Reflections of an Urban landscape architect
I drove back to Seattle feeling rejuvenated, thinking about why a restoration mindset is useful in urban landscape architecture. It’s unlikely I will ever be restoring a meadow in the city, and yet a meadow in Oregon can affect what we do in Seattle. One of our key roles, as landscape architects, is to influence what people think is beautiful. If people believe that native meadow plants, PALs, and seasonal flooding are beautiful, that is a powerful form of advocacy for ecologically healthy landscapes.
Read More
Art Beyond 2021: supporting SW Oregon outdoor adventures in art
During the summer 2021, we were honored to participate in the Schneider Museum’s Art Beyond debut. Described as an outdoor art adventure. Watch the video:
Read More
Art on the Land: David Gordon, Artist-in-Partnership spotlight 2021
“Direct observation, painting in incredible natural places and working spontaneously by feel are what keep me inspired and give my paintings the breath of life. I want to share this inspiration with those who look at my work.”
David joined the Vesper Meadow Artists-in-Partnership during the summer 2021 and found inspiration in the sweeping meadow vistas.
Read More
Mimicking a Grassland, Notes from a Meadow Journal
During July 2021, artist Renee Rhodes spend four days at Vesper Meadow shadowing restoration and education programs, exploring with her camera, and reflecting on the grasses from the ground up! Rhodes takes on a journey through the meadow, and a deep in to a mind connecting with land restoration. Read her thoughts, see her beautiful photos, and an intimate video capture.
Read More
The "Trillium" Mural: Painting the Vesper Meadow Vision
June 2021, artist Gabriel Barrera completed a mural on the barn at Vesper Meadow.. “Trillium” reflects the restoration efforts of the Vesper Meadow by depicting native flower species, animals, and people.
Read More
A check in with Vesper Meadow’s Director
Nance Klehm of Social Ecologies interviews Vesper Meadow Director, Jeanine Moy, for the Spontaneous Vegetation radio show. We’re talking about the ecology of place, the most recent restoration and monitoring efforts, art and Tribal partnerships.
Read More
Native Food Plants: Meet the Plants II
A second installment in a quarterly series of blog posts, looking at native food plants: uses, names, history, restoration of, restoration with, inter-species relationships.
Read More
Announcing our 2021 Art Residency: a collaboration with Signal Fire and SOU's Schneider Museum
Signal Fire announces Gabriel Barrera as 2021 Tinderbox Artist in Residence at Vesper Meadow. The artwork created at this residency will be on display at Vesper Meadow as part of the Art Beyond outdoor art festival this summer, organized by Schneider Art Museum. Tinderbox Artists in Residence are embedded in grassroots environmental advocacy organizations.
Read More
Indigenous, traditional and local knowledge: Engaging equitably with diverse ways of knowing
As Vesper Meadow develops a journey of Tribal partnership, we consider the modern context for Indigenous knowledge, common pitfalls, and what it will take to forge solutions to meet the urgency of current social-ecological crises: courageous, expansive and humbling collaboration.
Read More
The dawn of the Indigenous Gardens Network
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Southern Oregon University in partnership with the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians of Oregon, Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, Vesper Meadow Education Program, and other regional partners have received funding from the Oregon Cultural Trust to initiate the Indigenous Gardens Network.
Read More
Native Food Plant Profile: Yampah
Yampah, a beloved native food plant of the Pacific Northwest, is a key species of land restoration, indigenous cultural revival, and volunteer engagement/nature connection.
Read More
Videos for Educators: The Oregon Vesper Sparrow
Introducing a 3-part video series for educators, focused on our namesake species, the Oregon Vesper Sparrow. These videos were produced for students in grades ~3-8, and cover ecology, scientific monitoring, and community science and restoration.
Read More
Dead Indian Creek renamed Latgawa Creek
The creek that runs through the Vesper Meadow Restoration Preserve has officially been renamed Latgawa Creek, a vast improvement from the previous, settler-imposed name of “Dead Indian Creek.” This name has been officially replaced with the Oregon Geographic Names board along with the the nearby Dead Indian Soda Springs (now Latgawa Soda Springs) and Dead Indian Mountain (now Latgawa Mountain) in Jackson County, Oregon.
Read More
First Annual Native Fellowship: An interview with Siletz Tribal member Brandon Larabee
Brandon Larabee, has spent a lot of time at Vesper Meadow - supporting volunteer restoration efforts, working with Siletz Tribal youth, and growing his connection with ancestral lands. Here, he provides an interview after his 2020 Summer Fellowship at Vesper Meadow:
Read More
Behaving Like Beavers
Evidence of damage to the riparian ecosystem from the last century and a half of land management are obvious by the state of the creek. Looking toward the future, Vesper Meadow is demonstrating creek restoration with volunteer stewards, holistic ecosystem and species monitoring, and some beaver-like behavior…Read more about it in this post by our restoration student intern.
Read More
Gifts from the Land: 2020 Tea and Elderberry-infused Honey
We’re excited to launch some health-promoting products, straight from the land at Vesper Meadow! Learn about the medicinal use and history of the botanicals in our herbal tea blend, and get some for yourself this winter.
Read More
Southern Oregon Wildfire Resources, Relief, and Information
With wildfires burning throughout Southern Oregon, we are standing together during difficult times. Here we offer resources for information and mutual aid in our community.
Read More
Getting Seedy: collecting native seeds for pollinator habitat restoration
With our last “Walk, Weed, and Seed” for the season coming up, we wanted to share some best practices and a little bit about Vesper Meadow micro-habitats and our target species. Read on!
Read More
Native Food Plants: Meet the Plants
Check out some plant profiles of some of the native food plants from our weekly #nativefoodplantfriday posts!
Read More
Introducing the Bumble Bees of Southwest Oregon pocket field guide
Our Bumble Bee’s of Southwest Oregon field guide is finally here! This 40 page field guide is a great resource for beginning and seasoned naturalists alike. This true pocket-sized guide measures 4” x 6,” has waterproof covers and a spiral-wire binding; making it durable and easy to bring along in the field.
Read More
