Birds and the Burn

In September 2020, fires impacted streamside habitat along the Bear Creek Greenway in Jackson County, Oregon. This 20-mile paved path follows a riparian corridor in a mostly urban part of the Rogue River Valley and is an important community resource for both human recreation and wildlife habitat. Local conservation organizations and birdwatchers have come together to monitor changes in the Bear Creek bird community, using bird populations as indicators of watershed health, and to measure restoration efforts success. Sarah Rockwell (Klamath Bird Observatory) and Nate Trimble (Rogue Valley Audubon Society), two of the survey coordinators, will discuss this community-powered effort.