Hello Community Science Friends!

With winter comes a change of pace for the Community Science Project. See below for what winter has in store for us.

Also, consider joining us Saturday, January 24 for "Lessons from the Land: a Winter Walk at Heritage Pond." This community event is a collaboration with Fishtrap Reads, Cook Memorial Library, and Blue Mountains Conservancy. Think - rosehip jam, wild tea, art, books, and community science - all on a winter walk. 

Sending well wishes for a wonderful winter season.

□️ Warmly,
Carrie Caselton Lowe
Community Science Coordinator
Grande Ronde Community Science Project

Join us for a winter walk at Heritage Pond Education Center!
(913 Miller Dr, La Grande, OR)

Saturday, January 24, from 1:00pm.
Event is FREE and open to all ages.

Bundle up and let’s explore our connections with the natural world! What can we learn through observation? How can we support the places we love with citizen science? How can we be nourished by native plants, and what can they teach us?

Led by the Grande Ronde Community Science and Blue Mountains Conservancy, this event is inspired by this year’s Fishtrap Reads book, “The Bear” by Andrew Krivak (adult novel). For companion books exploring similar themes for younger readers, check out “Over and Under the Snow,” by Kate Messner, and “My Side of the Mountain”, by Jean Craighead George.

Visit the link below for a full list of Fishtrap Reads events in Union and Wallowa Counties from January 9 – January 30.
https://fishtrap.org/fishtrap-reads-2026/

Hello Community Science Friends!

Our community scientists have been busy exploring and learning from our watershed. Check out highlights below.

The Grande Ronde Model Watershed (GRMW) is hosting the Wild and Scenic Film Festival again this year. Y'all should come, watch some great films, and raise some funds for both GRMW and the Community Science Project via a silent and dessert auction. Details below.

Sending well wishes to each of your for a wonderful fall season.

□ Autumnal regards,
Carrie Caselton Lowe
Community Science Coordinator
Grande Ronde Community Science Project

Get your Wild and Scenic Film Festival tickets here. 

The Wild & Scenic Film Festival is coming to La Grande on Nov. 7!
Enjoy a thoughtful lineup of short films that celebrate nature, science, and the landscapes we depend on. The program features Against the Herd, Aldo’s Bug Extravaganza, and Forestfire—a mix of creativity, curiosity, and real-world environmental stories. It’s about ninety minutes of films that inform, inspire, and even make you laugh.

While you watch,

• Bid on unique local items and experiences through a silent auction—every dollar raised supports the Grande Ronde Model Watershed and their work restoring fish habitat and healthy rivers in our watershed.
   
• Bid on delicious goodies via a dessert auction to support the Grande Ronde Community Science Project. 

• 410 youth
• 19 watershed professionals, and
• 18 teachers
• 26 volunteers.