Wanderlust Tours Scholarship

The foundation on which Wanderlust Tours was built and has flourished over our history is the natural world - the mighty rivers, stunning mountains, stoic buttes, pristine lakes, magnificent caves, and more. As part of our mission to inspire others and instill an appreciation for the environment, we are starting the Wanderlust Tours Scholarship Fund. The goal of the program is to broaden the population of outdoor enthusiasts that desire to recreate in our beautiful natural spaces. At Wanderlust, we believe that we can do so by supporting those that might not otherwise be able to participate in a guided tour experience due to financial and/or comfortability constraints. We want to bring greater accessibility to those who may not have access to the outdoor world that we care for so deeply. Our relationship to the natural world is an undeniable part of what makes us human and we believe that helping others experience and see the beauty of the natural world is good for them, good for those around them, and good for our planet as a whole.

Central Oregon Avalanche Center

Founded in 2009, the Central Oregon Avalanche Center empowers the local backcountry community to make informed decisions by providing avalanche forecasting, observations, and education. As of the 2022/2023 season, COAC provides 7-day avalanche forecasting for the Central Cascades zone and beginning in the 24/25 season COAC will be providing avalanche forecasting on Saturday and Sunday for Paulina Peak. In addition to avalanche forecasting, COAC hosts community avalanche education events, including the free Know Before You Go educational series and the annual Bend Snow and Avalanche Workshop. COAC also established and maintains weather stations on Moon Mountain and near Paulina Peak which is accessed by users across the state to collect weather data. COAC is truly a community funded non-profit meaning we get no USFS, state, and/or federal funding.

To learn more about COAC’s mission and efforts, please go to https://www.coavalanche.org/.
You can donate to COAC directly here.

AdvenChair

Wanderlust Tours is currently partnering with an incredible local company, AdvenChair, to collaborate on ways we can get those with certain mobility challenges onto the trail and into the outdoors, ensuring that everyone can access the beauty of our region. AdvenChair is built upon the idea that “everyone should be able to visit wild places together and experience the healing power of nature, regardless of ability. So we built AdvenChair, an off-road wheelchair that enables teams of two or more to tackle new challenges and boldly go where no chair has gone before. Take your group to new heights, new depths, and overcome obstacles. Together, you’ll feel inspired and empowered like never before.”

To learn more about the AdvenChair and its capabilities, go to https://www.advenchair.com/.

To learn about the AdvenTours and our collaborative effort to bring accessible tours to all, check out our AdvenTours Page.

WARM SPRINGS COMMUNITY ACTION TEAM

The Warm Springs Community Action Team (WSCAT) is a non-profit community development organization located on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation. WSCAT was first established in 2001 as an incubated program under the Central Oregon Partnership. WSCAT envisions a Warm Springs Reservation in which tribal and community members control their own destinies, in which people are in a position to provide for their families, pursue their hopes and dreams, and achieve their full potential. WSCAT became an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in August 2008. WSCAT is located in the Warm Springs Agency, the largest community on the Warm Springs Reservation.

WSCAT’s mission is to promote community development in Warm Springs by empowering individuals and groups of people to realize their potential, become self-reliant, and affect positive change for themselves, their families, and their community. 

Learn more at wscat.org

Deschutes Land Trust

The Deschutes Land Trust conserves and cares for the lands and waters that sustain Central Oregon, so local communities and the natural world can flourish together for generations to come. They envision a future where conservation and community care come together to protect, heal, and sustain the natural world around us. Since 1995, the Land Trust has protected more than 18,742 acres in our region for today and tomorrow.

Snowdays Foundation

Since their founding in 2004, Snowdays Foundation has been partnering with public schools and mentoring organizations to provide snowboarding trips as an empowering experience for BIPOC and low-income youth. Entering their 20th season, Snowdays will work with over 350 participants through their programs in Portland and, as of 2022, they expanded into Central Oregon where they have weekly winter trips to Hoodoo. 

Snowdays handles all costs and logistics associated with snowboarding; everything from transportation and outerwear to lunch and equipment. As they expand into our beautiful home of Central Oregon, their biggest need is volunteers! The Hoodoo trips are Wednesdays in January and February, from about 4:30pm - 9:00pm. Both boarders and skiiers are welcome to help volunteer!

To learn more about Snowdays Foundation and to register as a volunteer, please go to https://www.snowdaysfoundation.org/.

Volunteering Details

• Skill level is any and all! Snowdays trip leaders will designate volunteers to help with different participant learning levels based on the volunteers' skill/experience (skiiers are more than welcome to volunteer too!)

• Timing is approximately 4-9. It fluctuates based on the Snowdays’ needs.

• Sign up here - Volunteer Application

Think Wild

Think Wild is a wildlife conservation center that serves five counties in Central and Eastern Oregon. Their mission is to inspire our high desert community to care for and protect our native wildlife through education, conservation, rescue, and rehabilitation.

Think Wild works to address three main priorities:

Wildlife Rescue, Rehabilitation and Release: Think Wild operate a hotline for wildlife-related concerns as well as provide veterinary services to injured and orphaned native wildlife for rehabilitation and release back into the wild.

Community Education: Think Wild offers a variety of educational programming for kids of all ages as well as adults, including onsite programs, volunteer days, classroom lessons, workshops, naturalist-guided hikes, public events, summer camps, and more. They prioritize equitable access to environmental education, offering most of our programming free of charge. Over 65% of students served in classroom, after school, and summer camp programs are from indigenous, rural, or low income communities. 

Conservation: Think Wild works to reduce human conflicts with wildlife and promote wildlife success through conservation programs. Two of their primary conservation efforts are wildlife habitat and conflict mitigation services and Beaver Works Oregon, partnering with landholders to support successful beaver habitats.

Instilling an appreciation and protection for the natural world is central to Wanderlust’s mission and we are so excited to be partnering with Think Wild this summer!

To learn more about Think Wild or if you would like to make a donation, please go to https://www.thinkwildco.org/.

Oregon Adaptive Sports

Oregon Adaptive Sports provides life-changing outdoor recreation experiences to individuals with disabilities. OAS offers a variety of activities year-round ranging from skiing and snowboarding to mountain biking, hiking, and more. Through the different programs and activities offered by OAS, participants gain confidence, build self-esteem and strive for independence leading to an enhanced quality of life.

The vision and mission of OAS is to see the day when everyone has the benefits of outdoor recreation, regardless of ability. OAS strives to be the adaptive sports leader in Central Oregon, providing state-of-the-art equipment, professional instruction, staff and dedicated volunteers, resulting in top quality experiences for their participants.

The ability to recreate in the outdoors is something that is core to our own mission and we are so excited to be working with OAS!

To learn more about Oregon Adaptive Sports, please go to https://oregonadaptivesports.org/.

Upper Deschutes Watershed Council

Since 1996, the Upper Deschutes Watershed Council (UDWC) has worked to protect and restore the 2,000,000-acre upper Deschutes River watershed through collaborative projects in watershed restoration, monitoring and community awareness. With local support from landowners, ranchers, environmental interests, local citizens, and representatives from local governments and agencies, we lead cooperative, grass-roots efforts to improve watershed conditions. This grass-roots approach ensures that a balance of affected and interested stakeholders is involved to craft effective management strategies for our watersheds.

Last summer, Wanderlust Tours worked with UDWC to organize a fall planting and restoration project just upriver of Dillon Falls at Ryan Meadow.

To learn more about the Upper Deschutes Watershed Council, please go to https://www.upperdeschuteswatershedcouncil.org/.

The Oregon High desert Grotto

The Oregon High Desert Grotto is an internal organization of the National Speleological Society. They are dedicated to the study and preservation of caves throughout Oregon. The OHDG plays a vital role in the protection and stewardship of the delicate eco-systems of our stunning caves.

Wanderlust Tours partners with the Oregon High Desert Grotto in our Cave Cleanup Voluntourism events.

To learn more about the Oregon High Desert Grotto, please go to http://ohdgrotto.caves.org/.