Serving a Watershed-Based Organization: Why Natural Boundaries Matter
This is my second term of AmeriCorps and the second term in which my host site is focused at the watershed level. Last year, people often expressed confusion about what a watershed is, and why an organization would establish themselves based on such a region. Put simply, a “watershed” is all of the land area [...]
Viewing the fire aftermath
I drove Hwy 138 Friday. It’s devastating. It’s charred smoldering remains of the vibrant forest. The once beautiful trees stand as naked skeletons. The North Umpqua Trail is burnt from Apple Creek Rd to Swiftwater Park where the fire burned both sides of the highway. Fall Creek Falls is unrecognizable. Susan Creek Falls was [...]
National Cleanup Day
We are now a part of National Clean Up Day.
https://www.nationalcleanupday.org/umpqua-watersheds
The Importance of Peace
Typically, my Home Explorer activities will primarily focus on scientific or environmental exploration, so why did I choose to have the most recent set of activities relate to interconnectedness and peace? Today, September 21st, is the International Day of Peace, and this year, it is falling at a time in most people’s lives that feels [...]
Umpqua Watersheds President Ken Carloni will be on a panel discussion about wildlfires.
Wildfires in 2020: What set the stage for this historic event and what can we expect in the future?
The fires that broke out and spread across nearly 1 million acres of western Oregon this month are terrifying and devastating. We know from forest research and history that western Oregon’s forest ecosystems naturally burn. But [...]
From one AmeriCorps to the Next…
My last day as Umpqua Watershed’s AmeriCorps was on July 31st, 2020. While we couldn’t have a big goodbye party, or attend Twin Lakes Campout or River Appreciation Day, I still had a lot to celebrate. Today’s article is my service’s highlight-reel, a chance to demonstrate the opportunities my [...]
Mt Bailey
We ain’t what we used to be but we UW seniors wanted to give ole 8840′ Mt Bailey a go. It’s 5.7 hard miles RT from the upper trailhead with approximate 2500 ft elevation gain. Two of the younger seniors made it to the summit while some of us elder seniors watched from safely below [...]
Limpy Rock Cave Hike 6-20
A group of UW members followed leader Tony Cannon on a bushwack to little known caves of Limpy Rock. We descended on interesting knee and ankle jolting terrain. We arrived at the cave and enjoyed the rare Kalmiopsis growing about and above the entrance. We donned headlamps and entered the large eerie cave. I’m thinking [...]
North Umpqua Geologic Formation/Umpqua Sweets Proposed BLM Timber Sale
In June a group of UW members went up the North Umpqua to the proposed BLM Umpqua Sweets Timber Sale site to see the geologic formations endangered from the sale. We hiked to the arch, an impressive several hundred foot long formation in a beautiful setting that is threatened by logging. In awe we hiked [...]
Ilahee Rock and Wild Rose Point hikes
A UW group enjoyed the challenge of the Wild Rose Point hike. It’s 2.8 miles RT with 520 ft elevation gain to a rocky bluff atop a 300 ft old lava cliff. Then we crossed the road to hike 1.4 mi RT 500 ft elevation gain up Ilahee Rock to the old fire lookout. We [...]
