People Who CollaborateAshley Tunstall serves as the Southeast Oregon Regional Biologist for Ducks Unlimited, working across Lake and Harney County to restore wetland habitats and support waterfowl habitat conservation efforts. Her work combines scientific expertise with community engagement, creating solutions that benefit both wildlife and landowners.
"I work across southeast Oregon ... primarily assisting any willing landowner with wetland restoration and water management on their property for the primary benefit of waterfowl habitat conservation," she explains. Beyond restoration projects, Ashley participates in "various groups throughout the region for landscape scale conservation planning and problem solving." READ MORE.
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Harney County Migratory Bird Festival
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Aerial View of the Flooding & Navigating a Flooded RoadAs many of you who read this newsletter know, Harney County and the Burns Pauite Reservation are having a major flood event. The snow water equivalent (amount of water in snowpack) has been reported as more than 300% of normal. From a January article about snowpack: As of Jan. 7, the snow water equivalent data provided by the Natural Resources Conservation Service at Snow Mountain was 377 percent of normal and at the Rock Springs site, it was 370 percent of normal.
From this same article Casey Shelman, manager of the Bell-A Ranch, shared: “I live on the river, and I've never seen the river run as consistently as it has in the last six weeks this time of year. I've been here 42 years”[.]
Check out the videos below: The first from Kainan Jordan taken March 31 gives a sense for the scope of the flooding. The second video from Tony Svejcar takes you on a flooded drive into the headquarters of the Bell A Ranch.
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When the Snow Melts
Did you know it takes 10 gallons of snow to make one gallon of water? This is typical snow water equivalent. This year, that number is more than 300% above normal.
Spring time flooding is common in Harney County but not to the extent experienced this year.
While the flooding that is happening is extreme, flooding does typically happen and is managed with the flood irrigation infrastructure that spreads the water throughout the basin creating wetlands. Birds love it and ranchers grow native hay to feed cattle.
This short film, When the Snow Melts, (also shared below) shares how snowpack on the Steens and Blues Mountains, becomes flooded wet meadows in the Harney Basin, a critical stop along the Pacific Flyway every spring for migratory birds. Photo of a very flooded meadow in the Harney Basin, March 2025, by Brandon McMullen.
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| Annual Seed Swap + Gardening Series
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New Tool Could Help Evaluate Where Water is Needed for Better Bird HabitatAs a culmination of several Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB) Focused Investment Partnership projects, Smith developed a tool using a spreadsheet to determine how water availability and water management activities create various types of bird habitat on the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. The hope is that water managers will be able to use this in and around Malheur Lake to assess and improve resident and migratory bird habitat. The goal with this spreadsheet-based tool was to bring together existing data sources to synthesize what is known about the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge and the Malheur Lake basin at this time. READ MORE
Photo of Greater Sandhill Cranes in the wetlands of the Harney Basin by Brandon McMullen.
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Harney County Food Systems Community Meeting RecapOn March 26, 2025, the Harney County Food Systems initiative hosted a productive community meeting at the 1899 Foundry in Burns, Oregon. The two-hour evening session brought together local food producers, small business owners, and community members interested in strengthening the regional food economy.
Gabrielle Homer, CFO of Painted Hills Beef and incoming President of Oregon CattleWomen, delivered the keynote address, sharing insights from her experience in the beef industry and discussing opportunities for local producers.
A highlight of the event was Buermann's Ranch Meats' presentation on their development of a state meat inspection facility in Burns, which represents a significant advancement for local meat processing capabilities in the region.
Several small business owners shared their growth journeys, providing firsthand accounts of both challenges and successes in the local food economy. These personal stories resonated with attendees and sparked meaningful discussions about collaborative opportunities.
The meeting also covered upcoming workshops and events designed to support food system stakeholders, along with updates on available funding and grant opportunities that could benefit local producers and food businesses.
The Harney County Food Systems initiative, an initiative of the Biz Harney Opportunity Collaborative and supported by the High Desert Partnership, continues to work toward building a more resilient and interconnected local food economy.
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Reflections on Eastern Oregon's 2024 Wildfire SeasonThe 2024 wildfire season in Eastern Oregon was one of the most intense in recent history, with over 200,000 acres burned across multiple fires. Beginning with the Upper Pine prescribed burn that turned into a wildfire on July 8, the season escalated rapidly with the Falls Fire on July 10 and the Telephone Fire on July 19. Extreme fuel conditions, coupled with hot, dry weather, made suppression efforts challenging.
Now, months later, land managers, fire professionals and community members are reflecting on the season and asking, what worked, what didn’t, and how do we improve for the future? READ
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Juniper Removal
The removal of Juniper is one tactic toward building more wildfire resilient landscape in Oregon. The Harney County Wildfire Collaborative partners have cut many acres of Juniper on private and public land, the work done as part of the Southeast Oregon Wildfire Resilience project is testament to that.
Soil and Water Conservation Districts around the state including the Harney County Soil and Water Conservation are contributing to fewer juniper trees on the landscape. This story map from the Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council shares the cumultative work their doing.
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Career Fair SuccessThe third annual Harney County Career Fair brought almost 200 students together in three different sessions. This year, 8th graders from Hines Middle School came for the first hour to meet vendors and explore future careers. This followed with students from Burns high School, Crane Union High School and Silvies River Charter School, packing the room with excitement and conversation.
New additions included recruiters from the US Marine Corps and the Navy, Harney County ESD, local Department of Human Services representatives, and Life2Launch who piloted a new app to help GenZ explore career pathways. Treasure Valley Community College (TVCC) brought simulators from the Ag and Career Technical Ed departments, and students met the new TVCC Community Engagement Coordinator, location in Burns. Eastern Oregon University provided information on health care fields, and admissions programs. Vendors and students both had the opportunity to sumbit evaluation and there were some great suggestions for next year. Students completed worksheets with a random selection of questions (provided by the businesses and colleges) to enter to win dozens of prizes. The big winners:
- Nick Santos, Burns High School, portable speaker
- Owen Kaino, Burns High School, laptop computer
- Ashlee Hill, flat screen TV
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2025 Upcoming Events
Wednesday April 9 | Harney Basin Wetlands Collaborative Meeting
Wednesday, April 16 | High Desert Partnership Board Meeting
Wednesday, April 30 | Biz Harney Opportunity Collaborative Meeting
Wednesday, May 21 | High Desert Partnership Board Meeting
Tuesday, May 27 | Youth Changing the Community Collaborative Meeting
Wednesday, May 28 | Malheur National Wildlife Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Plan Collaborative Meeting
Wednesday, May 28 | Biz Harney Opportunity Collaborative Meeting
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