The Oregon State University Extension Land Steward course is designed for owners of woodlands, small farms, pasture or other rural land who want to manage their property’s natural resources more effectively.
This expert-led course is well-suited for busy adults who enjoy online learning but also want to see stewardship in action. It includes self-paced online lessons and live Zoom sessions where you can interact directly with local experts. The course is research-based and professionally developed. Topics include:
• Wildfire risk reduction
• Forest and woodland management
• Encouraging and controlling wildlife
• Stream ecology
• Pasture management
• Growing healthy soils
• Rural water system infrastructure
• Rural economics and enterprise
•Stewardship planning
The course includes a series of nine online lessons. A new lesson will be made available for students each week. You will work through these at your own pace with virtual “drop-in” sessions available to assist you each week. In addition, there will be three virtual classes where you will meet with your instructors and fellow students, utilizing video conferencing. Two of those virtual classes will feature panel discussions with local Gorge natural resource management and small farmers who will help students consider options for their land and provide resources that may be of assistance.
Throughout the course, you can expect to spend up to two hours per week on each self-paced online lesson and related activities. You will also complete a series of resource assessments to get to know your property better and develop a management plan for your property using our landowner-friendly template.
Course Outcomes:
• Describe basic stewardship practices for woodlands, wildlife, soils, pastures, water resources, streams and riparian areas.
• Conduct an assessment for each of these resources to identify potential resource concerns, desirable healthy conditions and potential follow-up actions.
• Create a management plan for your property to help you meet your goals and improve resource stewardship
The main instructor for this course is Rachel Werling. Rachel is the statewide coordinator and developer of the OSU Land Stewards program. Glenn Arhens, Extension Forester for Hood River County and Ann Harris, Open Campus Coordinator for Extension in Hood River and Wasco counties will be organizing the local Gorge aspects of the course.
The course will begin with the first virtual class where you will meet together on Jan. 25. New online lessons will be posted every week through April 5.
The two virtual classes will be March 1 and March 29 from 6-8 p.m.
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