Phoenix Rising: Deschutes Land Trust's 2025 Wildfire Experience

The Deschutes Land Trust conserves and cares for 18,742 acres of land in our region that protects plants and animals, provides a refuge that can help mitigate the impacts of climate change, and helps connect our community to the outdoors. In the summer of 2025, two wildfires, the Cram Fire and the Flat Fire, burned the majority of three of our community preserves. This presentation will describe how we prepared for the inevitable, the effects of the fires on these places, natural recovery and how we are managing these landscapes post-fire.

Jen Zalewski (pronouns: she/her/hers) is the Deschutes Land Trust's Associate Stewardship Director. She is responsible for assisting with conservation and restoration at Land Trust protected lands. She lives and works in Bend. Jen has a B.S. in conservation biology and an M.S. in wildlife biology from Humboldt State University where her Master's thesis focused on river otter ecology. Prior to joining the Land Trust as a staff member, Jen led mountain bike and birding tours for our Walks + Hikes Program. In her spare time, Jen enjoys crafting, skiing, biking, and getting out on the water with her family.

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