In Sisters, Oregon and throughout the Northwest, recent forest fires have reminded us just how much local forests impact our quality of life. With the Pole Creek Fire burning just 5 miles from Sisters, Central Oregonians came out in droves to volunteer at the National Forest Foundation’s Friends of the Forest® Day.  More than 115 volunteers were escorted through the fire closure area, driven past charred landscapes, and taken to the beautiful and lesser known river, Whychus Creek.... (Read more…)

Living in a state that boasts seemingly endless expanses of forest, prairie, rugged ridge-tops and lush river bottoms, I sometimes feel like public lands are a given. My children’s children will, of course, play hide-and-seek amidst the dense firs and spruces, fish from creek banks shaded by wispy willows and stare in wonder at a grazing herd of elk.  The rivers that flow from the local National Forest will continue to provide fresh water, the park will provide shady groves on... (Read more…)