STEPPE FORWARD

Education

We believe that increased understanding of the importance of native ecosystems fuels greater efforts in conservation of our natural areas and leads to better management of our urban environments. The need to be cognizant of the subtle characteristics of these systems and the ability to restore ecological function in natural and developed landscapes has never been greater.  Our changing climate, increased human impacts, and overall decline in biodiversity demand a more robust response in preserving and enhancing ecological function locally, regionally, and globally.  But there’s a scarcity of educational opportunities offering both theory and practical skills in restoration horticulture in both natural and managed systems.  This is one area in which the High Desert Horticultural Center excels.

Education of the public, industry professionals, and aspiring restoration practitioners is a primary purpose of the High Desert Horticultural Center (HDHC).  Our mission is to expand the level of understanding and appreciation of high desert ecosystems – specifically sagebrush-steppe – with the intent to increase the use of native vegetation in urban and suburban landscapes as a method to reduce resource dependence in managed landscapes, and to garner support for the restoration and conservation of natural areas throughout the region.

Our educational programs target industry professionals, students, and homeowners looking for practical education in restoration ecology or working toward a career in resource management.  Our unique educational model is partially supported through fees and tuition for seminars, on-line training options, conferences, and university-level educational programs resulting in professional certification accredited by the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) and the Oregon Landscape Contractors Board (LCB). We’re training the next generation of native plant professionals and conservationists!

Research

A number of academic institutions are completing scientific studies of high desert ecology, but few offer the opportunity to apply results in practical and meaningful ways.  The HDHC is exceptional in its ability to complete original research and field test findings in real-world projects, while maintaining the flexibility to modify projects in response to new data. This collaborative approach is typically lacking in academic settings, but grants us the opportunity to be recognized leaders in applied research in High Desert ecosystems.

The East Cascades Native Plant Hub, a key partnership with Oregon State University – Cascades and the National Park Service serves as center of our research team.  The Hub is currently working to provide georeferenced plants and propagules for restoration projects throughout the sagebrush-steppe bioregion, but will grow to become a repository and source for data on high desert ecosystems, native plant propagation, carbon capture and storage in steppe and rangeland systems, and restoration methodologies.

But the Center is also unique in its inclusion of urban ecosystems as a field of research.  Coinciding with our focus on education, the application of ecological theory and method in developed and managed landscapes is an emerging field in which the HDHC is positioned to become a leader.  The projects we design and implement provide an exceptional opportunity to study the effectiveness of techniques in the field of ecology-based landscaping, and to provide methods that guide municipalities in resource conservation and regeneration of biodiversity and ecosystem services within urban environments.

Workforce Development

Workforce Development is a nationally recognized need to enable effective response to our current climate crisis.  We recognize that need at a national level, but more immediately, at local and regional scales.  Many agencies and landowners experience extreme difficulty in locating knowledgeable and capable crews with the skills necessary to complete landscape or restoration projects.  Therefore, much of the work needed to increase resilience in response to a changing climate is not completed.  The High Desert Horticultural Center provides a rare opportunity for individuals to obtain the skills to become recognized and valued in these rapidly expanding professions.

Inherent in education and research is the development of an educated workforce capable of completing HDHC projects and contributing to the expansion of the ecology-based landscaping or restoration industries.  The intent of workforce development is to give students the skills and opportunities to grow within their chosen field either through entrepreneurship or as fully certified employees contributing to the success of established businesses. 

Students completing our workforce program will be educated in all aspects of restoration horticulture, from design and planning to construction and monitoring.  Certification of successful students is accredited by the Society for Ecological Restoration and the Oregon Landscape Contractors Board. This recognition ensures certification provides recognized value to businesses and clients in land management industries. 

Nursery

Central to the educational and financial aspects of the HDHC is WinterCreek Nursery, a native plant propagation nursery established in 1993.  The nursery is a full-scale commercial operation offering educational opportunities in seed collection and processing, plant production, marketing, and business management, and serves as a primary economic resource of the Center.

WinterCreek has become synonymous with native plants and ecology-based landscapes throughout the region.  Its value as a community resource is outstanding, and the inclusion of an established native plant propagation nursery into the HDHC contributes significantly to our ability to fulfill our mission to advance the use of native vegetation in landscapes and natural areas restoration.  Additionally, the recognition WinterCreek has received over the past three decades adds credibility to the Center as a regional hub for training and education.

The nursery remains open for retail and wholesale business, but profits of the business are used to support ongoing projects of the High Desert Horticultural Center.  The nursery also operates as the primary interface between the public and the HDHC, and serves as a community center offering a venue for educational programs, conferences, celebrations, teaching, and other events.  Click to visit our Nursery

Botanical Gardens

A key component of the HDHC is a fully accessible botanical garden offering residents and visitors to central Oregon the opportunity to learn about native vegetation and ecoregions characteristic of the High Desert geographic province.  The botanical garden will showcase native plants in natural and created ecosystems, and include information on cultural requirements of individual species, management and maintenance, and landscape design with the intent to encourage resource conservation locally and regionally. 

The scale of the botanical garden is expected to be limited in the early years of the Center, but will grow as the HDHC expands.

Community Resource

The High Desert Horticultural Center is an outstanding community resource serving all residents and visitors to central Oregon. The mission and vision of the center is to provide information and education on the environmental characteristics of the High Desert, help mitigate the effects of climate change through the use of native plants in urban and suburban landscapes, and provide a community event center focused on ecological issues and resource efficiency.  These concepts are universal.  Although the focus of the HDHC is on ecosystems characteristic of the high desert ecological province, the ideas and demonstration gardens and systems within the Center provide models that can be applied anywhere.

The construction of the Center also provides an exceptional example of sustainable building through design, rainwater capture and reuse, sustainable and regenerative landscaping, and resource conservation.  But most importantly, the HDHC includes the only facility of its kind in the semi-arid environments of the Pacific Northwest and establishes Bend as the leader in ecological sustainability in the region.