On an early May morning I met a group of four other volunteers to scout conditions and clear brush along several miles of trails that are now rarely visited.

A lot can be said about looking at plants without the flowers. So, a slow walk in early October from the Hurricane Creek Trailhead to the nose bleed section of the mountains above Echo and Billy Jones Lake provided an excellent opportunity to look at the plants without their showy flowers.

The work party made a major push to clear the Skyline Trail, one of the last few segments of trail needing maintenance through the Malheur National Forest.

May is the time to observe a great variety of birds on nesting territories, preparing to hatch and raise young in what is a short summer at this 6000 ft + elevation.