchen, pressure canning, beginning beekeeping, enhancing wildlife habitat on your land, wildlife intervention strategies, weed management, soil information, pasture managment, growing hay, raising livestock and poultry, water rights, new irrigation projects from COID, use and calibration of backpack and ATV-mounted sprayers, irrigation system maintenance and cost share ideas, and many more.
Registration is now open!
Early registration deadline March 2nd – $50/person
$60/person after the deadline

Lessons from Lostine River
2018-03-14 | Deschutes Brewery Public House, 1044 NW Bond St, Bend, OR, 97701, United States
Prior to 2005, Lostine River in northeast Oregon frequently ran dry in late summer, leaving threatened Chinook salmon without passage to critical spawning grounds. Since then, The Freshwater Trust has worked collaboratively with nearly 100 irrigators to restore critical in-stream flows that support this iconic species and the local agricultural economy. Recently, the organization partnered with a local landowner to increase irrigation efficiency on nearly 900 acres of traditionally flood-irrigated land. Rob Kirschner, General Counsel to The Freshwater Trust, will present on the past, present, and future of these cooperative efforts, and offer insights on how conservation groups and irrigators can work together to restore Oregon’s streams.
Following Rob’s presentation, Natasha Bellis with the Deschutes River Conservancy (DRC) will talk about DRC’s partnership with Central Oregon Irrigation District on a Bureau of Reclamation water marketing grant, and how this effort will incorporate some of the same basic principles used in the Lostine deal to share water between irrigation, river, and municipal interests.
Thanks to the Deschutes River Conservancy for their support for this program.
Admission is free; donations accepted at the door.

PuddleStompers: Watery Wonders
2018-03-17 | Deschutes Brewery Public House, 1044 NW Bond St, Bend, OR, 97701, United States
Spark a sense of wonder for nature through imaginative play, exploration, songs and stories. This week’s program is Watery Wonders with Upper Deschutes Watershed Council. Free!

PuddleStompers is a special series just for ages 3-5 and family. Spark a sense of wonder for nature through imaginative play, exploration, songs and stories. Each event features a different partner and theme, and connects families to plants, wildlife, and local parks and natural places.
Program Dates
03/17/2018- Watery Wonders
04/14/2018- Fledging Fun
05/12/2018- Fantastic Flowers
06/09/2018- Wildlife is Everywhere

March Nature Night: The Era of Megafire
2018-03-20 | Deschutes Brewery Public House, 1044 NW Bond St, Bend, OR, 97701, United States
The year 2017 was a record fire year with 9.1 million acres burning in the U.S. More than 680,000 acres burned in Oregon alone, in at least 33 different fires, one of which was a megafire that burned 191,000 acres. Join Dr. Paul Hessburg for an engaging, multimedia presentation about wildfire, its natural role in our Central Oregon forests, and how that role has changed. Learn how we’ve interrupted the natural fire cycle of our forests and how, with a rapidly warming climate, we are experiencing more of these megafires. Dr. Hessburg will discuss the many options we have to reshape the wildfire problem, and how we all can learn to better live with the coming wildfires.
This event is free, but registration is required.

Juniper Group Program Night
2018-03-21 | Deschutes Brewery Public House, 1044 NW Bond St, Bend, OR, 97701, United States
Of Plants and Rocks and Peoples: A Geobotanical Tour of Central Oregon
Oregon’s diverse plant life is a result of its diverse geology. Please join us as Dr. Stu Garrett explores the wide variety of Central Oregon’s botanical treasures and how they relate to the spectacular landscape that surrounds us. We will make an armchair tour of the stupendous floods of northern Oregon, consider the glacial sculpting of the ice ages, and visit the dramatic lands of lava of eastern Oregon. You will learn about some of Oregon’s rarest plant species. These are the special places that draw us to Central Oregon and move us to protect them.
As an author, co-founder of the Native Plant Society of Oregon, Chairman of the Newberry Volcanoes Citizens Committee which enabled designation of Newberry National Volcanic Monument, winner of the 2012 Bend Memorial Clinic’s Lifetime Achievement Award for contributions in quality healthcare and community leadership, and recipient of numerous other awards, Dr. Stu Garrett is truly a modern day Renaissance man. His multi-faceted interests and knowledge converge in the rarified field of ethnogeobotany, a natural history take on how geology affected plant life in the high desert and how ancient peoples used plants and rocks to make a life here. We are honored to present his fascinating talk on a Geobotanical Tour of Central Oregon.
6:30 social gathering/networking, 6:50 action item and program.

Saving Snow Documentary Screening
2018-03-22 | Deschutes Brewery Public House, 1044 NW Bond St, Bend, OR, 97701, United States
Across the country, people who depend on winter for their livelihood are feeling the heat. On the sidelines of skiing and snowboarding, an epic struggle to reverse rising temperatures is unfolding. Ski towns and the snow sports industry are paving the way towards a clean energy future.
This 53-minute documentary by filmmaker Diogo Freire finds specific examples of communities that are being affected—and also show how they’re responding. “Saving Snow” focuses on people coming to terms with these changes. But it also presents solutions. The film highlights individuals and organizations who are working to reduce their communities’ impacts on the environment and raise awareness of the need for action.
Learn more about the film here.
Q&A to follow the film, plus a few words from a special guess and local POW ambassador, Matt Baker. Come learn more about how to get involved in climate action right here in our own community. This event is being organized in partnership by The Environmental Center, Protect our Winters (POW), and Oregon League of Conservation Voters (OLCV). Big thanks to 10 Barrel Brewing for hosting!

Meet Your Farmer Dinner
2018-03-22 18:00 - 21:00 | Wild Oregon Foods, 61334 S Hwy 97 Suite 360, Bend, OR, 97701, United States
The Meet Your Farmer Dinner Series is a wonderful way to really meet your local farmers!
Meet Your Farmer dinners consist of a locally sourced, gourmet meal hosted by and prepared by rotating local restaurants. During dinner you will be treated to a presentation by the evening’s featured farmer.
About Wild Oregon Foods: Wild Oregon Foods is a diner style restaurant in Bend, Oregon committed to creating delicious, fresh and locally sourced food. We source our ingredients from all over central Oregon.
About Crooked River Bison: We raise our bison in the most humane and ethical possible manner. Our bison receive a diet of native grass and are never given steroids or hormones to artificially stimulate growth. When it comes time to harvest, we only field harvest in small numbers to maintain a low stress environment. The extra care we put into our ranching practices ensures that the meat on your dinner plate is of the highest quality. We adhere to our strictly-defined ranching standards and practice the most ethical ranching methods so you and your family can enjoy the tastiest, most flavorful bison meat available.

SOLVE Spring Oregon Beach Cleanup
2018-03-24 10:00 - 13:00
Join SOLVE and thousands of volunteers on March 24 as we clean up litter and marine debris from the entire Oregon coast! Since 1986, this home-grown tradition of twice-yearly beach cleanups has benefited people and wildlife alike, supporting clean seas and healthy communities. This is a family friendly event and SOLVE invites all Oregonians to participate.
Sign up here!
Choose from one of 45 beach cleanup sites from Fort Stevens State Park near Astoria to Harris Beach in Brookings. Pick your favorite beach or head somewhere new!
