With the pressures of politics over the past few months, I feel the need to de-stress in nature as much as possible. Fortunately, this time of year, that is easy. Temperatures are warming, flowers are blooming, trees are leafing out, and songbirds are singing.  In Oregon we have lovely habitat diversity, which offers us more opportunities to enjoy nature’s wonders than in many other areas. (Cont.)

Our campaign to promote bird-friendly communities is taking flight. We are getting closer to the official launch of the Bird City certification program here in Oregon. Lane Audubon is the lead organization on this promising initiative. As we develop the program, we are always thinking about what we can all do to make our communities friendlier to birds, pollinators, other wildlife, and people too. The following fact gave us pause, “For a commercial leaf blower, one hour of operation emits smog-forming pollution comparable to driving a new light-duty passenger car about 1100 miles… (Cont.)