View the Future participated in three events to mark Earth Day and our commitment to protecting our home.
Yachats Ridge Tours
On Saturday April 20 and Sunday April 21, fourteen people went on a tour of the 1,100 acres known as Yachats Ridge. Joanne Kittel, co-chair of View the Future, and Bette Perman, board member, drove visitors to seven sites on the property, where Joanne described the values of this magnificent area, the damage that has occurred from decades of timber harvest, and plans to restore the ecosystem. VtF has been working with the Oregon Department of Parks and Recreation (See report From the Chair) to encourage the state to add the Ridge to the State Parks system.
Sip and Stroll
View the 
Future had a table at the Overleaf Events Center during the very successful second annual Sip and Stroll event on Saturday. After people registered for the event and before they headed out to visit participating shops and stores in the community to sample wines and food, they were able to learn more about VtF from the volunteers, books and pamphlets at the display table. It was a great way to connect with both locals and visitors!
YAAS Presentation
On Sunday, View the Future co-chairs Joanne Kittel and John Theilacker, made a presentation at the Yachats Commons on View the Future’s efforts to preserve the Yachats Ridge property. The talk was sponsored by the Yachats Academy of Arts and Sciences and was attended by over 100 people. Accompanied by a slide presentation, Joanne and John talked about how VtF started and its continuing work with local property owners to encourage voluntary conservation easements to protect habitat as well as scenic and other values. Embedded in the slide presentation was a video produced by board member Carl Meibergen, showing Yachats Ridge, which is VtF’s main priority at this time. Members of the audience showed a lot of interest in the presentation and followed up by talking to VtF members and looking at informational material about VtF and the Ridge property. Books by Joanne Kittel, Wally Orchard, and Andrea Scharf were available for sale; all proceeds were donated to VtF.
VtF extends thanks to all the people who participated in these events, to those who made everything happen, and to the folks who made generous donations to VtF to support efforts to protect and preserve our natural world.
