Winter in Bend?! Where has it gone? Today it was 72 degrees on February 10th. Without getting into the debate on climate change and/or politics; we’ll tell you that we are PRAYING (dancing, singing, thinking, hoping) for snow. It’s amazing to be out floating the river, hiking, skiing in shorts, and getting a tan in early February. That being said, it really presents a scary scenario for what the spring and summer could look like. We’ve been lucky to only be effected by smoke that last several summers and not actual fire, but how long can that luck last? If we don’t some more precipitation soon, it could be tough for Central Oregon’s fire season and all the farmers/ranchers in the area.
How can you help? Again, let’s talk electric cars and composting egg shells… Let’s just focus on simple things you can do to remove your footprint for our gorgeous landscape. First off, LEAVE NO TRACE. It sounds simple, but it’s a bit more involved than you think. There’s nothing worse than hiking a long day through beautiful mountain scenery just to pull into a backcountry camp and find it littered with beer cans, food wrappers, discarded duct tape and bandages, and—the worst—used toilet tissue. But even dropping the accidental piece of garbage near the river can lead to a bigger pollution or contamination problem. Keep an eye on your things and make sure that you help keep Bend beautiful.
Secondly, beware of the local foliage. We live in a high desert climate. It might not be as green or a colorful as you see in a lowland environment, but it’s essential to our health ecosystem. Stay on trails, follow signage, and remember that the brown shrubbery is vital to the health of our environment. Plus, the wildlife around Central Oregon love our vegetation; so let’s keep it healthy!
Hopefully we’ll have another late winter storm blow through, dropping feet of snow in the mountains. Last March brought measurable snow to the area. Maybe we’ll get lucky again in 2022. But if we don’t; make sure you help take care of our amazing landscape while you also take advantage of this warm weather.