Enjoy the variety of outdoor activities happening this week in Central Oregon.

Tour some of the Deschutes Land Trust’s nature preserves, learn new skills or try forest bathing at Shevlin Park with a guided meditation.

Bird Hike

Volunteer Aaron Jenkins will lead a bird walk at the Deschutes Land Trust’s Willow Springs Preserve near Sisters. The group will search for dippers and other water birds along Whychus Creek as well as warblers working the willows. Find birds through sight and sound and learn about recent restoration work at the preserve.

Thursday 8-11 a.m.; free, registration required; Willow Springs Preserve, near Military Road, Sisters; deschuteslandtrust.org.

Edible and Medicinal Plants of Central Oregon

Local herbalist Sarah Olson will share her insights on the springtime plants and mushrooms that are beginning to appear in Central Oregon. She will explore proper identification, edibility and medicinal properties, as well as ethical harvesting practices to ensure sustainable foraging. Free and open to the community.

Thursday 6:30-8 p.m.; free; Trinity Episcopal Church, 469 NW Wall St., Bend; centraloregonmushroomclub.com or 541-382-5542.

Metolius River Preserve Hike

Join the Deschutes Land Trust and David Miller for a spring hike at Metolius River Preserve near Camp Sherman. The group will hike a portion of the beautiful west side Metolius River Trail from Lower Bridge Campground south towards the preserve. Enjoy spring wildflowers while exploring the area’s mixed pine, cedar and spruce forest. Learn about the preserve’s fen, a special kind of wetland.

Friday 10 a.m.-2 p.m.; free, registration is required; Metolius River Preserve, near Camp Sherman, Camp Sherman; deschuteslandtrust.org.

Gnome Dome Open House

This event is a chance for returning families to connect and for new families to learn more about Wildheart Nature School programs, which includes mixed-age kindergarten, summer camp, homeschool and the School of Wizardry. Tour the classroom, help build a natural dome for the kindergarten, and enjoy a picnic together. Kids are welcome to dress as their favorite forest or magical creature.

Juniper Jungle Learning Farm is a classroom, discovery center and gathering place. According to its website, the mission of this family farm is to engage children and adults in learning about farming, food systems and their importance to our community.

Wildheart Nature School’s mission is to help people remember their place in the web of life by nurturing wildness, wonder and reverence for the Earth.

Saturday 10 a.m.-1 p.m.; free; Juniper Jungle Learning Farm, 22135 Erickson Road, Bend; wildheartnatureschool.com or 541-625-0273.

Nature Journaling

Kolby Kirk will give tips and techniques for keeping a journal while out in the Deschutes Land Trust’s Camp Polk Meadow Preserve. The group will discuss ways of seeing and recording the landscape, explore reasons for keeping a trail journal and learn tips for quickly sketching flora and fauna for later identification. No journaling or drawing experience needed.

Saturday 9 a.m.-noon; free, registration is required; Camp Polk Meadow Preserve, Cemetery Road, Sisters; deschuteslandtrust.org.

Ochoco Preserve Tour

Leslie Olson will lead a spring tour of the Deschutes Land Trust’s Ochoco Preserve near Prineville. Last year, the land trust completed the second phase of a major project to shape the future of Ochoco Preserve. Attendees are welcome to come see the work done to improve streams, flourishing native plants and wildlife firsthand. Explore and learn about the preserve’s waterways (McKay Creek, Ochoco Creek and Crooked River) and watch for water birds, raptors and songbirds.

Saturday 10 a.m.-noon; free, registration is required; Ochoco Preserve, near Prineville, Prineville; deschuteslandtrust.org.

SELCO Pole Pedal Paddle

If you’re not participating, get out and watch the six-leg, multisport race from Mt. Bachelor to Bend. Either solo, in pairs or as a team, participants compete in a downhill ski or snowboard, an 8K Nordic ski, 20-mile bike ride, 5-mile run, 1.5-mile paddle and a half-mile sprint to the finish at Riverbend Park. More than 2,000 participants take on this annual challenge.

Spectators can enjoy the festival at the finish with food, drinks, sponsor booths and plenty of race-day excitement. Proceeds support the Mt. Bachelor Sports Education Foundation, which helps young athletes develop skills in skiing, snowboarding and cycling.

Saturday 7 a.m.; Mt. Bachelor, 13000 Century Drive, Bend; pppbend.com or 800-829-2442.

Volunteer Project Days

Join the Bend Park and Recreation District natural resources and trails team as its members pull weeds, remove trash, close off unofficial trails and plant native vegetation on the Manzanita Trail near the Westgate area of Discovery West. If you can’t make this one, keep an eye out for other volunteer opportunities throughout the summer.

Saturday 9 a.m.-noon; free; Trail Improvement Project at Manzanita Trail, Manzanita Trail in the Westgate area of Discovery West, Bend; signupgenius.com or 541-389-7275.

Forest Bathing — A Healing Nature Immersion

This forest bathing session starts off with a guided meditation deepening into each of the senses, and then you’ll be led through a series of invitations that offer the opportunity for deeper relaxation and connection with ourselves and the earth. The group will come together for optional sharing and close the experience with wildcrafted tea.

Forest bathing is inspired by the Japanese practice of Shinrin-Yoku, which translates to “forest bath” and means to take in the atmosphere of the forest through the senses. The practice involves spending time in forested areas for the purpose of enhancing health, wellness, and happiness and remembering our connection to nature and each other.

Sunday 1-3 p.m.; $40; Shevlin Park, 18920 Shevlin Park Road, Bend; rootedpresence.com.

Wildlife Photography Walk

Becca LiPuma, lead wildlife educator and photographer for the Deschutes Land Trust, will provide advice on composition, lighting and capturing elusive wildlife moments. LiPuma will also teach attendees how to respect and protect the animals they encounter.

Bring a camera or a phone with camera capabilities, good walking shoes and plenty of water.

Wednesday 4-6 p.m.; free; Riley Ranch Nature Reserve, 19975 Glen Vista Road, Bend; tockify.com.

Ian Haupt: 541-617-7821 or ian.haupt@bendbulletin.com.