Meg Roussos / The BulletinLaVerda Gallagher, of Bend, and Theresa Israel, of Crooked River Ranch, pull cheatgrass out of the Steelhead Falls trailhead at a previous work party.

On April 18 Friends and Neighbors of the Deschutes Canyon Area (FANs), the Prineville BLM and SOLVE IT Central Oregon will complete the native plant restoration effort of Steelhead Falls Trailhead.

Located on the middle Deschutes River, Steelhead Falls has become a popular spot in Central Oregon for camping, hiking, fishing, kayaking and birdwatching. The increase in recreational use along with winter storms have lead to the deterioration of Steelhead Falls trail and an increase in invasive weeds in the area.

A $3,000 grant from the American Hiking Society has allowed FANs to remove invasive weeds and replace them with native seeds and plants. From December to March 21, 250 hours have been donated to this project by 57 volunteers.

Beginning at 9 a.m. April 18 volunteers are invited to plant flowering shrubs and wildflowers, weed areas around the parking lot, clean up the campground and hike the trail to Steelhead Falls to see the results of the restoration effort.

Bring a trowel or small shovel and work gloves if you have them. FANs will provide lunch for all volunteers, drinking water, extra work gloves and small trowels and shovels for those who don’t have them.

For more information, contact Marilynne Keyser at mtkeyser@gmail.com or 541-923-0558.