League of Women Voters of Deschutes County

Zak Boone is the Deschutes Land Trust’s Associate Director. He is responsible for managing the Land Trust’s many fundraising, outreach and marketing endeavors. Zak was previously the Executive Director of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Oregon. He received his B.A. in International Affairs from Lewis & Clark College, and his Masters in Public Administration/Nonprofit Management from Portland State University. He is currently chair of the Nonprofit Network of Central Oregon steering committee and co-chairs the fellowship committee for the Rotary Club of Bend/Mt. Bachelor. He lives in Bend with his wife and two young daughters.

General information about the Deschutes Land Trust

The Land Trust only works with willing landowners who voluntarily want to conserve their land. Lands considered for protection must meet our rigorous conservation criteria, which assures that all protected lands meet the mission of the Land Trust; to conserve land for wildlife, scenic views, or community vitality. Lands protected by the Land Trust can allow, but do not have to allow public access. The Land Trust has protected over 8200 acres since its inception in 1995, including the Metolius Preserve (1240 acres near Camp Sherman), Camp Polk Meadow Preserve (145 acres north and east of Sisters along Whychus Creek) and the Whychus Canyon Preserve (450 acres of uplands and canyons along Whychus Creek). The Land Trust is currently in active negotiations to purchase 33,000 acres west of Bend known as Skyline Forest. The Land Trust is Central Oregon’s only nationally accredited and locally based land trust, and has 8 employees and an annual budget of roughly $1.2M. (go to www.deschuteslandtrust.org for further information)

Stream Restoration Project at Camp Polk Meadow Preserve

Camp Polk Meadow Preserve is a 145 acre meadow near Sisters, OR. In 2000, the Land Trust partnered with Portland General Electric to purchase the property and protect its outstanding fish habitat. The Preserve contains approximately 1.4 miles of Whychus Creek with wetlands, meadows, aspen groves and ponderosa pine stands. It is home to a variety of plant and wildlife species and is one of Central Oregon’s birding hot spots. Camp Polk Meadow Preserve also has a long and illustrious history as a crossroads for Native Americans, explorers, soldiers and settlers. The Hindman barn on the Preserve is Deschutes County’s oldest structure.

Camp Polk Meadow Preserve is a priority conservation project because of the significant portion of Whychus Creek it protects. Historically salmon and steelhead made their way to the streams of the Upper Deschutes basin to spawn and then rear. With the construction of dams on the lower Deschutes in the 1960's fish passage to the upper basin was blocked. Today the relicensing of these dams has provided a once in a lifetime opportunity to restore native fish to their original range. The stretch of Whychus Creek that runs through Camp Polk Meadow was historically is the highest quality spawning habitat for steelhead on Whychus Creek. Whychus Creek is currently restricted to a narrow, straight and fast channel at the south edge of the meadow. The creek was moved to this channel as a result of agricultural and flood mitigation activities. Historically, the creek meandered throughout the meadow. Restoring it to its original channel will re-establish natural meanders, reconnect the creek with its historic floodplain, and create much better fish habitat than currently exists. It will also restore more than 70 acres of high quality wetland habitat, benefiting many wildlife species. In 2009, in partnership with the Upper Deschutes Watershed Council and the Deschutes National Forest, crews re-constructed a restored channel that followed the historic Whychus Creek path through the Meadow. In 2011, we continued to plant and water new vegetation around the restored channel. This vegetation will be allowed to grow for several years prior to allowing Whychus Creek to flow through the channel. Last fall, crews returned to the meadow to carve side channels and remove access roads and plugs. In late February, once the restored channel is ready, we will close off the existing channel and Whychus Creek will be redirected into its new route

“The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan political organization, encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.”

Location and Time

Boston's Restaurant at 61276 South Highway 97 just south of the Factory Stores in Bend.. From 11:00 am to 1:00 pm. There is no cost to hear the speakers.

The speakers will begin at noon and allow time for questions from the audience. No reservations are needed. This event is open to the general public.

Previous Guest Speakers

Click here for a list of our recent guests speakers and the topics they discussed

For other events visit our Calendar page

For more information please contact the President of the LWV of Deschutes County

Andrea Blum

Contact: E-mail

One of the Old Mill Buildings by the Deschutes River in Bend

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