August 2020 Deschutes Canyon Currents: Invasive Weeds | Volunteer Actions

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Deschutes Canyon Currents

August 2020

Wildfire creates a dramatic sunset in the Deschutes Canyon Area. Photo: Tom Iraci

We work to preserve and restore the wild landscapes of the Middle Deschutes and Lower Crooked Rivers and Lower Whychus Creek through stewardship, outreach and education.
-FANs of the Deschutes Canyon Area's Mission Statement

Our Lens on Learning Series Continues Online

Common Weeds of the Deschutes Canyon Area
Presented by Marilynne Keyser
Saturday, September 5, 2020, 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. via Zoom
Registration is required to receive the Zoom link to participate.
REGISTER NOW

Marilynne Keyser, author of Guide to Common Native Plants of the Deschutes Canyon Area, will help you learn to recognize and manage common weeds of the Deschutes Canyon Area. Her talk will cover noxious invasive weeds on county lists because they threaten healthy ecosystems and the economy. It will also cover those "obnoxious" (not on noxious list) weeds that are found on public lands and private properties. In addition to information about having a Friends and Neighbors of the Deschutes Canyon Area weed consultant visit your property, Marilynne will share other county and commercial resources to help you manage weeds on your own property.

This presentation is open to the public, so please share this with friends that might be interested.

Scotch thistle is an invasive weed found on public and private lands around Crooked River Ranch.
Photo: Marilynne Keyser

Jump Right In and Learn about Invasive Weeds!

The best way to learn about invasive weeds is to jump right in and get hands-on experience in the field. We are looking for two volunteer Invasive Weed Consultants to work with Penny Radtke and help property owners identify weeds, along with native plants, on their properties. Invasive weed consultations usually occur May through August. If you are interested in learning more about invasive weeds and native plants, please don't hesitate - we need help, and this is a great way to learn something new and pay it forward to others in your community. Call Penny Radtke at 541-410-0299 or email fansofdeschutes@gmail.com.

Hands on learning is the best way to learn about invasive weeds.

FANs Summer Stewardship Snippets

While our Leadership Team has not assembled work parties on our public lands this summer, and we truly miss seeing many of you at these stewardship projects, these members have worked independently to accomplish important tasks on our public and private lands around the Deschutes Canyon Area.

Rhan Fitzpatrick took on the weekly task of watering new bunchgrasses at Steelhead Falls Trailhead and showy milkweed (planted by FANs in 2016) at Foley Waters on the Middle Deschutes River. When the May 2020 hail storm caused another major washout at Steelhead Falls parking area, Rhan dug out the buried bunchgrass starts. Without Rhan’s continued commitment, much of our restoration effort would have been lost.

FANs Invasive Weed Consultant Penny Radtke saw this towering Scotch thistle along a busy road at Crooked River Ranch. She grabbed trash bags and loppers and went to work removing this invasive weed before it went to seed. Penny has also been busy this summer visiting property owners at Crooked River Ranch to help them identify weeds and native plants on their properties.

Trail Monitor Eric Hanson continues to report on trail conditions to Bureau of Land Management, and he performs minor restoration activities while on the trail. You may have seen Eric's landscape and native plant photos on FANs social media.

An anonymous FANs member worked hard to remove invasive thistles at the south end of Otter Bench Trail. (Some of you may have spotted this volunteer, that prefers to remain anonymous, in action near the trailhead.)

If YOU have been taking personal action this summer to protect our local public lands or improve native habitat on your own property, please send us a photo with a short description of your actions. We'd love to share it!

Monarch Butterflies in the Deschutes Canyon Area

Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) eggs were found on native showy milkweed (Asclepias speciosa) growing along the Lower Crooked River near Crooked River Ranch. We have not yet seen monarch activity at our Monarch Way Stations along the Middle Deschutes River, but we look forward to monitoring the stations next season for signs of monarch butterflies.
Photo: Marilynne Keyser

Crooked River National Grassland Nest Box Trail News
Diane Randgaard, Crooked River National Grassland Nest Box Trail Coordinator

Two American Kestrels Banded in Early August

On August 5, 2020, certified bander Ken Hashagan banded two female American kestrel (Falco sparverius) nestlings in a nest box on the Crooked River National Grassland Nest Box Trail. The third chick, a male, was found deceased in the nest box during this visit. Banding data is shared with American Kestrel Partnership. Don McCartney, who founded the Central Oregon kestrel project 23 years ago, said this is this is the latest group of kestrel chicks that has been reported in Central Oregon! Please contact Diane Randgaard at fansofdeschutes@gmail.com if you would like to learn more about the Crooked River National Grassland Nest Box Trail.
Photo: Diane Randgaard

Our Commitment to
Equity and Inclusion

Tragic events in recent months have reinvigorated important and long overdue conversations from coast to coast about racism in America. It is clear the suffering by people of color that has led to this time in history. We hope now we are witnessing a vital change.

Friends and Neighbors of the Deschutes Canyon Area (FANs) board of directors is recommitting itself to expand our outreach to accomplish greater diversity in our program participants, program subjects, membership, and leadership. We view these efforts as an opportunity to accomplish long-standing goals of FANs, but, more importantly, as a pathway to help erode societal biases and their tragic consequences by sharing our love and enjoyment of our part of the public lands that belong to us all.

With this goal in mind, we are requesting ideas from you, our members, on ways we can continue this work to reach out more effectively to local communities and broaden our own FANs group. The board is steadfast in its mission to ensure that everyone feels invited to experience, enjoy, learn about, and support the public lands under our stewardship. Thank you for your input as we move forward together.

My Future, My Vote

With less than 70 days to the election, it's important to educate ourselves on the issues that matter to us. My Future, My Vote will help you develop a plan for voting in November's election, create or join teams, take actions and win points for prizes, and easily invite your friends and community.

Board Meeting Schedule

Friends and Neighbors of the Deschutes Canyon Area board meetings are usually held at 4:00 p.m. the second Sunday each month using Zoom. Copies of the agenda are available before the meetings. Public comments are welcome at the end of board meetings.

Our next board meeting will be September 13, 2020, at 4:00 p.m. via Zoom. Please email us at fansofdeschutes@gmail.com if you would like to participate in this meeting.

FANs Board of Directors

Our all-volunteer Board of Directors focuses on our mission: Preserve and restore the wild landscapes of the Middle Deschutes and Lower Crooked Rivers and Lower Whychus Creek through stewardship, outreach, and education.

Read more about our Board of Directors and Leadership Team.

Friends and Neighbors of the Deschutes Canyon Area
is proud to be a part of
Friends Grassroots Network
and
Central Oregon Conservation Network.

FANs is a 501-C-3 Nonprofit Organization EIN #45-4986167

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Our mailing address is:
Friends and Neighbors of the Deschutes Canyon Area
PO Box 2127
Terrebonne, OR 97760
541.771.FANS (3267)

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Friends and Neighbors of the Deschutes Canyon Area · PO Box 2127 · Terrebonne, OR 97760-2127 · USA