PNW Climate Week 2026: The View From Here – Wildfire Resilience in Central Oregon

Join us for an easy evening about protecting the places we love from wildfire, told by the people already doing the work.

Community leaders speaking include: Jacob Fritz (Deschutes Collaborative Forest Project), Jodie Schiffman(Oregon Living with Fire), Craig Letz (Tamarack Wildfire Consulting), Woolsey McKernon (Viridian Ecosystems), Annie Nichols & Matthew Aghai (Bend Climate Collective), and a few others.

​We’ll meet at the base of Pilot Butte with drinks and snacks for a relaxed conversation about wildfire resilience in Central Oregon: what’s happening in the forests, what home hardening and defensible space look like in our own neighborhoods, and how a community pays for this work at scale. Then we’ll walk (or drive, if you’d rather) to the summit to keep talking with the whole valley and the Cascades in view at sunset.

​You’ll hear from the local experts and leaders, meet neighbors who care about the same things, and leave with a clearer picture of how to make our community more resilient.

Light, social, and welcoming to all. Come as you are and enjoy a spectacular Bend sunset in style with good company as part of PNW Climate Week activities.

​Good to know:

​Meet at the base; the walk up is about 20-30 minutes at an easy pace, roughly 500 ft of climbing on road or trail.

​Prefer not to hike? You can drive to the summit and meet us there.

​Bring water, comfortable shoes, and a layer for the summit; it cools off fast. A headlamp never hurts if you like to linger after daylight.

​Space is limited, so please RSVP. All proceeds go to Bend Climate Collective programming to bring you more community events!