BACKGROUND:
ONDA staff, along with many hard-working volunteers have conducted wilderness inventories across eastern Oregon, from the Owyhee Canyonlands to the John Day Basin.  We covered millions of acres, documenting the presence or absence of roads and identifying areas that offer outstanding opportunities to recreate in a natural area.  In these wild places, we were often amazed by views of vast sagebrush landscapes, deep canyons, wild rivers, and the many plants and animals we saw along the way. 

Through this process of on-the-ground inventory, we identified more than seven million acres that are suitable for Wilderness designation, but have never been considered by Congress.  These inventoried lands form the foundation for the Oregon High Desert Protection Act, a citizen-based Wilderness proposal to protect, forever, some of the last great places in Oregon's Outback.

In 1976, the BLM was required by law to identify and inventory all public lands having wilderness characteristics and values, and to study them for possible recommendation as Wilderness.  Those lands that were suitable for Wilderness were identified as Wilderness Study Areas (WSA), to be studied and managed to protect Wilderness values. Most of these wilderness inventories were carried out by the BLM in the 1980's, but the WSAs have never become Wilderness.  Conditions in many places have changed since the original inventories and ONDA's recently completed "citizen-conducted" inventory of Oregon's desert lands provides the most up to date information regarding areas that are suitable for Wilderness designation.

PROJECT DETAILS:
On this trip volunteers will be working out of a base camp in Farewell Bend State Park (on the Snake River just off I-84 at Exit 353 north of Ontario) Plan to arrive the evening of Wednesday July 8 so that work can begin the morning of the 9th.  Inventory work will take place on the 9th-11th with participants traveling home on the the 12th.

On inventory days, volunteers will venture out in teams of 2-4 people, equipped with cameras and a GPS.  One person will drive and another navigate.  The objective will be to document the conditions of various "routes" within the areas of interest.  The condition of these "routes" helps determine whether they are "roads" (maintained) or "ways" (unmaintained) or in some cases, non-existent.  Volunteers will also be asked to photograph any outstanding features along the way that add value to the wilderness area. This information will be used to bolster the assertion that the area should be protected as Wilderness, and to help determine boundaries.  Volunteers will receive some GPS and procedural instruction Wednesday night when they arrive.  Depending on the number of participants, Craig may need people to volunteer to drive their personal vehicles for the inventory work. Depending on the number of particpants, ONDA can supply several GPS units and cameras.

Camp-site fees (about $3/night) will be the responsibility of the participants.  Information regarding the campground (including cabin rentals) can be found at:

http://www.oregonstateparks.org/park_7.php

http://www.oregonstateparks.org/images/pdf/farewell_full.pdf

WHAT TO BRING:
Participants will be responsible for their own camping gear, cooking and food. Water and toilet facilities are available at the campground.  Please be sure to bring at least 2 liter-sized water bottles and proper gear for a day in the field.  We will be car-camping, and it could be hot, so no need to skimp on the luxuries!  

When you register (below), you will receive a confirmation e-mail and as the trip gets nearer, you will receive an e-mail containing:

• Additional suggested gear items to bring
• Car-pool information
• Any last-minute info or detail changes

COST:
This trip is free to members, $45 for non-members (why-not just become a member: it is only $35 for a full year!)

REGISTRATION:
Click HERE to register for the Lower Snake Wilderness Inventory July 8-12, 2009

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
This trip will be led by the head of ONDA's Wilderness Inventory Program, Craig Miller.