On those rare occasions when faced with a rainy day the High Desert Museum is a great destination. Critters to check on and the quarterly installation to take in. We’re becoming big fans of this Central Oregon cultural center.
The museum’s curated projects go beyond the boundaries of their exhibit space set on 135 acres south of Bend. One of these events is a lecture series held at McMenamins Old St. Francis School.
The Natural History Pub Series presents lectures on a wide range of topics including: animal behavior, natural resource restoration, and geological activity…all set in a very unclassroom–like setting.
This past week we learned about “First Foods Management with a River Vision.” Eric Quaempts, Director of Natural Resources for the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, spoke about a unique approach to water management and natural resource development. His department makes decisions based on the concept of water being a First Food; water, fish, game, roots and berries.
As frequent stream visitors, his detailed presentation on Umatilla River restoration projects was particularly interesting. The basic idea that a riparian is the river resonated with us.
Quaempts management plan doesn’t exclude or attempt to minimize man from the natural resource equation. Rather it places us right in the middle of managing our environment, which now that he says it makes perfect sense.
