Almost 50 volunteers joined us in the Metolius Preserve for the Bend Backyard Collective on Thursday, September, 29th. Employees from Ruff Wear, Inc., GearTribe, REI, Stanley, a brand of PMI, and QuickFeat International spent the morning lending a hand with forest restoration to help meet the Land Trust's long-term goal of restoring old-growth ponderosa pine forests. Among the volunteers were representatives from Conservation Alliance Grantees: The Deschutes Land Trust, Central Oregon Land Watch, and Oregon Natural Desert Association.
After a morning of work in the forest, volunteers enjoyed a catered lunch by Bleu Bite Catering under the sunny skies of this outstanding autumn day in Central Oregon.
Brad Chalfant, Executive Director of the Deschutes Land Trust had this to say after the event:
"People don't stand up for causes they don't understand and communities don't rally to protect lands they've never seen. The Conservation Alliance and its member companies provide critical visibility and inspired leadership for the scores of small conservation groups fighting against long odds to protect our remaining wild areas. The Backyard Collective allows the employees of CA members to get their hands dirty in the fight to protect and restore our wild places for our children and beyond."
The Deschutes Land Trust truly appreciates the efforts of our hard working volunteers!