Conservation Note for April

This month the Conservation Committee would like to draw your attention again to the conservation organizations we have featured so far, rather than featuring a new organization.

Oregon Natural Desert Association, onda.org , Bark, bark-out.org , Friends of Mount Hood, friendsofmounthood.org, and Greater Hells Canyon Council, hellscanyon.org , all continue to have a variety of educational programs, hikes, and volunteer opportunities. Dive in!

Now that spring is here, many of us will want to be back on the trails in the Gorge. Many of the trails which closed after the Eagle Creek fire are now open again. Trail Keepers of Oregon (TKO) trailkeepersoforegon.org, has been and continues to be a major player in restoring the Gorge trails we love.

Registration is open for their annual Tread School May 17-19, for those who want to learn more about trail maintenance and restoration. (Registration link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tko-tread-school-zigzag-ranger-district-registration-56131595112 ) Volunteering with TKO is a good way to get back into the Gorge and enjoy its changed but still beautiful hiking trails.

Perhaps most important of all, or at least most personal, is that the warm spring weather is melting the snow on Larch Mountain. We will soon be able to begin planting new little trees at Nesika, seedlings we can watch grow over the years. If you have not yet donated to sponsor a seedling tree, this is the time to do so, to make sure a little part of yourself is part of the forest restoration at our own Nesika. You can donate to sponsor a tree at trailsclub.org/payment, or contact our Nesika committee.

Wishing you all the enjoyment of spring in the woods, in the mountains, on the trails!
For the love of our forests, streams, rivers, and wetlands,
Your Conservation Committee