If you made a New Year’s commitment to do something that you haven’t done before, then I have a couple of suggestions that are happening this weekend.
One possibility is to participate in the annual Bald Eagle Count on Saturday. If you have never seen our national bird in flight there are few more impressive sights in birding. I distinctly remember the thrill I experienced when one glided over as we camped lakeside with the Boy Scouts. Speaking with Alison Center who has led the annual censusing of local eagles for the last 25 years, she warned that, while the likelihood is very high that you will see multiple birds, there is no 100 percent guarantee. This count generates local citizen collected data that is added to the statewide censusing of eagles. Locally we have the bald eagles but areas in eastern and southern Oregon boast populations of golden eagles. All are are counted in the state data.
The count is under the auspices of Coast Fork Birds and The Coast Fork Willamette Watershed Council. The data that is collected here will be sent to Oregon Eagle Foundation, which works to help these endangered birds recover in both numbers and previous ranges.
If this sounds intriguing, here is how you can participate in the morning, the afternoon or all day. The Dorena Lake area will be counted first. To get in on this one meet at Cottage Grove’s Koffee Kup by 9 a.m. (earlier if you want to have breakfast there). The group will be leaving shortly after nine to be birding in the field by 9:30 a.m. If that is too early for you or you have morning plans you can get in on the count at Cottage Grove Reservoir by meeting the USACE Lakeside Park on London Road at 2 p.m. In any case bring some water, snacks, weather appropriate clothing and whatever birding equipment you have. There will be some scopes set up if you don’t have binoculars of your own. Have some fun and help out the eagles!
Another possibility to consider is letting your creative side run wild and make what would normally end up in the landfill into high fashion, or should I say “Trashion.” There will be the first meeting of designers and models for the The Trashion Show, an annual Opal Center event. If you have ever seen this high energy event you know what exciting creations that result from designers of all ages creating wearable works of art made from recycled materials. If you are interested please come to the first meeting, Sunday, Jan. 13, 11 a.m., at The Opal Center, 513 E. Main St., Cottage Grove. Start saving your bottle caps and let your imagination run wild.
If you haven’t done something you never have, I encourage you to do so in 2019. Pushing you boundaries and comfort zones helps you grow!
Dana Merryday can be reached at 541-942-7037, [email protected]
