As an Oregon native; outdoor industry business owner; former municipal and BLM-wildland firefighter; public land user and volunteer; citizen scientist; and former lands conservation director, board member and coordinator of
The Greater Hart-Sheldon, a region anchored by Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge and Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge, provides essential habitat for hundreds of animals who depend on sagebrush plants, including pronghorn, greater sage-grouse and the pygmy rabbit. California Bighorn sheep occupy the refuge, primarily around steep, rocky cliffs of the Hart Mountain refuge. As early as June, hundreds of thousands of birds will flock to the northwest corner of the Greater Hart-Sheldon
The nonprofit Trust for Public Land has published its annual ParkScore rankings, and some area cities are high on the list. Washington, D.C., took the top spot for the third year in a row, ranked as the nation s best big-city park system, with 24% of the District s land devoted to parks. The rankings are based on five metrics including park access, which calculates the percentage of residents living within a 10-minute walk of a park as well as park equity, which compares access in communities of color to white communities and low versus high income levels. .