Land Trust offers hiking opportunities

Free walks and hikes, led by knowledgeable trained volunteers, are offered from April to November of each year by the Deschutes Land Trust (DLT).

The variety of outdoor walks and hikes offered provides a range of experiences from art in the field, to bike rides, birding, butterfly walks, tree yoga, fall color, geology, a kayak paddle, history, longer exploratory hikes, night adventures with the stars and full moon, and wildflowers.

There are special hands-on activities and kid-length hikes for children accompanied by a grownup. New this year for adults are the wanders, which are short rambles with easy walking at Camp Polk and Indian Ford Meadows, the Metolius Preserve and Whychus Canyon, all of which lie within Sisters Country.

All of the activities, whether participating or volunteering, provide a wonderful way to get to know more about this beautiful countryside we call home. They also are a good way to meet new people and try new things.

A number of Sisters residents are among the 200 volunteers who provide the Land Trust with people power by acting as group leaders and assistants, trail stewards, weed warriors and office help. Membership in the Land Trust simply requires a donation to help carry out their mission.

The Deschutes Land Trust is a local conservancy group that acquires and maintains parcels of land, holding them in trust, protected forever from development. Their current holdings amount to 8,200 acres. To become a part of the DLT, the land must be special in some way, such as providing established migratory routes for wildlife, such as the elk and deer passages at Camp Polk Meadow.

The full schedule of offerings, difficulty ratings, and online registration can be found on the website at http://www.DeschutesLandTrust.org. Information is also available by calling the DLT office at 541-330-0017. Registration for an outing becomes available one month prior to the event, and they fill quickly.