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Friends and Neighbors of the
Deschutes Canyon Area: What We Do Tom Iraci, FANs Board Member and professional photographer, created a video that shows some of our work and play, along with the beauty of the Deschutes Canyon Area public lands. Enjoy!
Guide to Common Native Plants of the
Deschutes Canyon Area written by FANs President Marilynne Keyser This field guide includes the most common native plants on public lands near Crooked River Ranch in Central Oregon. This guidebook is small (8.25 x 4.5 inches) and durable, so you can take it on your hikes to identify native shrubs, bunchgrasses and wildflowers on the many trails around Lower Whychus Creek, the Middle Deschutes and Lower Crooked Rivers. Organized by bloom time, this field guide is especially helpful in February through September. FANs of the Deschutes Canyon Area member price is $10 and non-member price is $12. Your purchase helps support FANs projects that preserve and restore public lands in the Deschutes Canyon Area. CLICK HERE to learn more and order Guide to Common Native Plants of the Deschutes Canyon Area.
Deschutes-Steelhead Falls Wilderness Study Area:
Public Lands Worth Protecting Summary of President Marilynne Keyser's Testimony Before Senate Committee, August 2018 FANs is a local stewardship organization based at Crooked River Ranch (CRR) that was started six years ago by neighbors who love the incredible river canyons bordering CRR and believe in the importance of local involvement in managing public lands. With our nearly 400 members and an additional 600 participants and volunteers our mission is to preserve and restore the wild landscapes of the Whychus-Deschutes area, which includes the Deschutes Canyon-Steelhead Falls Wilderness Study Area (WSA) that will be impacted by HR 2075. FANs has long recognized the need to implement fire risk reduction measures on both public and private lands in and around CRR. FANs worked for over a year with others in the community, including the fire chief, the homeowners association board President, and the appropriate federal agencies, to develop a collaborative concept that would ensure CRR is better protected from wildfire while also resolving the status of the entire WSA, one of the most scenic, wild places in Central Oregon. A concept emerged that is a true win-win solution. This approach would result in fire risk mitigation activities in the form of fuels treatment on BLM lands adjacent to CRR, wilderness protection for certain qualified public lands, and release of certain lands from WSA status. Our organization is not opposed to WSA release. In fact it was FANs representatives on the working group that introduced the idea as a part of the collaborative process. But we have several serious concerns about the approach of HR 2075.
Although the public lands impacted by HR 2075 are located in our backyard at CRR, Whychus-Deschutes contains outstanding recreation opportunities, one of the highest concentrations of cultural sites and artifacts in our region, and critical habitat for native plants, fish and wildlife. All of these resources are currently threatened by illegal off-road vehicle abuse, recreation overuse, and vandalism. Certain public lands in this area need and deserve permanent protection. Finally, we need to ensure land managers have the direction and the resources to tackle these complex and serious issues. We believe a comprehensive solution based on true local collaboration is possible for this area. I urge the committee to expand this bill to address the concerns of all the stakeholders of this incredible wild landscape. CLICK HERE to read Marilynne Keyser's HR 2075 written testimony. |
Upcoming Events and ProjectsEarth Day Stewardship Project at
Steelhead Falls Trail April 20, 2019, 8:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. (you can volunteer for a few hours) Steelhead Falls Trailhead Recreationists that treasure Steelhead Falls and the surrounding public lands have a great opportunity to join Friends and Neighbors of the Deschutes Canyon Area (FANs) volunteers for a stewardship project to celebrate Earth Day. You can choose the type of work you want to do: cleaning up the trail and campground, eliminating invasive weeds, restoring rock boundaries, planting native seeds and plants, closing user-created trails, or collecting large boulders for use on trail restoration. (Note: We will need one backhoe to pick up the boulders and one or two trucks to deposit them near the trailhead. Let us know if you can provide the big equipment.) . Families are welcome, as there will be work that all ages can do.
CLICK HERE to learn more and register for this event. FANs of the Deschutes Canyon Area's
2018-2019 Lens on Learning Series: Bringing Speakers on the Natural World to Crooked River Ranch Shackleton's Antarctic Nightmare
Story created and told by Portland Story Theater's Lawrence Howard April 27, 2019, 4:00 p.m. Juniper Room at Crooked River Ranch $15 advance for members $18 advance for non-members $20 (cash or check) at the door All tickets are non-refundable. Shackleton’s Antarctic Nightmare is the gripping, heart-breaking, true story of British explorer, Ernest Shackleton, and the Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914. Shackleton’s dream of being the first to cross the Antarctic continent on foot became a nightmare when his valiant ship, The Endurance, was crushed in the pack-ice of the Weddell Sea. The story of how he and the 27 men of the expedition survived on the ice and eventually came to safety is an epic tale of hardship and suffering, of courage, determination and fortitude. CLICK HERE to learn more and register for this event. 
Portland Story Theater's Lawrence Howard takes listeners on a journey through the rich landscape of story.
FANs 2019 Guided Hikes:
All guided hikes are free. To help reduce damage to the trail, minimize social impacts on other visitors, and protect wildlife habitat, group size is limited to 8 hikers, and dogs are not allowed. Registration opens one month before each hike. If the hike is full, sign up on the wait list, and you will be sent an invitation via e-mail if a space opens. If you have to cancel, send us an email at fansofdeschutes@gmail.com. This will open up the space for another hiker. Crooked River Wetland Birding Trip Wednesday, April 17, 8:00 am - noon Rating: Easy, 1.9 miles (wheelchair accessible; mobility-assistance vehicle available) Guide: Marilynne Keyser CLICK HERE to learn more and register for this hike. May 4 National Grassland Nest Box Trail Hike May 7 Rimrock Springs Hike* May 18 Scout Camp Trail Wildflower Hike May 23 Chimney Rock Wildflower Hike June 1 National Grassland Nest Box Trail Hike June 6 Smith Rock Interpretive Nature Hike June 11 Lava Cast Forest Wildflower & Geology Hike June 15 Lookout Mountain Wildflower Hike June 26 Steelhead Falls Wildflower Hike June 27 Deschutes River Trail (Bend) Hike* June 29 Scout Camp Trail Wildflower Hike Aug 30 Newberry National Monument Hike Sept 17 Riffle Lane Wildflower Hike Sept 26 McKenzie River Hike to Tamolitch Pool * Indicates easy hike for all abilities. Tom Iraci, photographer and FANs board member, created a slideshow titled "Beauty in the Canyons," featuring images from the Deschutes Canyon Area. Click the blue button below to view this spectacular slideshow.
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Friends and Neighbors of the Deschutes Canyon Area
fansofdeschutes@gmail.com P.O. Box 2127, Terrebonne, OR 97760 541.771.FANS (3267) |
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