Gear up for some fun in the snow! We’re now offering Forest Explorers: Winter Ecology for third- through fifth-grade students.

Join The Environmental Center to learn about winter ecology. We will explore different habitats, identify animal tracks, have fun with science — and of course, play in the snow! We will have your child(ren) in a stable learning pod of ten and will be following all COVID-19 guidelines.

Location: Skyliners Lodge — 16125 Skyliners Road, Bend

Date: Every Wednesday, January 13-February 24 (Excluding February 3)

Time: 11am-3pm

Cost: $45 per child, $85 for siblings

Note: The program will be mostly outdoors. Snowshoes will be provided.

Do you miss Repair Cafés as much as we do?

Depending on how things look next year, we hope to offer a safe outdoor Repair Café in the spring or summer. In the meantime, one of our rockstar volunteers, David Helton, is here to provide some common household repair tips! Check out the video to learn more about prolonging the life of your stuff through preventive maintenance. And tell us: what specific repair would you like to see explained in a future video?

Expanding recycling efforts

In Fall 2019, we received a grant to help increase recycling in four multifamily housing complexes in Bend and Redmond. Little did we know that this year would bring extra challenges to an already challenging task! Due to COVID-19, we adapted our outreach and education strategies to make this project a reality. Check out what we’ve been up to. (In Redmond, residents have reduced their complex’s recycling contamination by ten percent!)

The Environmental Center Picks for this week:

Ready, Set, Plan?! Webinar — December 16 at 3pm

Oregon Trails Coalition is working on an introductory guide to trail planning and decision-making. Learn more and provide feedback on what you would find helpful in the final digital guide.

Behind the Lens — December 16 at 6pm

Chat with the photographers who make Oregon Natural Desert Assocation’s Wild Desert Calendar so beautiful year after year! Learn tips and tricks for shooting in the desert and come away with a few places to put on your bucket list.

Virtual Lecture: Cosmic Perspective — December 17 at 7pm 

Join Dr. Scott Fisher, Director of Pine Mountain Observatory in Central Oregon, as he shares his experience working with some of the largest telescopes in the world.