Welcome Kaylee Littlefield
Welcome Kaylee Littlefield

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People Who Collaborate

Tony Svejcar, a retired Rangeland Scientist, arrived in Harney County in 1990 and spent the next few decades working at the Eastern Oregon Agricultural Research Center as a Research Leader for the Agricultural Research Service. Tony has always liked plants and had a natural curiosity; he found science was a good way to channel his interests and passions. READ MORE.

HDP Staff Update

We are bidding farewell to Brianna Goehring our hard working Monitoring Coordinator. Brianna quickly made an indelible mark with HDP laying the ground work for a monitoring program. Notably:
  • In spite of everything 2020 threw at us, Brianna recruited a seasonal field crew of five local Burns HS graduates from the classes of 2019 and 2020. This crew weathered a classic Harney County summer of heat, storms and bugs working as a team in the Pueblo and Stinkingwater Mountains.
  • Brianna was also instrumental with making the Annual Invasive Grass Workshop happen. This workshop resulted in participation that far exceeded what was anticipated. Effort is now underway to publish the workshop's contents in Rangelands magazine. 
Brianna's next adventure will be as a NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) planner for the Ochoco National Forest out of Prineville..

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We welcome Kaylee Littlefield as the Community Involvment and Monitoring Coordinator. Kaylee will pick up where Brianna leaves off with HDP's monitoring program. With her recent move to Burns, her work with us summer of 2020 and her recent completion of a degree in Rangeland Management we're excited to have Kaylee on board. READ MORE ABOUT KAYLEE.

Pictured above: Brianna and Kaylee.

Pictured above: Dominic Bachman, Aquatic Health Coordinator and James Pearson Fish Biologist installing telemetry units in Malheur Lake and a mesocosm structure.


Collaborative Meeting Updates

Both the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Plan collaborative (CCP) and the Harney County Wildfire Collaborative (HCWC) met in March with at least 30 partners in attendance at each virtual meeting.
The CCP partners provided and heard updates about Malheur Lake projects which may ultimately help restore Malheur Lake. These projects include:
  • A radio telemetry project that will identify vulnerabilities in the carp population to exploit and help reduce their numbers.
  • An emergent vegetation project that will test transplanting emergent vegetation to function as a natural wind barrier.
  • A mesocosm (enclosure) project that examines the natural environment under controlled conditions. The mesocosm project in Malheur Lake will involve installing 10 to 12 structures in which the water column will be isolated from different elements such as carp or wind to try make the water within each mesocosm less turbid.
There were also presentations from the Ecology Working Group and Wildlife Working Group. The Ecology Working Group shared the results of past plant community monitoring that has occurred annually since the CCP was adopted. The Wildlife Working Group shared information about the wildlife surveys that they’ve collected in recent years which was accompanied by a presentation from the Klamath Basin Bird Observatory regarding analysis that they’re conducting of the landbird survey data collected on the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. 
Find much more about this work from a 2021 Implementation Update.

Harney County VIRTUAL Migratory Bird Festival

April 22-25. Watch the preview below.

Fishes of the Harney Basin

The diversity of aquatic life in the Harney Basin is something that can get overlooked in discussions regarding the overabundance of carp in Malheur Lake. But the Harney Basin has many native fish. READ THE ARTICLE.
Pictured: Blitzen River Whitefish.

Rethinking Food Security & Local Food Systems in Harney County

Listening session: 
Tuesday, April 13, 4-5:30pm
If you have an interest in local food and food security BizHarney Opportunity Collaborative along with Harney Soil and Water Conservation District invite you to a special listening session Tuesday, April 13, 4-5:30pm.
Increasingly, rural communities are rethinking food security and the value of investing in local food systems.
With this listening session we seek to identify key next steps for developing a robust local foods system in Harney County. Please join us in a facilitated session with Nicole Sanchez, OSU Extension Small Farms and Community Horticulture Advisor.
To attend via ZOOM copy & paste this meeting link in your browser: 
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82319191356?pwd=ZXJFTmw4QzFvVy9tSW1wVXViVGozUT09
For any questions, contact Brenda Smith at director@highdesertpartnership.org.
Photo by Jen Theodore on Unsplash

Calling All Youth, Your Community Misses You!

As we emerge from COVID-19, it's imperative that we help young Oregonians catch up on the exploration and experiences they've missed this year. 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

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.

Fire Aware. Fire Prepared.

A new fire awareness and prevention from the forestry and natural resources folks at Oregon State Extension. Learn about upcoming sessions and register HERE. Upcoming sessions:
  • April 14: Building community for better preparedness
  • April 28: Ready, Set, GO!
  • Date TBD: Fire preparedness in my area
  • May 19: A land of fire
  • June 2: When fire hits
  • June 16: After the fire
 2021 Upcoming Events 
Wednesday, April 14 | Harney County Restoration Collaborative
Friday, April 16 | Harney Basin Wetlands Collaborative Meeting
Wednesday, April 21| High Desert Partnership Board Meeting
Thursday, April 22 - Sunday, April 25 | Harney County Migratory VIRTUAL Bird Festival
Wednesday, May 19| High Desert Partnership Board Meeting
Thursday, May 20 | Harney County Wildfire Collaborative Meeting
*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
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Burns, OR | 97720 US
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