Learn to be a Forest Steward

Discover Your Forest, the non-profit partner of the Deschutes National Forest (DNF), is hosting the annual Winter Volunteer Information Night for volunteers who are interested in supporting the Forest Stewards in the DNF.

The event will be held on Tuesday, October 29, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the DNF office, located at 63095 Deschutes Market Road, in Bend. The event is focused on recruiting volunteers to serve as Forest Stewards.

The focus of the Forest Stewards program is to engage visitors while they are in the forest through in-person contacts. Face-to-face interactions with trained liaisons, in a FS uniform, help make users feel welcome, but also provide opportunities for education and can be an effective means to influence visitor behavior. Forest Stewards are stationed at different sites across the forest.

Examples of what the Forest Stewards do, include:

• Serve as a friendly, informative welcome committee on trails, at trailheads and recreation sites.

• Educate users about fire-dependent ecosystem.

• Provide information that helps build awareness around responsible public land use.

Volunteers are provided uniforms and training, and are asked to commit to at least one day per week from mid-December through the end of March 2025.

To RSVP for the Winter Volunteer Information Night or for questions, contact Christin Shapiro, Discover Your Forest - FS Program Manager, at christin.shapiro@discovernw.org.