FANs Volunteers Remove  Destructive Weeds for Earth Day Cleanup - April 22, 2023
By Marilynne Keyser, FANs Native Plant Coordinator
Over 20 FANs volunteers turned out on April 22, 2023, to remove flannel mullein and medusahead in the Deschutes/Steelhead Wilderness Study Area near Steelhead Falls.
Jeff Scheetz organized the event which also included Lisa Clark, BLM Deschutes Field Manager, Dan Shaneyfelt, BLM Deschutes Resource Planner, and Nick Beheler, BLM Law Enforcement Ranger. Volunteers spent over 150 hours pulling invasive flannel mullein and medusahead near Steelhead Falls, and weeding around FANs Building. We were especially glad to have a group of American Heritage Girls from Crooked River Ranch join us.
Deschutes Wild & Scenic River Area - Focus of FANs Cleanup, Once Again! - April 23, 2022
By Jeff Scheetz,  FANs Stewardship Coordinator
Have you ever been enjoying the wonders of nature while hiking in the wild,  and then stumble upon a pile of trash? This disgusting  scenario repeats itself far too often on our public lands. 
On April 23rd, in celebration of Earth Day,  13 members of Friends and Neighbors of the Deschutes Canyon Area (FANs) expended 70 volunteer hours collecting trash in the W&SR section of the Deschutes River south of Lower  Bridge Way. This area contains many illegal spur roads into the protected land along the canyon rim. After some reconnaissance hikes, we identified about a dozen sites for clean-up.   Typical trash (estimated at 40 large bags total) included beverage containers, food packaging material,   auto parts, and clothing. Surprisingly,  major appliances  (washing machine and TV) were found and presented some additional transport challenges.  
With the approval of BLM, one new tool used by FANs this year was the addition of two ATV’s and a small utility trailer, owned and operated by Robin Galloway, FANs president, and her husband Mike. They used the quads to access areas which were too rugged to get into with regular vehicles. The volunteers picked up and bagged trash, then Galloways were able to collect the bags and take them to the main staging area. Along the way, they cleaned out every trash filled fire ring! BLM also provided  trash bags and trucks to assist in collection along the one legal road and hauled everything to a landfill. 
FANs has been working with public land managers for years to mitigate such abuse on public lands. We believe public education is a first and necessary step to stem the frequency  of mistreated sites. Placing “NO Motor Vehicle” signs plays an important role here and can be readily accomplished by volunteers.   To combat the persistent violators, physical barriers on illegal roads are unfortunately required. Lastly,  law enforcement action (citations and fines) can impact public perception of risks resulting from unlawful behavior.
We wish to thank all volunteers, acting individually or in groups, for helping  preserve our fragile environment through education, outreach and stewardship.
Picture
Mike Galloway cleaning out a trash-filled firepit | photo by Robin Galloway
Picture
FANs president, Robin Galloway, and BLM ranger Bruce Amsbary surveying the day's results | photo by Jeff Scheetz
Picture
Photo by Wendy Fink
Picture
Eric Hanson and Jeff Scheetz | Photo by Wendy Fink
Picture
Wendy Fink and Eric Hanson | photo by Jeff Scheetz
Rock Slide on Hollywood Road Cleared by FANs Volunteers - January 24, 2022
By Jeff Scheetz, FANs Stewardship Coordinator
During a fair-weather break between storms, a small group of FANs members gathered to clear a hiking trail of large boulders and rocks. Maintaining access to public lands is one of the precepts of our stewardship role. Apparently melt-freeze action, or perhaps erosion of supportive soil cause half a dozen rocks to slide onto the upper bench trail on Hollywood Road.
This un-witnessed event was discovered by Eric Hanson, a regular trail monitor in the area. He reported the trail conditions to the FANs leadership, as well as the landowner and the future land manager in his routine written report.
The smaller rocks were levered off the trail tread using rock bars. The two large boulders (estimated 800-1000 lb) required the additional use of a hand winch to pull them off the trail. Luckily there were abundant nearby trees to use as anchors for the winching operation.
While conducting the two hour maintenance, we met two fishermen descending the trail to the Crooked River. One stopped to chat, and displayed an impressive picture of a previous catch.
FANs members often report hiking conditions and can form the basis for a fast response work party. Such observations include trail tread conditions, interfering brush, trail obstructions, hazards, nearby invasive weeds, motor vehicle abuse, and litter.
In addition to these emergency responses, FANs schedules work parties several times a year, typically using many hands to pull invasive weeds, haul trash, and restore land features after damaging illegal activities on public lands. You can check our website (fansofdeschutes.org) and sign-up to participate in such events.
Eric was assisted by FANs members Wendy Fink and Jeff Scheetz.