The Deschutes Children's Forest will become a reality!!

The Deschutes National Forest has recently been awarded a $70,000 grant to make the Deschutes Children's Forest a reality!! In partnership with Discover Your Northwest, the Upper Deschutes Watershed Council, the High Desert Museum, Wolftree, Bend-LaPine Schools, Bend Park and Recreation District and others, the Deschutes National Forest will be moving forward to create a true Children's Forest for ALL students in Central Oregon to explore!!!

Two more schools involved

We are very excited to have two more schools join us at Ryan Ranch Wetland Restoration site this coming spring. The entire fifth grade at Miller Elementary will be working with the Upper Deschutes Watershed Council on three different hands-on projects. Including learning about the native and non-native vegetation in the meadow and around the Deschutes River, creating a mural depicting their perspective about the Deschutes River, and helping to create a short video about the environmental education work happening in Central Oregon, classes will discover Ryan Ranch in a variety of ways. The alternative school Chamberlain House will also be spending time at the site exploring Ryan Ranch and expressing what they have learned through creative art and poetry. It will be a fun start to spring!

Student fair features Ryan Ranch!

Many students that participated in the project were excited to share with their family and friends what they learned and discovered during multiple field days out at Ryan Ranch Wetland Restoration Site.

On January 27th, REALMS students were able to show off what they did at Ryan Ranch Wetland Restoration site. This past fall we had a blast during our days spent sitting near the Deschutes River, tromping around in the meadow and hiking in the forest. The students did a wonderful job collecting important data for the project that will be able to be used by future students. The student fair was packed with excited kids sharing their hard-earned work to their interested parents, family, and friends. The display included student drawings, writing, graphs and pictures that exemplified their hard work. Here is a part of one of the writings that was included, by Matthew Finney, a 7th grader:

 "Over a hundred years ago thousands of ranchers poured into Oregon bringing wave after wave of cattle after them. As they looked for fertile land they found wetlands that were naturally irrigated by the river around it.  In one of these areas, now called Ryan Ranch they built a huge levee to keep the river out of the would be pasture. It dried up and became the meadow we know today. Recently, the forest service has been developing a plan to restore the meadow to its former condition. The goal is being able to fulfill their long-term goal of maintaining a healthy ecosystem while educating about nature."

One of the many displays to show the work done by the 7th grade classes

 Now that spring is in our near future we are getting ready and excited for many more days out at Ryan Ranch. Stay tuned to more fun and educational opportunities that students will be experiencing out at Ryan Ranch.

The end of a season and getting ready for the next

It has been a wonderful fall and a great season of field study trips to Ryan Ranch Wetland Restoration site. In total there has been 275 enthusiastic students that have had the opportunity to spend part of their day enjoying the beautiful surrounds of the Deschutes River and learning in the outdoors. Here is what happened at Ryan Ranch during this last fall:

Day 1: 180 9th graders from the Physical Science class at Bend High spent the day rotating through 6 learning stations- Art, soil studies, water quality testing, riparian ecology, site overview, a hike through the meadow and down to Dillon Falls.  

Day 2: Introduce 30 Bend High IB class to RRWR. We spent 2 hour to learn about Ryan Ranch Wetland Restoration (RRWR) project goals, objectives, and opportunities.

Day 3 and 4: 25 7th graders from REALMS were introduced to RRWR and to the project data that will be collected on their second planned outing.

Day 5 and 6: REALMS 7th graders collected data of 3 different transects on the back side of the meadow.

Day 7: 15 Redmond High class studied wildlife habitat at Ryan Ranch Wetland.

Day 8: The Bend High IB students came back out to Ryan Ranch to collected stream flow data and soil/plant data. 

Now that we have entered into winter, the field season for the most part is over and we are gearing up for the next field season to start in the spring. It has been an amazing season and we send out a big THANK YOU to all of the teachers that have been involved, to the students for taking an interest, and to all of the dedicated volunteers. This could not have happened with out any of you. We are excited for the next season to start up!

A big thanks!

Thanks to the dedication of many Deschutes National Forest scientists, hundreds of local students have had the opportunity to head out into the field to explore and learn about Ryan Meadow firsthand! Middle and high school students have been collecting valuable data that will help inform the future restoration of wetland and riparian habitat conditions along the Deschutes River.

As the temperature drops and the snow begins to fall, students will not hibernate! The data and field notes that participating students have amassed this autumn will provide the foundation for creative interdisciplinary presentations at the annual Student Watershed Summit coordinated by The Freshwater Trust and the Upper Deschutes Watershed Council in May 2011. Stay tuned...

Cheers,
Kolleen

Field day with Bend High!

Tomorrow is the big day! Bend High students will be joined by Deschutes National Forest Service specialists, the Upper Deschutes Watershed Council, and The Freshwater Trust as they learn about the history, geology, wildlife, and ecology at Ryan Meadow.

Starting on October 18th, students from REALMS will also begin to explore the wonders of Ryan Meadow. Middle school students will get their hands dirty as they dig into the details of forest ecology to explore how ecosystems work!

Field days are on the way

Hello Ryan Meadow project partners and friends! I just wanted to let you know that the Deschutes National Forest and the Upper Deschutes Watershed Council had a very productive and enthusiastic meeting with Bend High teacher Paul Hutter yesterday. In addition to diving into the exciting details about how we will be working with Bend High School's amazing International Baccalaureate (IB) and Biology programs, we have also selected some initial field dates for the fall. If you would like to hear more about the field days or are interested in volunteering, please email me at kyake@restorethedeschutes.org.

Bend High students will be working with specialists from Deschutes National Forest and DiscoverYour Northwest to begin to explore and learn about Ryan Meadow. IB environmental systems students will be participating in a year-long Student Stewardship Project with The Freshwater Trust and the Upper Deschutes Watershed Council. Winding through the seasons, the students will use the site as a research area and will eventually apply their knowledge toward the creation of unique projects that will be presented at Students Speak: A Watershed Summit in May. Through interdisciplinary activities in art, writing, science, and hands-on stewardship, students will learn about the history, ecology, and future vision of Ryan Meadow.