The Environmental Center

Geology Hike - Smith Rock State Park
2014-03-22 | Deschutes Brewery Public House, 1044 NW Bond St, Bend, OR, 97701, United States
Join the Deschutes Land Trust and Derek Loeb for a geology hike along the Summit Loop Trail at Smith Rock State Park. This gorgeous 7-mile hike follows the Burma Road up to a ridge overlooking famed peaks like Monkey Face. On the descent, the trail crosses a private property protected by the Land Trust for its mule deer and Crooked River habitat. Along the way, learn about how Smith Rock’s unique geology was shaped by volcanoes and water.
Registration is required and opens 1 month prior to the event. Please register here.
Rating: Difficult, ~7 mile hike.
What to Bring: Snacks/Lunch, water, sturdy hiking shoes. Dress for the weather.

Growing Vegetables Class, Introductory Level
2014-03-22
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. For a full class schedule go here and here to sign up.
Call 541-548-6088 for more information

Sunriver Nature Center & Observatory Spring Break
2014-03-23 - 2014-03-28
Looking for something fun to do with the family over spring break? Check out what the Sunriver Nature Center & Observatory have to offer!
March 23rd – April 20th Open 7 days/week from 10am – 4pm Admission $4 adults, $3 kids, members free
Live Raptor Presentations each Thursday, Friday and Saturday (between 10am and 12pm)
Solar Viewing – March 22nd – 30th 11:00 am 0 2:00 pm – Free Admission Night Viewing – Saturday, March 22nd , Wednesday, March 26th , Friday, March 28th, Saturday, March 29th: 8:00 – 10:00 pm, $8 adults, $6 kids (2-12), members free In April, Observatory is open Wednesday and Saturday evenings 8:00 – 10:00 pm.
Special Activities 10:30am – 12:30pm
Tuesdays – Creature Crafts – Ages 4+
• Use your imagination to create nature inspired masterpieces! $13.50 members, $15 non-members.
Wednesdays – Family Nature Hike – All ages
• Join a naturalist for a hike around scenic Sunriver. We will lead you to some of the best places for wildlife viewing! Free with Nature Center admission.
• Rocket Science: Kids build and launch their own rockets. – March 26th – 10:30am – 12:30pm, $20: $18 Members: Registration Required
Thursdays – Experiments in Nature – Ages 5+
• Turn on your science mind and conduct your own experiments to learn how nature works! $13.50 members, $15 non-members
Fridays – Adventure at Benham Falls – All ages *some rough terrain
• Join us for a wildlife hike to Benham Falls. We will point out interesting plants and animals along the way while describing the geologic processes that formed Benham Falls. $10 adults, $5 kids (SNCO members, $8 adults, $2 kids). ***This is an off-site event, reservations required by Thursday*** Meet at the Nature Center by 10:15am.
• Rocket Science: Kids build and launch their own rockets – March 28th– 10:30am – 12:30pm, $20: $18 Members: Registration Required
Saturdays – Bird Walks
• Join our local bird expert, Tom Lawler for a birding walk on and near Nature Center grounds. The migratory birds are making their way through and are sure to offer up some great photo opportunities! Don’t forget your binoculars and camera! Suggested $5 donation

Please call the Nature Center at 541-593-4394 to make reservations for kids’ classes or hikes. We look forward to seeing you!

KPOV Kids Radio Camp
2014-03-24 - 2014-03-28
KPOV will be hosting two camps over spring break, Mon-Fri, March 24-28:
1. 10-12 year olds, 9am-noon
2. 12-14 year olds, 1pm-4pm
Sign up online for either spring break camp with the Bend Park & Rec District.

Growing Carbon
2014-03-25
Join former Central Oregonian and natural resource advocate, Jeff Goebel, to hear about his experience internationally and at home on how planting trees and plants in the quickest way out of the global dilemma.
Visit www.aboutlistening.com for more information about Jeff and his work abroad.

Bend Area Habitat for Humanity Home Dedication
2014-03-26
Join Bend Area Habitat for Humanity for the Nickelson Family home dedication, tour and lunch.
Location:
2848 NE Spring Water Place
Bend, OR 97701

March Green Drinks, hosted by Nature's Natural Foods Marketplace!
2014-03-27
We are returning to our standard Green Drinks for the month of March so that you can catch up with friends and meet some new faces. Stay tuned for more special Green Drinks events in 2014!
Our host for this month’s Green Drinks, Nature’s Natural Food Marketplace, has been a treat for the senses since they opened 30 years ago. Walking in the door, Nature’s customers are welcomed by colorful produce, friendly staff, and the aroma of daily soup specials, freshly roasted coffee, and naturally scented soaps and candles.
Fun fact about Debbie and Nature’s: she organized Bend’s first Earth Day Fair, in the Wagner Mall parking lot in front of her store. She wanted to bring together local people committed to environmental protection and personal health through natural foods. That’s the heart of Nature’s—pioneering the way for natural foods in Bend since 1986.
Green Drinks is a fun community event. You can learn about local green businesses and their sustainability efforts and share a drink or two with like-minded community members.
* Enjoy a truly Green Drink by bring your own cup to help keep this event Zero Waste and consider alternatives to driving alone such as carpooling, walking, biking and transit.

Earth Day Mask Workshops
2014-03-29
FREE at the Art Station!
Kids: grades 1st-4th: 10:00AM – 12:00PM
5th grade –Adults: 1:00PM – 3:00PM
$5.00 materials donation greatly appreciated!
*C.O. mask maker, OPB Art Beat Alumni and long time A.I.E. artist Debra Fisher will be volunteering her time to teach mask/costume workshops at The Art Station, for the Environmental Centers, Earth Day Parade held downtown Bend on Saturday April 19, 2014.
Central Oregon is full of amazing artist and creative folks, who live here for the natural beauty and out door life style. The Earth Day Parade needs your creative expression to help increase awareness and sustain our natural environment for generations to come. Please join us, to make this the best Earth Day event ever!
*The adult afternoon class will count for a professional development class for A.I.E. art teachers.
If you already have an idea for a mask/costume and need help with a design, or can’t make the workshop you can contact Debra by phone at 541-388-8369 for free consulting.
Being and animal not your thing? How about a plant or create a portable mural of your favorite Natural scene.

Lunch with LandWatch: Protecting Central Oregon at the Legislature
2014-04-01
At this month’s Lunch with LandWatch, Jonathan Manton will give an update on the 2014 legislative session. He will talk about why it is so important for Central Oregonians to have a voice in Salem, how grassroots efforts can make a difference, and what we can do to ensure the laws we have in place continue to protect the place we love.
What: LandWatch’s lobbyist for the public interest, Jonathan Manton, will speak about giving a voice to public interest issues in Salem and update us on the most recent legislative session.
When: Tuesday, April 1st, 12-1pm. Please arrive half an hour early to order your lunch.
Where: Zydeco Kitchen & Cocktails 919 NW Bond St. Bend. Menu can be found here.
Please RSVP here
More about Jonathan:
Jonathan is a graduate of the University of Oregon School of Law and has over a decade of professional experience in Oregon state government and politics. He is the Principal of Sawnee Services, a small business providing government relations and campaign services to clients throughout Oregon. Central Oregon LandWatch and Friends of the Metolius are among his clients.

Jonathan has been the lead advocate and author of several recent laws to further the public interest. These include a funding measure for survivors of domestic violence, a bill that improves crosswalk safety for pedestrians, and provisions that make bike/ped projects eligible for Connect Oregon dollars.

In a 2011 survey by the Portland Mercury, Oregon legislators ranked Jonathan the lobbyist most committed to the public interest, the lobbyist with the highest integrity, and the most effective lobbyist in Oregon.

Repair Café
2014-04-03
Join us for our in-person Repair Café on Wednesday, July 20, 5:30-7:30pm at Gear Fix!
The Environmental Center’s Rethink Waste Project coordinates with an amazing group of volunteer fixers to host Repair Cafés every few months. This will be the first in-person Repair Café in Central Oregon since 2020. These free events connect people with broken stuff to people who like to fix stuff – they’re all about repairing things (together). Stuff like, jewelry, small appliances and electronics, outdoor gear, clothing, and more. Repair Cafés are held around the world! Repairing with other people saves natural resources, prevents waste, and cultivates community. Learn more at envirocenter.org/tec-events/repair-cafe/
Not sure if it can be fixed? Bring it!
Contact: udara@envirocenter.org with questions or if you’re interested in being a volunteer fixer!

5th Birthday Bash for Badlands & Spring Basin
2014-04-04
On March 30, 2009, the Oregon Badlands and Spring Basin became forever protected with a stroke of the president’s pen. Join us on Friday, April 4, at the Oregon Natural Desert Association’s Bend office to celebrate the fifth anniversary of their designation as wilderness! We’ll offer up a fun photo contest, serve bites and bevs, dance to live music and recognize those whose hard work helped secure more than 35,000 acres of wild lands for future generations.

Discover Nature Days
2014-04-05
Presented by the Children’s Forest of Central Oregon Partners

August 6th
11:00am– 12:00pm
Boyd Park

Predators and Prey presented by The Environmental Center. Have fun learning about the diverse animals that call Central Oregon home through exciting games and interactive science activities. Free!

August 13th
11:00am– 12:00pm
Pine Ridge Park

Birds of Prey presented by High Desert Museum. Experience an up close encounter with a raptor and learn about exciting adaptations of birds of prey. Free!

Seed Starting Class
2014-04-05
Learn how to start your own seeds for your garden from OSU Master Gardeners™. Part of class will be in OSU Extension Greenhouse.

Earth Day Mask Making Workshop
2014-04-05
Saturday, April 5, at The Environmental Center
$5.00 materials donation greatly appreciated!
C.O. mask maker, OPB Art Beat Alumni and long time A.I.E. artist Debra Fisher will be volunteering her time to teach mask/costume workshops at The Environmental Centers for our Earth Day Parade held in downtown Bend on Saturday April 19, 2014. Being an animal not your thing? How about a plant, or create a portable mural of your favorite natural scene!
Central Oregon is full of amazing artist and creative folks, who live here for the natural beauty and out door life style. The Earth Day Parade needs your creative expression to help increase awareness and sustain our natural environment for generations to come. Please join us, to make this the best Earth Day event ever!
If you already have an idea for a mask/costume and need help with a design, or can’t make the workshop you can contact Debra by phone at 541-388-8369 for free consulting.

Whole Foods 5% Day
2014-04-09
Shop at Whole Foods Market in Bend on Thursday, April 18th and 5% of the store’s net sales will be donated to our school gardens program! Hope to see you there. Please spread the word.

Celebrate the 50th Wilderness Act Anniversary
2014-04-11
Join Discover Your Forest and the Deschutes National Forest for an evening celebrating Wilderness!
US Fish & Wildlife Wolf Coordinator, John Stephenson, will discuss wolves in Oregon and their connection with the wolves in the Frank Church Wilderness in the film.
The Film, River of No Return, is set deep in the heart of Idaho’s Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness, part of the largest roadless area left in the lower 48 states. At 2.5 million acres, it is larger than Yellowstone, yet most people have never even heard of it. Designated a federally-protected wilderness in 1980 by Congress, the region is full of deep canyons and mountain forests, rivers and abundant wildlife. Otters and elk, deer and coyotes, blue birds and bighorn sheep, and newly-restored wolf populations all thrive there. Today, nine packs of wolves roam freely through the park, each pack dependent on family – raising their young and hunting together.
Working with the Nez Perce Tribe in Central Idaho, wolf biologist Isaac Babcock spent 13 years participating in the wolf reintroduction program organized in the area. Wanting to share the raw beauty of the land and the wolves with his new wife, Bjornen, Isaac proposes spending a year there as an unconventional honeymoon, documenting their days as they go along. River of No Return tells their story, the story of a couple that took on the wilderness and all its challenges. The two have come to treasure their experience in an untamed place that, for a period of time, they called home.
$5 at the door goes towards Discover Your Forest.

Growing Vegetables Class, Advanced Level
2014-04-12
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.
For more information call 541-548-6088. Click here to register.

Bling Your Bike for Earth Day
2014-04-12
Rowena Meyer-Allen, a local encaustic artist, fabric soft treatments designer, and founder of the C.R.A.F.T. (Creative Reuse: Art From Trash) Materials Exchange will be offering a “Bling Your Bike for Earth Day” workshop at the Environmental Center. Bring your bicycle, tricycle, unicycle, wagon or other human-powered mode of transportation and transform it into the species of your choice to ride in the Earth Day Parade!
This is a free workshop. C.R.A.F.T. will be supplying materials. Donations of recyclable art materials are also welcomed and please, feel free to bring along any art supplies or tools you may wish to use or share. For a more information and a list of suggested materials, please visit the C.R.A.F.T. website.

Bird Costume Workshop
2014-04-13
Get ready for the Earth Day Parade by making a beautiful bird costume! We will be cutting, sewing, gluing, buttoning, and glittering old stuff into magnificent costumes that will turn you into a Central Oregon bird! This workshop will be fun for all ages – tiny toddlers to adults.

Choose the bird you’d like your costume to represent ahead of time, or decide at the workshop. At Camp Fire, we love the sage grouse, golden eagle, mountain quail, spotted owl, belted kingfisher, raven, northern flicker, turkey vulture, and scrub jay, but feel free to look at other Central Oregon birds to figure out which one inspires you.

We encourage you to bring items that are destined for the thrift store or landfill – we want to create costumes with materials that are stained, ripped, torn, too small, or too large. You can even choose what kind of bird you’d like your costume to represent, and bring materials in those colors. If you have a large pile of materials that you would like to share with others, please bring it! We are happy to donate any unused materials to a thrift store when the event is over. We will be deconstructing and reconstructing these materials into fitted likenesses of Central Oregon birds so we can all fly in a communal flock during the Earth Day Parade!

Kids under 11 must be accompanied by an adult.

Members attend for free! Non-members pay $5 at the door. Or, join Camp Fire today and come to the workshop for free!

Space is limited and registration for each participant is required. Please click here to register.

Bird Walk, Indian Ford Meadow Preserve
2014-04-14
Join the Deschutes Land Trust and Carol Wall on a bird walk at picturesque Indian Ford Meadow
Preserve. Explore pine forest, sage-flats, and creek-side willows in search for songbirds,
hummingbirds, and soaring raptors. Listen for the California quail’s distinctive “chi-ca-go” call
while you see what species of birds have returned as part of their spring migration.
Registration is required and opens 1 month prior to the event.
Please register online at www.deschuteslandtrust.org/events.
Rating: Easy, ~1-2 mile walk.
What to Bring: Binoculars, snacks, water, sturdy hiking shoes. Dress for the weather.

River of No Return Wilderness Film
2014-04-16
Join Discover Your Forest and the Deschutes National Forest for an evening celebrating Wilderness!
US Fish & Wildlife Wolf Coordinator, John Stephenson, will discuss wolves in Oregon and their connection with the wolves in the Frank Church Wilderness in the film.
The Film, River of No Return, is set deep in the heart of Idaho’s Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness, part of the largest roadless area left in the lower 48 states. At 2.5 million acres, it is larger than Yellowstone, yet most people have never even heard of it. Designated a federally-protected wilderness in 1980 by Congress, the region is full of deep canyons and mountain forests, rivers and abundant wildlife. Otters and elk, deer and coyotes, blue birds and bighorn sheep, and newly-restored wolf populations all thrive there. Today, nine packs of wolves roam freely through the park, each pack dependent on family – raising their young and hunting together.
Working with the Nez Perce Tribe in Central Idaho, wolf biologist Isaac Babcock spent 13 years participating in the wolf reintroduction program organized in the area. Wanting to share the raw beauty of the land and the wolves with his new wife, Bjornen, Isaac proposes spending a year there as an unconventional honeymoon, documenting their days as they go along. River of No Return tells their story, the story of a couple that took on the wilderness and all its challenges. The two have come to treasure their experience in an untamed place that, for a period of time, they called home.
$3 at the door goes towards Discover Your Forest.
Background:
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.

Nature Night: Attracting Native Pollinators
2014-04-16
April Nature Night with the Deschutes Land Trust
Pollinators—especially bees!—are an indispensable part of a healthy environment and a secure food supply. One in three mouthfuls of food and beverages require the presence of a pollinator. Despite their recognized importance, bees and other pollinators are in decline across the country.
Join scientist and insect wrangler Mace Vaughan from the Xerces Society for a fascinating evening on native bees, stories about their conservation, and how you can create beautiful gardens, parks, and farms that attract and support native pollinator populations.
This presentation is free, but you must get your ticket online: deschuteslandtrust.org/events.

Pints & Politics: Hybrid Mirror Pond Option
2014-04-17
The Hybrid Alternative for Mirror Pond at Pints and Politics
Can we have our cake and eat it too?
A small group is advancing the notion of a hybrid alternative for Mirror Pond. Come kick the idea around with the gang that started the ball rolling; Will Blount, Jayson Bowerman, Justin Rae, and David Blair. Come learn about the proposal, be a part of the conversation and find out how you can get involved in helping to support this vision as a viable alternative for Mirror Pond’s future.
When: Thursday, April 17th from 7-9pm
Where: Broken Top Bottle Shop, 1740 NW Pence Lane, Suite 1, Bend.
Join Us!

Fish Stick Making Workshop
2014-04-17
Come to this years Earth Day Parade prepared! Create a fish stick: People will fuse plastic bags in their own design and cut out a fish from a template. Sara can provide a design or you can create your own. We will tie the fish to a dowel with clear plastic string (monofilament) and people will wave the fish like flags at the Procession!
Call 541-420-4961 to sign up. There will be a $10 materials fee.

Wildflower Hike, Alder Springs
2014-04-18
Join the Deschutes Land Trust and Carol Moorehead for a hike to Alder Springs and then beyond
to the confluence of Whychus creek and the Deschutes River. We’ll hike from the top of the
Crooked River National Grasslands through sun-warmed sagelands that give us our first spring
wildflowers. See white sand lilies, yellow bells, spring gold and more as you hike down to Alder
Springs itself. Then, follow Whychus Creek to its confluence with the Deschutes River.
Registration is required and opens 1 month prior to the event.
Please register online at
www.deschuteslandtrust.org/events.
Rating: Challenging, ~8 mile hike.
What to Bring: Lunch/snacks, water, sturdy hiking shoes, water sandals for creek crossing.
Dress for the weather.

Spring Gardening Seminar
2014-04-19
Perennials and Shrubs in Central Oregon taught by Holly Shafer, owner Whistle Stop Farm and Flowers
With so many plants to choose from at local garden centers it can be confusing as to what does well here in Central Oregon. I will show you some hardy perennials and shrubs that will thrive in your garden. I will also give some tips on planting and care to get them off to a great start!

Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour
2014-04-19
Hot on the heels of the festival held every fall in Banff, Alberta, the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour hits the road, and we brought it to Bend!
On Saturday April 19th 2014, REALMS will proudly present the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour at Summit High School’s Auditorium in Bend, OR.
Tickets go on sale here Saturday March 1st.
The Banff Mountain Film Festival, a program of The Banff Centre, is the largest, and one of the most prestigious, mountain festivals in the world. With stops planned in about 350 communities and 32 countries across the globe, this year’s tour features a collection of the most inspiring action, environmental, and adventure films from the festival.
Traveling to exotic landscapes and remote cultures, and bringing audiences up-close and personal with adrenaline-packed action sports, the 2012-13 World Tour is an exhilarating and provocative exploration of the mountain world.
From approximately 260 films entered into the annual festival, award-winning films and audience favorites are among the films chosen to travel the globe.

Earth Day Fair & Parade
2014-04-19
Join The Environmental Center for a fun and festive celebration of the natural world! Our day of festivities kicks off with a colorful, creative parade filled with children and adults costumed as their favorite plant or animal. Get ready for the parade by creating your own costume!
11:00 am: Assemble on Louisiana Avenue next to McMenamin’s
11:30am: Parade starts (about 8 blocks through downtown Bend and ends at the Earth Day Fair)
No motorized vehicles or written words allowed in the parade. Well-behaved dogs on leashes are allowed.
Following the parade, there will be live music, local businesses, a variety of food, and great hands-on activities and games for all ages. The fair takes place on Kansas Avenue in front of The Environmental Center (downtown Bend).

Ten Friends Spring Celebration
2014-04-19
The Ten Friends Spring Celebration is Saturday, April 19th from 5:30-9:00 at Aspen Hall in Bend.
Stop by for delicious food, local micro brews, wine, silent auction, live music, raffle, Nepali imports for sale, and a slide show update on Ten Friends’ work in Nepal. $12 suggested donation for the catered dinner. Proceeds go to the Ten Friends Himalayan Education Center in Nepal. Children are welcome.
Developing countries that educate girls to the same degree as they educate boys benefit from lower birth rates, longer life expectancies, lower mortality rates and higher economic growth. Women’s education is an investment that critically influences social and economic development worldwide. Empowering women and investing in their futures is a major part of our mission and reason for Ten Friends’ existence. Help us help women. We hope you’ll be there for the tenth year of good times for a good cause.

Bird Walk, Camp Polk Meadow Preserve
2014-04-21
Join the Deschutes Land Trust and Bill Mitchell for a bird walk at one of Central Oregon’s birding hot spots—Camp Polk Meadow Preserve. Tune your ear and focus your binoculars as you stroll around Hindman Springs and into the meadow, watching for warblers in the willows, and woodpeckers working the pine groves. More than 160 species of birds have been observed at the Preserve, see how many you can find! Registration is required and opens 1 month prior to the
event. Please register online at www.deschuteslandtrust.org/hikes.
Rating: This is a moderate, ~2 mile hike.
What to bring: Binoculars (if you have them), snacks, water, sturdy hiking shoes. Dress for the
weather.
