Knowledge Is Power (If We Let It Be)
On March 24, we held a day-long training for local educators, and what a success it was! “Learning in the Umpqua Watershed: Engaging K-12 Students though Nature Connections & STEAM Activities” engaged 12 teachers from Douglas County in the benefits of taking youths outside, ways to incorporate hands-on and nature-based activities, the importance of teaching [...]
AmeriCorps Update
Spring is coming quickly and with it lots of exciting events from Umpqua Watersheds!
Learning in the Umpqua Watershed: Engaging K-12 Students through Nature Connections & STEAM Activities: Wednesday, March 24th @9am ~ We are excited to be offering a professional development opportunity for Douglas County teachers. Workshops that day will [...]
Spotlight on our donors
We received a very generous donation to fund our AmeriCorps Environmental Education program for the 2021-2022 year from Jerry Mires. Jerry grew up in the Umpqua Valley. He was born and raised in Sutherlin, OR, and always enjoyed the natural world around him and sharing the excitement and wonders with others. His interest in [...]
New Opportunities
Our AmeriCorps member has been cooking up some appetizing opportunities for everyone in your family:
Living Downstream
Umpqua Watersheds is airing a new program on our KQUA station starting Saturday, January 16th! Tune in each Saturday at 9am or Sunday at 6pm (Pacific Time) to explore a myriad of environmentally-related topics; each episode will focus [...]
Executive Director Update Winter 2020
by….Kasey Hovik
For many of us, 2020 started with such high hopes. Just the thought of starting a new decade is always exciting, as we imagine what will happen in the next ten years. None of us imagined that the first year of the 2020 decade would include a global pandemic. In our country alone, [...]
Grateful & Hopeful
As we transition from the season of thanks-giving to the season of hope, I find myself reflecting on all of the things that I have to give thanks for, and the reasons I have to be hopeful. This year has pushed us to our limits in so many ways, and by doing so, it has [...]
America Recycles Day is Next Sunday!
At the school where I used to teach, many of the students that I taught – and families that I worked with – didn’t recycle. I think many saw it as a status thing; to them, reducing and reusing was for people who didn’t have enough money to buy more, buy new, buy whatever they [...]
Bat Week
October 24th-31st is known as “Bat Week”. As we gear up for Halloween, I wanted to share a few facts about one “spooky” species – bats.
According to Oregon’s Department of Fish & Wildlife, Oregon is home to 15 different species of bats, all of which eat insects. There are a lot of misconceptions [...]
What a Wonderful Day for a Hike
On Saturday, I got my first real taste of Oregon wilderness. Umpqua Watersheds led a hike to Rogue River/Natural Bridge, and we enjoyed an abundance of natural beauty at every turn. I began learning the names of some of the native flora, and enjoyed seeing the diverse array of trees and other plants all around [...]
Flavors of Autumn
There are so many ways to live lightly on the earth. Each year when fall comes around, I’m eager to partake in one of them – locally grown fruits and vegetables. You don’t have to be vegan or vegetarian to enjoy a meatless recipe. There’s an abundance of non-meat recipes, from hearty soups to salads [...]
