Fieldwork is Fire Resilience
Many beloved recreation sites around Mt. Hood were impacted by the 2020 Riverside Fire and will remain closed to the public for the summer. The forest looks vastly different this year than last, and while this has been especially destabilizing for some, it has also created a unique opportunity for us to connect with an ecosystem that has evolved with fire.
Join Bark in the field to learn new ways you can learn in the forest this summer!
Bark’s approach to shifting the historically extractive and exclusive “public” land management is to empower the communities surrounding Mt. Hood National Forest to invest in its recovery and preservation. Through forest floor level education, community activist trainings, and regular opportunities to co-lead fieldwork, we can challenge the outdated priorities of the Forest Plan designed to obstruct a diversity of social, cultural, and ecological processes. Let’s work together in the field to better understand what it means now to be an inherent part of this legacy.
Here are Bark’s free, upcoming summer offerings:
- June Bark About: The Benefits and Beauty of Blooms Sunday, June 13 – 9:00am to 4:00pm
Join us on the Latourell Falls Trail to experience nature’s impressive blooming season while we examine the importance of native pollinator plants, as well as plants used for general health and wellness.
- Hike Leader Training Sunday, June 27 – 9:00am to 5:00pm
Do you love to hike in the forest and tell stories? Have you ever thought of leading a free, public hike? At this training, we will provide you with all the tools needed to create a meaningful and fun experience for you and others in the forest.
- July Bark About: Long Distance Hiking 101 Sunday, July 11 – 9:00am to 5:00pm
On this 5.4 mile hike, we’ll discuss the PCT, long-distance hiking and backpacking, leave-no-trace practices, and go over tips and tricks for lightening your pack while still being comfortable.
- July Ecology Club: Politics and Power Dynamics of Natural Resource Mapping Wednesday, July 14 – 6:00pm to 7:30pm
What is a map? Who has the right to create maps? Is there a right way to create a map? And who decides? Let’s dig into maps of natural landscapes together and learn what other things may be mapped besides.
- Wetland Mapping Field Training Saturday, July 17 – 9:00am to 6:00pm
What do you know about wetlands? Why are they so important? Join us in our long-term wetland mapping and restoration project.
- Beaver Habitat Survey Training Saturday, July 31 – 9:00am to 6:00pm
Help Bark find good beaver habitat on Mt. Hood! Learn to identify the components that beavers keep beavers busy—and that we in turn benefit greatly from.
See you out there in the field!
Daniela del Mar, Bark Communications Coordinator
P.S. Keep your eye on the current fire conditions in MHNF and take a look at our updated COVID safety policies for in-person events moving forward.
