2025 Celebrate the Blues

Blue Mountain Land Trust is deeply grateful to everyone who made Celebrate the Blues an unforgettable evening! Together, we raised funds to support our work at this sold-out event with 150 attendees. These funds will directly support our work to protect the lands and waters of the Blue Mountain region for people, wildlife, and agriculture.

We heard about the impact of BMLT’s work and local collaboration from BMLT Board President Robin Fitch, UmaBirch landowner Jim Whitney, and Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Program Manager Jerimiah Bonfier. We’re thankful to our speakers for sharing more why local land and water conservation matters to them and how it will make a difference for current and future generations.

Thank you to Abeja Winery for hosting us and providing excellent food and wine. The family-style dinner and environment made it easy to reconnect with old friends and meet new ones. It was wonderful to see dishes passing and stories being shared across dinner tables.

Thank you to our generous sponsors: Alaska Airlines, Columbia REA, Jim and Penny Whitney, Banner Bank, PBS Engineering, Tetra Tech, and the North Fork John Day Watershed Council. We’d also like to thank the numerous businesses and community donors that contributed to our silent auction. Congratulations to our Alaska Airlines ticket winner Tim Schroeder. Thank you to our emcee and musician for the evening, Jim Wilson & Isaac Huerta.

Finally, thank you to all our wonderful guests for being a part of this memorable event. Your generosity and support made Celebrate the Blues a successful, inspiring, and fun event. THANK YOU.

We are looking forward to seeing you again next year!