Special Event
SAVE THE WEEKEND & mark your calendar for April 11-14
Photo of a California Quail by Dan Streiffert
SOME TOUR HIGHLIGHTS
LOCALS ONLY TOUR, Thursday, April 11, 1-5pm
"This tour is just for our local Harney County residents!
The Harney Basin Wetlands Initiative is a local group of diverse partners working in Harney Basin and the Silvies floodplain to enhance flood meadows and improve the health of Malheur Lake and its tributaries while creating economic and social benefits for the community. For the past few years partners have been working behind the scenes and they want to show you what they have been doing! Join High Desert Partnership's Ecological Coordinator Ben Cate and Ducks Unlimited Biologist Chris Colson as they take you around the basin for an afternoon of birding and learning about the restoration work being done. Come along for a fun ride and learn what is happening in your backyard!"
RESTORATION BIRDING, Saturday, April 13, 8am-3pm
"Go bird watching with Ben Cate, High Desert Partnership's Ecological Coordinator and Chris Colson, Ducks Unlimited Biologist. Cate and Colson will help you gain a better understanding of the role the Harney Basin plays in the Pacific Flyway and the wetland/floodplain restoration efforts in the area, aimed at improving habitat for migratory birds.
The Harney Basin Wetlands Initiative, an effort umbrella under the High Desert Partnership, will be a subject of interest on this tour. The initiative is a cooperate effort between conservation partners, local ranching families and the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge – all working to build an understanding of how to manage the flood-irrigated wet meadows in the Harney Basin and Malheur Lake in a manner that reduces carp reintroduction, provides food for migrating water birds, and provides a sustainable economic return for ranching families. The Harney Basin is a critical stop on the Pacific Flyway and this cooperative effort will ensure it remains a healthy stopover for decades to come."
CATTLEWOMEN'S WORKING RANCH TOUR, Saturday, April 13, 7:30am-2:30pm
"Travel to a working cattle ranch with members of the Harney County Cattlewomen as your hosts. Meet the ranch owners – multi-generational, family ranchers – who will explain ranch management techniques that are sustainable and support wildlife, especially migratory birds, in the Harney Basin. Local range scientists from the Eastern Oregon Agricultural Research Center will provide a presentation on the work they do and the benefits to wildlife as well. Family friendly."
