2022 Year in Review (whew!)
Thank you to all the partner organizations, scientists, students, interns, artists, volunteers, and generous supporters who have come together and made this year so wonderful.
Read on to see all our accomplishments in restoration, community building, Tribal partnerships, visits with youth groups, and more…
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Behind the Beaver Days: the story of long-awaited restoration
Finally….Beaver Days! Its been a long road, and we are continuing on it.
We launched a huge volunteer-powered restoration effort in 2022 to advance Latgawa Creek restoration goals. Over the course of 13 days we worked with 80 volunteers for over 440 hours of volunteer labor, and over 60 elementary and college students for stewardship engagement.
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The Land Weaves Relationships: centering Tribal people and partnerships at Vesper Meadow
This area is the homeland of the Shasta, Takelma, and Latgawa people. They were forcibly removed in the 1850s to the reservations of Grand Ronde and Siletz. It is a responsibility to provide their descendants with resources and access to their ancestral homelands and First Foods. To do our best to undo settler colonial harm is good work.
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Chasing butterflies and restoring their food: my internship with Vesper Meadow 2022
Cecilia Green’s summer internship spent conducting Butterfly Surveys and supporting Pollinator Habitat Restoration with Vesper Meadow. Hear about the survey, see the beautiful creatures she saw this summer, and how Vesper Meadow has been a place of healing, beauty, and learning for her.
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Life Transforms: Art of Vesper Meadow - art show and auction
Since the inception of the Vesper Meadow Restoration Preserve and Education Program in 2018, we envisioned our ecological restoration work to be shared to wider audiences through art. Now, 16 artists with over 50 works of art are available in-person at the Gambrel Gallery, and in the online gallery and auction …..
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Supporting the Launch of a Southwest Oregon-wide Rare Plant Monitoring Network
The Rare Plant Monitoring Network of Southwest Oregon is a community science effort to find, monitor, and conserve rare plants throughout southwest Oregon. We collaborate with the US Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management to identify plants of concern, then partner with community volunteers to visit and monitor historic plant populations.
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The Story of Vesper Meadow Unfolds: a community presentation
This is the place, the idea, and the story of Vesper Meadow as it unfolds…
A talk hosted by the Jackson County Library System, January 2022.
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Latest Vesper Sparrow Research with partner at the Klamath Bird Observatory
Watch this presentation from our partners at the Klamath Bird Observatory, and the latest research being conducted to monitor the endangered Oregon Vesper Sparrow. Dr. Sarah Rockwell discusses the scope of this multi-year effort, the new MOTUS radio technology being used at the Vesper Meadow Restoration Preserve, and work throughout other nearby meadows.
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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.
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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:
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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