B10 The BulleTin • Friday, april 23, 2021
TOP PICKS
WHERE TO EXPLORE
The High Desert
Makenzie Whittle/Bulletin file photo
Mount Jefferson in the distance with the Metolius River arm and the Balancing Rocks at Lake Billy Chinook.
Goose hazing volunteers on
the hunt in one of Bend’s parks.
Submitted photo
walking the trails in Shevlin
Park. Volunteer hosts welcome
visitors to offer information
and share reminder for park
rules: For Riley Ranch, that
means no dogs and no bikes;
for Shevlin, it’s a thank you for
keeping dogs on leash. Volun-
teers cover a weekly two-hour
shift, and many report that
their time spent in the parks
is the highlight of their week.
There are volunteer host shifts
available at both Riley Ranch
and Shevlin Parks.
Volunteering
Continued from B1
Adopt-a-Park or Trail Section
If you want to volunteer
more than one day, but need
something flexible and a little
less like working in your yard,
this is an easy opportunity to
love. Volunteers adopt a spe-
cific site and agree to visit often
to help with litter, pull weeds
and to keep an eye out for van-
dalism, weather damage or
anything that might be a con-
cern. With more than 80 parks
and 80+ miles of trails, many
volunteers adopt a site close to
their home or office where vis-
iting is simple, and some con-
tinue their adoption for many
years. Some adopters take on
seasonal landscape mainte-
nance projects too.
Be a host in the park
Bend Park & Recreation
District hosts are the friendly
faces you might see by the
parking area at Riley Ranch
Nature Reserve, and soon,
Balancing Rocks — Tucked away down a
long gravel road at Lake Billy Chinook, the Bal-
ancing Rocks are fascinating geologic features
that have been revealed fully after a 2002 fire
burned away the trees surrounding them.
Created when the two rock layers eroded at
different paces, the volcanic bases were the
first to be hewn out, leaving the rest of the
rock to appear to balance. The rocks have a
quarter-mile easy path out to an overlook
from a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it trailhead about
13 miles west after the Deschutes Bridge at
the lake.
Juniper Butte — The moderate 6.4-mile
out-and-back hike near Culver may be a bit
on the steep and rocky side, but the views at
the top are worth the extra effort. The trail fol-
lows an old 4x4 road that has very little shade
from the juniper trees dotted along the way.
Because of this, it makes it a great hike for a
cooler spring day.
Lower Crooked River Backcountry By-
way — The 43 mile stretch of state Highway
27 between Prineville and U.S. Highway 20
makes for a gorgeous Sunday drive or bike
ride. The road twists through the canyon cut
by the Crooked River, over the Bowman Dam
at Prineville Reservoir then continues south
along creeks and streams as the pavement
turns to well-graded gravel until meeting up
with U.S. Highway 20 east of Millican.
— Makenzie Whittle, The Bulletin
ing and off the turf.
My dog needs to stick with
our litter clean-up walks, but if
your pet can reliably respond
to commands, has the instinct
to herd and chase and the two
of you enjoy walks together
in the parks, this might be an
opportunity to volunteer as a
team. Dogs and their owners
must pass an evaluation before
they are approved for volun-
teering.
In April, consider if there’s
something you can do to take
care of the natural spaces that
you enjoy.
e e
Kim Johnson is the community
engagement supervisor for the Bend
Park & Recreation District.
Volunteer
opportunities
To learn more about volun-
teering, visit bendparksan-
drec.org/volunteer.
Goose management
Canada geese can be detri-
mental to the parks, and volun-
teers help keep the birds mov-
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