People Who Collaborate

It was a winding journey that brought Jeff Rose to his work with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). "It was a long path to Burns that took me from Connecticut through South Dakota to Oregon. I have a BA in Biology from Yankton College, Yankton South Dakota and a MS in Rangeland Resources from Oregon State University. I moved our small family to Harney County in 1988 to work for the Eastern Oregon Agricultural Research Center (EOARC) as a Research Technician. I spent 11 years at EOARC learning and working on a variety of research projects from animal nutrition to plant ecology and physiology. That experience prepared for my first job with the BLM as the Fire Ecologist for the Burns District BLM. I was hired as the District Manager in 2016." Read more .

Pictured: Jeff Rose, District Manager with Bureau of Land Management during a pre-COVID field trip with the Harney County Wildfire Collaborative.

Southern Malheur Forest & Sagebrush Sea Collaborative Care

Both the Harney County Restoration Collaborative (HCRC) and the Harney County Wildfire Collaborative (HCWC) met in February with at least 30 partners in attendance at each virtual meeting.

HCRC partners are working together to determine how best to have a fire tolerant southern Malheur Forest. A couple tactics on the table this year are prescribed burns that will happen this spring and fall to help manage the forest's fuel loads. The partners are also providing input this spring on an extension request for the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program (CFLRP). This program provides additional funding to the U.S. Forest Service to accomplish restoration on the Malheur National Forest. HCRC was successful receiving funding from this program in 2012 and are currently in the last year of implementation of this 10 year program. If the extension for this program is provided HCRC would receive up to 10 years of additional funding. For insights into how this funding is used and its impact read this REPORT.

HCWC partners are continuing their work in the Pueblo Mountains with seeding, monitoring and more to continue with the first ever fire break project in a Wilderness Study Area. Next up for HCWC is project planning for a restoration project in the Stinkingwater Mountain region of Southeast Oregon. For this project the partners are working toward implementing a Potential Operational Delineations program in this landscape. That's a mouthful but in simple terms it means looking at a landscape and identifying what do we VALUE about that landscape; what RISKS does the landscape face from fire; what is the SEVERITY of the risks and finally, considering VALUES, RISKS and SEVERITY together, what fire management tools do we PRIORITIZE to create a fire tolerant landscape. This conversation continues at the next HCWC meeting March 18.

Winter in the Harney Basin is a Quiet Time Full of Anticipation

Winter in the Harney Basin can bring hard work for ranchers, a time of dormancy for plants and carp doing a 'million eyes hypothesis' to protect themselves from predators. It's a quiet time full of anticipation. READ THE ARTICLE.

Thanks to rancher and photographer Susan Doverspike for the beautiful pictures and video sharing scenes from the Harney Basin.

A burgeoning business coming to life in Harney County to provide native seeds for landscape scale restoration projects. EcoSource's existence is to foster large-scale restoration of degraded sagebrush steppe ecosystems, help conserve underground water resources in agricultural production, and enhance the rural economy of the High Desert region. Learn much more at EcoSource's new WEBSITE.

60 Miles from Nothing, There's Innovation

Harney County and innovation go hand-in-hand; the latest blog from Brenda Smith. READ HERE.

SHOPPING Harney!

Do you have a Shop Harney card burning a hole in your pocket?

If so, take it shopping and put those Shop Harney dollars to work. Shop Harney!

Harney Internship Program

Internships available this spring for Burns High School Juniors and Seniors, MORE HERE.

Contact Harney Internship Program Coordinator Denise Rose at denise.youthconnect@gmail.com with any questions and to learn more.

Project IBiS Continues

Audubon Society of Portland Eastern Oregon Field Coordinator Teresa Wicks has a community science project underway, Project IBiS. You can help by counting birds this spring.

Project IBiS is helping provide information on bird communities that utilize flood-irrigated ranch lands in Harney County as well as provide information on how new infrastructure at some properties is influencing bird use of these areas. Check out this website to learn how being outside counting birds can make a difference and where you can help.

Harney County Migratory Bird Festival Is Going Virtual For 2021

Mark your calendar for the weekend of April 23 for this year's festival. Due to the ongoing uncertainities with the pandemic, the Harney County Migratory Bird Festival committee are hard at work planning a VIRTUAL event. More to come with the details of how to experience the spring wonder and beauty of the Harney Basin from the comfort of your home.

2021 Upcoming Events

Wednesday, March 10 | Malheur National Wildlife Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Plan Collaborative Meeting

Wednesday, March 17 | High Desert Partnership Board Meeting

Thursday, March 18 | Harney County Wildfire Collaborative Meeting

Wednesday, April 21| High Desert Partnership Board Meeting

Friday, April 23 - Sunday, April 25 | Harney County Migratory VIRTUAL Bird Festival

*All meetings are virtual meetings that can be accessed via ZOOM conferencing or a phone call. Contact Ben Cate at ben@highdesertpartnership.org for conferencing links and numbers.

Check out High Desert Partnership's event calendar.

Harney County Wildfire Collaborative and
Megafire Prevention

Harney Basin Wetlands Collaborative and Reviving Malheur Lake

Six Collaboratives Supported By

High Desert Partnership

HDP Website

HDP 2020 Year In Review

COVID-19 Information Sources

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Oregon Health Authority

Governor Kate Brown

Small Business Resources

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