Kim Toman took this photo on the morning of May 2 out in front of the lodge…gorgeous!

Through February 19, the park had received only 37.5″ of snow. Things were looking pretty dismal in the moisture and fire danger departments back then. By the beginning of March, a few small storms brought the total to just beyond 50″ – progress. After a decent March (35.7″) and April (19.1″), and then last night’s 9.4″, the season’s snow total is now 116.5″. This is an inch more than average, and I must say I am happy and pleasantly surprised to be here. May should be a terrific wildflower month in the park, so I will be sure to get out there and enjoy them. Now, if we could only get the spring and summer rains going…

Plan to come out to the Horseshoe Lodge Tuesday Evening April 16th at 5pm for this interesting evening of stories by the nice folks in Wetmore who run the wildlife rehab. They have tales of baby bears that lost their moms, and baby deer that was recused during spring storms. MPEC is happy to highlight the Wildlife Rehab Center as we support non profits doing important work in our community and this is surely one of them.

One of our newest programs here at the Mountain Park Environmental Center is Home School in the Park. Home School in the Park is an experiential science program, based on our Earth Studies program and tailored for home school students, grades 3rd through 6th. When I first began working here at MPEC, I was a Ranger teaching in our Earth Studies Program. Immediately I loved the program and was able to witness the benefits of bringing children into nature to teach them about their planet. Since I was raised in a family that home schooled, I began to think about how home school children would enjoy and greatly profit from a program such as this. I began to envision setting up a program for home school families where MPEC could use its resources and knowledgeable staff to form Earth Studies day sessions specifically for home schooled children.

Although it can be challenging to start a new program, our first session of Home School in the Park successfully took place this past February with 12 children in attendance. The focus of the session was mammals and tracking. Our second session was just as successful, with 14 home schooled children of all ages coming to MPEC to learn about birds and orienteering. The kids, as well as parents, have learned so much and enjoyed the experience tremendously, continuing to help spread the word about this new program. As our third home school day session approaches, I am excited to see our program grow, as currently there are 17 children signed up to attend. These children are growing and flourishing from these learning experiences that take place in Pueblo Mountain Park, the ideal outdoor classroom.

With this winter’s snowfall now up to 88″, I decided to take a look at the park’s recent winter totals to see just how dry, or unusual, this one is. Since 1990, we’ve had five winters with less than 90″ of snow: 2001/2002 with 48″; 2010/2011 74.3″; 2005/2006 74.5″; 2000/2001 75″; and 2008/2009 83.5″. If we don’t get any more snow (which is unlikely), then 2012/2103 will be added to this list. The snowiest was 1997/1998, when 209.5″ of glorious snow blanketed the park. The average of the last 23 winters is 117.18″.

One thing that I notice from these numbers is that few winters bring what is often referred to as “normal” snowfall. When the news weather person says that we are above or below “normal,” what is really being said is that we are above or below “average.” And an average is just that – add up all the numbers, divide by the quantity of entries, and there’s the average – for the park, 117.18″ over the past 23 years. It doesn’t mean that 145″ or 85″  are not normal snowfall amounts – they are certainly normal, and point out that drought years and wet years are a normal part of this land.  If you took the height of every child in my grandson’s class, and determined that the average height is 4’9″, it doesn’t mean that my grandson, who is 5’2″ is not normal, he is just taller than average. So…years with 150″ of snow, or 90″ of snow, are perfectly normal.

I also noticed that the driest years, at least out of the last 23, have been in the last dozen years. Beyond the “normalness” of varying snowfall amounts, might this recent string of drier years be a symptom of global warming? It is consistent with what climate scientists have been saying – that there will be lots of weather extremes, with a general movement towards drier winters in the Rockies, due to the increase of carbon in the atmosphere. But, we’ve had dry years in the past…even strings of dry years? Oops, here I am, moving into the global warming debate, which was not my intent (although, for the record, according to the vast majority of climate scientists, there is no debate – global warming is real, and it is at least partly caused by human activities. It’s only a debate in political and social circles).

The campers at MPEC’s Spring Break Camp this week probably aren’t thinking about any of this – they are just enjoying all of this great snow! Happy Spring Break!

I took a walk this lovely blue sky afternoon to enjoy the sunshine and the snowy landscape. The prolific snow that yesterday’s storm delivered was falling off the pines and splattering everywhere. The storm’s 13.6″ of snow was wet, containing 1.29″ of moisture, a delightful and typical spring storm. This brings the winter’s total snowfall to 67.3″. A handful more of these kinds of storms would be most welcome. In spite of the moisture, this storm was not a drought-buster. But it’s wet out there now, and I think it’s fair to say that mud season has officially begun. Here’s to wet snow and mud! (I didn’t have a camera with me, so I am including this lovely photo of Karin Kyte’s to accompany this post.)

Hi Friends at MPEC

I want to let you all know what a joy it was staying with you at the Horseshoe Lodge. The Swedish Mountain room is so special. The restored fireplace made the room  cozy and all the Swedish highlights made me feel  like I was royalty.  I appreciate your efforts at water conservation.  The composting toilet, auto-off sink faucets and shower were convenient and helped me enjoy being light on Beulah’s water supply.

I was particularly delighted by the breakfast selections.   I’ve led many workshops of various sized in my career and if I ever  need a facility for one, I will not hesitate to have it hosted at the Horseshoe Lodge.

Thanks again for the great service you are doing for our environment; for our next generation; and for the community of Beulah.  You’ve transformed an eyesore into a gem.  I hope everyone in the region will consider attending MPEC events and stay at the Horseshoe Lodge.

Best Wishes For Continued Success,

Jon B. Broome, MBA Instructor of Management/Marketing

Oregon State University