A few weeks ago we got to spend sometime in our "sort of" backyard — Portland — but this week we got to get our hands dirty for conservation in our actual backyard: Bend! We had forty employees from local member companies participate in trail building, garbage removal, and invasive tree removal in the Bull Springs area of Skyline Forest.
Big thanks to volunteers from Bend based Ruff Wear, Inc and Quick Feat International, as well as to our supporting sponsors: Ruff Wear, Inc., Stanley, a brand of PMI, and Clif Bar.
Volunteers got to mingle with representatives with local nonprofits Oregon Natural Desert Association, The Deschutes Land Trust, and 1000 Friends of Oregon, and learn more about the organizations and current projects.
Brad Chalfant, Executive Director of The Deschutes Land Trust, also gave a big thanks to all the volunteers:
“The Deschutes Land Trust has been working since 2005 to protect the big private timberlands on the east side of Oregon’s Cascades mountains. It’s been an uphill battle, since most people assume these lands are national forests and not at risk of development. The Conservation Alliance has helped us create a voice for these lands before they get broken up and sold off for development. Together we’ve made real progress and in the last year have seen the creation of Oregon’s first new state forest in 40 years. However, there’s a lot more work to do and the Conservation Alliance’s Backyard Collective just gave us a great new trail to help educate citizens, legislators and funders to create the momentum to make Skyline Forest a reality and permanently conserve another 66,500 acre of threatened forest.”
Here's to more of us getting out and helping to take care of the places we love!