About Us

Our Mission

Discover Your Forest is dedicated to promoting the discovery of the Deschutes and Ochoco National Forests and Crooked River National Grassland by enriching the experience of visitors, building community support and creating the next generation of environmental stewards.

Mark Koozer on MT B last summer.

Our History

  • 2010

    The Deschutes National Forest expresses interest in partnering with a local Friends Group

  • Jul 28, 2023

    2011

    Discover Your NW (DYNW) submits a proposal and is selected as official nonprofit partner of the Deschutes National Forest

  • Jul 28, 2023

    2012

    DYNW creates a DBA organization that will serve as Deschutes Friends Group and strategic plans begin for the Deschutes Forest Conservation Association

  • Jul 28, 2023

    2014

    Deschutes Forest Conservation Association rebrands as Discover Your Forest (DYF) and expands retail and visitor services to the Ochoco National Forest and Crooked River National Grassland

  • Jul 28, 2023

    2015

    Discover Your Forest surpasses 7,500 children served through free school field-trips and develops an internal board

  • Jul 28, 2023

    2016

    DYF Wilderness Interns are able to connect with 50,000 visitors in one initiative

  • Jul 28, 2023

    2017

    Discover Your Forest expands retail locations to include Cascade Lakes Welcome Station and increases focus on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

  • Jul 28, 2023

    2018

    Discover Your Forest convenes and supports the development of two regional trail groups: the Deschutes Trails Coalition and Ochoco Trails

  • Jul 28, 2023

    2019

    Discover Your Forest expands retail locations to include the Redmond Air Center and the Madras-Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce Office

  • Jul 28, 2023

    2020

    Discover Your Forest reaches $1M annual operating budget, adds virtual programming to repertoire, and establishes annual JEDAI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, Accessibility, and Inclusion) to Strategic Planning

  • Jul 28, 2023

    Present

    Discover Your Forest convenes and joins as a "Supporting Partner Organization" of Vámanos Outside and looks for new ways to meaningfully grow our reach to under-served communities

Our Present and Future

All natural resources education and exploration takes place on Indigenous homelands. We honor with gratitude the land itself and the people who have stewarded it throughout the generations. Learn more about native lands at native-land.ca.

Land-Acknowledgement-Map

Our Core Values

Discover Your Forest celebrates and values people of all backgrounds, abilities and identities. We respect the countless ways of learning and knowing, because diverse perspectives and cultural knowledge are fundamental to achieving a deeper understanding of our Central Oregon landscape, as well as its history.

We acknowledge sociocultural inequities that remain hold-fasts in our society; including, but not limited to, racism, sexism, classism and ableism. These inequities limit certain communities’ access to education and exploration of the natural world. We believe that all people, regardless of ability or identity, should feel welcome on our Public Lands without barriers to access. In order to accomplish our mission of providing safe and educational outdoor opportunities for ALL people, we must focus our attention on who and how we serve.

How We Serve

In order to confront these inequities, Discover Your Forest strives to:

  • Commit to making justice, equity, diversity, accessibility and inclusion (JEDAI) evident in our organization’s culture, policies, curriculum, programs and partnerships
  • Value, respect and acknowledge the unique experiences, talents and backgrounds of our staff, volunteers, visitors, partners and program participants
  • Build collaborative relationships, aware that it takes time and effort to develop authentic and deep connections
  • Establish a culture of safety, respect, openness, integrity and honesty in order to inspire each persons’ curiosity and enjoyment of Public Lands.
  • Remain ready to learn from our mistakes, open to critique and dialogue, and continue to actively learn about justice, equity, diversity, accessibility and inclusion practices

We stand in solidarity as accomplices in the eradication of these barriers. In our efforts to foster stewardship of both land and community, we commit to learning, questioning, and making tangible strides towards a more just, equitable, diverse, accessible and inclusive future for our community and for our Public Lands.

Annual Reports

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