ASC member Joel Geier will present Oregon's newest birding trail, focusing on our own Willamette Valley, at our monthly general meeting on February 18. The Willamette Valley Birding Trail is the fifth in a planned series of nine birding trails that highlight the remarkable diversity of Oregon's ecoregions. This trail is nestled between the Oregon Coast and Oregon Cascades Birding Trails. The trail highlights twelve local loop routes, each of which can guide you to a full weekend's worth of discoveries in any season. Three loops wind through the Corvallis-Albany area!

This is the country's first regional birding trail to highlight bicycle birding and public transit. Bicycle-friendly directions are included for most of the 138 sites. A special section highlights birding sites along the new Willamette Valley Scenic Bikeway, as well as smaller bicycle trails around the region. Public-transit directions are given wherever practical options exist.

This birding trail is the product of a very broad collaboration that includes ASC's Bill Proebsting and volunteers from Portland, Salem, and Lane County Audubon, along with tourism specialists and wildlife professionals from state and federal agencies. More than 75 birders shared their local knowledge by nominating sites and checking directions and descriptions. Even if you've lived in the Willamette Valley for many years, chances are this guide will open your eyes to new places to enjoy the beauty and diversity of this place we call home.